Book Description
Conspiracy theories about Sept. 11, 2001 continue to spread. Now, in a meticulous, scientific and groundbreaking new book, Popular Mechanics puts these rumors to rest. The magazine’s editors analyze the 20 most persistent claims underlying 9/11 conspiracy theories—and conclusively disprove each one. The result is a triumph of hard fact over conspiratorial fantasy.
Customer Reviews:
hey.......2007-09-20
so i haven't read the book, i will tell you that, but i think it's funny how John McCain helped write it. That guy needs to be off the balot and in jail for sure. Not all CT's are crazy either. They are family memebers who didn't get a proper investigation from the gov't. The Gov't doesn't care about them or the investigation and they call it a horrible attack on America. Bin Laden isn't even wanted for it. He i wanted for bombing in 198 or something on an american embassy killing maybe 200.
Anyway, read "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" wesome "truther" book
Propaganda and a waste of money. .......2007-09-20
Buy a copy of Debunking 9/11 Debunking by David Ray Griffin before buying this pack of lies. You can save your time and money and learn what Popular Mechanics says and OMITS in building their case against the truth. Hearst Publishing is still in the business of propaganda. Wake Up.
Reads like propaganda.......2007-09-14
I wish just once somebody would publish an objective book or collection of writings about this topic. The afterward is particularly insulting to the millions of concerned citizens with legitimate questions. Anyone can see that this book was written with an agenda. If this book doesn't give you ammo for you hate-spewing debunking arsenal, it might actually convince you that there are suspicious circumstances to consider.
Junk Science.......2007-08-29
This analysis doesn't even rise to the level of being wrong. You don't have to be a structural engineer to know that a steel-framed building cannot "pancake" at free-fall speed. You don't have to be a metallurgist to know that jet fuel won't leave pools of molten metal weeks after the fire is out. If you cherry-pick your "facts" you can make Stalin look like a boy scout or Mother Theresa look like the devil. This book starts with the conclusion and then tries to prove it. If you want an analysis that starts with the facts and works towards a logical conclusion, try any (or all) of David Ray Griffin's books.
Hint: don't drink fluoridated water........2007-08-24
I really wanted to fall for the "Official" fairytale. Sorry. Anyone who read this steaming terd and didn't find it insulting to their intelligence must be jacked up on fluoride. Do you know Prozac is 97% sodium fluoride? Do you know Hitler used it to sterilize and dumb down people? Do you know it is toxic waste from nuke power plants and aluminum production? You DO know your government puts it in YOUR water supply and toothpaste? Tell you what, figure out how MINOR structural damage and jet fuel pulverizes tons of concrete and EVERYTHING inside these giant skyscrapers into a fine dust before it can hit the ground, each with 47 welded and riveted massive core columns (approx 2/3 of its footprint!) Spraying sheitloads of human bone fragments atop the many adjacent buildings only to be discovered and reported years later and I will forget all about the bazillion lies, scandals and "coincidences", the complete failure of NORAD. Better stop, too much too list. Get a frikkin' clue retards, this is a cover-up hit piece AND do some homework to discover who owns Popular Mechanics Magazine. Better yet, buy the books of the great scholar David Ray Griffin instead, he easily destroys these brownshirt bootlickers using simple and sound logic.
Book Description
By virtue of his previous four books on the subject, David Ray Griffin is widely recognized as one of the leading spokespersons of the 9/11 truth movement, which rejects the official conspiracy theory about 9/11. Although this movement was long ignored by the US government and the mainstream media, recent polls have shown that (as Time magazine has acknowledged) the rejection of the official theory has become "a mainstream political phenomenon." It is not surprising, therefore, that the government and the corporately controlled media have shifted tactics. No longer ignoring the 9/11 truth movement, they have released a flurry of stories and reports aimed at debunking it.
In the present book, David Ray Griffin shows that these attempts can themselves be easily debunked. Besides demonstrating the pitiful failure of Debunking 9/11 Myths (published by Popular Mechanics and endorsed by Senator John McCain), Griffin riddles recent reports and stories put out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Time magazine as well as a new book by the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission. He also responds to criticisms of the 9/11 truth movement by left-leaning and Christian publications--which one might have expected to be supportive.
Throughout these critiques, Griffin shows that the charge that is regularly leveled against critics of the official theory-that they employ irrational and unscientific methods to defend conclusions based on faith-actually applies more fully to those who defend the official theory.
This book, by debunking the most prevalent attempts to refute the evidence cited by the 9/11 truth movement, shows that this movement's central claim-that 9/11 was an inside job-remains the only explanation that fits the facts.
Customer Reviews:
Not a great book.......2007-10-02
Having read the book in full, I must admit that Griffin does poke several holes and highlights some inconsistencies in the four documents he challenges. However, despite his critiques, the four documents still appear more scientifically and statistically sound than what Griffin offers as an alternative theory.
Too often, Griffin dwells on the semantics of "conspiracy theory" vs. "alternative conspiracy theory", while making far-fetched claims involving "voice-morphing technology", on the extreme end.
As a book, it simply drags. Griffin is too wordy and repetitive with his arguments. He could have put forth the same claims with half the verbiage. Either way, though, most of the claims are indeed bogus.
An Absolutely Undebunkable Rebuttal to the Official Theory Pushers.......2007-10-01
As a philosopher and epistomologist, Dr. Griffin examines all subjects dispassionately and with pure intellect and reason. Here is a fact. It is indeed correct that "conspiracy theorists," in the pejorative sense of the term, do indeed cherry-pick random facts to bolster their case. They also omit data that doesn't fit their case.
