Blood Diamonds

Book Description

Journalist Greg Campbell leads the reader down the international diamond trail of brutality, horror, and profit - providing an on-the-ground and in-the-mines story of global consequence.

First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These "blood diamonds" are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. Eventually, these very diamonds find their way into the rings and necklaces of brides and spouses the world over.

Blood Diamonds is the gripping tale of how the diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has effectively destroyed Sierra Leone and its people, and how the policies of the diamond industry - institutionalized in the 1880s by the De Beers cartel - have allowed it to happen. Award-winning journalist Greg Campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds, many of which are brought to the world market by fanatical enemies. These repercussions of diamond smuggling are felt far beyond the borders of the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone, and the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global. Updated with a new epilogue.

Customer Reviews:

Blood Diamonds, Bleeding Heart.......2007-03-21

The author is trying to sensationalize the bloodshed that resulted from the diamond trade in Africa. His allegations that the smugglers or the people who buy the product as jewelry are somehow culpable is unsubstantiated. In any other part of the world, such resources would've been a stabilizing factor that enriched the nation economically, bringing jobs, added tax revenues, better schools, etc. This is really a book about the inability of a populace to police itself and the author's focus on the "guilt" of the West is just bullcrap. The one chapter on Al Qaeda and the diamond trade was interesting but short on concrete facts. This is lousy journalism.

It's ironic how marriage engagements are sealed with other people's blood.......2007-03-12

What? The title doesn't make sense? Did you know how many people suffered to get the diamond on your wife's or fiancé's hand? I don't either, but you can take a guess once you read this book. Come, take a ride to a place where children spend their last breaths in a ditch, sifting dirt and mud for the precious stones. Take a walk with the men that die in jungles while transporting this contraband to another country. Sit down with the monsters who butcher the pregnant women, who cut the arms of teenagers, who kill for pleasure.

This is not fiction, my friend, this is real and it occurs even now as you read this review. And it will continue to occur until the value of diamonds remains artificially inflated by DeBeers' monopoly. But I know, next time an anniversary or marriage comes along, you'll still buy a diamond for your wife or fiancé. What do you care, you don't have to die to buy...

By Simon Cleveland

Blood Diamonds.......2007-01-29

Excellent book. Throughly recommend it. If you haven't seen the film Blood Diamonds then it is useful reading this first

Startling and Effective.......2007-01-24

This is a thoroughly engrossing portrait of the chaos that devastated Sierra Leone throughout the 90's. Campbell weaves the many disparate strands that coalesced to cause this tragedy together into a compelling narrative that is far more readable than anything else I've come across on the topic. The work ultimately has little new to say about solutions to such situations, mostly because it reveals the full complexity behind the conflict and the lack of any clear or easy answer. I was pleased to see in the film Blood Diamond that many of the evocative details from this book had been preserved, making it a powerful, and hopefully very important, movie.

Good, But a Little Sparse.......2005-10-19

This book was not at all what I had expected, in that it features a lot of superfluous personal touch that, in a story that isn't Campbell's, just doesn't belong. I wish that it had contained more statistics and factual research than just tales of his visits to Sierra Leone, with less-than-necessary intervals of fact. However, it was still an interesting read, and I definitely recommend it to someone who's seeking a general outline of the history of blood diamonds.

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy

Average customer rating:

Which pill would you like to take the blue pill or the red pill(CAN)
My Eyes Were Opened To The Truth
Eating your own words
impeach bush
Ground Zero

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy
Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
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ASIN: 0060746882
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Book Description

In this powerful indictment of George W. Bush's White House, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., charges that the administration has taken corporate favoritism to unprecedented heights -- threatening our health, our national security, and our democracy.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration, in order to enrich its corporate paymasters, has eviscerated the laws that protect our nation's air, water, public lands, and wildlife. He describes the White House doling out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to energy barons while allowing the corporations to profit by poisoning the public and eliminating security at the more than 15,000 nuclear and chemical facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. He shows how right-wing White House ideologues have taken the "conserve" out of conservatism and trampled the free-market democracy in favor of a kind of corporate-crony capitalism that is as antithetical to democracy, efficiency, and prosperity in America as it is in Nigeria.

Crimes Against Nature is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen whom Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. "Without exception," he writes, "these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."

Download Description

In this powerful and far-reaching indictment of George W. Bush's White House, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the country's most prominent environmental attorney, charges that this administration has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it. In a headlong pursuit of private profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush and his administration have eviscerated the laws that have protected our nation's air,water, public lands, and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the president's political contributors whilelowering the quality of life for the rest of us.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration has orchestrated these rollbacks almost entirely outside of public scrutiny -- and in tandem with the very industries that our laws are meant to regulate, the country's most notorious polluters. He writes of how it has deceived the public by manipulating and suppressing scientific data, intimidated enforcement officials and other civil servants, and masked its agenda with Orwellian doublespeak. He reports on how the White House doles out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to the energy barons while excusing industry from providing adequate security at the more than 15,000 chemical and nuclear facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. Kennedy reveals an administration whose policies have ""squandered our Treasury, entangled us in foreign wars, diminished our international prestige, made us a target for terrorist attacks, and increased our reliance on petty Middle Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.""

