Hidden Power for Human Problems

Customer Reviews:

IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE..READ THIS BOOK........2007-01-24

Frederick Bailes was WAY ahead of his time writing way back in the 1950's. He presents truths about healing and having a richer life and creating pure desired results that are exceptional. These ideas/truths might be considered so deeply hidden to most people that they would most likely never find them without a CONSIDERABLE amount of time, effort and commitment to search them out and find them. Even then it might be decades of searching before they're found.

If you want to find out why things are the way they are in your life..and most importantly what you can do to change them EASILY..read this book.

Mr. Bailes most notably helps his readers understand that things are NOT hopeless no matter how dark or grim one's life has been. A GREAT life filled with success and happiness and love for yourself and others as well CAN be yours!

Follow his great lesson from the law of life which states.."learn or suffer". Surely great suffering can be avoided in life on all fronts by reading this book. Read, enjoy, and prosper!

A life-changing book.......2007-01-14

It would be almost impossible to over-praise this book, which gives great practical insights into how our thought processes determine, not just how we feel, but what we actually experience.

The start-point for Bailes' teachings is instructive - and startling. As a young man, Frederick Bailes was diagnosed with diabetes, which was not only incurable but, in those pre-insulin days, untreatable as well. Indeed, he was told that he could expect to live for only about eighteen months.

Happening upon the philosophy of Thomas Troward, and having nothing to lose, Bailes decided to apply the 'thoughts determine outcomes' approach, with the dramatic result that he was eventually completely cured of diabetes, a healing proved by exhaustive medical analysis. He went on to apply the same principles in business, with great success, before embarking upon the teaching and publication of his remarkable approach to life.

Analysis of the 'thoughts determine outcomes' approach led Bailes to identify a series of negative thought-patterns, which he calls 'parent thoughts' because, unless and until tackled, they go on creating negative thought processes which adversly affect our lives. Such 'parent thoughts', described and detailed in this book, include fear, iritation, loss and inadequacy. Throughout his career, Bailes applied these processes, resulting in many seemingly-miraculous healings, many of which are described here. But the benefits of this process are by no means confined to matters of health.

This book is both inspirational and practical, and can be life-changing, too. A superb insight into how the world works, and how to improve your life and experiences.

Change the way you feel for the better.......2005-04-18

Feeling down and out? Think that the world is against you? Frederick Bailes has this quick self-help tip for you: It's not how you feel that matters, but what you do. You may have thought it went the other way around, I did. I'd tell myself, "I'll get up earlier, when I have more energy. I'll return phone calls, when I'm not so moody. "

All the while, such thoughts weakened me. Bailes colors this entire book with stories that hit to the heart of how humans destroy themselves and all the while blame their suffering on an impartial reality. I will not divulge story examples here because it would soften the profound psychological impact that Bailes' words have on the reader.

I read "Hidden Problems for Human Problems" aiming to lift my spirits. Mission accomplished.

Written in deep wisdom and teaches GREAT techniques!.......2005-02-20

What can I say, this book by Frederick Bailes is FABULOUS! When I read about his description of 'parent thought' vs 'master thought', i said to myself "Wow! Why hasnt anyone written about this before!". Where has this book been, in all these years I was trying to find the correct method to treat my false beliefs! As a hint, there are only 7 False Core Belief that most people have that caused ALL their problems. Defeat those 7 Core False Thoughts, and you can be sure no negative thought can be 'created' by your mind anymore!

Dr Bailes healed himself of diabetes with New Thought, after reading Thomas Troward's book.

Even if you have read New THought books for years, this book is still a must! It categorises the False Beliefs of race consciousness, and teaches the True Beliefs to neutralize the false ones. Now we have all read in other New Thought books that "there is no loss" "no competition" etc, but those concepts by other authors were a little all over the place, don't you agree? They were great and knew what they were, but no one ever put them in categories (to be attacked/healed with Master Thoughts) like Bailes does!

FURTHERMORE, the author seems to be really creative and intelligent in coming up with ingenius visualization techniques (could he have been the first NLP practitioner??). Plus he teaches several verbal affirmations that make it easy for you to belief it, such as "Of course it is working even now, whether I can believe it or not".

Also recommended is Dr Bailes' Science of Mind Treatment book, which details all the mental visualization tricks he has. This guy is way ahead of his times!

VALUABLE REFERENCE, GOOD READ!.......2000-07-10

This inspiring book provides workable suggestions and practical examples on how to apply the power of thought to overcome problems and illness. The first part deals with the author's own discovery of universal law and gives examples of how others were helped. Part Two contains all the methods of harnessing universal laws and includes: - How to give a healing prayer treatment; Five different methods for setting the creative process in motion; Blueprint of parent (error) thoughts and the (corrective) master thoughts to overcome them. There are helpful summaries at the end of each chapter and at the end, a guide-list for overcoming specific problems. A very good read and a valuable reference work that should be on every healer's shelf.

Forbidden Archaeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race

Average customer rating:

a lot of information which make you think..
Very informaitve but way too much
Forbidden Archeology, ?
A very strongly recommended, 914-page volume that is specifically written and organized to be thoroughly accessible
An Enormous Amassing of Anomalous Evidence.

Forbidden Archaeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race
Michael A. Cremo , and Richard L. Thompson
Manufacturer: Audio Literature
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Controversial Knowledge | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Unexplained Mysteries | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Human Devolution: a Vedic alternative to Darwin's theory
Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology)

ASIN: 1574531034

Book Description

Over the centuries, researchers have found bones and artifacts proving that humans like us have existed for millions of years. Mainstream science, however, has supppressed these facts. Prejudices based on current scientific theory act as a knowledge filter, giving us a picture of prehistory that is largely incorrect.

Customer Reviews:

a lot of information which make you think.........2007-09-10

Well, most of the previous reviewers are already told about what you expect to read in this book. I am not retelling it again, but I would like to say that there are lot of books in the world printed every year and it is not easy to scan all this information available.

It is ugly to say but I would devide the books in to two column- one for killing the time and other for getting new information.
Now, when you are interesting about history, ancient knowledge (the way it was before) then it is advisable to skip also most of "official science" materials as they mirror only the way "it should be to suit in best way the rules of the winners".

