5 comments about The Blood Bankers: Tales from the Global Underground Economy.

1. Major U.S. banks have knowingly dealt with the corrupt elites of the world's developing countries.
   They have harbored capital flight from wealthy investors who had lost confidence in their country.
   They have extended loans to corrupt industrialists, who promptly skimmed the profits and, through their political connections, convinced the national governments to guarantee the loans, placing the burden on the backs of the poor.
   They have lent money to violently repressive military dictators.
   They have accepted bribes; they have offered bribes; they have turned a blind eye to untold human suffering.



2. An Amazing read! I didn't know what I never knew! After reading this book twice, I realize that International Bankers of all varieties dominate the buisness world and are at fault for irresponsible lending to many 'developing' nations. A result of which is massive poverty and wealth inequality througout the world.
   A timely and revealing look at the origins of the Iraq war are an excellent reminder of power of these wealthy few.
   
   Everyone should buy this book.



3. This book is an eye-opening account of the financial chicanery that lay behind countless poorly planned, badly executed, over-priced and economically unviable development projects that were undertaken in Africa, Asia and Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Henry exposes the role played by leading international financial institutions in fueling the growth of dubious forms of transnational economic activity and shows how their behavior has been tolerated and even encouraged by the IMF, the World Bank and the US Treasury. He also sheds light on the influence that international financial interests have had on political developments in the third world - from the overthrow of Allende's elected government in Chile and the funding provided to Nicaragua's Contra rebels, to the support of thieving dictators like Ferdinand Marcos, General Somoza and Carlos Salinas, just to mention a few.



4. "The Blood Bankers" is an important contribution to our understanding of global financial instability. Most often, liberalized (legitimate) capital markets, international trade, state power, and international regulatory institutions are cited as the causes of destabilization. However, J. Henry allows us to look behind these forces and bodies to see how the liberalization of the global economy has unleashed illicit and/ or immoral financial forces, often acting through otherwise legitimate enterprises. Thus, "The Blood Bankers" gives us another level of understanding and critique of the agents of globalization. Without understanding the underground players, it would be impossible to fully understand the instability of modern international markets.



5. Blood Bankers collates vivid insider stories on the pillage of developing countries by international banks and the piracy of finance by corrupt leaders. The book accounts for the fact that, in spite of immense financial flows to the Third World, many countries have not witnessed the expected benefits, and indeed have been damaged by corruption and debt.

5 comments about International Economics.

1. This book gave me a really deep understanding of international economics, markets and macroeconomics. However, material in this book requires knowledge of some economics basics



2. I had Dr Carbaugh as a student at UW Eau Claire, and enjoyed the clarity of his lectures. His book is nearly as good. My (first) edition is still worth consulting when I have the opportunity to teach econ.



3. As an instructor teaching an undergrad international economics, I used this textbook as designated reading for the class. There are several merits about this textbook: simplicity, tons of real-world examples, and plain description. Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages about this book that I can't stand:
   1. Typos, there are many typos in this 9e. Some of them were even correctly printed on 8e.
   2. Lack of econ models: I can see how difficult it is to write a realworld-oriented international econ textbook with more intuition and less intimidating math models. But what makes Economics different from other social science is the powerful models that give us insights and perspectives. Sometimes it is easier to understand the complicated international economics with some simple models. I don't think Carbaugh did a good job offering econ models at where we need most, especially in the balance of payment and government policies part. I can accept simple, intuitive explanation, but I cannot accept oversimplification.
   3. Redundancy:
   Carbaugh spend major part of the textbook talking about international trade but not enough on international finance. There are several topics in international trade that can be combined and some topics in international finance that can be elaborated more. But I think this is author's choice.
   
   In conclusion, I think this is a good book if you want to have a general idea about international economics. But I won't recommend it for using in class simply becuase it raises more questions than it explains.



4. This seler is not reliable!!!! They charge you and make you wait for a long time, and then, they email you saying that they can't delivery the book!!!! There is a refund regarding the cash, but the time you waste with this transaction is worthless!!!!



5. THIS IS THE WORSE CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE RECIEVED ON AMAZON. I ORDERED MY BOOK ON AUGUST THE 24TH AND I NEVER RECIEVED THE BOOK UP TILL TODAY THE SEPTEMBER 29. I GOT A RESPONSE SAYING THE BOOK WILL ARIVE LATEST BY SEPTEMBER 19 AND APPARENTLY, ABDULIN DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO TAKE CARE OF THE TRANSACTION. HE TOOK MY MONEY AND WENT OUT OF THE STATES WITHOUT PROCESSING MY ORDER. I EAS EXPECTING THE BOOK AT THE STATED DATE NOT KNOWING HE DID NOT EVEN CARE ABOUT PROCESSING THE ORDER. HE NEVER RESPONDED TO MY FIRST EMAIL. LATER THE WIFE HAVE TO INFORM ME THE HUSBAND HAS TRAVELLED OUT OF THE COUNTRY AND SHE THINKS THE BOOK IS GIVEN TO SOMEONE ELSE. MY MONEY IS STILL NOT BACK AND I NEVER GOT THE BOOK. THIS IS MY WORST EXPERIENCE EVER AT AMAZON AND I PROMISE NEVER TO ORDER BOOK FROM ABDULIN AGAIN, NEVER IN MY LIFE.