Another fact is that a conspiracy is simply an agreement between two or more people in secret to do something illegal and/or immoral. A conspiracy theory is a hypothesis as to who is responsible for the act. The officially historically sanctioned version of what happened is itself a conspiracy theory: The idea that 19 Muslim extremists conspired to attack America, their motive being they hated our freedoms (or, in an another interpretation, out of "blow back" for decades of aggressive U.S. imperial-style foreign policy) is itself a conspiracy theory.
Throughout Griffin's latest excellent volume, he shows how the champions of the official theory are guilty of precisely what they accuse the alternative theorists of doing: cherry-picking, omitting and distorting.
The NORAD tapes likely involve distortion, as their version is corroborated by no one but themselves. All news reports and personal anecdotes from the time run to the contrary of what the tapes allegedly reveal.
Popular Mechanics engages in all of the negative traits. Here is but one example: Omission. They claim that no one could have imagined what would happen if a large jetliner slammed into the building. They omit the crucial words of one of the chief architects of the towers. He said: "There would be a huge fire, and massive damage, and a lot of people would be killed, but in the end, the structure would still be there."
The above is just one of countless omissions and distortions in the Popular Mechanics book. Griffin's latest volume is especially important for balance in libraries and the like, because many major institutions, such as the BBC and the History Channel, not to mention the U.S. Government's own State Department website page, continue to cite Popular Mechanics as the final answer to debunking "9/11 conspiracy theories." This book is the REAL conspiracy theory debunker.
Excellent Read.......2007-09-26
I loved this book. David Ray Griffin has a lot to say and every bit of it is presented cogently and clearly. He sticks to the facts and adheres to the scientific method. In defending himself and other "conspiracy theorists," he presents an excellent case showing that documents presented to the American public as the "official story of 9/11" rely on two main methods to present their cases: cherry picking of evidence that bolsters the official story, and complete omission of evidence that doesn't.
The backers of the official story would like you to believe that people who believe in conspiracy theories are nut cases. But David Ray Griffin points out that the official story itself is a conspiracy theory. Therefore, the only real question is this: Who were the participants in the conspiracy? This book presents a very strong case that participants included top American officials and members of the Big Business elite. But that's only the case presented by the facts. There's also the case presented by a few of the "really good looking facts." Take your pick.
Logical, rational, and undeniable.......2007-09-17
Griffin's book is a devastating critique not only of the government's story regarding the events of 9/11, but also of the official defenders of that story. It it this book that finally convinced me beyond all doubt that the official story isn't only suspicious, but utterly absurd. I would strongly encourage anyone with even a mild interest in the events of 9/11 to read this book. Dr. Griffin cites strong evidence (with mountains of useful and accessible references) and uses basic logic and fundamental physics to dismantle the (as Griffin terms it) "official conspiracy theory". While there still may not be any solid proof about precisely what DID happen on that day, Griffin succeeds spectacularly in proving what did not. I would without any hesitation recommend this book to anyone, especially those who do not understand what reasons there are to question the government's version of events. Griffin's articulate, dispassionate, and intelligent arguments are very difficult to dismiss.
Sufficient text, but must be understood in context.......2007-09-11
There has been no trial to bring justice to the victims of September 11, but there have been public inquiries and an official commission that have sought the whole story surrounding the acts which took 3,000 lives on that criminal day. As a result of the publication of the 9/11 Commission Report, counter-claims have been formulated which seek to deconstruct the veracity of the "official conspiracy theory" which the US government has promulgated in this document and elsewhere.
The 9/11 Truth Movement is a decentralized and grassroots organization spanning the United States which has been at the forefront of public arguments that the plans for 9/11 were, by and large, known in advance by the top brass of the Executive//Intelligence leadership of the United States. Beyond that, the movement argues that American high-ups were complicit with the hijackers, since they materially aided the plans of Osama Bin Laden by various means in a preplanned manner. The author of "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" is a central member (although not a singular figure-head) of what is loosely called the 9/11 Truth Movement. And he insists that his group's claims deserve to be more cogently addressed, since the government's "irrational conspiracy theory" does not hold water against his evidence.
In response, Popular Mechanics, a mainstream science and technology magazine, has taken up the task of debunking the claims made by those they consider to be "conspiracy nuts" (i.e., those aligned with the 9/11 Truth Movement and others who don't believe the government's 9/11 story). However, Popular Mechanics was at the forefront of counterclaims made in response to the original (9/11 truth Movement-lead) conspiracy allegations regarding 9/11. If it gets confusing, it is.
According to an objective, dictionary definition of "conspiracy theory", both sides are conspiracy theorists. The real question, as author David Ray Griffin puts it is: Who are the "rational conspiracy theorists" getting matters of space, time, and intelligence correct; and who are the "irrational conspiracy theorists" who obfuscate truth and justice? The official conspiracy timeline the US leadership has formulated may be the closest thing there will ever be to a public trial of Osama Bin Laden, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and others who allegedly perpetrated the attacks. This is unfortunate no matter who is to blame for 9/11.
The problem is: The Bush Administration cannot even apprehend those whom that are trying to convict in the court of international public opinion. So of course, the suspects cannot defend themselves, and the US government's version of events is left murky.
As far as the objective truth to 9/11, we may never know. Both sides certainly poke holes well in each others version of events.
Mind you, the 9/11 Truth Movement, which raises philosophical questions which may ultimately relate to the fate of our so-called democracy, does not necessarily insist Al Qaeda is innocent. Many inside and out of the "Truth Movement" tend to argue that Al Qaeda was made a scapegoat by the Bush Administrations, which enabled the terrorist plan to unfold by making sure that the best military and intelligence system in the world failed to stop 4 hijacked planes, and one big conspiracy to commit first degree murder on a mass scale inside the US..
A problem which makes the book non-definitive is that it only pokes holes in the hole poking which was done by Popular Mechanics magazine. In succeeds on many points but fails to prove anything definitively on others. It definitively does not construct a complete time line of what happened on 9/11 (as does "The Terror Timeline" by Paul Thompson).