What you have left is not much but still very valuable amount of materials. I would put this book in this last part. Not easy reading but you should have it as long as it is available. This is kind of book you want to open again in later years.

I strongly advice to have it:)

Very informaitve but way too much.......2007-05-26

I started reading this book and decided it is not a cover to cover read.
This book is full of endless examples of archeaology finds and controversies about how long the current version of man has been on this earth. Lots of examples of suppressed finds of very old remains that are believed to be way older than the 100000 years man has suppposedly been around. But the academic community is not ready to re-write the evolution of man as it stands today.
You can find enough of this in Cremo's other book The Devolution of Man. Though I have not read far into this book yet either.

Forbidden Archeology, ?.......2007-05-14

Why is it that most, I say, most, of the archeologists lie to hide the truth of their finds. I think it is because of religious ideas about what should be. The whole religious community has been lieing to the general population since the '40 years in the desert' thing. They refuse to tell the truth about what they see and dig up, if it doesnt conform to the general belief. This, is in itself a form of terrisom, and must be stopped. I stopped being afraid of the alien called god many years ago, because of something I and another person saw. Its a good feeling to live without fear, of some being comming down from the sky to kill me, if I dont believe. What a crock of, you know what. This book will open the eyes of ever human being who is looking for the truth.

A very strongly recommended, 914-page volume that is specifically written and organized to be thoroughly accessible.......2007-03-06

The scientific discipline archeology (the study of antiquity through ancient writings and artifacts) is taught in every university in this country and abroad. Archeology seeks to illuminate human origins and the development of human civilization down through the millennia. A constantly evolving field of scientific inquiry, theory and findings, archeology has a number of anomalies that are either glossed over or ignored in traditional courses of archaeological instruction. In "Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History Of The Human Race", Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thomson from the Bhaktivedanta Institute (a research center founded in 1975 and dedicated to the advanced study of the nature and origin of life and the universe in light of ancient India's Vedic literature) have collaborated to compile and present these anomalies that have been suppressed by established, traditional archaeological studies because they contradict or simply don't fit in with the accept theories about human origins and earlier cultures. Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Forbidden Archeology" is a very strongly recommended, 914-page volume that is specifically written and organized to be thoroughly accessible for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in archeology and anthropology, and has a great deal of value for dedicated students, academicians, and working professionals in these sciences as well.

An Enormous Amassing of Anomalous Evidence........2007-02-17

_Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race_, published by the Bhaktivedanta Institute, by historian and philosopher of science Michael A. Cremo and researcher Richard L. Thompson first appeared in 1993. This book called into question the most widely accepted account of the origin of mankind by bringing to light an enormous amount of anomalous evidence. Such evidence would seem to indicate that mankind (as Homo sapiens sapiens) existed on this planet long before the accepted date for man's origins (believed to be 100,000 years ago in Africa after evolving from an ape-like ancestor). However, were the evidence presented in this book to be accepted, then it would call into question the most widely held theory of man's origins, the Darwinian account of evolution by means of natural selection. The book relies on a certain understanding of the scientific enterprise itself, emphasizing the role that social forces play in the scientific endeavor. As such, the authors admit their debts to such philosophers of science as Thomas Kuhn, Steven Shapin, and Paul Feyerabend. The ideas of these philosophers are controversial (particularly among scientists) because they seem to show that sociological (and even political) factors play a greater role in the scientific endeavor than is usually admitted. (Long ago, others such as Charles Fort also amassed anomalous evidence that called into account many widely accepted theories of the time.) Throughout the book the authors will maintain that such anomalous evidence presents a challenge to the orthodox scientific account of mankind's origins. They also maintain that while much of the evidence appears in older journals and publications from the Nineteenth century that it was too casually dismissed by scientists of a later generation when the Darwinian account became the orthodox theory. The authors maintain that there is really no good reason to reject such older evidence, provided that one also accepts the modern evidence which lends support to the Darwinian account of mankind's more recent origins. Thus, one can choose to either accept both forms of evidence (for the older account of mankind's origins) or to reject both. Either way, the results do not look good for the standard Darwinian account. Since the beginning however, reactionary scientists have scoffed at such evidence, largely attributing it to fraud, improper data collection, memory distortions, etc. - basically any excuse to reject it. This can be seen in the reactions of many scientists to the ideas presented in this book. When this book did appear, with few exceptions, it was uniformly greeted with a negative reaction from the scientific community. Some maintained that the book amounted to a conspiracy theory, was thus unfalsifiable, and could not be taken seriously. However, this objection cannot be used against it, because science itself has been found to contain many unfalsifiable theories. However, even more importantly others have maintained that the motivations of the authors are religious in nature and that this discredits any evidence they may present. Thus, some have maintained that the authors have a confirmation bias and have leveled the charge of "creationism" against the authors. However, these scientists fail to take into account their own confirmation bias in their blind allegiance to the orthodox Darwinian viewpoint. The authors admit at the beginning of their account that they are members of the Bhaktivedanta Institute and were motivated by reading accounts of mankind on earth long before current history allows in the Vedas. Such accounts are certainly interesting and may reveal that there is more to the story of mankind's origins than is commonly allowed. The fundamental issue at stake here is how science deals with anomalous evidence. Some merely scoff at it, or attribute it to other causes a priori without even examining it. However, others may take a closer look at it and find that there is more to it. I am not quite sure that the authors have proven that man in fact inhabited this planet at such early dates as some of the evidence in this book may seem to indicate, but they have certainly provided me with much to think about. I can no longer look at the official accounts of human origins in the same light again. It seems as if many scientists have allowed personal, political, and ideological motivations to guide the scientific endeavor and thus have lost all sight of objectivity. Such things must be taken into account when formulating a theory of human origins.