5 comments about George Soros On Globalization.

1. Soros was convicted of inside trading at the end of 2002. He broke the law by trading using inside information in the takeover of Societe Generale.

   I guess with globalization, wealthy people will get wealthier so they can cheat, lie, trade on inside information and then try to manipulate the elections of the United States and countries in Eastern Europe.

   From a new site detailing Mr. Soros crime:

   "Mr Soros and three other defendants, the court found, bought Societe Generale stock when it was cheap, and cashed in their investment when the price rose after the bid became public.

   Two other businessmen implicated in the scandal - Edmond Safra and Robert Maxwell - have since died."

   Robert Maxwell killed himself after cheating British workers out of their pensions and engaging in a huge fraud to cheat investors. Safra was also a dubious character. Soros is known by the company he keeps.

   Avoid this book. There are better books written by reformed criminals. It is a shame Enron blew up because he would have made a good CEO there.




2. 
   Useful insight to and some productive critique of globalization and how it shapes today's world.



3. This is a very interesting book by George Soros. It is a very easy read, and I think it accurately represents the some international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, and presents decent proposals for the future management of international finance.
   
   I totally agree that some of the IMF's policies were more like dogmatic free-market fundamentalism rather than sound economics in the past. But i guess it is worth noting that this is part of the reason why no country has ever defaulted on the world bank and IMF: they secure their investments. However, the IMF's actions in Latin America in the 1980s, and most recently with the East Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, were less than accomodating, and could be blamed for further plunging the countries into deeper recession. Whether it was the IMF's "free market fundamentalism", fear of financial loss or simply teaching a lesson to prevent "moral hazard", I think the institution has lost a lot of credibility.
   
   Regardless, its great to have some intelligent discourse on Globalization and international policy, rather than the typical right-wing and left-wing bickering that everyone finds so annoying. Read this book if you are interested in global finance or macroeconomics.



4. Mr. Soros certainly deserves our consideration at least as a currency trader, but his prescription for world economics is tainted with a naive, Utopian world view. Like Marxists, his ideas sound wonderful and longingly cooperative, but the real-world will not cooperate nor will governments and corporations play along unless their self-interests are met first.



5. I bought this book in 2003 and reading it again. The book is still relevant and contains insights about how the world works and gives suggestions on how to ride with the turbulent tide. I may have read it fast before and forgot all about it. I found it again after going through my collection of books looking for materials for my essay practice. I also found the reviews very helpful. The book and the reviews gave me more ideas on how to answer the TOEFL essay prompt on improving the community. I initially wrote literacy in line with the Federal government's No Child Left Behind policy. Focusing on education, I found more support and stronger arguments from this book and its reviews. Here is my essay exercise for your reference (http://www.scribd.com/doc/5890688/Improve-Your-Community).

5 comments about A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World.

1. It feels appropriate to review this book as crude oil futures hit all-time contract highs... The 1980 inflation-adjusted highs for crude (roughly $100 per barrel in today's money) are just around the corner in geopolitical terms.
   
   In the book's title, "A Thousand Barrels a Second" refers to the point at which world oil demand exceeds 86 million barrels per day. (86.4 to be exact--there are 86,400 seconds in one day). The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes the 86 million threshold could be crossed this year.
   
   The "Coming Oil Break Point" refers to the aftermath of crisis and inevitable forced change. Tertzakian explains:
   
   "...the history of energy shows that a time of crisis is always followed by a defining break point, after which government policies, and social and technological forces, begin to rebalance the structure of the world's vast energy complex. Break points are crucial junctures marked by dramatic changes in the way energy is used."
   
   During the break point and the rebalancing phase that follows (which can last for 10 to 20 years), nations struggle for answers, consumers suffer and complain, the economy adapts, and science surges with innovation and discovery. In the era that emerges, lifestyles change, businesses are born, and fortunes are made.
   
   I read the entire book on one leg of a coast-to-coast plane trip, a feat made possible by the clarity and lucidity of Tertzakian's writing. He excels at laying out detailed concepts in ways that are easy for the reader to grasp and understand, and paints a convincing picture of the significant challenges we face.
   
   Tertzakian firmly grounds his argument in history, explaining what he calls the "evolutionary energy cycle" through the lens of past transitions. At one point we journeyed to the ends of the earth for whale oil, just as we do for "rock oil" (the literal meaning of petroleum) today. In the switch from wood to coal, tallow to whale oil, whale oil to kerosene, and so on, predictable aspects of the evolutionary energy cycle begin to emerge.
   
   In addition to outlining the situation we're in, Tertzakian gives a fascinating, though brief, history of the oil industry. He covers the rise of Rockefeller's Standard Oil, its eventual breakup, the curious origins of Saudi Aramco, the British Navy's fateful switch from coal to oil, energy's role in respect to railroads and WWII, and more.
   
   In my opinion, Tertzakian can be classified as an Urgent Simonist.* The word "Urgent" is meant to distinguish from the "Pollyanna" Simonists--those who believe technology will magically solve our energy problems with no real pain or discomfort.
   