As a connoisseur of 9/11-related conspiracy books and propaganda, I would say there are more impressive books if you are looking to expose yourself to alternative press on the subject of 9/11 "conspiracy theories". Nonetheless, no anthology on the subject would be complete without copies of David Ray Griffin's writings.
In short, Debunking 9/11 Debunking is a must have for libraries which seek to inform on the subject of economic conspiracies, political conspiracies, global conspiracies, and "9/11 Conspiricies". If you are looking to shorten your shelves however, you might want to consider getting a hold of Griffin's early works such as "The 9/11 Comission Report: Omissions and Distortions" or "9/11: The New Pearl Harbor" which were more ground-breaking and movement-building. "Crossing the Rubicon" by Michael Ruppert is also a must have, as it is has also served as a movement-building work of investigative research.
Average customer rating:
- Behold a Pale Horse
- Behold a pale horse
- Too much chaff, not enough wheat
- Informative
- IN THE COLD
|
Behold a Pale Horse
William Cooper , and
Milton William Cooper
Manufacturer: Light Technology Publications
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ASIN: 0929385225 |
Book Description
The author, former U.S. Naval Intelligence Briefing Team Member, reveals information kept secret by our government since the 1940s. UFOs, the J.F.K.. assassination, the Secret Government, the war on drugs and more by the world's leading expert on UFOs.
Customer Reviews:
Behold a Pale Horse.......2007-09-15
Behold a Pale Horse is a book that will stop and make you think about much that is going on in the world today. You will never look at our political leaders the same again.
Behold a pale horse.......2007-08-29
i didnt like it. it was a bunch of nonsence. i dont even want to give it a star.
Too much chaff, not enough wheat.......2007-08-17
This is the kind of book that gives historical revisionists and truthseekers a bad name--specifically the "conspiracy nut" slur. While the author may or may not be sincere, a look at the cover is enough to give you a sense of how serious or not serious a presentation is contained within. Certainly there is much about history and society that we are routinely lied to about and historical facts that are suppressed so as to protect those with the power to pull the invisible strings fettering the world. This book documents much of that, but unfortunately delves into much disinformation and in the end will leave people confused--perhaps aware of several legitimate issues they had not known about before but also distracted by a series of unfounded claims muddying the waters. I put this in the same category as the works of David Icke, of reptilian shape-shifter fame...
Informative.......2007-08-13
William Cooper did an outstand job in writing this book. He has a wealth of knowledge that will assist the reader in researching other books that supports his claims.
IN THE COLD.......2007-07-21
Not a read for anyone who doesn't know or does know what others claim or wish to know. But if you read this book and it confirms what you did know or didn't know it may be worth the time reading. However, when you do buy this unknown known it will lead others to watch you over to see what else you know and what your planing to do with what you now know.....be careful buying it, the book will lead a cloud over you.
Book Description
Olson turns her razor sharp vision on the Clintons' shocking excesses in their final days of office: the outrageous pardons to political cronies and friends, the looting of the White House, the executive orders that were sheer abuses of presidential power, the presidential library that is becoming a massive boondoogle of vanity more appropriate for a Third World dictator, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
What politicians will do to cling onto power.......2006-12-10
Conservative commentator Barbara Olson, who perished when the hijacked Flight 77 dove into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, reminds us with "The Final Days" precisely what sort of leeching parasites politicians can be. This is not a strict "Republican" or "Democrat" kind of thing, nor is it an issue pertaining to just "conservatives" or just "liberals." The book is not biased just because it reports only the Clinton wrongdoings, even though the author is a self-proclaimed conservative. In fact, the flip side to Olson's coin is the recently released "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward, who similarly documents the slime coursing through the current Bush administration and the ongoing war in Iraq. No, "The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House" merely reiterates a well-worn fact of life dominant in today's world: Power corrupts.
Olson's final account about the closing of doors in the Clinton administration should send alarm bells screeching through the minds of the American electorate, especially in a time where a Hillary Clinton run for the presidency seems almost inevitable. Olson reveals with painstaking accuracy the core tenets of Clintonism: Deny the accusations, play the helpless victim, and attack the enemy with relentless savagery. And, of course, it is permissible to lie whenever the chance arrives. When many liberal Democrats pressured him truthfully to explain everything behind the pardon of Marc Rich and his associates, President Clinton acknowledged that those he pardoned, who evaded millions in taxes and maintained connections with the Castro and Gaddafi regimes, simply had been wrongfully persecuted by the Justice Department. It is a classic example of the `victim hood' phenomenon so popularly paraded by the Clintons. Everyone seems to be a poor, pitiable victim, especially if their names end with "Clinton" and the persecutor is that dang "right-wing conspiracy." I'm afraid the term you're looking for, Mr. and Mrs. President, is "vast critical-thinking conspiracy." Or perhaps the "concerned American citizen conspiracy."
Like "State of Denial," "The Final Days" wields sharp facts to counter the myths surrounding popular politicians. Clinton may have presided over the largest economic expansion in U.S. history, but the shameless "For Sale" sign dangling around his neck during the closing days of his administration calls into question his serious character and moral flaws. Similarly, Bush may have stated "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq, but the fact that we are still there waging a failing campaign at the expense of American and Iraqi blood does not make his acts justifiable. I highly recommend both books to spark in your head the idea that maybe we need to rethink seriously the decision of putting these kinds of people in power.
A book about two topics: pardon and donation........2006-05-26
I listened to the audio version of this book. While most of the things said in this book may be true, it appears a bit biased. In addition to facts, the author uses some adjectives which show her personal dislike of the famous couple.
In the end, I had an impression that this book grew out of author's frustration upon Mark Rich pardon. Many chapters are dedicated to that case.