The first section of this book deals with anomalous evidence. The authors begin by presenting some history of how Darwin's account as detailed in _The Origin of Species_ and for humans in _The Descent of Man_ came to be the most widely accepted account. The authors then note some epistemological issues that will occur regarding the facts of testimony and the possibility of fraud. They then propose their model of suppression for how the scientific community has systematically ignored certain types of evidence. Following this, the authors present anomalous evidence for human toolmakers in the following forms: incised and broken bones, eoliths (anomalously old stone tools), crude paleolithic stone tools, advanced paleoliths and neoliths, and anomalous human skeletal remains. Much of this evidence is extraordinarily old and it may cause one to doubt until one considers the fact that the case for such evidence is every bit as good as the case for any other piece of evidence used to establish the standard orthodox account. The authors next present the accepted evidence. First, they call into question certain aspects of the Java Man (Pithecanthropus Erectus) finds. Then, they devote a chapter to the Piltdown man fiasco and forgery. The important thing about the Piltdown man case is that it shows how wrong orthodox opinion can often be. Many have attributed the Piltdown man forgery to the scheming of a single scientist (usually conveniently blaming the "amateur" Dawson or the religious Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, rather than a "real" scientist). However, one possibility is that the forgery resulted from an overzealous form of British nationalism. The authors have an interesting take on this. They consider the possibility that a group of scientists themselves created the forgery, only later to "expose" the very forgery that they had created. If such a thing occurred (and it is just as probable as blaming it on any given single scientist), it would certainly cast doubts on a large part of the scientific endeavor. Following the Piltdown case, the authors examine evidence for Peking man and other finds in China. Following this, the authors turn their attention to the possibility of living ape-men, who may live among us. This is a controversial topic; however, they note that evidence for such ape-men (be they called sasquatch, yeti, or what have you) is just as acceptable as any other form of evidence. Further, many new animals are discovered every year. Many mainstream anthropologists have remained silent on this issue and some have spoken out against modern ape-men; however, a brave few have spoken up in favor of modern ape-men, and their studies of the phenomena are presented here. The authors then discuss some of the findings from Africa. Darwin maintained that Africa was the birthplace of man and much of modern paleoanthropology seems to indicate he may have been right. However, there is reason to be suspicious again because of recurrent issues of nationalism. The authors call much of this evidence into question. (They also question the alleged time frame for man's first arrival in the New World.) The book concludes with three appendices: one on chemical and radiocarbon dating of anomalous human skeletal remains (calling into question many accepted methods), one on evidence for advanced culture in distant ages (this remains more questionable of course, but would indicate that many ancient writings are correct were it proven to be valid), and a summary of the evidence.

After reading this book, I remain largely baffled as to how to respond. Certainly most of the evidence here deserves a careful looking at. And, the fact that many mainstream scientists remain so skeptical and outright reactionary is not a good sign. It would appear that much of the scientific endeavor has become corrupted with politics as a result. (For example, the authors note the role of the Rockefeller Foundation in influencing the modern scientific endeavor and the decline in traditional religion.) Scientists have been fooled before by the Piltdown man hoax, and it remains a distinct possibility that a great many of them are fooled even today. However, until such time as more open-minded and cautious people are capable of looking objectively at the evidence, the scientific community is unlikely to alter its course in dogmatically affirming the Darwinian account. Such is the sad story of the modern scientific enterprise.

The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology)

Average customer rating:

The Hidden Mystery
thought provoking
Substantiation is the key!
Caution ! PROCEED with CAUTION
Reads well, but offers no proof or documentation.

The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology)
Cremo Michael A.
Manufacturer: Torchlight Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
Gods, Genes, and Consciousness: Nonhuman Intervention in Human History
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients

ASIN: 0892133252

Book Description

Hidden History is a detective novel as much as a scholarly tour de force. But the murder is not the butler. Neither is the victim a rich old man with many heirs. The victim is man himself, and the role of the assassin is played by numerous scientists. Dr. Michael Rothstein, Politiken Newspaper, Denmark

Customer Reviews:

The Hidden Mystery.......2007-04-13

The book takes a highly detailed look at evidence for the earlier existence of homo sapiens on the planet. The authors describe countless cases that are scientifically verified. Yet the evidence does not fit into the accepted archeological and anthropological timelines of main stream science. The authors compare both sides of the veracity of the discoveries and the arguments of the detractors. The authors let the reader decide whether or not human existence began millions of years ago. They make a strong case.
This is a shorter version of "Forbidden Archeology". The book is not any easy read, but fascinating.

thought provoking.......2007-04-10

Very interesting book really makes you think. Having said that it is also a book you don't read quickly. You have to take your time and absorb everything slowly. It is not a "quick read"

Substantiation is the key!.......2005-10-29

This edition of Cremo's work has been abridged and rendered concise for the "normal" reader. I will say for it what I have for the parent book "Forbidden Archeology" that the potential for this paradigm of human history is excellent, but in order to make it into a justifiable scientific theory Cremo must not deal with fragmentary evidence (on which he builds his case so far)alone; these anomalous objects ARE inexplicable, yet insufficient in themselves alone to form the pedestal for such a theory. The proper way to start would be to start looking for debris left by (such) ancient technological human civilisations. If this can't (yet) be found satisfactorily, he should attempt to postulate WHY this hasn't been so, or WHY it is so difficult to find - and why such evidence is as yet restricted to fragmentary anomalous artifacts or shards turning up at random. Even though such a paradigm is "backed up" by a deep and undeniable presence in the human collective and cultural psyche - in the form of religious lore and prehistoric legends - that aspect of it belongs to the metaphysical, not scientific, domain. Michael Cremo's job is to SUBSTANTIATE the scientific side. If this is done and a theory erected, then this paradigm can be married to its metaphysical counterpart to fashion the biggest revolution in Man's history since "our present" historic era began roughly 5500 years ago in Sumer and Egypt. This, therefore, is not a matter to be treated lightly at all.

Caution ! PROCEED with CAUTION.......2005-08-30

No one should be afraid to read this book --- It really worth the time spent, and it certainly is not a boring book. It is easy to read, and you can start at ANY page you wish. But, if you accept a piece of advice to begin, pay special attention to the ONE stars' reviews. I could believe in - two, three, or four stars as being a honest and reliable one, but ONE star, in the case of this book, could mean *WAR*. A desperate attack w/ no TRUE consideration to the value of the book - only defending the Darwinism establishment under siege.

One could consider that it is not a matter if we agree or disagree, Darwinism is a theory of evolution. Darwinism is a theory only. It is not a fact. Many people believe it is an established, scientific fact. It is not. Scientists have been searching the world over for the missing link, but it has NEVER been found, as the foremost scientists readily admit.

