Book Review: The Predator State

Title	The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too
Author	James Galbraith
Rating
Tags	economics, finance, politics
	I have almost no background in economics, and little understanding of it. My interest in it has increased with my interest in politics. To understand it better, I've tried finding someone knowledgeable that I trust, and the first economist who served this purpose for me is Paul Krugman, economist and columnist in the New York Times. I also like the work of James K. Galbraith's brother, Peter Galbraith, whose book The End of Iraq is excellent. So I was prepared to take a chance on James Galbraith's The Predator State, which is supposed to be written for the layperson. Now I've read it, and have to admit there's a lot in it I don't understand. He also turns a lot of conventional wisdom (at least as I perceive it) on its head, saying, for example, that deficits aren't all bad. I better understand it when he says free markets are a myth - it seems to me they are always acted upon by a variety of forces that mean they do not have perfect freedom. Galbraith explains how we got to the predator state, in which the interests of a narrow band of rampant capitalists with no checks on their power have taken over government for their benefit during the Bush administration. He does, however, think it is possible to take back the state (and he does say that there are many business people for whom the predator capitalists are anathema). His discussions of the predator state also interest me because it provides someone with a legitimate academic background whose discussion supports much of what was said in Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine. Galbraith thinks the way out of the current economic mess is a planned economy in which spending to create environmental jobs is more important than paying down the deficit. Sadly, I can't explain well what he says, but did find his arguments pretty convincing. This is a book that I want the next President to take with him to the White House, and so I am encouraged to see that, on a web site Economists for Obama, Galbraith is listed as an economic adviser to Barack Obama. Read it for yourself in order to get an idea of how we got to where we are and how we can get out of the current mess.
Publication	Free Press (2008), Edition: 1st Free Press Hardcover Ed, Hardcover, 240 pages
Publication date	2008
ISBN	141656683X / 9781416566830

Book Review: Poltergiest

Title	Poltergeist (Greywalker, Book 2)
Author	Kat Richardson
Rating
Tags	urban fantasy, series, ghosts, paranormal, vampires
	I ripped through the first book in this series, Greywalker, which affected me very strongly on an emotional level. This book I enjoyed, but it was a wholly different experience. The emotional reaction was muted, but the intellectual stimulation greater. In this book a psychology experiment that showed that convincing a group of people that a ghost exists would allow them to create manifastations of a ghost... and they do, but one of the members of the group dies. Harper Blaine, who can see ghosts in the Grey, a dimension next to ours, knows that the group is affecting and being affected by Grey phenomena. Can she stop other killings? I found the experiment a fascinating one. Recommended.
Publication	Roc Trade (2007), Paperback, 352 pages
Publication date	2007
ISBN	0451461509 / 9780451461506

Justice Dept: Evidence That Firings May Have Been Unlawful

"DoJ: "Our investigation found significant evidence that political partisan considerations were an important factor in the removal of several...U.S. attorneys." Arkansas U.S. attorney Bud Cummins "was not removed for any performance reasons," the report says." I agree with Robinson that this is a major story that is getting lost amongst more important stories this week.

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A Setback for Nonproliferation?

"Why the Senate greenlighted White House plans to supply nuclear technology to India, despite the Iran problem." I'm torn about this... there seem to be good reasons why this is a bad idea, yet being on good terms with India seems important. This article discusses the whole issue.

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Hooman Majd: Madam (Vice) President

I saw Majd on the Daily Show the other night and would like to read his book on Iran. In this article he points up how little knowledge Palin showed about Iran and lays out some of the facts.

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Book Review; Greywalker

Title	Greywalker (Greywalker, Book 1)
Author	Kat Richardson
Rating
Tags	urban fantasy, series, ghosts, paranormal, vampires
	First in the Graywalker series by Kat Richardson. Harper Blaine is a private eye who dies for two minutes after being attacked and afterwords has strange experiences. she finds a witch, Mara, who explains that there is a dimension between our world and others called the Grey. Ghosts, vampires, and other paranormal creatures have a presence in the Grey. Herper must learn to deal with the energies of the Grey and the creatures who are a part of it. This book engaged me on a visceral level. It was like I was Harper, feeling the energies she had to deal with, and it was a strange and not always pleasant experience.... but I can't wait to read the next in the series.
Publication	Roc Trade (2006), Paperback, 352 pages
Publication date	2006
ISBN	045146107X / 9780451461070

Book Review: Cold Case

Title	Cold Case
Author	Kate Wilhelm
Rating
Tags	mystery, series, lawye
	This is one of the Barbara Holloway series by Kate Wilhelm. Barbara is a defense lawyer who often works with her father, Frank. This case starts from the murder of a young woman, a college student, 22 years ago. . The crime is never solved, and when one of the persons involved with the old case is murdered, the same man is arrested for both crimes and Barbara is his defense lawyer. I always enjoy the books in this series. The characters are so real one I feel I know them. And, for the most part, they are rational, decent people, which makes what happens to them sadder, or more frightening. Highly recommended.
Publication	Mira (2008), Hardcover, 352 pages
Publication date	2008
ISBN	0778325288 / 9780778325284