A disproportionately large portion of the book is devoted to two topics: pardon and donations. At one point the audio book spends a large amount of time only listing names of who donated what item. It goes on and on and on with names that make no sense and contribute nothing much to the story. That could have been moved to the appendix to keep the flow going.
I was hoping to find details about mischievious behavior by Clinton staff during the last days. There was no mention of that.
FAILING TO CROSSOVER.......2006-04-15
"The much talked about Marc Rich pardon has become an appropriate symbol of the entire eight years, but Mrs. Olson does a commendable service by clearly detailing the effrontery of his (Rich's) misdeeds, and an even more skillful demonstration of the President's specious and insulting attempt to justify this shocking act. To add fuel to her raging fire, she quotes former President Jimmy Carter who openly stated "I don't think there is any doubt that some of the factors in his pardon were attributable to his large gifts. In my opinion that was disgraceful."
Naturally, given her neo-con bent, Ms. Olsen failed to mention the extremely salient point that the attorney representing Marc Rich's pardon application was none other than Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's aide.
Excellent and bloody right!.......2006-03-18
All of you Clinton lovers should actually learn to not turn the blind eye on many of these things Clinton did during his presidency. The last few minutes before he was impeached.
I can admit George Bush is a bad president himself but I can also admit what Bill clinton stood for. Corruption!
See the pardons such as the nationalistic terrorist group from Puerto Rico plus the tax cheat and a whole list of other losers that Clinton pardoned.
A Catalogue of Iniquities. .......2004-07-28
The last days of the Clintons were an occasion for the country to witness just how corrupt this two for the price of one team actually was. They took furniture and gifts that were not their's for the taking, and appeared to be granting pardons on the basis of what law breakers held the most influence within their circle of friends and family. From arsenic to Mark Rich, the whole squalid tale is recounted by the superlative Barbara Olso, who sadly is no longer with us.
Book Description
This extensively indexed book succinctly summarizes the findings of a dozen or so of the most important works of the 20th century - from both sides of the conflict - which expose how and why a cabal of international plutocrats is planning to destroy America and any other country preventing the ultimate hegemony of their New World Order.
Customer Reviews:
I should have read the chapter titled "Let's Fix America" first.......2007-07-17
Most of us know there's something wrong with the way the "world" works. And we figure that folks with money and power will use their positions to do whatever it takes to accumulate more money and power at the expense of anyone or anything that get's in their way. Unfortunately, this book doesn't help clarify or give us tools to win the class war. If you're looking for clarity, start with Noam Chomsky's 2 CD audio "Propaganda and Control of the Public Mind." Chomsky offers a much more insightful and easier to grasp view of how the world really works.
For someone who hasn't cracked open this book yet, I would suggest that you read Chapter 12 first--"Let's Fix America". Jones has a few good ideas there, but for the most part his "tough love" ideology meshes perfectly with that of the "elites" he supposedly opposes. So it's difficult for me to assess if his work is designed to assist the working class, confuse it, or destroy it. Because destroying it is exactly what his taxation and social program ideas would do. If you examine these notions closely you can't help but notice that they sound like ideas that would be sponsored by far right-wing Think Tanks--typically funded by corporations and elite old-money families.
There is certainly a lot of info in the book. And some of it is likely correct--(Professor McCoy "Politics of Heroin" is considered a first class researcher)--with this kind of shotgun approach, it couldn't help but hit something. Unfortunately for Jones, "Report from Iron Mountain" was outed by the author, Leonard Lewin, as fictional satire--dead on satire, but fiction none the less. This leaves me with questions about the author's ability or desire to separate fact from fiction.
HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS.......2007-05-10
This book is a must read for those who operate "in the spirit of trust." Before reading this book, I wrote a book published in late 2001 called "Blacks In The Spider's Web" which substantially views the world as the subject book, but from a black American perspective. Although I have not read all of the books reviewed in "How The World Really Works" (I'm sure most are out of print now), my analysis of the world situation corresponds materially with Alan B. Jones' book. Much of what we see of the world is a false facade that must be pierced in order to come to the reality of the truth. "How The World Really Works" helps to pierce the veil of secrecy covering the "military industrial complex," the "Kennedy assassinations" and the "dumbing down of America," among other "unsolved mysteries."
Fixing America Means Understanding the Problems.......2007-03-18
My own review would closely mirror Robert D Steele's excellent and comprehensive analysis below. I also agree with the excellence of the additional works he recommends. I've read them all and have nothing but praise.
I might add to Robert's list a couple more titles:
1. "When Corporations Rule the World" by David C Korten ... also visit his website (Google it).
2. "The Road to Serfdom" by FA Hayak.
3. "The Money Masters" website, book and DVD... (Google it).
There are no more important subjects on earth than these. Nearly all wars, poverty, media manipulations, societal and educational problems such as drug dealing, smuggling, flesh peddling, high taxation, and... well, you name it... are rooted in the problems revealed in these works.
I strongly disagree with those who think such works are either fear-based or impractical. Nothing can be more practical than the knowledge of the secret and occult powers that are now the motivating forces shaping our modern world.
We can only remain asleep (in denial) at our grave peril, and more importantly, the peril of our children and grandchildren.
No problem can be fixed without a thorough understanding of it's root causes. Sooner or later these international money and banking problems must be fixed, and to do it properly we must fix... or rebuild... these institutions in the right ways.
The issuance of money must be taken out of the hands of private bankers and returned to the government's of "We the People" where it belongs. Only then can we stop paying exorbitant interest rates on the money that is put into circulation. Only then can we begin to use our taxes for purposes other than paying needless interest to private bankers.
Unchecked, unbalanced and unlimited power always leads to tyranny and despotism, some form of totalitarianism. Today that power is quickly becoming the materialistic "Golden Rule" - "He who has the gold, rules."