Crimes Against Nature is ultimately about the corrosive effect of corporate corruption on our core American values -- free-market capitalism and democracy. It is about an administration, the author argues, that has sacrificed respect for the law, public health, scientific integrity, and long-term economic vitality on the altar of corporate greed. It is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. ""Without exception,"" he writes, ""these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American.""

Customer Reviews:

Which pill would you like to take the blue pill or the red pill(CAN).......2007-08-19

Metaphorically speaking, Do you live on in ignorance (The blue pill) or do you lead what Aristotle called 'the examined life'(Red Pill). Do you read CAN or do you live in ignorance?

Crimes Against Nature was a real eye opener for me. You have to read this book. So much of the truth that should be available to the American public is squashed by various laws and phony junk science produced by special interest groups who want to control what we think. This book is filled with the facts.

For years I have read in the paper or heard on the news how various Bush appointed people have revoked various laws that protect our natural resources. Then once I read this book it all made sense and fully list all of the damaging laws that have been passed allowing for destruction of our natural resources.

There are so many shocking things in this book. The fact that so much of our country is controlled by the people who give money to our elected officials. I was very surprised to read in this book that Condoleeza Rice has an oil tanker named after her.

If I were to have named this book, I would have named it "Organized Crimes against Nature". Because everything I read has lead me to the conclusion that the acts perpetrated upon our natural resources have been pre-meditated.

I strongly recommend reading this book. God Bless Mr. Kennedy.

Not only is Mr. Kennedy an excellent writer, but he is a great Orator as well. You can check out his speaches on YouTube:

[...]

My Eyes Were Opened To The Truth.......2007-08-11

I gave this book 5 stars, because this book opened by eyes to things that I had no idea were happening. I knew some of the things that were happening, but not to the extent that it is happening. I know in my heart that Robert Kennedy Jr is telling the truth about the true condition of this country.

I would encourage all people who are interested in the truth to read this book. I know that many people will feel that Republicans are being attacked, but I don't think that is the intent at all, but RFK jr is exposing the reasons why we as Americans are being mislead to voting for people who lie to us. When is the last time Americans were encouraged to be the best they could be and put what was best for this Country first and make a positive change? Now we have Americans who are being scared and out of fear approve of policies that have led to America being hated across the world. For those who would think I am a die hard liberal Democrat I am an Independent. I just believe in shining the light on the darkness and believe that America is fighting for her very soul and I want to see America saved for future generations. So yes, I agree with RFK jr on his accessment and encourage this book to be read and passed on so that more people will be awaken to the truth.

My Nephew is in Law School and will be an Enviromental Attorney in Hawaii and that is just one reason I have started to really look into the issues of global warming, the enviroment, etc. I wanted to be informed so I could with knowledge encourage my nephew to choose a path that makes a difference for good. I hope that when my nephew is graduated that he will follow in the footsteps of Robert Kennedy Jr who is fighting for the American people. I do not want my nephew join the energy companies or others who have no concern about the future of this country. Anyway, I plan to give this book to my nephew which I hope will inspire him to choose the right direction when he graduates next June.

This book also answered questions about the Media. I know in my heart he is telling the truth about that as well. With the end of the free press we are in danger of loosing our Democratic Republic. We no longer have an informed citizentry who votes from knowledge of the facts, but bases their decision on misinformation and sound bites.

It takes great courage to be willing to shine the light on the darkness. Robert Kennedy is doing that, not only with this book but with his life long work.

I look forward to reading more books on this issue and passing them on to my nephew while he is in Law School as he is making up his mind as to what direction he will go when he graduates this June.

Eating your own words.......2007-08-03

I loved this book when I read it. "Yes! Finally a real expose!"

But then I read Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound, which tells about how the Cape Cod elite, which of course includes the environmentally enlightened Kennedy family, and was appalled once again how NIMBYism could blind even the most devoted people.

Certainly read this book, because it is very much worth your time, but read Cape Wind afterwards, for even more insight into the politics of the environment!

impeach bush.......2007-07-03

If the allegations about corruption and lying described in this book are true, which they probably are because there where no denials from the white house, why is Bush still in office ? Why are the Democrats such toothless whiners, not taking action to rid the US of Bush and restore the values America was once respected and admired for? This Administration is kicking your values with their feet and is destroying your country and your kids heritage. Look at libby, why isnt there a huge Uproar in the US ? Be a patriot, impeach Bush !

Ground Zero.......2007-05-15

Why would I tell you this book is a bunch of liberal nonsense? Could it be that I am on the payroll of one of the plundering industries? Could it be that I think that a healthy economy is better than safe water or safe air? Could it be that I am one of the many many accused who have committed one or several of the crimes in this book? Could it be that I hold a position in government that is meant to serve you, but all I have really done is benefit a major polluter? Could it be that due to some toxic pollutant we are all exposed to thanks to wealthy profiteers that my thinking process is greatly impaired? Could it be that I just don't want you to know the truth? Could it be that I love Bush and worship the dollar? Maybe it could be one or all of these, that is if I were to tell you that it is anything but something you NEED to know.