   On the emotional subject of peak oil, there are two extremes of debate. At one end you have those who think civilization is doomed no matter what (the viewpoint of cheery websites like dieoff.org). At the other end, you have those who think peak oil will be shaken off like a mild head cold.
   
   Tertzakian helps bridge the gap between these extremes by explaining that yes, the challenge is serious, and gut-wrenching times are ahead... but we will ultimately see our way through. He is "urgent" in pointing out that the sooner we act the better, and pulls no punches in terms of what's at stake.
   
   Perhaps the real power of "A Thousand Barrels A Second" is in showing readers how to think about the big picture, orienting them to the mind-boggling mechanics of energy supply chains.
   
   There are so many steps and processes involved in the discovery, extraction, and distribution of energy that supply chains generally evolve at a glacial pace. Major energy transitions are measured in decades, not years; the scale and scope of the task is breathtaking to behold. Without taking a closer look behind the scenes, it's hard to get an intuitive sense of the time frames and logistical complexities involved. Tertzakian helps readers do that.
   
   In sum, if you truly want to understand the energy issues we face--or at least get a handle on the key elements--I strongly recommend this book. It could also make an excellent gift for those friends and colleagues locked in one of the "extreme" camps, i.e. "what me worry" vs. "we're all going to die." (The book might not change their mind, but it will certainly make them think.)
   
   I too consider myself an Urgent Simonist--we'll make it through, but only with serious pain--and believe that Tertzakian succeeds in his goal of providing "a highly researched and balanced assessment of our energy situation."
   
   *Julian Simon, an influential economist, wrote a book in 1981 called The Ultimate Resource, in which he argued that technology and human ingenuity would always ensure an abundance of raw materials. In 1980, he also made a famous wager that a basket of base metals would fall in price, rather than rise, over a significant period of time. He won the bet. Ever since, those who believe in the power of innovation to overcome doomsday scarcity predictions have been dubbed "Simonists."



2. The number of books on energy and oil seems to get bigger all the time. This is an interesting one for two reasons. First of all, it gives a very good background to previous energy transitions that can serve as a thought-provoking lead-in to the topic of oil. Second, the book does not engage in what some would see as the hype or doomsday approach of many books on global warming or peak oil. Tertzekian gives all the bleak numbers, but still manages to come up with an optimistic outlook. When I was reading the book, I felt like it might be a little too conservative, but this is the one I find myself quoting most often in discussions of energy issues.
   
   Anyone who is convinced that peak oil will lead to a frightening and drastic downfall of our way of life should read this book. It presents another possible point of view in which an evolution to a different but ultimately acceptable way of life is achievable. While peak oil writers have a lot of evidence on their side, Tertzekian has a lot of historical precedent on his.



3. I enjoyed this book. Mr Tertzakian knows something about oil. I don't share his optimist views of the future. Heavy sour and Tar Sands will not save the world, yet, overall Mr. Tertzakian is a smart man and I enjoyed reading his book. Regards, Keith Renick, Project Materials Specialist, Project Management Team, Riyadh Refinery, Saudi Aramco Oil Company, Retired



4. The author did an excellent job explaining the history of energy cycles and their general behavior. He explained in a simple way how the cycles worked and the time it takes to shift from one source to another source. Peter pinpointed what is behind the surge in oil prices and why it is different than the surges of 73 and 79. I really enjoyed his analysis of different countries' oil dependencies and their relations to GDP. The author discussed all the alternatives available on the table and showed which ones are likely to work within the near future and the extended future. He proposed several solutions to ease the burden on oil prices, some of them are very workable but need dedication from the population. I strongly recommend the book for anyone interested in energy matters and definitely for all energy companies' managers and executives.



5. This book gives a good introduction to the economics of energy, with an emphasis on what is going to happen when we run out of oil. It charts a middle course between doom-and-gloom pessimism, and blind optimism that innovation and market forces will automatically fix everything. The author uses his experience investing in the energy industry to give what seems to be a fairly realistic picture of what is likely to happen in the short term. The obvious fact is that as demand for oil begans to outstrip supply - and there are strong indications that the supply of oil is peaking or will peak soon - we will have to start making more use of other sources of energy. The good news is that additional sources are available, so civilization is probably not about to collapse. The bad news (for me at least) is that we are likely to follow the path of least resistance which entails making increasing use of other fossil fuels, especially coal. This is even worse for the environment than oil, and will just postpone and make more difficult the necessary process of transitioning to renewable sources of energy.
   
   While there is nothing very deep or subtle in the book, it gives a good overview of the history of our use of energy, and lots of facts and figures and graphs about our current energy use. In particular there are lots of graphs showing the evolution over time of the "energy mix", namely how much of our energy comes from various different sources. As such, this book could be a very useful primer in order to better understand what one reads about energy in the news and the significance of the various numbers that appear there.
   