Will we let it happen here? Is it already too late to stop it?
Gaps, A Little Loose, but First-Rate Never-the-Less.......2007-01-30
I am going to put my reputation on the line, and the 850+ non-fiction books I have read that make me the #1 Amazon reviewer for non-fiction (and to my great surprise, today #49 over all fiction, movies, music, and software as well as non-fiction) for the simple reason that too many people discuss books such as this by labeling it "conspiracy theory."
It's not a conspiracy theory if it is true. I will try to be brief as well as illuminative.
First off, the author has culled a handful of books that support his case against a global financial elite, and these tend, with the exception of the Quigley book, to be left of left of center. I am however happy to add a number of books that support his essential theses that a handful of banking families control the central banks which are NOT government banks, and through loans, control governments, impoverish the middle class, and harvest profit without conscience from the "working poor."
Try these on for size:
1) Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. 85% rock solid, 15% flakey, but in my view, a perfectly reasonable slam on the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund as instruments for impoverishing lesser developed countries, not empowering them.
2) The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs, another slam on the WTO/IMF, which he relegates to third rate out-dated economist ranks, not at all focused or able to achieve what he calls "developmental economics."
3) The Global Class War by Jeff Faux, a fine discussion of how our elites bribe the elites in other countries, and the both screw the public by looting the commonwealths of gold, oil, etcetera, without returns to the people whose families have lived on top of these resources for centuries.
4) Running on Empty, by Paul Peterson of the Council of Foreign Relations (which the author hates, in my view it has two types of members--one manipulative like Henry Kissinger, another honest, like Paul Peterson), in which both the Republican and the Democratic parties are lambasted for being the ignorant slaves of the ultra-rich elites, and hopeless out of touch with reality and unable to represent We the People.
5) War is a Racket by General Smedley Butler, the highest decorated Marine of his time, who complained about being an enforcer for banks and businesses that lent money to the Third World then sent the Marines to get it back for them.
There are many other books that support this author's book reviews in great detail and from many varied perspectives. I refer you to my various lists, including the list on "Screwing the 90% that do the work."
The author has some pretensions and some slop, his arguments are not always consistent, but then neither are mine. On balance I regard this book as a first rate personal effort that should be read by every middle class person wondering, as Lou Dobbs on CNN has wondered, why we are exporting middle class jobs and importing poverty in the form of illegal aliens.
The author wraps up his varied reviews with a focus on the relationship between organized crime and the super-elite as well as their political elite (e.g. the Bush family, the best of the servant class), and on the relationship between drugs, covert operations, and Wall Street. Here again the author draws on a very tiny sub-set of books while not listing many others that support his thesis so I will mention a few here.
Having been through both Viet-Nam as a youth and the Central American Wars as an adult, I am quite certain that there are at least four different slices of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where I served for ten years as a clandestine case officer:
A small slice does what the White House wants, including black bag jobs.
A small but more important slice does what Wall Street wants, and helps Wall Street with access to financially relevant information that the public which pays for the CIA does not get. Buzzy Krongard, until recently Executive Director of the CIA, comes to mind as the most recent leader of this section.
A larger slice, that does covert action off the books with funding from Saudi Arabia and others, sometimes called the Safari Club, sometimes having off-shoots like Ted Shackley's Southern Air Transport, and so on. This slice can provide the intersection between criminal activities, white collar crime profits, illegal White House activities, and plain profiteering.
Finally, 90% of the CIA, folks like me that did not realize they were simply going through the motions and giving the local counterintelligence service a full-time rabbit to follow while the commercial clandestine boys and girls looted the bank in bright daylight.
I have two intelligence lists that can be helpful here, but I have not focused on creating crime lists. I'll just say that between the books on the "working poor" and on being "nickeled and dimed" and books on immoral predatory capitalism and unilateral militarism of the Dick Cheney variety (I have compiled a list of 25 specific impeachable actions by Dick Cheney based on three books: One Percent Doctrine, VICE, and Crossing the Rubicon). There is a very clear-cut and direct relationship between dictators, transnational organized crime and terrorism, and Wall Street as well as the Republican and Democratic National Committees.
That reminds me: there is an entire literature on petroleum, peak oil, petrodollars, and so on. Americans have been betrayed by their government since at least 1975, and more likely, back to the 1950's when naiveté about international affairs was replaced by active complicity.
Good news. 1) Internet leveled playing field. 2) Not enough guns to kill us all. 3) A few of the really rich have realized they need to help us create infinite wealth for ourselves, or lose all they have to locusts. Read, be vocal, be active, we're going to get a grip on our commonwealth soon.
Tip of the Hat to Jere for the following added links:
When Corporations Rule the World
The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. a. Hayek)
Money Masters of Our Time
See also my longer reviews of:
Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil
Cliff Notes for the NWO.......2006-11-18
A must read for everyone who wants to cut the strings of the puppet meisters. Stands on its own, and is a valuable reference. This book is a great launching pad for anyone becoming interested in why things are the way they are right now.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
Corruption is a worldwide phenomenon. Developing countries and those making a transition from socialism are particularly at risk. This book suggests how high levels of corruption limit investment and growth and lead to ineffective government. Corruption creates economic inefficiencies and inequities, but reforms are possible to reduce the material benefits from payoffs. Corruption is not just an economic problem, however; it is also intertwined with politics. Reform may require changes in both constitutional structures and the underlying relationship of the market and the state. Effective reform cannot occur unless both the international community and domestic political leaders support change.
Average customer rating:
- Something lacking with this book
- this a dangerous book with lots of holes
- Clancy Novel- but real
- Excellent and Timely Insights!