This book will guide you to the real "ground zero". It will make you wonder who is the real "axis of evil". Should you be concerned? Let me put it this way, using the words of Benito Mussolini, "Fascism should rather be called corporatism, as it is the merging of government and corporate power."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lists names of offenders and industries and what and how they have managed to screw you, everyone of you out of your right to a healthy environment and your taxes pay for this to boot. He exposes the "Wise Use" based environmentally "friendly sounding" organizations that have been spawned by every offending industry solely to deceive you and lull you back to sleep. To these wealthy criminals, you are nothing more than cattle to be slaughtered at the alter of profit. And to those who think this book is nonsense, all I can think of to tell you that might even remotely make any sense to you is "moo".

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive Character List and Complex Issues
How easily the "system" failed.
Couldn't put it down!
This review is for the audio cds
A fun read

Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story
Kurt Eichenwald
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
The Informant: A True Story
Disney War
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Serpent on the Rock

ASIN: 0767911792
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Amazon.com

Enron was a $100-billion-a-year company in October 2001--America's seventh-largest. The Houston-based energy firm enjoyed warm ties with newly installed President George W. Bush. Earnings were up 26 percent from the previous quarter, while Fortune magazine had named Enron the country's most innovative company six years in a row. Less than two months later, Enron filed for bankruptcy in the biggest corporate failure in history. Enron became synonymous with the greed and fraud of the go-go high-tech stock bubble of the late 1990s--the worst of a series of spectacular corporate collapses that also took down WorldCom, Tyco, and Global Crossing.

What went wrong? Veteran New York Times financial journalist Kurt Eichenwald does an epic job of telling Enron's story in his 742-page tome Conspiracy of Fools. Eichenwald, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2000, also authored The Informant, an acclaimed account of a vast international price-fixing scandal at Archer Daniels Midland. Conspiracy of Fools tells the Enron tale with a cinematic narrative style, relying almost exclusively on scene and dialogue to bring his account to vivid life. We see how federal regulators opened the doors for the Enron fraud early on when they let the company loosen up its accounting rules and essentially cook its books. We read how Enron bullied Wall Street firms into issuing favorable reports about its share price by threatening to take away lucrative banking fees. Eichenwald also reveals how Enron manipulated electricity prices during the California energy crisis of 2000. Eichenwald's book is less successful in situating the Enron debacle in its wider context--the cycle of market speculation that reached a historic summit in the dot-com bubble. Was Enron just a cautionary sign of the greed and lack of ethics of a few bad apples, or was it more symptomatic of an entire market system? That may be a debate for another book. --Alex Roslin

Book Description

From an award-winning New York Times reporter comes the full, mind-boggling story of the lies, crimes, and ineptitude behind the spectacular scandal that imperiled a presidency, destroyed a marketplace, and changed Washington and Wall Street forever . . .

Download Description

In 2000, when The Informant was published, few would’ve imagined that a story about price fixing at Archer Daniels Midland could be as un–put–downable as the best crime fiction. Yet critics—and consumers—agreed: The New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald had taken the stuff of dry business reporting and turned it into an unparalleled page–turner. With Conspiracy of Fools, Eichenwald has done it again.

Say the name “Enron” and most people believe they’ve heard all about the story that imperiled a presidency, destroyed a marketplace, and changed Washington and Wall Street forever. But in the hands of Kurt Eichenwald, the players we think we know and the business practices we think have been exposed are transformed into entirely new—and entirely gripping—material. The cast includes but is not limited to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul O’Neill, Harvey Pitt, Colin Powell, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alan Greenspan, Ken Lay, Andy Fastow, Jeff Skilling, Bill Clinton, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Eisner. Providing a you–are–there glimpse behind closed doors in the executive suites of the Enron Corporation, the Texas governor’s mansion, the Justice Department, and even the Oval Office, Conspiracy of Fools is an all–true financial and political thriller of cinematic proportions.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive Character List and Complex Issues.......2007-08-04

Without going in to great detail about the book - I am sure we all know it dealt with the collapse of one of corporate Americas' big swingers. The book contained quite a deal of information about events from inside Enron. I guess the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the author had a way of really annoying me by trying to write the book as a novel (in places). I look forward to the movie - hopefully the ending is better for the investors.

How easily the "system" failed........2007-07-28

You will be amazed at how Enron was able to frustrate every check and balance in place in American Finance. The SEC, individual and institutional investors, auditors, lawyers, accountants, rating agencies, banks, creditors, peers, and even insiders were blindsided by a couple of smart but foolhardy executives who were willing to exploit every loophole in the name of manufacturing *profits* (and not products).

All in all a very readable and addictive book.

Couldn't put it down!.......2007-06-24

I do *not* have a high degree of financial acumen, but this book laid out what was really wrong with Enron in a thoroughly engaging manner. I couldn't put it down, and I finally understand the financial reasons for the collapse, not just managerial incompetence...which was EPIC, by the way.

