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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.
Power to Hurt
by Darcy O'Brien"His was a sensibility in which sex, hate, and the lust for power were so intertwined as to be indistinguishable." Are you in the mood for reading about a real-life villain whose abuse of power was compared to that of Henry VIII? Look no further than this small community in West Tennessee, where a detestable judge used his influence over jobs and child custody cases to intimidate several women into a state of sexual victimization and emotional paralysis. Darcy O'Brien's writing is eloquently descriptive, with a good feeling for character--such as the heroic, yet humble, figure of an FBI agent who cares enough about the community to involve himself in local problems and bring the judge to trial. Power to Hurt is nominated for a 1997 Edgar Award.
Dog Island (Tom McInnes #2)
by Mike StewartAttorney sleuth Tom McInnes pits wits against stone-cold killers who would rather commit murder than leave witnesses. When a teenage runaway she has befriended witnesses a brutal murder, Susan Fitzsimmons puts in a call to her lawyer-friend, Tom McInnes. Tom makes a cursory inquiry through the local sheriff's office, only to trigger unexpectedly swift and forceful retaliation: His office is broken into and armed gunmen lay siege to Susan's house. The situation deteriorates as Tom and those close to him stir up several hornet's nests' worth of trouble across the Florida panhandle on their way to a deadly showdown.
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.
Illegal Motion (Gideon Page #4)
by Grif StockleyArkansas attorney Gideon Page has no idea what's in store for him when he agrees to defend Dade Cunningham, the Razorback's star receiver, against a charge of rape.
A View From the Bench
by Joseph A. WapnerThe famous judge of TV (The People's Court) talks about his experiences on the bench and about the American judicial system.
Perfect Victim
by Christine Mcguire Carla NortonThis is the story behind Colleen Stan's terrifying, seven-year-long imprisonment by Cameron Hooker as told by the district attorney who tried the case. Too bizarre to be anything but true, it is a tale of riveting intensity and gripping courtroom drama.
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.
The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues
by Victor Paul FurnishDr. Furnish enriches his discussion of key Pauline topics including: sex, marriage, divorce, homosexuality, women in the church, and the Church in the world. He pays particular attention to the socio-cultural context of Paul's ministry, the complexity of his thought, the character of his moral reasoning, and the way his thought and reasoning may inform and challenge us today.
Presumed Guilty
by Junius PodrugA woman's attempts to solve her mother's murder in Russia wind up getting her accused of the crime in this courtroom thriller.
How Democratic Is the American Constitution?
by Robert A. DahlDahl starts with the assumption that the legitimacy of the American Constitution derives solely from its utility as an instrument of democratic governance. Dahl demonstrates that, due to the context in which it was conceived, our Constitution came to incorporate significant antidemocratic elements. Because the Framers of the Constitution had no relevant example of a democratic political system on which to model the American government, many defining aspects of our political system were implemented as a result of short-sightedness or last-minute compromise.
Starr: A Reassessment
by Benjamin WittesAn attempt at a balanced view of Ken Starr's contributions.
Disability, Society, and the Individual
by Julie SmartThis is a textbook in a graduate rehabilitation counseling program. It is for a class called psycho-social aspects of disability