That is flat, but nevertheless it is the verdict of the foremost scientists of the world today. Darwinism is an accumulation of probabilities without proof, and of attractive explanations without demonstration. Science is experimental. It is changing continually. What it teaches today it discards tomorrow. In the process of change science assumes various temporary forms.

In this way one could say that some negative reviews are in fact an attempt to STOP people from reading this material. But the more people know about anything the less dictatorial they become on that subject.
That is why real scientists tread the ground carefully. True science knows its limitations. The great scientists are humble and conservative. They know the difference between theory and fact. They distrust themselves and their findings.
------------------------------------
The authors sould be congratulated, because they spent eight years producing the only definitive, precise, exhaustive and complete record of pratically all the fossil finds of man, regardless of wheter they fit the established scientific theories or not. NO other book of this caliber EXISTS. It should be compulsory reading for every first year biology, archeology and anthropology student and many others, too! The authors` UNIQUE perspective provides postmodern scholars with an invaluable parallax view of historical scientific praxis, debate, and development.
------------------------------------
This volume combines a vast amount of both accepted and controversial evidence from the archeological record with sociological, philosophical, and historical critiques of the scientific method to challenge existing views and expose the suppression of information concerning history and human origins.
-------------
SOME say that the Vedic backgroud of the autor is one of the problems. This is absurd, since the book contain no religious arguments of any sort, Hindu-oid or otherwise. But in fact it explains that the time concept of modern archeology, and modern anthropology in general, resembles the general cosmological-historical time concept of Europe`s Judeo-Christian culture, and that modern archeology also shares w/ Judeo-Christian teology the idea that humans appear after the other major species.
-------------
Perhaps as a first step our textbooks should be more realistic and honest about what we know and don't know.

I've decided to give the authors a chance. And ---

The book reveals that over the past two centuries researchers have found bones and artifacts showing that people like ourselves existed on earth millions of years ago. But the scientific establishment has ignored these remarkable facts because they contradict the dominant views of human origins and antiquity. Cremo and Thompson challenge us to rethink our understanding of human origins, identity, and destiny. And invites us to take a courageous first step towards a new perspective.
You can find a sample chapter at (mcremo dot com)
----------------
Some consider the purpose of science SHOULD be to develop, without prejudice or preconception of any kind, a knowledge of the facts, the laws and the processes of nature.
----------------
OR to serve humanity, explain how things happen. And the quality of that service depends on the person or persons using science.

"The only statement consistent with her dignity that science can make is to say that she knows nothing about the origin of man." (Modern Biology, p. 480.)

Are some of us attached to Darwinism for reasons other than really scientific ones?

ON Darwinism -

Darwinism is an attempt to explain how one species of plant or animal changed into another altogether distinct and different species. Darwinism, therefore, takes for granted that evolution is a fact, namely, that the various species we see in the world today are transitions from preceding different species.

Yet today in many of our school text-books students are taught that in accordance with Darwinism man has descended from the monkey. If you call in question their infallibility they will give you a look of pity.

The author attests that there are TWO kinds of Darwinists. The first is the fundamentalist type and the second more open-minded Darwinists that can give platforms to present diferent views at scientific societies, scientific conferences, and science departments at universities around the world.

There are some scientists who have reported that Homo habilis (the "handy man") and Australopithecus afarensis ("Lucy") were constructed from bones of two or more species, yet these hominids also do have their supporters.

Despite the controversy, models of these hominids are in fact STILL displayed in many museums. These exhibits give no hint of the controversy that exists about these creatures in the scientific world. In this way, people are being MISLED.

Of course, the museums also give no hint of the archeological evidence for extreme human antiquity, the evidence that shows that humans like us existed alongside our supposed ape-man ancestors, like Homo habilis and Australopithecus afarensis.

A variation of a species is not an essentially different species. And - even if evolution were a fact, Darwinism does not and cannot explain it. The foremost scientists of the world are now agreed that Darwin's theory of natural selection does not work all the times.
----------------
Mr Cremo is not the ONLY person challenging the now dominant Darwinian theory of evolution. That doctrine is now under sustained attack from many directions.
----------------
Some say that supporters of the Darwinist paradigm are now in the beginning stages of a major crisis, as can be judged from the volume of the howls of protest coming from them.

Indeed, according to philosopher of science, Karl Popper, all scientific theories must be "falsifiable," that is, subject to prediction, testing and falsification. In his book, Conjectures and Refutations, he explains, "There will be well-testable theories, hardly testable theories, and non-testable theories. Those which are non-testable are of no interest to empirical scientists. They may be described as metaphysical."

"It must be acknowledged that Forbidden Archeology brings to attention many interesting issues that have not received much consideration from historians; and the authors' detailed examination of the early literature is certainly stimulating and raises questions of considerable interest, both historically and from the perspective of practitioners of sociology of scientific knowledge." Jo Wodak and David Oldroyd, in Social Studies of Science, Vol. 26(1), 1996, p. 196.

----------------
----------------
According to a statement of a dear friend of mine:
"As an undergraduate anthropology major, my first physical anthropology course was quite an experience. It was the 1st meeting of the class that is hard to forget. In the midst of jokes there was an unsettling undercurrent. The instructor was not so jovial about one thing: that Darwinian evolution was a FACT and NOT a THEORY. She warned us in no uncertain terms that she would entertain NO questions with regard to the facticity of evolution. What struck me as odd at the time was her tone of exasperation at even the anticipation of an underling wasting her time arguing this 'fact.'"

"Well, noses run in my family too. I knew, right off the proverbial bat wing, that something smelled fishy, but it took me several years to realize that she was only one of the countless college professors, biologists, science writers, scientific researchers, philosophers, and publishers with a vested psychological, emotional and financial interest in Darwinian evolution. Evolutionary theorists bank on the hope that this theory is too complicated for most of us to fathom, and that we will not ask questions out of fear of appearing ignorant of the supposed facts. More often than not, however, the questions most people have about evolution are very appropriate and intelligent. The truth is, some logic and a little horse sense is really all you need to understand what Darwin was trying to say. It's the mess his followers, so-called neo-Darwinists, have made of it that often takes real patience to decipher"
----------------
----------------

For quite the same reasons as above, British astronomer, Sir Fred Hoyle, proponent of the Modern Theory of Panspermia, has mathematically dismissed the chance of evolution being an actual occurrence, arguing that "even if the whole Universe consisted of organic soup ... the chance of producing merely the basic enzymes of life by random processes without intelligent direction would be about 1 over a 1 with 40,000 zeros after it; a probability too small to imagine."