- Polemical Rather Than Historical
|
Secrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Secret Saudi-U.S. Connection
Gerald L. Posner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Saudi Arabia
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ASIN: 1400062918
Release Date: 2005-05-17 |
Book Description
In its final report, the 9/11 Commission famously called the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism.” To Gerald Posner, the bestselling author of Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, this is a gross understatement. In his new book, Secrets of the Kingdom, Posner exposes the undeniable truth about U.S.-Saudi relations–and how the Saudis’ influence on American business and politics poses a grave threat to our security.
The result of an intensive two-year investigation,
Secrets of the Kingdom penetrates the innermost layers of the shielded House of Saud and presents indisputable evidence of complicity and deceit at the highest levels–evidence that the 9/11 Commission, either deliberately or negligently, failed to consider. Using bank records and other previously undisclosed information, Posner unearths many disturbing truths and shattering revelations about the ties that bind the Saudi and U.S. governments, including
• how countless failures in U.S. intelligence and law enforcement gave extraordinary preferential treatment to prominent Saudis living in the United States, including members of the bin Laden family, in the days after 9/11
• a likely close connection between a powerful member of the House of Saud and Abu Zubeydah, the highest-ranking al-Qaeda operative captured so far by the United States
• how the Saudi government has turned a blind eye to the role Saudi charities–including many controlled or supported by Kingdom officials– have played in bankrolling al-Qaeda and Islamic terror groups
• the never-before-revealed Saudi and U.S. emergency plans in the event of a national crisis in the Kingdom, plans that could affect the security of the United States and the entire Middle East
Secrets of the Kingdom is an explosive study that will have a profound impact on both U.S. policy and Americans’ perception of their government and its extensive ties to a foreign power. Posner uncovers a disturbing picture of how two nations, despite their differing agendas, have become inextricably entwined.
Customer Reviews:
Something lacking with this book.......2007-04-13
This book does not seem as well researched, as factual as Posner's previous books. It certainly does have some facts we don't often see, and for someone who knows little about Saudi Arabia this might be of value. However the overall description of the Saudi government leads one to think they are 99% thugs and thieves -- e.g. the way the monarch induces Saudi royal family to "earn" rather than just accept welfare, is to set them up to receive bribes! There certainly are repetitive examples of over-the-top spending and behavior by high ranking members of the Saudi Royal Family. Is the message class envy, or something more important here?
Early in the book I got the feeling that Posner was too personally involved in the news here, for example some of the . Certainly the anti-Jew and anti-Israel world view attributed to the Wahabbi thinking, is shocking and could imaginably lead to another Jewish Holocaust if they got what the Wahabbis wanted. I don't even know for certain whether Posner is Jewish, but get the impression he cares too emotionally about this book's subject, to write a 1st rate book here.
This book focuses on Saudi Arabia, but to address the world's Arab problems, anti-Semitism problems, and oil problems would require we look at the other parts of the Arab world as well. This book instead shows the threats posed by Wahabbi Islam, and the corruption that is brought about by unearned oil wealth, from a land that was seized by warfare in the first place.
Each of the chapters seems to me to be a half proved argument, there is just something a little flimsy about the sources by journalistic standards. I'm glad I read this book but feel there must be other books to read, before I get any kind of balanced picture of Saudi Arabia or the Arab world. Each of Posner's other books that I have read, is better than this one.
this a dangerous book with lots of holes.......2007-01-21
I know very little about Saudi Arabia. Yet, on page 34, I knew right away that the incident where the 15 girls died in a fire at their school because the religious police prevented firemen and others from saving the girls because they were not properly covered, the author had the wrong date. He stated that this happened on March 14, 2000. It actually happened on March 15, 2002 and you can still find an article on the incident at the BBC website (and elsewhere). I knew this because I was not paying attention to Saudi Arabia in 2000. I definitely was paying attention in March of 2002 (only 6 months after 9/11/2001) and I remember the incident well. Well, that is okay because out of 191 pages of text (I am not including the index, etc in this page count), it would be easy to make a mistake. The problem is that this mistake was made on page 34. I wondered through the rest of the book what other mistakes were made.
In spite of this error of date of the fire at the school (admittedly a minor error unless it was one of your own children who died), I will say that the book is an intriguing one (but also dangerous). I feel that it is a dangerous book because of how the author presents the Saudis. I feel the author is irresponsible in how he frames Saudi-US relations and the Saudis. After readng this book, one would be tempted to want to end all US relation with the Saudis and to begin to see all Saudis with suspicion and in the most negative light. The truth is, whether we like it or not, the US and Saudi Arabia do have a very long relationship and just as the US is not completely without possibility for betterment, neither are the Saudis. Not all Saudis are terrorists! However, if you read this book and believed everything in it, you would certainly be prone to think that not a single Saudi is worth any degree of trust or partnership.
Part of what makes the book such a page turner is that it reads like a horror story. For instance, on pages 125-134 he describes radiation dispersal devices. He provides a technical description of how the rulers of Saudi Arabia might have engineered the possibility within their oil fields for the destruction of their own land so that it would be completely useless for decades and decades due to radiation. RDD is part of a possible and theoretical scorched earth Saudi policy should the House of Saud ever fall.
Other topics explored in the book include the history of the Saud royal family, Arab and Jewish lobbying and influence on American policy, buying of arms by the Saudis, the massive buying of America (did you know the second largest shareholder of the Fox channel is a Saudi prince? indeed this same prince owns a portion of the company that is presenting the very same web page that you are now reading (I verified this on the prince's website), as well as corruption, extravagance, and excessive spending of and by the royal family, and of course terrorism.
Unlike Thomas Lippman who actually spent decades living in, exploring, and writing of Saudi Arabia in books such as the "Inside the Mirage: America's Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia"), I don't remember reading a single word by Posner where the Saudis were shown in any kind of favorable, moderate, or humane light. Lastly, the book describes Posner as having undertaken a 2 year investigation. Again, if you read authors such as Lippman, you will hear people who have decades - even lifetimes - with the culture.