   There are also a few very interesting tidbits. One of the more disturbing ones is that our rate of economic growth is strongly correlated with our use of oil. In other words, roughly speaking, for every dollar you spend, you cause a certain amount of oil to be consumed. The book claims that certain countries, such as Japan, have managed to neutralize this trend. However, because of globalization I'm not sure if it really makes sense to consider this question at only a national level. For example, lots of the fossil fuel that is burned in China is used to manufacture goods that are shipped to the US. This is an example of what I mean when I say that the book is not that deep or subtle.
   
   Anyway, if you want to better understand what is going on with our use of energy, this book is a good place to start.

2 comments about Shell Global Scenarios to 2025.

1. The Shell Global Scenarios is an outstanding example of the craft of scenario design as well as a creative and insightful look at the forces shaping the world. The text is well written. The graphics are memorable and thought provoking. The commentaries by leading thinkers from various fields add depth. Scenario design can take many forms and be adapted for many purposes. The Shell approach is arguably the best for understanding and speculating about issues that cut across multiple socio-economic, technical, and political dimensions. Modern scenario design began with Herman Kahn and Anthony Wiener's "The Year 2000: A Framework for Speculation"(MacMillan, 1967). While we can be entertained by the misdirection of many of their speculative conclusions, their framework set the stage for much of the scenario work that has followed. My only regret about the excellent Shell effort is that Pierre Wack is given credit for coining the term "scenario." While Wack is a giant in this field, the credit for introducing "scenario" in the modern use of the term should go to Kahn and Wiener.



2. Shell was one of the earliest innovators in the area of scenario planning, and they have done extremely well by this method. Quite a few excellent authors have come out of Shell, such as Kees van der Heijden's books Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation and The Sixth Sense: Accelerating Organizational Learning with Scenarios.
   
   This book is disappointing for a number of reasons. This is meant to be a popular book, with lots of nice visual effects. Sadly, the content could and the unwieldy shape and heft reduced to a thin paperback, and it should have been. The binding itself is atrocious, and simply does not work. Sigh.
   
   That said, there is a good amount of conceptual material here to chew on for the upcoming years, though it will likely not remain viable all the way until 2025. There are three main configurations plotted in the book: low trust globalization, "open doors", and "flags". In LTG, security and market efficiencies are the overriding factors driving the shape of things to come, and social cohesion or the "force of community" is weaker than the other two forces. In open doors, social cohesion and market incentives combine for a more fruitful outcome (both economically and socially). In flags, community and security overcome market incentives and a more distrustful and nationalistic scenario emerges, the darkest of the three broad global scenarios.
   
   These broad possible areas are then reflected through a wide range of issues from demography and migrations, to African futures, to climate change and biodiversity, and to legal and regulatory environments, among others.
   
   Good content, flawed format.

4 comments about The European Union: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions).

1. Pinder launches into this short commentary with the in-depth historical foundation of the EU's formation. This is well brought up to date with the reasons for, and the outcome of, the different recent European Treaties. This is a must for anyone - who, like me, has/had a limited understanding of an important topic. A good concise introduction.



2. It is a good book. If you are looking for an introduction without getting into long theoretical discussions. The merit of this book is its simplicity. It tells the story of the European Union without leaving any of the main topics out. It reads easily. Has a few very useful charts and photographs. Its up to date, year 2001; I could not find another book that would bring the reader up to the launching of the Euro! The only reason it does not get five stars is that it is only a short introductory study and as a consequence it lacks depths, otherwise its a great book!



3. Pinder does a good job at taking a complex subject and distilling it to its essential elements. It won't surprise readers of this publisher that the author's perspective is almost entirely British. The author is also very favorably disposed toward the EU and does not provide "equal time" for the other side. That is his prerogative, of course, but it does not detract from the book.



4. As a journalist beginning a study of the EU, I was sorely disappointed in the presentation and writing of this book.
   
   Although it's billed as being "accessible" and written in "plain English," it's not. It reads as if it were written for academic insiders. Sentences are long, convoluted and unclear. Try out this paragraph, for example:
   
   "One should not underestimate the role that the governments retain in the Union's affairs, with their power of decision in the Council that represents the member states and their monopoly of the ultima ratio of armed force. But other approaches, including those known as neo-functionalism and federalism, give more weight than the intergovernmentalists to the European institutions."
   
   Such language hits the reader as early as page 6.
   
   The text also bogs down in details that seem unnecessary for an introductory understanding of the subject. Such lack of focus is distracting.
   
   I ended up grasping the basic ideas that this book was trying to teach -- but only after abandoning it for better-written material.

5 comments about Rogue Economics: Capitalism's New Reality.

1. This excellent and informative book should serve as a Wake-Up Call to those of us in the west who believe in fair play, honesty and other "obsolete" values. These monsters in China, Iran and other third-world countries will stop at nothing to further their nefarious objectives. Unless we dig in now and prepare for the "Clash of Civilizations" - a clash between all that is right and true and all that is evil and despicable - we will be swept away along our civilization.



2. I studied social science, majoring in sociology. I thought that I had the "way the world works" sussed until I discovered the writing of economist and writer, Loretta Napoleoni.
   Napoleoni's writing has given me a perspective on the global economy that I have never had before.
   She gives an understanding that allows one to penetrate beneath the thin veneer of the news that we see in the popular media, into the causes of major world events. I have also read her book, "Modern Jihad, Tracing the Dolalrs behind the Terror Networks which is equally insightful and illuminating.