Hoyle concludes that "Darwinian evolution is most unlikely to get even one polypeptide sequence right, let alone the thousands on which living cells depend for survival."

-----------------------
To finish my review ---
-----------------------
=>Darwin's Many Errors <=

Numerous books could be written about Darwin's many errors, and many excellent books have been written.

Another of Darwin's significant errors was actually the basis for his natural selection hypothesis: that is, the "struggle for existence." Darwin drew an analogy from Thomas Malthus's view of the human "struggle for existence" to animals in the wild, claiming that animals fight for the same "niches." Darwin proposed that due to this struggle animals were forced to evolve into subsidiary forms in order to survive in different niches.

In fact, as we now know from a profusion of animal studies, animal populations do not conform to this prognosis. As Lee Spetner notes, "Darwin erred in the insight that led him to his theory of evolution.

Animals do not hug the brink of disaster. Population size is not controlled by starvation, disease or predation. Populations are kept in check ... by intrinsic forces built into the animals themselves."

There is no struggle for existence in the animal world. This point is also made starkly clear in James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis's GAIA Theory.
Darwin's second error, according to Spetner, is that if positive mutations occurred often enough, they "may readily become established in the populations."

As Spetner notes, this has been shown to be wrong. "Darwin erroneously thought that even the smallest improvements would be selected," in individuals and saved in the population like hitting the "saved" button.

In fact, paleontologist, George Gaylord Simpson, acknowledged that "a single mutation has little chance of staying in the population." Spetner points out a common error in popular Darwinist writings that might lead to this misconception. Darwinists tend to transpose the language of "transmission genetics" (how individuals pass on their genes to descendants) into the language of "population genetics" (how gene frequencies change in a population) without noting that they are talking about two different things.
=======================================
(Spetner, 56) Following is a list of just some of the problematic assumptions of the NDT that Spetner magnificently highlights:

* =>Genetic rearrangements appear to be non-random they occur with precision
* =>Mutations in higher animals are infrequent
* =>Rarity of copying errors, low error rates in DNA copying
* =>NDT allows only the smallest mutation rate. A mutation must be both beneficial and must also add a little bit of information to the genome, but not too much information
* =>In order to explain all the complexity around us, a mutation must add information. There are no known, clear examples of a mutation that has added information.
* =>The mutation that leads to the improvement must be a dominant gene, that is, must be expressed in the phenotype even if it's on only one of the two chromosomes that carries the gene. Otherwise, the male and female (if it were a recessive gene) would have to find each other to mate.
* =>A mutation, even if favorable, has a small chance of establishing itself in the species if it occurs only once. Slight individual improvements have a tendency to disappear in the population.
* =>Small populations promote the survival of a single gene more than large ones do. This poses a problem for the NDT.
As Spetner writes, "The events necessary for cumulative selection are much too improbable to build a theory on.

The events needed for the origin of life are even more improbable."

Spetner concludes:

There may be good reasons for being an atheist, but the neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution isn't one of them.
- Lee Spetner, Not By Chance

----------------------------------

Suggested Reading in - Darwinian Dissent / Intelligent Design / History of Science / Conscious Universe

*Gregory Bateson, et. al.
Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred.
Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity (Advances in Systems Theory, Complexity, and the Human Sciences).
Sacred Unity.

*Michael Behe, et al.
Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge To Evolution.
Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe.

*David Bohm
Thought As a System.
The Undivided Universe.
Wholeness and the Implicate Order.

*Deepak Chopra, et. al.
The Conscious Universe.
The Cosmic Mind and the Submanifest Order of Being.
The Quantum Physics of Soul and Spirit.
Science and Soul: The Survival of Consciousness After Death.

*Michael Cremo
Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race (1998)
The Hidden History of the Human Race (Condensed Edition) (1999)
Forbidden Archeology's Impact: How a Controversial New Book Shocked the Scientific Community and Became an Underground Classic (1998)
Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative to Darwin's Theory (2003)

*William Dembski, et. al.
The Design Inference: Eliminating Chance through Small Probabilities.
The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions about Intelligent Design.
How Blind Is the Watchmaker?: Nature's Design

Reads well, but offers no proof or documentation........2005-02-25

I bought this book as a research project, actually. Cremo does a fine job with the conclusions about common origin and the involvement of off-worlders in the early development of man, but offers no proof or documentation. I bought the book The Ark of Millions of Years and found what I was looking for.

Although Cremo's case is compelling, Clark & Agnew do a masterdul job documenting every claim. The key to the creation lost for over 5 thousand years is revealed in the their book from two angles. First, they almost translate the ancient Zohar writings better than any Rabbi I have ever known. Second, they blow everyone else in the genre away with their explanation of Noah's ark.

If the Christian world knew this, the spirit of their work would catch on fire. The power and breadth of the master tailor of the universe will change the way everything in the universe is viewed today.

Let me repeat. The Ark of Millions of Years will absolutley astound the creationists and the evolutionists. If you want the best book every written on the subject, bar none, by this one.