So read this book if you really want to be frightened, if it doesn't bother you that a whole people of a nation is painted in a negative light, if it doesn't matter that the author is one of the least experienced authors of his subject matter, and lastly, that at least part of the book is pure speculation (although the author freely and openly makes that disclosure).
Clancy Novel- but real.......2006-03-27
Gerald Posner opens up a whole new aspect of geo-politics that, when I heard myself summarizing to those around me, sounded like a bad Clancy screenplay- except this is true.
Extremely enlightening, scary and timely. A super read.
Excellent and Timely Insights!.......2005-12-11
Posner begins by relating the outcome of capturing Abu Zubeydah, the highest-ranking al-Qaeda operative captured so far by the United States. The U.S. arranged to mislead their captive into thinking that he had been turned over to Saudi's. Zubeydah's reaction was one of relief, and he quickly spit out the phone #s of two Saudi royals, stating that "they would take care of the situation." Unsure what to make of this, the U.S. then informed Zubeydah that the phone #s were no good. He then provided several other Saudi names and that of the Chief of Pakistan's Air Force, adding that the Pakistani and one of the Saudis knew of 9/11 in advance.
Both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan denied Zubeydah's claims, as expected. However, three months later, all those named started dying under suspicious circumstances.
Posner then briefly summarizes how the Sauds came to power after WWI, defeating the Ottomans (prior ruling tribe) and others. He then goes on to cover how Saudi Arabia is much more religiously conservative than other branches of Islam, though it has relaxed somewhat in recent years. Nonetheless, one is horrified to read how 15 girls recently died in a fire at their school because authorities would not let them out without "proper" headgear.
Other sources have clearly identified hatred of Israel as a major motivator in the Islamic world. This is somewhat understandable in response to Israel's takeover of Palestinian land and subsequent mistreatment of those citizens. Posner, however, also points out that the Sauds had this hatred before WWI!
Posner also details how Saudi Arabia threatened to nationalize its oil industry in the early 1970s unless businesses lobbied for it. Shortly thereafter, Egypt attacked Israel, Nixon decided to resupply Israel, and the U.S. oil embargo followed. Eventually the embargo was lifted, but prices increased ten-fold, and the Saudis used their new wealth for conspicuous consumption and to engender support among other nations for a resolution condemning Israel.
At this point the "good news" is that eventually the Saudi's began to use their vast wealth to build public infrastructure; the "bad news" is that it was accompanied by lots of corruption.
King Faisal was assassinated in '75 by the nephew of a prince he had ordered killed while protesting (religious reasons) opening a TV station. Posner points out that the nephew had spent years in the U.s. - thus, it was concluded that the West had corrupted him, and general dislike of the U.S. again increased.
America's prolonged military presence on Saudi soil (considered a major affront to Islam) during the first Gulf War helped motivate Bin Laden. (President Clinton compounded the problem by allowing women to be stationed at the base.) At about this time, Saudis worried about others trying to take over their oil fields (President Carter had an official plan drawn up to do so) established a "scorched earth" policy - Semtex explosive was placed in key locations, and it is also rumored that mini "dirty-bombs" were additionally positioned.
As for the current war of terror - Posner points out that much terror-funding comes from the Sauds, and they have failed to cooperated with U.S. banking officials trying to stop the flow.
Overall - a very informative and alarming book.
Polemical Rather Than Historical.......2005-10-31
Those who are looking for an introduction to Saudi history will be disappointed with this book. It is a polemic that, from beginning to end, seeks to persuade rather than to explain.
For example, the first anecdote (involving a civilian flight made by a Saudi royal while civilian traffic was shut down after 9-11) is presented with an almost lurid suggestiveness that is never quite backed up by facts. In fact, there are explanations for this flight that do not signify the insidious influence of the Saudis that is the thesis of this book, one of which is that the prince involved, being on a flight piloted by a pilot with CIA clearence, had been present in the country on 9-11 and delegated to assist the American government in its post haste investigations of 9-11. Try as you might, you can't find this contention assessed and rejected. In fact, the CIA connection was only incidentally mentioned, and this unbalanced presentation is both typical of the book and not in the least conducive to developing an analytical understanding of Saudi-American relations.
More annoying than hyperbolic and unbalanced weighings of the facts is that accurate factual presentations are often so skillfully juxtaposed with other facts as to lead the incautious reader to draw conclusions that the author never quite draws, but may seem to have drawn. If I say cats are feline and cunning, follow with another true remark to the effect that dogs like bones, and return to the discussion of cunning, it may appear to the incautious reader that I have established that dogs are cunning. Mr. Posner's persuasive writing certainly certainly is. This type of lawyerly deception is given even to plainly false contentions.
This book is one in a long line of charges and countercharges of either Israeli or Arab influence in the American government. You will have no trouble establishing which side Mr. Posner prefers. It is also one of the line of recent right wing polemics written for popular consumption and persuasion, offering only shallow and often illusory analysis that is unhelpful to understanding our complex relationship with the Saudis, substituting only shallow cliches for real understanding. Its informational value is extremely limited, and in fact negative if someone lacks a prior background in pertinent facts.
For this reason, though it is an entertainingly written book, there are better ways for everyone, whether well versed or not, to spend an evening.
Book Description
The images from Abu Ghraib are as murderous for America as those of the World Trade Center in flames. The whole West is contained in the burst of sadistic laughter of the American soldiers, as it is behind the construction of the Israeli wall. This is where the truth of these images lies. Truth, but not veracity. As virtual as the war itself, their specific violence adds to the specific violence of the war.
In The Conspiracy of Art, Baudrillard questions the privilege attached to art by its practitioners. Art has lost all desire for illusion: feeding back endlessly into itself, it has turned its own vanishment into an art unto itself. Far from lamenting the "end of art," Baudrillard celebrates art's new function within the process of insider-trading. Spiraling from aesthetic nullity to commercial frenzy, art has become transaesthetic, like society as a whole.