3. Whatever happened to all the profound social philosophers? In earlier days, everything about society was explained to you in verbose and turgid prose by, among others, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, and Oswald Spengler. After World War II a number of Jewish thinkers became popular, among them Karl Popper, Hannah Arendt, Elias Canetti, and Arthur Koestler. Alas, these towering intellects, once celebrated for their insight and wisdom, read by undergraduates everywhere, have all fallen into disfavor. Their books lie in the stacks, and on the rare occasions that their names appear, they're mentioned dismissively. The only exception to this neglect that I have come across in my reading is in Loretta Napoleoni's "Rogue Economics," for she quotes the oracles Veblen, Popper and Arendt at length. Not only that, but I have a faint suspicion that she longs for her own pedestal in the pantheon of great thinkers.
   
   A portion of "Rogue Economics" is filled with information about everything that's wrong with the world today. No problem is overlooked or omitted, and all of these new misfortunes and crimes have but one cause -- likewise new -- greed. Greed in the form of capitalism run amok. Most of the topics have been given adequate coverage in the various media -- for instance, the kidnapping of young women in Europe for the purpose of keeping them in brothels or selling them to Arabs or Turks, a practice that was once known as White Slavery, and Mozart wrote an opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio on the subject. But other misdeeds had escaped my attention -- such as the fact that one-third of the fish consumed in the UK is caught illegally. Governments have done nothing to stop this poaching which threatens the remaining fish in the oceans, and this is something that people need to know.
   
   The portions of the book regarding such criminality are certainly worth reading, and more attention should be devoted to all these examples of villainy. But then, the book goes screechingly off the rails as Madame Napoleoni attempts to demonstrate her powers as a great thinker. You see, for each of the world's problems, she has a theory.
   
   A theory? Your bartender has a theory of why things are going to hell in a handbasket, and so does every teamster. One might expect that, given her academic credentials and renown, Madame Napoleoni's theories would be far more sophisticated than those of your cabdriver, and they are, but are they any more accurate or insightful? Are they far more enlightened and sensible? Put your thinking-cap on and be the judge.
   
   Everyone knows that there is a flood of counterfeit and bootleg goods issuing from China. Why are the Chinese doing this? My guess would be that, because few Chinese hold any stock in, or are on the boards of directors of, Viacom, NBC Universal, Warner Chappell (the owners of all music), Gucci, Rolex or other plutocratic entities, it's no skin off their noses (such as they are) if they rip these businesses off. It's pure profit for the counterfeiters, and they can then afford to buy the goods shown in the movies they copy. Does that make sense to you?
   
   If it does, it shows how illiterate and shallow you are, because Madame Napoleoni has a superior, more advanced theory:
   "Piracy in China remains a way of economic life inextricably linked to centuries of historical recycling. Once history is written and rewritten to fit the needs of the power of the moment, reality evaporates. The value of its accessories, from works of art to music, from literature to fashion . . . also vanishes, and unique ideas and objects find themselves easily replaced by piles and pyramids of cheap replicas." (pg.108)
   
   Got that? Piracy in China is due to the nation's inaccurate recording of history. (And here, I thought that, until Mao seized power in 1949, Chinese history was actually more accurate than Western history which had been adulterated to fit theology. But then, what do I know?)
   
   You have presumably wondered what the cause of violence at football (soccer) matches is, and if you've given this new conflict enough thought, you have come to the same conclusion as has Madame Napoleoni:
   "Football hooliganism is one of the surreal outcomes of globalization. [pg.233-235] . . . Globalization radicalized football fans and spread hooliganism, which in the 1990s became a universal phenomenon. . . . Thus, football became a window into our society as society is a window to football. . . . As described by Popper and Bergson, this retrenchment is a response both to the threat posed by the big, globalized teams . . . and to globalization's message of a homogenized society, where everything local, including football teams, vanishes."
   
   There you have it. Violence from football games is something new, and it is caused by globalization. (The 1969 "Football War" --La guerra del fútbol-- between El Salvador and Honduras doesn't count because . . . because it's not related to globalization, I guess.)
   
   But the Oracle Napoleoni cannot be dismissed as merely another left-wing muckraker. No, it's much worse than that. Those who are against giving humanitarian and developmental aid to the poor nations in Africa will be happy to learn (on pages 196-197) that she is vehemently against giving such aid. " . . . It becomes clear why foreign aid is the true cause of the malaise of Africa: foreign aid is an economic virus as infectious and deadly as AIDS. . . . Far from being the cure, foreign aid has caused the disease. The more money a country receives, the more it sinks into poverty." Such is Madame Napoleoni's talent for subtle understatement, but then, off come the kid gloves when she reveals that what's more, foreign aid "does not bring political stability." How do we know this? Because Kenya and Tanzania received foreign aid, and then, "members of al Qaeda attacked the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, causing hundreds of deaths." What more proof do you need that foreign aid is the cause of all suffering? "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc" must be her motto, and a fine motto it is.
   