This review is for the audio cds.......2007-06-16

I borrowed these cds from the library because I'm interested in corporate governance and case studies. I'm not an expert on Enron, but this felt like fiction from the first couple of minutes. When the narrator speaks for Ken Lay, he uses a deep, fatherly voice. Andy Fastow's voice is whiny and child-like. Its content is obviously biased and selective. So from a factual standpoint, I'm not learning a heck of a lot.
As fiction, it's way too long at 25 cds; should be abridged by about 2/3. There's just not that much content, and it's often painful to listen to. If I didn't have a one-hour commute to fill, I'd have given up on it hours ago.
I highly recommend The Smartest Guys in the Room instead.

A fun read.......2007-05-14

Although the book was near 700 pages, it was easy to read. However, there were times when I was really pissed at the stupidity displayed by the excutives at Enron. How could they let one guy run the show and not know anything about it? What's worse was that none of the top executives know the fundamentals of finance. Nevertheless, "Conspiracy of Fools" was a compelling story that build up well and cause you to want to read to the end to find out how everything is solved.

Windows Forensics: The Field Guide for Corporate Computer Investigations

Average customer rating:

In a world with few Windows-specific options, this is a helpful forensics book
Finally, the right book for Windows forensics
Excellent focus on corporate security

Windows Forensics: The Field Guide for Corporate Computer Investigations
Chad Steel
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Paperback

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Windows Forensic Analysis Including DVD Toolkit

ASIN: 0470038624

Book Description

The evidence is in--to solve Windows crime, you need Windows tools

An arcane pursuit a decade ago, forensic science today is a household term. And while the computer forensic analyst may not lead as exciting a life as TV's CSIs do, he or she relies just as heavily on scientific principles and just as surely solves crime.

Whether you are contemplating a career in this growing field or are already an analyst in a Unix/Linux environment, this book prepares you to combat computer crime in the Windows world. Here are the tools to help you recover sabotaged files, track down the source of threatening e-mails, investigate industrial espionage, and expose computer criminals.
* Identify evidence of fraud, electronic theft, and employee Internet abuse
* Investigate crime related to instant messaging, Lotus Notes(r), and increasingly popular browsers such as Firefox(r)
* Learn what it takes to become a computer forensics analyst
* Take advantage of sample forms and layouts as well as case studies
* Protect the integrity of evidence
* Compile a forensic response toolkit
* Assess and analyze damage from computer crime and process the crime scene
* Develop a structure for effectively conducting investigations
* Discover how to locate evidence in the Windows Registry

Customer Reviews:

In a world with few Windows-specific options, this is a helpful forensics book.......2006-10-10

I decided to read and review three digital forensics books in order to gauge their strengths and weaknesses: "File System Forensic Analysis" (FSFA) by Brian Carrier, "Windows Forensics" (WF) by Chad Steel, and "EnCase Computer Forensics" (ECF) by Steve Bunting and William Wei. All three books contain the word "forensics" in the title, but they are very different. If you want authoritative and deeply technical guidance on understanding file systems, read FSFA. If you want to focus on understanding Windows from an investigator's standpoint, read WA. If you want to know more about EnCase (and are willing to tolerate or ignore information about forensics itself), read ECF.

In the spirit of full disclosure I should mention I am co-author of a forensics book ("Real Digital Forensics") and Brian Carrier cites my book "The Tao of Network Security Monitoring" on p 10. I tried to not let those facts sway my reviews.

WF is a great guide to forensic investigation of Windows. By this I mean WF presents Windows from the perspective of the important directories, files, and registry entries that help an analyst discover malfeasance. WF also covers some of the core applications one would expect to review during host-based forensics, like email, Web browsing history, and P2P application usage. I expected coverage of popular Windows application formats relevant to investigations, like .doc, .ppt, and .xls, but those were missing.

WF addresses the core operational aspects of host-centric forensics, like forming a team and acquiring evidence from live and dead targets. I did not think these sections were as good as material from what I consider the book best suited for all-around hands-on forensic use -- "Incident Response: Computer Forensics, 2nd Ed" by Mandia, Prosise, and Pepe. Live response is one area where I thought WF didn't shine too brightly. I did like the frequent mini-case studies which shared stories from the author's investigative experiences.

A few other aspects of WF resulted in me offering a four star review. I thought the discussion of "vampire taps" on p 157 revealed a real lack of contact with modern network monitoring methods. I don't know anyone who uses or recommends such a contraption in an era of network taps. I continue to question the need to build so-called "sniffing cables," especially when proper interface configuration serves the same purpose. Furthermore, a remotely managed sensor will not be able to hide its traffic on the network anyway, so savvy intruders can usually find them (unless a completely separate management network is run out-of-band). "Chapter 7" was also way too short -- 2 pages!