Conceived and edited by life-long Baudrillard collaborator Sylvère Lotringer, The Conspiracy of Art presents Baudrillard's writings on art in a complicitous dance with politics, economics, and media. Culminating with "War Porn," a scathing analysis of the spectacular images from Abu Ghraib prison as a new genre of reality TV, the book folds back on itself to question the very nature of radical thought.
Customer Reviews:
Baudrillard vs. Art = entertaining and informative.......2006-07-05
This is a fascinating collection of some of Baudrillard's most polemical writings on art. He freely admits in one of the interviews within that he is, by no means, an art expert. He doesn't appreciate it and he doesn't necessarily *like* it. He does respect traditional/classical art's beauty and importance. This positions him in an excellent place to offer remarkably disinterested observations. He's not partial to any one movement, any one school, or any one artist (with the possible exception of Andy Warhol) and he pulls no punches in his critique of the meaninglessness of contemporary art.
It is important to note that Baudrillard is NOT an art hater. From his interviews and from other writings, I get the impression that art is simply "not his thing". I believe this is a positive factor because he isn't required to tip-toe around issues for fear of being rejected by the art community, a community he is happy to avoid altogether.
As a student of contemporary art, and as a contemporary artist myself, I don't always agree with Baudrillard, at least to the extent that he goes. In his essay, "The Conspiracy of Art", he tends to make sweeping generalizations. Such is the format of his polemic - a brief essay. Had he developed these ideas in a longer format, I'm sure some points would be smoothed by further explanation and clarification. Fortunately, this book includes and number of interviews where he explains some of his points and gets a chance to defend himself against his many critics.
I believe this text would be most useful to any student of contemporary art. Baudrillard does raise many important issues, even if his conclusions are questionable. Even if you hate every word, it's at least an amusing read. I've always enjoyed his style. It's very conversational - a welcome relief from reading the prolix, convoluted texts of Deleuze and Lacan. He is clear, cogent, and concise.
Baudrillard sees the Emperor naked again.......2006-02-20
Contemporary "art" endlessing pleasing itself with how "clever" it is - how "important" it is - how "valuable" it is. Baudrillard sees through it all and offers some great critiques. Again, to some he may seem the seer of the obvious but others put up great resistance to his ideas because it destroys their privileged, little cozy world. The film Zoolander does much the same thing with its hilarious send-up of the "fashion" world - the "Derelique" campaign, turning the "look" of homeless people into the latest haute-couture. The fashion world is a conspiracy and so is the contemporary art world. The commodification of the banal - the banal world turned into "brilliant" concepts by art stuporstars. I think Baudrillard would agree with Hansel in Zoolander when he says: "Derelique" my balls.
Book Description
The 1964 murder of a nationally known cancer researcher sets the stage for this gripping exposé of medical professionals enmeshed in covert government operations over the course of three decades. Following a trail of police records, FBI files, cancer statistics, and medical journals, this revealing book presents evidence of a web of medical secret-keeping that began with the handling of evidence in the JFK assassination and continued apace, sweeping doctors into coverups of cancer outbreaks, contaminated polio vaccine, the arrival of the AIDS virus, and biological weapon research using infected monkeys.
Customer Reviews:
Not Just Another Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-09-03
This book was the BEST BOOK Ive ever read!!! It makes you wonder what else has been kept from the public. It was done with so much reseach and lacks no mystery but is very truthful. It is wonderful. I think it should be a must read for all high school literture classes!!!!!Great Job ED!
Very Revealing.......2007-08-29
Having lived, and worked, in downtown New Orleans, I was most intriqued by this book. The "New Orleans culture" comes thru loud and clear! This book is thoroughly referenced and very believable. I would recommend it to any discernible student of modern history. Do not read this book thinking you will read another Kennedy assasination theory. It is not. It is much more. If you remember the scourge of polio, read this book
Conspiracy Theory, New Orleans Style.......2007-08-23
Having lived in the New Orleans metro area for almost twenty years, author Edward T. Haslam's expose, "Dr. Mary's Monkey," linking the murder of Dr. Mary Sherman in 1964 to the Kennedy Assassination and to a world-wide health epidemic triggered by cancer- causing viruses effecting the populace today, puts a lot of extra spice in the otherwise already piquant political roux that substantiates the eclectic yet sometimes covert gumbo that differentiates this sultry city from other metropolises in the United States. Not only does Haslam provide residents and other aficionados of this area with a thrilling history of dot-connecting events that literally traverses from one end of St. Charles Avenue to the other, he does so compellingly in simple colloquial language that facilitates his theory involving a cover-up of far-right wing politics gone very wrong.
Haslam espouses his New Orleans charm frequently in an engaging manner that makes him extremely readable; his first chapters tell of his remembrances from childhood of primate virus research first brought to his attention by his father, a graduate of Harvard Medical School and professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Tulane University. Later as an attendee of the prestigious Jesuit High School, fellow students (the sons of other New Orleans leaders) pique his curiosity further by providing otherwise unpublished information about a claim made by then district attorney Jim Garrison that connected the recent Kennedy assassination with an underground medical laboratory which was inducing cancer in mice by injecting them with monkey viruses.
Rather than spoil Haslam's smooth disclosure of this explosive material involving the prominent Dr. Alton Ochsner, founder of New Orleans Ochsner Clinic and Hospital, the polio vaccine (developed by growing polio viruses in monkey kidneys), a plot to develop a biological weapon meant to stamp out the spread of communism in Cuba and the rest of the Latin American world, the involvement of Lee Harvey Oswald, the Mafia and the notorious David Ferrie and the scheme to obscure t
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