Wolves and Honey: A Hidden History of the Natural World

Average customer rating:

The first-person blend of memoir and observational piece is wonderfully rich in detail and insight
Touching the truth
Wolves is a Honey

Wolves and Honey: A Hidden History of the Natural World
Susan Brind Morrow
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

The Names of Things
Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

ASIN: 0618098569

Book Description

Susan Brind Morrow brings her singular sensibility as a classicist and linguist to this strikingly original reflection on the fine but resilient threads that bind humans to the natural world. Anchored in the emblematic experiences of a trapper and a beekeeper, Wolves and Honey explores the implications of their very different relationships to the natural world, while illuminating Morrow's own poignant experience of the lives and tragic deaths of these men who deeply influenced her. Ultimately for Morrow these two the tracker and trapper of wolves, the keeper of bees are a touchstone for a memoir of the land itself, the rich soil of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. From the ancient myth of the Tree of Life to the mysterious reappearance of wolves in the New York wilderness, from the inner life of the word "nectar," whose Greek root ("that which overcomes death") reveals our most fundamental experience of wonder, to the surprising links between the physics of light and the chemistry of sweetness, Morrow's richly evocative writing traces startling historical, scientific, and metaphorical resonances. Wolves and Honey, attuned to the connections among various realms of culture and nature, time and language, jolts us into thinking anew about our sometimes neglected but always profound relationship to the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

The first-person blend of memoir and observational piece is wonderfully rich in detail and insight.......2006-05-26

Two of author Morrow's best friends are a trapper and a beekeeper: together the tree reflect on the nature of the Finger Lakes region of upper New York State in WOLVES AND HONEY: A HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE NATURAL WORLD. The juxtaposition of two very different, eccentric personalities in Morrow's friends reflect the variations of the land and wildlife they're involved with in Morrow's reflection of man and nature. The first-person blend of memoir and observational piece is wonderfully rich in detail and insight.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

Touching the truth.......2004-09-10

Her words like skipping stones,
Seeing afar from the air,
Splashing down again and again
In truth's lake.

Wolves is a Honey.......2004-07-30

Flora and fauna aren't my strong points. But after reading Morrow's new book, I feel I can hold my own on bees, the Finger Lakes, apples, trees and yes, wolves. The book is a meditation and needs to be read slowly so that the reader doesn't miss the subtleties of her language and thought. The interconnections between the natural world of upstate New York and its political, social and religious worlds is fascinating. In the book's first pages Morrow transported this lifelong city dweller to upstate New York with such ease and pleasure that I didn't want to return. It is the perfect read for a quiet afternoon in a hammock.

Hidden Anxieties: Male Sexuality, 1900-1950 (Family Life Series)

Average customer rating:

Hidden Anxieties: Male Sexuality, 1900-1950 (Family Life Series)
Lesley A. Hall
Manufacturer: Polity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Tries to do something different
A good light read, some existential angst...

The Hidden Life of Humans
Erika Ritter
Manufacturer: Key Porter Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Erika Ritter's funny and audacious debut novel examines contemporary human conditions through the eyes of a woman and a dog. Single and on the downhill side of forty, Dana Jaeger has an unswerving allegiance to short-term involvements and perennially arrested adolescence. Lately, though, unexpected developments have begun to test the depth of her devotion to non-commitment. Her ex-husband is slowly dying, and an unlikely romance with a private detective is in rapid progress toward something more meaningful than her typical revolving-door relationships with a stable of "Marrieds." Together, the forces of love and loss threaten to unleash within Dana desires as carefully concealed as landmines. Across this treacherous terrain lopes Murphy - a mutt capable of consuming lawn mowers - whom Dana agrees to dogsit (short-term, of course) as a favour to an out-of-town lover. Garrulously opinionated and no stranger himself to pent-up desires, Murphy offers his own inspired insights into Dana's amatory adventures. Between them, mongrel and mistress present a sometimes wry, sometimes antic, portrait of our innermost selves sprung to life, and our deepest longings - for love, revenge, a clean getaway - gracefully realized. Exuberant and incisive, The Hidden Life of Humans sounds the deepest notes of the comical dissonance between our public and private selves, and the promise that lies between who we are, who we claim to be, and who we might yet become.(1997)

Customer Reviews:

Tries to do something different.......2002-05-23

Erika Ritter tries to do something different with this book and the results are mixed. The Hidden Life of Humans is written from the points of view of the main character Dana and a dog named Murphy. I really liked parts of the book being written from the dog's point of view. At times I wished for more of this. At other times the book clunked along awkwardly. I found the main character's friends to be quite two dimensional and ...typical. Luckily, the main story does not revolve around them so overall the book still works. It took a bit for me to get into it, but it did draw me in about the hundred page mark. This is a novel about a woman finding out about herself and what she wants out of life. I was pleased with the end result.

A good light read, some existential angst..........2000-08-09

As a part-time dog-owner and long-time dog-lover, I was intrigued by the cover of this book peeking out at me on bookstore shelves (or screens). As it turns out, a friend who hadn't liked it gave it to me while I was on vacation, and I must say it made for pretty good light reading.

One of the main features of this book is, of course, that part of it is written from the viewpoint of a dog, who has pretty good insight into human behaviour. There are even a few poetic bits about the inner life of dogs - their dreams and so on.

The main story takes place over a few months, I guess. We witness the existential musings of a middle-aged female writer who can't seem to enter into a committed relationship. Her love life is a seemingly endless succession of 'Marrieds', as she calls them. Until... well, you'll just have to see for yourself. Of course, there is a (somewhat predictable) cast of minor characters - the gay friend, the cowboy, the loony stand-up comic....

On the whole, though, I must say, I did enjoy this book and was drawn into the story. I appreciated its terse style and its humour, which pokes fun at the writing business and the somewhat bohemian lifestyle that a lot of us in creative jobs seem to have a knack for - with eccentricities such as refusing to learn to drive. I found the main character quite endearing and had no difficulty understanding why Erika Ritter is a successful playwright.

I don't know if men can readily identify with the protagonist and her quest (for true love, etc.), but I think that Ritter has succeeded in creating a quirky, likeable character struggling with some current (and some timeless) questions. Not the best thing I've read in years, but a pleasant, effective, quite original work by a talented fellow Canadian. Excellent subway or holiday reading, and a must for people who love dogs.

The Hidden Work: Including the Periodic Table of Angels
Average customer rating:

Prayer-Absolute / Eternal Return

cautionary tale

The Hidden Work: Including the Periodic Table of Angels
E. J. Gold
Manufacturer: Gateways Books & Tapes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Comparative Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Prayer | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Angels Healing Journey

Visions in the Stone: Journey to the Source of Hidden Knowledge

Creation Story Verbatim

The Great Adventure: Talks on Death, Dying, and the Bardos (Consciousness Classics)

The Seven Bodies of Man

ASIN: 0895560887

Customer Reviews:

Prayer-Absolute / Eternal Return .......2006-11-03

Before reading The Hidden Work readers may benefit from a study of the groundwork laid by the author
in earlier works such as, " The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus ", " Practical Work on Self " and
perhaps even " Visions in the Stone ".