   The Oracle Napoleoni apparently admires "The Matrix" series of movies, and she uses them as a metaphor throughout the book. She does not, however, have a high regard for Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code. Why was this book so popular? Shallow thinkers like you and me might assume that people simply found the fast-paced and mildly-educational novel entertaining, but Madame Napoleoni has discerned that there is a deeper and more sinister cause for the novel's popularity -- globalization! "Culture, too, has not escaped this globalization trend. The success of the blockbuster 'The DaVinci Code', for example, well illustrates the appetite for widely recycled art history and religion. . . . historical novels satisfy readers' desire to rapidly consume junk history and culture as an escape mechanism. Culture has become a commercial product . . . Authenticity has become a fugitive because it is encoded in time and not in space." (pg.107)
   
   This last sentence is one of Madame Napoleoni's leaping attempts to create a pithy phrase on the order of Hannah Arendt's "the banality of evil," so be sure to copy that onto a card and paste it in your hat, so the next time someone poses an intellectual question, you can just take your hat off and say, "Authenticity has become a fugitive because it is encoded in time and not in space." Such an unbounded axiom can be dropped into any conversation, and you can follow it up with Madame Napoleoni's theoretical hairsplitting such as the difference between nationalism and state tribalism: "State tribalism is alien to nationalism where the state is constructed around the national identity of its people: that is, the state is an expression of such identity."
   
   If you haven't found all that astonishing enough, there are many more profound jaw-droppers to be discovered in the pages of this book. For instance, you will be intrigued to learn (on both pages 254 and 256) that the one-hundred years preceding World War I were years of peace in the world (apparently Madame Napoleoni has never heard of . . . of . . . oh, never mind), or that "Northern states are actually looking forward to global warming." Most astounding of all is the fundamental cause of all problems. Globalization is merely a proximate cause, but civilization went wrong because of one thing: the fall of the Berlin Wall. This catastrophic event is cited about every 3 to 5 pages and when you read the phrase "the fall of the Berlin Wall" it means that a new predicament is about to be discussed. Curiously, most of these references to the ruinous fall of the Berlin Wall are not listed in the book's index -- such as on page 219, where it is cited as the cause of street-gang violence in Los Angeles.
   
   Books of ordinary muckraking are written to move the reader to howls of indignation over the injustice of it all, and they seldom suggest practical solutions to the wrongs they describe, but this book is exceptional as it offers an antidote to the poison of rogue capitalism. What does The Oracle Napoleoni recommend as a specific remedy to our global grief? You will (I hope) be relieved to learn that she does not advocate rebuilding the Berlin Wall. Instead, she foresees but one hope if mankind is to be saved from the ravages of capitalism run amok, and the only thing that can save us is . . . [cue-in heavenly choir]. . .is . . . [sunrise on camera three] . . . *Islamic finance*!
   
   "Partnership between leaders and clerics . . . serves as the root of Islamic finance. . . . Partnership is the heartbeat of Islamic economics . . [which is] the opposite of Western finance, which revolves around the individual's self-interest.
   Above all, Islamic finance represents the sole global economic force that conceptually challenges rogue economics. It does not allow investment in pornography, prostitution, narcotics, tobacco, or gambling. As discussed above, since the fall of the Berlin Wall [!], all these areas have blossomed thanks to globalization outlaws under the indifferent eyes of the market state."
   
   Why will we be better off once we all live under the laws of Islam? Because, "a sharia-compliant product requires a fatwa, or religious edict, from a recognized scholar . . . and its roots are intertwined with the religious pride of being a Muslim. . . . This gives Islamic finance a greater degree of flexibility than traditional Western finance, while at the same time it offers investors a degree of security unknown to Westerners. The ethical issue, central to modern finance, does not arise in Islamic finance because the fatwa clears investment from any notion of wrongdoing."
   
   Although The Oracle Napoleoni does not go into the specific details of exactly how the marvel of Islamic finance actually works, we know it will be wonderful, because anything produced under a fatwa must be good, and the coming utopia she describes far surpasses the "worker's paradise" envisioned by Lenin.
   "Patents and trademarks will disappear, reducing capitalism's ancient privileges, giving impetus to hard-working individuals, who will flourish thanks to this form of liberalization. History will lose its shine and be recycled to fit the needs of the moment. The quality of fake goods will improve until it becomes all but impossible to distinguish the original from its replica Western brands' edge will vanish. This simple fact will trigger a massive redistribution of wealth at global levels."
   
   That sure sounds great, doesn't it? Where do I sign-up for this utopia? Will I have to get circumcised first? The only lingering uncertainty I harbor is that over at the nonprofit Transparency International website, where nations are rated as to the degree of corruption in their society, the nations where Islam is the state religion and sharia is the law are rated without exception as among the most corrupt societies on earth. Iran comes in at 131 out of 179 (Somalia), and Malaysia, which Madame Napoleoni hails as the Islamic-finance nation of the future, is shown to be far more corrupt than the USA, Uruguay, or even Italy. Ironically, the least corrupt of all Islamic nations, Qatar, is precisely where many of the kidnapped girls from Eastern Europe end up as the prostitutes Madame Napoleoni laments over at the beginning of the book. (I guess sharia says it's o.k. if they're infidels, huh?)
   