Although I liked the case studies, I thought there were far too many "gray box" entries. These contain useful hints, but their frequent appearance sometimes interrupted flow of the book. This indicates a need for better organization. Finally, I felt the recent Syngress book "Winternals" did a decent job explaining how to analyze malware, rootkits, and rogue processes on Windows. WF didn't explore this key aspect of Windows incident response.

Overall, however, I would recommend reading WF if you need to understand data sources from Windows systems. I suggest concentrating on the sections that explain where you'll find quality information on Windows, and rely on other sources for generic forensics guidance. I could see readers using WF as a primer for learning about key Windows artifacts, then searching for them in the image files in "Real Digital Forensics."

Finally, the right book for Windows forensics.......2006-06-03

I have to say, like the next geek, I get frustrated by the lack of Linux/Unix use on the desktops of the corporate world; however, the fact is that Windows desktops outnumber Linux/Unix desktops by way more than 100:1. For this reason, it has been very frustrating to me that so many security books focus on Linux/Unix. I don't care if it's the best platform (though I agree); it's not the most common and we need tools on and for Windows.

This book tells you how Windows file systems work and how to perform forensic analysis on these systems. However, it's more than this - it is a great all around book on forensics analysis and the computer crime investigation process. I highly recommend this resource.

Tom Carpenter - Author: CWSP Certification Official Study Guide

Excellent focus on corporate security.......2006-05-24

Just read through my copy of this book. I do Cisco work as a CCSE and SANS certified network security specialist, but have been called on to do some investigations at work as the resident "security geek".
I read Brian Carrier's book on file system forensics, which is much deeper into data structures and is a very good book, but this book gives a better holistic look at investigations. We run a mostly Windows shop, and I'm happy to see a book that doesn't just cover Unix stuff. I want to pick up Windows Forensics and Incident Recovery next and see how they compare.

Definitely recomment!

Average customer rating:

The progressive line of duels from past to future
Conflict Investment
Market Forces is anti-globalisation lecture and satire
Great book
So bad it would make a socialist wanna swing side

Market Forces
Richard K. Morgan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Woken Furies: A Takeshi Kovacs Novel (Takeshi Kovacs)
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Spin State
Thirteen

ASIN: 0345457749
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Amazon.com

Richard Morgan, the award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Broken Angels, strikes out into new territory with Market Forces, leaving behind the farflung battlegrounds of Takeshi Kovacs for the not-so-distant future of corporate Earth. Here, Morgan extrapolates a world where commodities trading reaches a brutal pitch and the outcomes of banana republic uprisings are the new market. Now, on the road to success, the brokers of the new economy compete for status and promotions via road rage on the freeways of new London.

Morgan's conflicted protagonist, Chris Faulkner, is a comer known for one spectacular kill that shot him to the top of mid-range global capital firm. He parlays his reputation and skills as a driver into a job in the emerging field of "Conflict Investment" at the world's hottest and hardest firm. Soon he finds himself running with the big dogs and rises to the top of a brutal realm, but his ascent is quickly threatened by vicious senior partners, gold-digging suitors, fame, fair-weather friends, and his own nagging conscience.

Market Forces is at once an anti-globalization treatise and anime fantasy meets The Road Warrior. Morgan employs the graphic-novel imagery of his two previous novels to create a disturbingly brutal picture of slash-and-burn capitalism run amok. There are times when Faulker's moral quandries seem hollow in the face of his actions but this isn't Crime and Punishment. Enjoy the ride and "come back with blood on your wheels or don't come back at all." --Jeremy Pugh

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

A Winning Translation: An Exclusive Essay by Richard Morgan

His novels may paint a bleak picture of the future, but Richard Morgan has a great attitude toward language, and one word in particular. Read his Amazon.com exclusive essay and find out why he'll never consider himself, or anyone else, anything worse than an occasional non-winner.

Book Description

From the award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Broken Angels–a turbocharged new thriller set in a world where killers are stars, media is mass entertainment,
and freedom is a dangerous proposition . . .

A coup in Cambodia. Guns to Guatemala. For the men and women of Shorn Associates, opportunity is calling. In the superheated global village of the near future, big money is made by finding the right little war and supporting one side against the other–in exchange for a share of the spoils. To succeed, Shorn uses a new kind of corporate gladiator: sharp-suited, hard-driving gunslingers who operate armored vehicles and follow a Samurai code. And Chris Faulkner is just the man for the job.

He fought his way out of London’s zone of destitution. And his kills are making him famous. But unlike his best friend and competitor at Shorn, Faulkner has a side that outsiders cannot see: the side his wife is trying to salvage, that another woman–a porn star turned TV news reporter–is trying to exploit. Steeped in blood, eyed by common criminals looking for a shot at fame, Faulkner is living on borrowed time. Until he’s given one last shot at getting out alive. . . .

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From the award–winning author of Altered Carbon and Broken Angels—a turbocharged new thriller set in a world where killers are stars, media is mass entertainment, and freedom is a dangerous proposition… A coup in Cambodia. Guns to Guatemala. For the men and women of Shorn Associates, opportunity is calling. In the superheated global village of the near future, big money is made by finding the right little war and supporting one side against the other—in exchange for a share of the spoils. To succeed, Shorn uses a new kind of corporate gladiator: sharp–suited, hard–driving gunslingers who operate armored vehicles and follow a Samurai code. And Chris Faulkner is just the man for the job.

Customer Reviews:

The progressive line of duels from past to future.......2007-05-27

Market Forces is a nicely written, well balanced book. I am continually impressed with Morgan's writing style and his ability to show what the characters are thinking, and his ability to keep the storyline together from beginning to end. The storyline itself is a futuristic look at what, historically, our past was, which is incorporated into a seemingly unbelievable, by today's standards, way of doing business.

Here is where I would like to address other reviewer's opinions that the plot is unbelievable. The main one being the use of violence to resolve issues and the second being the so called Challenge, or duel with cars in order to decide who gets what corporate contract, or as a means to move up in a company. Historically we have seen both sides. In Roman times warriors were pitted against each other in an arena. Granted, they are there, usually, against their will, but there were some who were there as "professional" gladiators, deriving their wealth and fame from the violent deaths of their foes at their hands. Move to Medieval times and you have several situations. One is to "throw down the gauntlet", or in other words issue a challenge to a king, queen or some other nobleman. The winner was redeemed and considered the true and correct person to whatever issue was at hand. Armies fought and it was thought that the winner was the chosen of god and thus the army that was in the "right". Criminals, or those accused, oftentimes went through Trial by Ordeal to see whether they were innocent or not. The most common ordeals were to take a red hot piece of metal and the accused wraps their hands around it. If they don't make a noise and can keep their hands on the flaming hot metal they were innocent. If they made a noise they were guilty and were executed. Or they would put them into a body of water and if they sank than they were innocent (with the downside being that they are now dead) and if they floated than they were considered guilty and thus executed. Move forward to Revolutionary times and you have duels, most notably that between Burr and Hamilton, which resulted in murder charges for Burr that were dropped eventually. All of these are examples of past societies that used violence or death as a means to resolve an issue. So why is it "unbelievable" to have car duels resulting in death as a means of a futuristic mechanism to further business?

I, of course, say it doesn't. That this is an entirely believable plotline that could theoretically continue the progressive nature of death and duels into the future. More so because of how the storyline was written. Morgan's writing is the cohesive tape that helps keep everything together and if his writing wasn't so fluid and descriptive, graphic at times; if his writing hadn't injected character to the characters; if the story from beginning to end did not stick to the imagined business mechanism than of course the story would be a lot harder to suspend reality and become involved. Of course, Morgan does all this. In fact he does better than this and keeps you guessing. The ending is much more dark, yet hopeful, and doesn't happen as many of the other cookie cutter books out there typically do.

My only qualm, and this happens with all his books, is that the sex scenes are so gratuitous and unnecessary. I am a fan of all things descriptive in a book, even sex, but Morgan always seems to take it one step further and sometimes makes some scenes as though you are reading porn.

That being said, I would definitely recommend this book as well as Morgan. A definite recommend.

4.5 stars.

Conflict Investment.......2006-12-29

A good book, but one cannot help being slightly disppointed. Morgan's Kovac's series is just incredible. Market Forces is a stand-alone that does not match the Kovac's set (and has nothing at all to do with that series). This does not mean it is not a good book, its a decent read, but the exaggeration of concepts grows annoying and the train-wreck marriage subplot and rival/friend-turned-foe are rather predicatable.

Market Forces is anti-globalisation lecture and satire.......2006-12-25

The ambitious title of Morgan's novel foreshadows the story line. Yes, this is a story of market economics run amok and the evil that arises from globalization. Corporations are more powerful than states, wars are manipulated to enhance profits, the CIA has degenerated into a private company providing assassination services, and the divide between haves and have-nots has widened into an immense chasm. Fear not, in an effort to remain entertaining the book frequently injects satire between the inevitable effete political lectures, and is dappled liberally with violence and murder.

The author is British, which merely reinforces my impression that the U.K. continues to be fertile ground for political thinking revolving around class struggle and the dystopian future. Karl Marx wrote his lengthy tome on capital based on his observations of conditions in Victorian England. The impact of his work was so profound that even a century after its writing the communist Khmer Rouge regime was using shovels to bash in the skulls of literate Cambodians by the thousands in an effort to level the intellectual and economic playing field of the country. Aldous Huxley published in 1932 the consequences of rigid social divides in Brave New World, and George Orwell's (1949) chilling vision of rampant socialism during the year 1984 remains a powerful warning of the dangers of idealism.

A page in the back of the book is an abbreviated bibliography dedicated to the works of seven anti-globalist and anti-western intelligentsia luminaries, including MIT linguist Noam Chomsky and American filmmaker Michael Moore.

Morgan energizes the story by mixing in several car chase scenes a la Mad Max, on the pretext that future corporate promotions are only gained by running one's opponents off the road in sanctioned demolition derbies. The main protagonist, who at the beginning refuses to carry a gun and "finish off" his road rage challengers, becomes more and more inured to violence, eventually murdering an office rival at work by breaking his neck, and beating a third world dictator to death with a baseball bat to save his relationship with a client. Shocked? The reader is supposed to be.