The Hidden Work was for a long time passed over by the author and publisher because of the profundity of the material but
eventually released in the sincere hope that the tiny seeds of ancient ideas revealed theirin regarding service humans can
provide to the highest dimensions would eventually fall on fertile ground.

A kernal idea eloquently expressed within The Hidden Work is that the Absolute suffers and that by the practice
of Prayer-Absolute we as humans can fulfill our real obligation here on earth.

In the words of the author, chapter 2, page 10 ,
" If only we knew the ancient use and method of prayer, then we would
be able to pay nature for our organic arising and, at the same time, ascend to the Cross for the alleviation of the
suffering of the Absolute. During the days of the Summerian and Babylonian civilizations, they knew exactly how to make
real prayer. Those were the good old days! When knowledge and understanding prevailed immortality was not sought after
for itself. The question of why man exists and why the Creator made the possibility of immortality for human beings was tied
to the sole purpose of alleviating the suffering of the Endless Creator. The Work is a return to this world because we have
compassion towards the Absolute. Because of this compassion, we are willing to take the obligation to perfect ourselves,
endure eternal return, awaken the machine and allow it to act
upon our Being as a source of transformation. This is what makes the Work different from
the Bodhisattva Vow, for which one returns to this world as a form of compassion for all other beings. "

The author explains how to do Prayer-Absolute, originally called The Hidden Work in ancient Egypt. This text is not a prayer
book however. Rather, it is a technical manual for what seems to be a rather dangerous occupation, as in how a lightning rod
draws down lightning. But, for those who have the inspiration to pray, The Hidden Work should come in very handy indeed.

In the chapter, " The Method of Prayer Absolute ", a very definite sequence of contemplations required for
the performance of Prayer-Absolute is given along with a contemplation prayer which I include here since I particularly
like it myself:

In motion, bowing, my presence comes to Thee.
Humbly, with heart alive, my presence awakens to Thee.
With clear mind, my presence comes to know Thee.
With pity for Thy suffering, my presence becomes aware of Thee.
With yearning, my presence wishes to comfort Thee.
In contemplation, my presence recognizes how to serve Thee.
In mystery, my presence is a comfort to Thee.
In form and formlessness, my presence becomes Thee.

Another of the many ' useful tips ' in this book has to do with the way one holds
his or her hands in prayer. In the authors words, " It might be interesting to note here that the way we hold our hands in
prayer determines the type of prayer which we perform. For example, when the hands are held in the traditional prayer
position, pointing the fingertips upwards, this automatically invokes the Law of Seven, the procession of temporary tensions
which is that part of the Octave governing linear, organic processes, and at the same time also involuntarily invokes visions
of little painted plaster statuettes of praying hands gathering dust on thousands and even tens of thousands of coffee tables
and lowboys throughout all of the known and half of the unknown worlds.
If you invert the hands with the fingers pointing down, palms together, placing them near the solar plexus while sensing
the effect, you can notice the difference in subjective sensations between the upright and inverted praying hands.
The upright praying position is devotional; the inverted prayer hands are invocational, and better for drawing down the
healing force; when held in this position, they form the receptive vessel for energies of higher dimensions. "

Finally, the last chapter entitled, " The Periodic Table of Angels " mentions the three ways to communicate with an
angel. To quote, " The first is to be an angel. The second is to increase one's energy level till it is at the angelic level;
however, this can sometimes mean certain death. The third is to bring down the angel to one's own energy level, thus
rendering it inoperative. " I mention this simply to introduce to the reader of this review the idea that perhaps all is not
as it seems and in the words of the author, " The " mustard seed " of the Work is accessible not through instruction but by
way of rigorous experimental proof. It is eternally available. At the same time, the secret has a way of keeping itself."

Like the recently published book, The Gospel According to Judas, The Hidden Work may get no more than a passing glance these days. However, for anyone who needs it, this is one for the treasure chest.

cautionary tale.......2006-10-12

buyer beware, gold's books are all self-published. he speaks the garbled jargon typical of cult leaders. there are much better books available on fourth way teachings, this reader recommends the earnest seeker stick to the well-travelled routes--check out ouspensky, gurdjieff, orage, bennett, etc...etc...

High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health

Average customer rating:

One of my top ten (new list) for saving the planet
Judge by the Cover
Informative Aspects of Trashology!
One of today's most underreported environmental problems
An environmentalist with a sense of optimism

High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
Elizabeth Grossman
Manufacturer: Shearwater
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Recycling | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry
Media Ecologies: Materialist Energies in Art and Technoculture (Leonardo Books)
Audiovisions: Cinema and Television as Entr'actes in History (Amsterdam University Press - Film Culture in Transition)
Computers and the Environment: Understanding and Managing their Impacts (Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science)

ASIN: 1597261904

Book Description

The Digital Age was expected to usher in an era of clean production, an alternative to smokestack industries and their pollutants. But as environmental journalist Elizabeth Grossman reveals in this penetrating analysis of high tech manufacture and disposal, digital may be sleek, but it's anything but clean. Deep within every electronic device lie toxic materials that make up the bits and bytes, a complex thicket of lead, mercury, cadmium, plastics, and a host of other often harmful ingredients.

High Tech Trash is a wake-up call to the importance of the e-waste issue and the health hazards involved. Americans alone own more than two billion pieces of high tech electronics and discard five to seven million tons each year. As a result, electronic waste already makes up more than two-thirds of the heavy metals and 40 percent of the lead found in our landfills. But the problem goes far beyond American shores, most tragically to the cities in China and India where shiploads of discarded electronics arrive daily. There, they are "recycled"-picked apart by hand, exposing thousands of workers and community residents to toxics.

As Grossman notes, "This is a story in which we all play a part, whether we know it or not. If you sit at a desk in an office, talk to friends on your cell phone, watch television, listen to music on headphones, are a child in Guangdong, or a native of the Arctic, you are part of this story."

The answers lie in changing how we design, manufacture, and dispose of high tech electronics. Europe has led the way in regulating materials used in electronic devices and in e-waste recycling. But in the United States many have yet to recognize the persistent human health and environmental effects of the toxics in high tech devices. If Silent Spring brought national attention to the dangers of DDT and other pesticides, High Tech Trash could do the same for a new generation of technology's products.

Customer Reviews:

One of my top ten (new list) for saving the planet.......2007-07-29

Fairly quickly into this book I was comparing it to Silent Spring and to Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy.

This is a brilliant elegant work. If you agree with its premises it is a fast read, ending with an appendix on how to recycle electronic waste, and a truly superb bibliography. This is a serious book, a PhD level accomplishment, and totally objective and meritorious.

I am particularly impressed that Apple accepts its computer back for recycling in Japan, something we need to demand here. Indeed, if Apple and CISCO (for its routers and hubs) were to commit to total recycling, what is called for in Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming and described in more detail in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things I for one would immediately switch my business and my office to iPhone, MacIntoch, and Open Office from Sun (on verge of being fully implementable within Apple's operating system).

Other books on my top ten:
Where to find 4 billion new customers: expanding the world's marketplace; Smart companies looking for new growth opportunities should consider broadening ... consultant.: An article from: The Futurist (Forthcoming as a book, see my keynote to Gnomedex, "Open Everything"
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits
The Manufacture of Evil: Ethics, Evolution and the Industrial System
Diet for a Small Planet
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
Thank God for Evolution!: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World

Judge by the Cover.......2007-05-19

This addition to the literature is needed. For those with a "new awakening" to what is happening to the environment or those who need a source of facts and factoids, the book is a valuable resource. The image selected for the cover is perfect...if you find the cover alarming or disgusting, you will find the scenarios in the book to be the same.

Informative Aspects of Trashology!.......2007-04-09

Producing a single two-gram microchip can produce dozens of pounds of waste. In addition, Americans discard 5-7 million tons of high-tech electronics each year.

In the U.S. about one third of copper used is scrap, but less than 10% comes from post-consumer sources. Overall, mining accounts for an estimated 7-10% of the world's energy consumption, and releases considerable contaminants in refining and slag piles. Thus, the roughly 2 lbs. of copper used in a desktop computer involves about 620 pounds of waste rock. (Expert studies believe 85% of copper could be recycled, while only 10% used in high-tech electronics actually is.)

Similarly with gold: One metric ton of circuit boards can contain 40-800X the concentration of gold ore mined in the U.S. - yet, only 30% of the gold used comes from scrap - mostly jewelry. (Note: This is a non-sequitur, as are some other comparisons provided.)

Silicon Valley, our major U.S. high-tech producer, has more Superfund sites than any other U.S. count. Analyses of various products is made quite complicated by the need to insure comparable life-cycle detail (how far back in a product's creation does one go), changing technology and volumes, and the involvement of often new, proprietary chemicals for which we lack standards and knowledge of their consequences.

One of today's most underreported environmental problems.......2007-02-20

"High Tech Trash" by Elizabeth Grossman is an eye-opening account of the mounting environmental costs of living in a technology-dependent society. As Rachel Carson had once sounded the alarm about the dangers of chemical contamination to a prior generation, Ms. Grossman succeeds in exposing one of today's most underreported environmental problems in a persuasive and compelling manner. The author's carefully structured thesis is invigorated with skillful writing and narrative flair, creating both an intelligent and accessible work that should appeal to a wide audience. Through her careful research and analysis, we understand that greater regulation of the production and disposal of high tech equipment is urgently needed in the U.S. if we wish to avoid poisoning ourselves with the detritus of our wasteful consumerist culture.

Ms. Grossman points out that our blissful ignorance of the underside of high tech may be partly the result of years of carefully crafted industry hype about the supposed immateriality of our modern world. Ms. Grossman methodically debunks such claims while vividly and memorably describing her sometimes harrowing visits to mining sites where raw materials such as copper, gold and other minerals that are essential to producing electronic products are extracted from the ground using highly destructive and polluting practices. The author visits several semiconductor manufacturing sites where water is withdrawn at unsustainable rates and discharged into local rivers in a fouled condition. She goes on to travel to so-called 'clean room' facilities where the legacies of soil and water pollution have led to illness and financial hardship in a number of communities. Discussing the probable link between increased cancer incidents among factory workers and the innocent people who happened to live near some of these plants, Ms. Grossman argues forcefully for the U.S. to adopt the precautionary principle while demonstrating how nearly all of us may be vulnerable to exposure.

We learn that the problem of dealing with obsolete and broken electronic equipment, or 'e-waste', has been recognized by some industrialized countries but not by the U.S., whose patchwork of local laws are woefully inadequate to the task even if they are not well understood by citizens. Ms. Grossman compares and contrasts the practices of recyclers both in the U.S. and overseas; these range from the primitive conditions that sometimes exist in poor countries such as China where materials are often dismantled under hazardous conditions to modern, state-of-the-art facilities in Sweden and the U.S. where used electronics are handled under safe and controlled conditions. We come to appreciate the important role that responsible recyclers can play in recovering precious metals, plastics, glass and toxic materials from discarded equipment, which in turn can help us reduce the adverse effects of disposal on the environment and ourselves. Indeed, the author's common-sense arguments are presented with such clarity and power that inaction seems absurd: one concludes that there is simply no good reason for the U.S. not to implement a cradle-to-grave producer responsibility system for electronic products that includes easily accessible and affordable recycling options for consumers.

I highly recommend this important book to everyone.

An environmentalist with a sense of optimism.......2007-01-01

An eye opening account of just how much raw material it takes to make your favorite electronic gizmos and what can be done to reduce their environmental footprint. Normally books like this come off as scathing polemics; however, Grossman does an excellent job of explaining why things are the way they are, what recycling methods are working, and what can be done better. Perhaps the saddest fact of the entire book is just how recyclable modern electronic could be, and how little of them is actually recycled.

Imagination: Hidden Force of Human Potential

Average customer rating:

Imagination: Hidden Force of Human Potential
Lester Frank Sumrall
Manufacturer: Sumrall Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Making Women Pay: The Hidden Costs of Fetal Rights

Average customer rating:

making women pay...an eye opener.

Making Women Pay: The Hidden Costs of Fetal Rights
Rachel Roth
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Gender & the Law | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Health Law | Family & