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Trust Us, We're Experts
by Sheldon Rampton John StauberFearless investigative journalists Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber ( Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! and Mad Cow U.S.A.) are back with a gripping expos of the public relations industry and the scientists who back their business-funded, anti-consumer-safety agendas. There are two kinds of "experts" in question--the PR spin doctors behind the scenes and the "independent" experts paraded before the public, scientists who have been hand-selected, cultivated, and paid handsomely to promote the views of corporations involved in controversial actions. Lively writing on controversial topics such as dioxin, bovine growth hormone, and genetically modified food makes this a real page-turner, shocking in its portrayal of the real and potential dangers in each of these technological innovations and of the "media pseudo-environment" created to obfuscate the risks. By financing and publicizing views that support the goals of corporate sponsors, PR campaigns have, over the course of the century, managed to suppress the dangers of lead poisoning for decades, silence the scientist who discovered that rats fed on genetically modified corn had significant organ abnormalities, squelch television and newspaper stories about the risks of bovine growth hormone, and place enough confusion and doubt in the public's mind about global warming to suppress any mobilization for action. Rampton and Stauber introduce the movers and shakers of the PR industry, from the "risk communicators" (whose job is to downplay all risks) and "outrage managers" (with their four strategies--deflect, defer, dismiss, or defeat) to those who specialize in "public policy intelligence" (spying on opponents). Evidently, these elaborate PR campaigns are created for our own good. According to public relations philosophers, the public reacts emotionally to topics related to health and safety and is incapable of holding rational discourse. Needless to say, Rampton and Stauber find these views rather antidemocratic and intend to pull back the curtain to reveal the real wizard in Oz. This is one wake-up call that's hard to resist.
Donnie Brasco
by Joseph D. Pistone Richard WoodleyDonnie Brasco is Pistone's unforgettable account of how be became part of the mysterious underworld that is the Mafia--the first and only account by a law enforcement agent--and it is amazing and intriguing as the flamboyant, deadly world it portrays.
Database Nation: the Death of Privacy in the 21st Century
by Simson GarfinkelDiscusses the many ways in which individual privacy has been and is being eroded, as personal information is gathered and stored without your knowledge.
Defining Moments
by Joseph BadaraccoMaking decisions when there is a clear choice between "right" and "wrong" is easy. Making decisions where the choice is between "right" and "right" is not. This book lays out a series of general principles and guidelines, drawn from ancient and modern Western philosophy, which can help managers and leaders chart a course through the thickets of conflicting values and moral choices which make up all "right versus right" decisions.
As the Crow Flies
by Jeffrey ArcherThe story of a poor barrow boy, born in 1900, who rises to become the founder of Britain's first and most prestigious department store and a member of the peerage.
An Inquiry Into The Nature And Progress Of Rent, Book 4
by Thomas MalthusThe economics of renting land.
The Fifties
by David HalberstamA social, economic, political and cultural history of the post-World-War II period which impacted the decade of turbulence that followed.
Breaking the Ring
by John BarronThe bizarre case of the espionage operation of the John Walker family and the U.S. government's hunt for the spy and his accomplices.
Preventing War: The United Nations and Macedonia
by Abiodun WilliamsDescribes the role the UN played in Macedonia.
Corporate Irresponsibility: America's Newest Export
by Lawrence E. MitchellCritique of modern business practices.
Investments: An Introduction, Fifth Edition
by Herbert B. MayoThis is an Intro to Investment college textbook. Some of the graphs, tables, illustrations, and picture captions are not included. Some of the text has been altered for easier computer reading.
Contemporary Business (1997 Edition)
by David L. Kurtz Louis E. BooneThis is an Intro to Business college textbook. Graphs, tables, illustrations, and picture captions are not included. Some of the text has been altered for easier computer reading.
Nine Lives: From Stripper to Schoolteacher
by Lynn SnowdenVillage Voice reporter Lynn Snowden set out to write a book about nine different professions. She had nine jobs in a 12-month period and writes about them here. The result is a fascinating look at several divergent jobs and the type of people who usually hold them.
Secrets of the Temple
by William Greiderchronicle of the unseen political struggles that led to financial crisis. It is the inside story of how the Federal Reserve, remote and mysterious to most Americans, actually ran things in the 1980s
Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf: The True Story of One Man, Two Cows, and the Feeding of a Nation
by Peter LovenheimWhen Lovenheim's young daughter asks where hamburger comes from, he sets out to find a detailed answer to her question. He visits farms in New York state and buys two beef calves to follow through the beef production process. He presents a lot of information in a way which is clear and readable. He treats the farmers' actions and decision with respect and compassion even when he is dealing with the hard lives of the animals and their keepers. The author shares his own struggles concerning the slaughter of animals especially his own two cows. He interviews folks who revere cows and those who relish their best steaks. Excellent descriptions. Possibly a bleak subject, but definitely a captivating book.