   Thus it is that we starving/dieting masses can rejoice that the Golden Caliphate is soon at hand, and that we will thus be redeemed, but I wouldn't over-rejoice, because Meet the new boss -- same as the old boss.
   
   Highest rating! This is the most amusing book I've read since the fall of the Berlin Wall!



4. Loretta Napoleoni is an Italian Marxist who, in her book Rogue Economics: Capitalism's New Reality, makes her case that Capitalism is the cause of all the world's ill's and that the collapse of the Soviet Union, beginning with the fall of the Berlin Wall, was where all our problems started. Globalization and more specifically Capitalism are the villain. Furthermore, Democracy itself is the very root of all evil in the world.
   
   Falsely promoting itself as a rigorous economic study, the publisher attempts to coattail its sales onto the bestseller, Freak-O-Nomics, by endlessly comparing itself to the other on the book jacket and with adjacent product placements. The two books have absolutely nothing in common what-so-ever.
   
   Readers accustom to non-fiction economic writing will find nothing familiar in this book. Any arguments built on facts and an unemotional objective analysis of the data are strangely absent. Little information is sourced.
   
   The book plays on every logic fallacy in the catalog-- straw man arguments, appeals to sympathy, appeals racism, appeals to nationalism, you name it, it's in there. What a piece of trash and a waste of my money.
   
   No surprise that this book is marked down to a blowout fire-sale price here on Amazon.



5. I'll be honest I have nowhere near the academic depth of the Author, and I to some degree understand the criticisms relating to her subjective analysis, but she's entilted to it (and to the previous reviewer who's unhappy with that--let's hear your take). Not withstanding, the book is a fascinating glimpse into the true reality of our corrupt, venile world, and the way she relates our collective ignorance of it to the illusion portrayed by the movie "The Matrix" has been verified through her impressive research. I'll never again look at this world in the same way after reading this book.
   
   "There is not a righteous man, not even one; there is no one that has any insight, there is no one that seeks for God. All men have deflected, all of them together have become worthless; there is no one that does kindness, there is not so much as one. Their throat is an opened grave, they have used deceit with their tongues. Poison of asps is behind their lips. And their mouth is full of cursing and bitter expression. Their feet are speedy to shed blood. Ruin and misery are in their ways, and they have not known the way of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:1-18
   
   Amen

4 comments about Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World Is Possible.

1. Globalisation is one of the most complex and influential movements of our time. Driven by major corporations in the West, it seeks to operate financial and commercial transactions to the benefit of all humans. In practice, there are few winners except the transnational corporations themselves. Having monopolised markets and financial institutions, corporations have also drawn up legal procedures whereby they can bypass even the nation state itself. The effects on poorer countries of the planet are devastating.
   
   The impact of globalisation touches the lives of everybody on planet earth today. We need to be aware of how it works;only then do we stand any real chance of challenging and redirecting its movements. Among the many books on the subject, few are as simply but comprehensively written as the present volume. It provides an excellent overview with some valuable suggestions on how we can work together to create alternative startegies for a more just and equitable world order.



2. This book addresses many significant problems in the world today (2003-to present) from the vantage point of the capitalist critic. It preaches localization of centralized governments in third world countries as alternatives to the dominating presence of the WTO and ICC. Although these organizations allow impoverished countries to create jobs, in many instances the respective jobs come at the expense of the entire communities' well-being (water privatization). The text ties pollution problems to the need to maintain the economic machine. If you see anything on your TV news source (CNN, FOX News) about WTO protests in large cities, and seem troubled, then read this book. It will explain why the people marching on your TV screen are so angry.



3. We live in a world dominated by corporate superpowers that have no regard for the long-term welfare of the people, the economy, or the environment. These large transnational firms are reshaping the world and perpetuating a mass homogenization of cultures around the world. Many of the largest conglomerates in the world are American-owned. They export products and images that promote their bottom lines, not the welfare of individual countries or people. They covertly shift billions of dollars between different countries overnight or build retail chains that desecrate local economies. The sheer size and power of these organizations leaves many of us paralyzed with a lingering sense of disempowerment and an inability to imagine effective solutions.
   
   This book offers us concrete answers and a list of actions we can take. The topical chapters allow you to go straight to the information you want and discover both grassroots and legislative solutions. As an additional bonus, a panel of experts in the various fields back up their perspectives with solid facts and figures. This is a indispensable book for any concerned citizen and an engaging read from cover to cover.



4. An excellent cast of authors and leading thinkers cover many aspects of how current forms of market fundamentalist oligarchic corporate interests shape a form of globalisation that limits the benefits and exascerbate the challenges posed by the changes brought on by globalisation. In stark contrast to the media's portrayal of knee jerk reactions to modern realities this book presents a very deep understanding of the challenges and the opportunities before us. It offers alternatives at a time when prevailing dogma has it that there are no alternatives and that the ills we see around us are inevitable and for the better good. It also points out the tremendous cummulative danger of the current direction many international developments are taking. It is not a book about going backwards but about moving into new territory beyond the deadlocks of the past.

2 comments about The Economics of Global Turbulence.

1. First of all, a book on economics that gets thumbs up from both The Nation & The Wall Street Journal should get a wide readership. In the field of economics, where neoclassical and neoliberal dogmatism is dominant to the point of being stifling, it is important to open the windows to let fresh air in.
   
   The book's main thrust is to provide an alternative hypothesis to explain the postwar economic boom, and the long downturn (relative to the boom) starting in the 1970s. In the orthodox neoclassical/neoliberal account, the long downturn is explained as the result of organized labor successfully fighting for high wages, which squeeze profits, which in turn reduces investment, which slows growth. (This is an explanation that works well in economic models consistent with neoliberal ideology, but not so well in explaining empirical realities.) In Prof. Brenner's account, the downturn is due rather to an inherent feature of capitalism: a tendency to overproduction. Capitalism has indeed unleashed unparalleled productive forces, but the lack of planning inherent in currently existing capitalism has resulted in overproduction and economic stagnation (in the face of, I should mention - this is not part of Prof. Brenner's account - millions of deaths worldwide from starvation and easily preventable diseases).
   
   To summarize one further stage of the book's main argument, what has occurred in global capitalism is this: one nation's businesses make large capital investments in the most advanced technology to date; later, businesses in a different nation seeking to catch up make investments in more advanced, more productive technology, allowing its factories to produce more at lower cost, forcing the first nation's businesses to reduce prices and give up on profit in order to hold on to market share. In this manner, factories in the first nation do not generate the return on capital expected by their investors, and profits are squeezed due to competition with technologically advanced newcomers, reducing investment and growth. (The same pattern occurs within nations as well.) It is this underlying pattern, in Prof. Brenner's account, that has caused the long downturn. Since WWII, we have seen this pattern play out with the US taking the lead, Germany and Japan catching up, then Korea and the East Asian tigers catching up, and now we are watching China, Brazil, and maybe India and Russia catch up. But catching up will be increasingly hard to do without a large increase in aggregate demand, since with the entry of late developers - China especially - overproduction is increasing apace.
   
   This has been a short, rough summary of Prof. Brenner's argument. His argument is advanced through a very detailed trudge through mountains of statistics - there is very little reliance on the opinions of economic commentators and academics. This may intimidate the general reader, but do not worry - you may have to devote more attention to this book than a book popularizing the neoclassical school of economics' fairy tale mathematical models and methodologically-unsound theorizing, but this book is illuminating and rewarding. I highly recommend it.



2. From the Afterword: "Above all, financial speculation has produced a real estate mania that is unprecendently global and that has driven up the value of housing in historic fashion. The total value of residential property in developed economies rose by more than $30 trillion dollars over the past five years, to over $70 trillion, an increase equivalent to 100 percent of those countries' combined GDPs. Not only does this dwarf any previous boom in housing prices, its 25 percent bigger than the global stock-market bubble of the 1990s, which entailed an increase in equity values of 'only' 80 percent of the countries combined GDP in five years. 'In other words,' says The Economist, 'it looks like the biggest bubble in history.'"
   
   If you want to understand the deep roots of this crisis in worldwide capitalist manufacturing over-capacity, read the book.

5 comments about Technical Analysis Tools: Creating a Profitable Trading System.

1. I found this book to be extremely informative and helpful. I have been trading stocks for several years and am interested in delving into derivatives. Mr. Tinghino explains stock options, futures and Forex markets in a style that is very easy to understand, along with many aspects of technical analysis related to those markets and equities. The chapters on alternative charting techniques and the author's cyclical approach to market timing were particularly fascinating. Bravo!



2. As a thirty year veteran of the futures markets I am often asked by new traders for recommendations of educational resources. I think that Mark Tinghino's new book is a good overview of futures trading, terminology, and methodology. Of particular interest is his focus on market cycle analysis. He also has very good coverage of Candlestick charting and patterns.



3. For those of us who have had little or no exposure to technical analysis and all it has to offer, this is a wonderful place to begin the journey.
   The technical analysis toolbox is diverse and robust and I must say, the author has covered the subject comprehensively. There's not a major pattern study or indicator that has gone unnoticed. This is a great text for someone just getting their feet wet in the area of technical analysis. I reccomend this book.



4. For the money, I would have bought this book again. I love that it's a hardcover, and this will be one that I keep and not give away.
   
   The information is presented from a basic view on most topics, which will help novices a lot. I found the first half of the book fascinating... and had to read some of it more than once.
   
   When he started getting into Options, I flipped through this section as he really didn't do a very good job explaining that, and there are a LOT of other books that explain that side of trading much better.
   
   Overall, it's a keeper. Lots of stock charts to talk about and different tech analysis tools explained in one book on a basic level. If you want more information about any particular tool/indicator... you can dog ear the page and come back to Amazon to find a book on that particular area.



5. I thought this was going to be a good book since it is published by Bloomberg but I am totally disappointed. Nothing interesting. I feel that this material was published only to profit without taking into consideration the quality of the work. There are a lot of good books in technical analysis elsewhere. This is a useless book for novices and professionals. Please do not waste the time reading this.