Morgan himself was liberated from the toils of tenure and academic rigor at a U.K. university job when he wrote the commercially successful Altered Carbon. At times I wondered if he was poking fun at himself in the novel during the trials of his fictional anti-hero.

The commercialization of the world and the resulting exploitation of the populace isn't an original theme, obviously, but it has produced some real gems in fiction. Frederick Pohl's The Space Merchants (1952) was the ground breaking work on the excesses in marketing and capitalism, and he followed that up with The Merchant's War in 1984. Joe Faust's Ferman's Devils (1996) and Boddekker's Demons (1997) satirically addresses market driven poverty and the impact of mass media on society (the two novellas were later republished as Handling It: How I Got Rich and Famous, Made Media Stars Out of Common Street Scum- and Almost Got the Girl).

Although Market Forces is nominally an action driven political novel, its mainstay is character development, which slows the tempo of the book all too frequently. Morgan's treatment of the issues is reasonably balanced, albeit with a liberal undertone that often mocks conservative viewpoints. In one late scene the anti-hero saves a woman during a severe domestic beating by shooting the husband in the knees. The victim then sobs uncontrollably at the plight of her betrothed and several witnesses cluck with disdain at the psychosis displayed by the rescuer. "What?" he shouts in anger at them before stalking off in incomprehension. What indeed.

Great book.......2006-11-23

Quite different from the previous Kovacs-books in setting, its world-view is the same: Dark and cynical. If you hang up in the details, of course you may find parts of the story unrealistic, but still close enough to the world of today to make you recognize its relevance. This is after all fiction, not documentary. I was specially impressed by the way the development of the main character in the book is described as the story unfolds: A lot of people having worked hard to achieve something in a dog eats dog world, can easily relate to it. The corporate world and ethics defined in the book is barely a small step away, in fact, the very same, just laid out in a more explicit and morbid fashion. All in all a great read!

So bad it would make a socialist wanna swing side.......2006-11-13

Totally un-realistic and unbelievable story, characters lacking any interest, full of clichés, my guess is that most of the good reviews were based on biased opinions made out of this book synopsis, not from actual readers.
Alternatively, thriller for politically correct readers having never read a thriller.
For all the others, go back to effective and well written social thrillers like those of Raymond Chandler, Jim Thomson, Chester Himes, James Crumley etc.

Corporate Fraud Handbook: Prevention and Detection

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Corporate Fraud Handbook

Corporate Fraud Handbook: Prevention and Detection
Joseph T. Wells
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471491217

Book Description

Learn to spot the "red flags" of fraud and gain insight into the implementation of effective fraud preventation measures with this practical guide. In addition, you'll take an in-depth look at how to comply with recent regulations including Sarbanes-Oxley and take an insider's peek at fraud schemes used by employees, owners, managers, and executives to defraud their customers. Includes real-life case studies submitted to the ACFE by actual fraud examiners who aided in case resolutions.

Order your copy today!

Customer Reviews:

Corporate Fraud Handbook.......2006-08-26

I truly enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone in the profession or interested in becoming a part of it. While the book is very informative,including many facts and figures, it reads like one is having a session of "shop talk" with the author and telling war stories. I rarely have a hard time putting nonfiction down, but this book is truly a gem.

Corporate and Governmental Deviance: Problems of Organizational Behavior in Contemporary Society

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It was for school and now it's for me

Corporate and Governmental Deviance: Problems of Organizational Behavior in Contemporary Society
M. David Ermann , and Richard J. Lundman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback

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The Social Context of Law (2nd Edition)

ASIN: 0195135296

Book Description

For nearly a quarter of a century, Corporate and Governmental Deviance has offered students the most comprehensive examination of the deviant behavior of big business and big government in contemporary society. Now in its sixth edition, this popular and well-respected collection has been thoroughly updated. It features an expanded and insightful introductory essay by the editors that illustrates the issues discussed in the text and establishes a clear framework for the sections that follow. New selections focus on college sports' crippling effect on undergraduate education; the ordinary obedience of a South African police officer and apartheid torturer; and the Los Angeles police department Rampart Division scandal. Also included is new scholarship on the Ford Motor Company Pinto episode and the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. This new edition reprints classic works from the scholars who first established and explored corporate and governmental deviance, featuring essays by Edward Alsworth Ross, Edwin H. Sutherland, Marshall B. Clinard, Peter C. Yeager, and James S. Coleman. It also retains selections that have captured the attention and imagination of readers of previous editions, exposing students to the very best classic and contemporary material on corporate and governmental deviance. Offering a complete description and careful analysis of the deviant actions of business organizations and governmental agencies, Corporate and Governmental Deviance, 6/e, is intended for courses in sociology, criminal justice, white-collar crime, and business, as well as for courses that focus on social problems, organizations, deviance, and government. It continues to set the standard by which other books on corporate and governmental deviance are judged, providing students with an even more complete, richly detailed appreciation of how and why organizations, not just individuals, commit acts of deviance.

Customer Reviews:

It was for school and now it's for me.......2007-03-09

I had only bought this book for a course in university but we only had to do the first five chapters. I had to go on with it though. The cases are all extremely well written and did an amazing job of showing me how insane the corporate world can be. It's a great book if you're looking for something to change your perspectives on the ethics of todays business society and the major differences between "white collar" and traditional crimes.

White-Collar and Corporate Crime (Geis Master Series in Criminology)

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White-Collar and Corporate Crime (Geis Master Series in Criminology)
Gilbert Geis
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131192884

Book Description

Prentice Hall’s Masters Series in Criminology brings the work of true masters to life for a new audience of readers, presenting brief and accessible introductions to crime and criminology topics from some of the leading scholars in criminology today. All authors in the series are true academic pioneers, and each book in the series pulls from the authors’ decades of research and writing in their fields. The first and only series of its kind, Prentice Hall’s Masters Series in Criminology introduces readers to the scholars and issues that are at the core of modern criminology.

Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Controls: Creating a Culture of Compliance

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Practical fraud prevention manual
Compliance Specialists or "Veritologists" Say:
Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Controls: Creating a Culture of Compliance

Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Controls: Creating a Culture of Compliance
Martin T. Biegelman , and Joel T. Bartow
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Praise for Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Control

"Our nation is faced with dual alarming trends of record highs in white-collar crime and seemingly record lows in ethics. The solution cannot be left only to legislators, regulators, and law enforcement. It requires the attention of all of us in business to create a culture of compliance. This new book by Martin Biegelman and Joel Bartow is an invaluable resource to achieving the highest levels of compliance."
--Kenneth J. Hunter, former chief postal inspector and former president & CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus

"This is a timely and thought-provoking addition to fraud and risk management literature. For seasoned executives who are navigating the maze of compliance, legislative requirements, and increasingly sophisticated criminal activity, this book will be a frequent reference and guide. Neophyte managers will gain years of insight and direction that can only benefit their organizations. Academics, both faculty and students, will learn from the authors' ability to apply theory to high-level practice."
--Gary R. Gordon, EdD, Professor of Economic Crime Management and Executive Director, Economic Crime Institute of Utica College

"All executives need to protect themselves and their organizations from the potentially catastrophic damage fraud can cause, both financially and reputationally. This new book is a very clear and practical guide to achieving that goal."
--Toby J. F. Bishop, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

"This book is a must-read for anyone eager to understand--and prevent--the toxic mix of temptations that can destroy a company's reputation overnight. The authors, both seasoned former fraud investigators, bring a unique, clear-eyed perspective to the topic of corporate fraud. They have seen it all, and their book is an invaluable reference for senior management, compliance executives, in-house lawyers, and anyone else who cares about corporate integrity."
--Leslie R. Caldwell, Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius former director, U.S. Department of Justice Enron Task Force

"Excellent resource! A great guide for corporate management in the post-Enron world."
--Karen A. Popp, Partner, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP and former associate counsel to President Bill Clinton and former federal prosecutor

Customer Reviews:

Practical fraud prevention manual.......2007-02-19

"A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for," said W.C. Fields, though the executive fraudsters from Enron, Adelphia and WorldCom who are now languishing in prison might disagree. Two others who disagree are former federal agents Martin Biegelman and Joel Bartow. Now fraud investigators at U.S. companies, the authors have pooled their considerable knowledge in this comprehensive overview of what fraud is, how it occurs and how to prevent it. The book briefly describes everything a busy executive needs to know about antifraud programs. Actually, they provide everything and more, which is the rub. The book is repetitious and disorganized, bogs down in irrelevant legislative history, contains a spotty index and reads like a series of verbose PowerPoint slides. We recommend this book to those who can look beyond ponderous presentation and need a single-volume overview on stopping the many ruses to which any company is vulnerable. Fraudsters take note: Your days are numbered if CEOs and CFOs take this book to heart.

Compliance Specialists or "Veritologists" Say:.......2006-11-09

While reading this book I was very impressed with the accessibility of the information provided. The authors have done a tremendous job of breaking down this complex view of individual and corporate behaviors into windows that are easy to see through and understand. With understanding comes the responsibility of doing something to decrease the opportunities for fraud in companies both large and small. As a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, I will be providing copies of this book to my clients -- along with our award-winning toolset for governing compliance -- because the book makes my educational mission easier to accomplish. Excellent for all levels of an organization.

Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Controls: Creating a Culture of Compliance.......2006-04-01

In this book, the author explains fraud in terms that are clear and understandable to the reader. He is able to provide in very simple terms how fraud schemes work and how damaging fraud can be. The book is serious, yet at times humorous. It is well worth the money, not just for CEOs, but for the American public.

Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America

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Pigs at the Trough
I swear, she's got ADD...
good book
Keeping the (other) Elites on the Run. Sorry, Laura. I just had to use it.
Change requires more than anger

Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America
Arianna Huffington
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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