Book Description
In December 1999, thousands of protestors took to the streets in the "Battle in Seattle." Their target was a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO). For all its talk of being dedicated to the welfare of the Third World and the global poor, WTO rules and agreements actually further a "new colonialism" and directly subvert the power and voice of the Third World. This results in damage to local and national economies, and destruction of natural resources, livelihoods, jobs, and culture. Views from the South is a rare collection of essays by Third World activists and scholars who describe in pointed detail the effects of the WTO and other Bretton Woods institutions. They demand profound changes of these bureaucracies if they are permitted to survive.
Customer Reviews:
An eye-opener.......2002-05-02
I had always wondered the strong cause that ordinary people felt whent hey demonstrated/ got injured and even died during the WTO conferences in Seattle, Italy and New York. That led me to this book, which contains research papers from 4-5 authors, mainly from the 3rd world.
I found it amazing to note how the Transnational Corporations (TNC) of the first-world, browbeat the third world in guise of opening up to competition from outside. Some important points:
- How gloabalization is changing the world's food patterns
- How huge corporations like Monsanto and Cargill have created huge monopolies, whereby they could hold the world population to ransom, a.k.a. the OPEC countries (who individually hardly yield as much power though).
- How in the guise of Intellectual Property Rights, huge corporations patent herbs, plants and crop types, which otherwise have been used in the third world for several hundreds of years.
- How lending institutions like IMF, WB control the destiny of so many poor nations in the world.
- How TNC-led globalization (and thereby greed) has supported tyranny and dictatoships in Africa and South America, and has resulted in the dealths of hundreds of thousands of people over several years.
- How many of the WTO countries, are so poor that they can't even afford to send their diplomats to discuss WTO issues. Also, they don't possess the legal talent by themselves, or hire talent from outside to fight for their cause. Several times they put signatures on documents, not knowing how exactly it would impact them.
- Perhaps the biggest fraud perpetrated by the first world is in the way resolutions are adopted "by consensus" - and NEVER put to vote. The first world has resources and techniques of setting up several working teams which discuss issues with the top 15-20 countries in the world, arrive at a conclusion, and present "the consensus".
- Also, important is the role of leading countries of the third world, like India, South Africa, Malaysia etc., who refused to be beated into submission. This, of course results in a lot of flak in the West-controlled press and television.
- How, even within any first world country, there is a north side and south side, where workers keep losing jobs to globalization. How this has resulted in falling incomes and standard sof living.
- I also agree to a large extent the conclusion reached by the books authors - that the almighty dollar should not drive globalization, but the culture, and life-styles of various countries should also play a huge part in determining global trade policies.
Forced Trade in the WTO.......2001-12-21
This book contains papers from several authors from different countries. They all explain the problems with the World Trade Organization, how it is essentially run by powerful companies interested in making a profit off the farmers of the third world. The best thing about this book is that it offers different perspectives, different solutions to the same problems. Everyone should read it because it is an excellent book and it covers topics that most of us are ignorant of, while the 75% of the world's population who are farmers are affected by the policies and injustice of this organization every day.
Book Description
At the height of the Cold War, dozens of radical and progressive writers, illustrators, editors, librarians, booksellers, and teachers cooperated to create and disseminate children's books that challenged the status quo. Learning from the Left provides the first historic overview of their work. Spanning from the 1920s, when both children's book publishing and American Communism were becoming significant on the American scene, to the late 1960s, when youth who had been raised on many of the books in this study unequivocally rejected the values of the Cold War, Learning from the Left shows how "radical" values and ideas that have now become mainstream (including cooperation, interracial friendship, critical thinking, the dignity of labor, feminism, and the history of marginalized people), were communicated to children in repressive times. A range of popular and critically acclaimed children's books, many by former teachers and others who had been blacklisted because of their political beliefs, made commonplace the ideas that McCarthyism tended to call "subversive." These books, about history, science, and contemporary social conditions-as well as imaginative works, science fiction, and popular girls' mystery series-were readily available to children: most could be found in public and school libraries, and some could even be purchased in classrooms through book clubs that catered to educational audiences. Drawing upon extensive interviews, archival research, and hundreds of children's books published from the 1920s through the 1970s, Learning from the Left offers a history of the children's book in light of the history of the history of the Left, and a new perspective on the links between the Old Left of the 1930s and the New Left of the 1960s.
Average customer rating:
- This book was fascinating
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Gandhi: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Bhikhu Parekh
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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International Migration: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
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ASIN: 0192854577 |
Book Description
Gandhi (1869-1948) was one of the few men in history to fight simultaneously on moral, religious, political, social, economic, and cultural fronts. During his time as a lawyer in South Africa he developed his strategy of non-violence: the idea of opposing unjust laws by non-violent protest, which he made the basis of his successful struggle against British rule in India. In this Very Short Introduction to Gandhi's life and thought, Bhikhu Parekh outlines both Gandhi's major philosophical insights and the limitations of his thought. He looks at Gandhi's cosmocentric anthropology, his spiritual view of politics, his unique form of liberal communitarianism, and his theories of oppression, non-violent action, and active citizenship. He also considers how the success of Gandhi's principles was limited by his lack of coherent theories of evil, and of state and power, and how his hostility to modern civilization impeded his appreciation of its complexity. Gandhi's life and thought has had an enormous impact both within and outside India, and he continues to be widely revered, as one of the greatest moral and political leaders of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
This book was fascinating.......1999-06-28
I had just finished reading this wonderful book on Mohandhas Karamchand Gandhi. It touched my heart. I am only 12 years old and I am very glad to have an uncle like Bhikhu Parekh(the author of the book). I hope you read this great book on how wonderful Gandhi was to his people and how he fought for the independence of his country.
Book Description
From Liberal to Revolutionary Oaxaca aims at finally setting Mexican history free of stereotypes about the southern state of Oaxaca, long portrayed as a traditional and backward society resistant to the forces of modernization and marginal to the Revolution. Chassen-López challenges this view of Oaxaca as a negative mirror image of modern Mexico, presenting in its place a much more complex reality. Her analysis of the confrontations between Mexican liberals' modernizing projects and Oaxacan society, especially indigenous communal villages, reveals not only conflicts but also growing linkages and dependencies. She portrays them as engaging with and transforming each other in an ongoing process of contestation, negotiation, and compromise.
The book is organized in three parts. The first examines Oaxaca's infrastructure and economy, addressing whether its native sons, Presidents Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz, neglected their own state in the drive toward Mexico's modernization. The second part looks at the society, studying the dynamic interplay of class, ethnicity, and gender and critically examining claims that the indigenous people of Oaxaca acted as an obstacle to progress. The final part connects the economic and social transformations in Oaxaca with the state's changing political culture and power relationships and reinserts Oaxaca into the larger dynamics of the Mexican Revolution. By linking developments at the local, state, and national levels throughout and making frequent comparisons with developments in other states, Chassen-López compels a reassessment not only of Oaxacan history but of Mexican history in general during this period.
Average customer rating:
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Jose Maria Arguedas: Reconsiderations for Latin American Cultural Studies (Ohio RIS Latin America Series)
Ciro A. Sandoval
Manufacturer: Ohio University Press
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ASIN: 0896802000 |
Average customer rating:
- A Good Writer from the Recent Past
- An excellent novel
- Story of the South
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The View from Pompey's Head (Voices of the South)
Hamilton Basso
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 080712334X |
Customer Reviews:
A Good Writer from the Recent Past.......2005-06-16
Recently I read an article published several years ago in The Boston Globe about two prominent 20th Century writers who are now largely forgotten. Perhaps it says something about me that I have read both and enjoyed their work. They are Calder Willingham and Hamilton Basso.
I finished Basso's "The View from Pompey's Head" just last week. It is slow moving in a pleasant, languid, distinctly Southern manner. Basso gradually develops memorable characters, crafts fine scenes and steadily hones the plot - with the ultimate Southern shocker of miscegenation!
"The View From Pompey's head" spent 40 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List in the 1950s and was made into a Hollywood motion picture starring Richard Egan and the ravishing Dana Wynter. Basso published 11 books and edited The New Yorker for 20 years but is virtually forgotten today. Basso and "The View From Pompey's Head" deserve a wider audience and greater appreciation from readers in 2005.
An excellent novel.......2005-02-21
A NYC lawyer returns home to Pompey's Head, the small southern town he grew up in, to investigate a divorce case. The novel is a leisurely, old-fashioned study of the way people lived their lives--the novel of manners. Lives are probed and some interesting (and nasty) secrets revealed: rape, incest, and miscegenation among them. Basso is a sophisticatd and compelling writer, in full command of his material. Highly recommended.
Story of the South.......2004-09-22
"The View from Pompey's Head" is set in a fictional small city in the early 1950s. It's reminiscent of Savannnah, GA, but is clearly not intended to be a stand-in for that city. Anson Page, a New York lawyer, must return to his hometown of Pompey's Head, South Carolina on a business trip. Much of the novel consists of flashbacks to Anson's privileged childhood and young adulthood in Pompey's Head. There are so many flashbacks, that one starts to feel impatient and wish that we could just get on with the story.
This is a novel about the snobbery, class and racial prejudice. Anson left his town to get away from the snobbery and yet when he returns, he must confront the fact that Pompey's Head is where he belongs, despite the fact that it is a cultural backwater where narrow mindedness and snobbery prevail.
I enjoyed "The View from Pompey's Head." The writing is finely constructed and Hamilton Basso does an excellent job of depicting the mindset of the mid-century Southern elite. Page is a character with whom it is easy to identify.
Book Description
Don't go near the edge without this souvenir guide to Grand Canyon's South Rim! Dazzling color and historic photos and engaging fact-filled text detail twenty-two must-see stops along the South Rim. Visit historic Hermits Rest, breathtaking Hopi Point, ancient Tusayan Ruin and many other viewpoints and buildings with this book in hand. Includes four comprehensive maps and a nature guide.
Customer Reviews:
Must-Have Guide to the South Rim!.......2006-06-23
This is must-have when visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as it gives you all the background you need to enjoy the rim from Desert View to Hermits Rest.
Often, when people visit a place like the Grand Canyon, the very size and awe-inspiring views can be very overwhelming at first. To help find your way to the small wonders as well as the big, this book will give you the lowdown on all of the overlooks, roads, hotels, and historical buildings along the South Rim. It also gives you the historical background on the roads, overlooks, and trails.
When you get to the South Rim, the first thing to do is pickup this book as starting point.
I hear they are also working on a version for the North Rim.
This $5 Info-Packed Book Is A Natural Wonder in Itself!.......2000-07-12
Get this book before you go to the Grand Canyon and you'll make the most of your visit--whether you stay for a few hours, or over a week. With over 44 full color photographs (2 of them panoramic canyon views measuring 17" x 7"), four easy-to-read maps, accompanied by concisely well-written text (just over 50 pages), this beautiful book gives you a scenic viewpoint-to-viewpoint guided tour of the best sights, rim trails, and hikes the Grand Canyon has to offer--plus as a bonus, its soft cover and unique shape (9-1/4" x 7-3/4") make it perfect for rolling up and sticking in a fanny pack. And at just under $5.00, it's the best bargain you'll find in Grand Canyon Village (but don't wait until you get there to buy it--there are very few copies remaining on the shelves!)
What I especially appreciated about the book was the logical arrangement of the Table of Contents by viewpoint, beginning from the south as you drive into the main entrance (Grand Canyon Village) and then west to east. Even more valuable is the information preceding each viewpoint description telling the distance to the next viewpoint (in miles and kilometers)--handy statistics that help you decide whether to hoof it to the next viewpoint or wait for the next shuttle bus, as much of the South Rim is closed to passenger car traffic.
In addition to the accurate information and beautiful presentation, this book also includes interesting history of the Grand Canyon with colorful descriptions of the pioneers who first explored, mapped, and took political action to preserve this natural wonder. Told with quotes, anecdotal stories, journal entries and black and white photos (from the late 1800's and early 1900's), the author weaves a tale as deep as the Colorado River itself winding through the Grand Canyon walls far below. Here you'll learn the history behind the buildings still standing on the edge of the rim, and the train that still visits daily, as well as be introduced to the geological history and modern day plant life and animal life that call the Grand Canyon their home.
Book Description
1869: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar. India was the most splendid jewel in the crown of the British Empire. From that date on, the story of British colonial rule and that of Gandhi would be interwoven for more than half a century. First in South Africa, where the young, London-educated lawyer rediscovered his roots in fighting for the dignity of Indian immigrants. Then in India, where Gandhi's struggle against British dominion helped him to define his choices: non-violence as an alternative to the temptations of terrorism; refusal of all intolerance and any division based on race or religion; the dream of a free and united country where Hindus and Muslims could live together in peace.
It was thanks to Gandhi that India's road to independence, unlike many roads to "decolonization," could be followed in a relatively peaceful way-even though the Mahatma would eventually become a helpless witness to the division of the nation, to the Hindu-Muslim conflict, and to the return of the intolerance that he opposed throughout his life.
Gandhi's life story in Gandhi and India takes shape within the context of the culture and history of India, whose development is followed up to the present day.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent overview for travellers.......2001-12-12
I purchased this book for some background information in preparation for a trip to India and it was well worth it. The subject matter is broader than the title suggests. Beginning with a brief overview of the country's geography, climate and origins, the author gives a relatively in-depth description of the colonial period, the struggle for independence, and of course Ghandi's life. The story doesn't stop there, but continues after his assination with Nehru, Indira Ghandi and modern times. The story of Indira is especially interesting--to quell social and political unrest she established herself as dictator in 1975, but unlike a dictator let free elections proceed two years later and lost. The governing coalition fell apart and she was re-elected as Prime Minister, staying in office until her assasination in 1984. Interestingly, when I visited Delhi, the shrine at Gandhi's house and the adjoining garden where he was assasinated were almost empty, while lines of Indian people wound around the block to gain admittance to the Indira Gandhi memorial park. Sprinkled throughout the book are short pieces on topics relevant to modern India such as the caste system, Hindu-Muslim conflict, language, etc., as well as many fascinating historical photos. Highly recommended!
Product Description
1 of 500.
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- A Course in Game Theory
- A More Perfect Union
- Advertising: Principles and Practice (7th Edition) (Advertising: Principles and Practice)
- American Corrections (with InfoTrac )
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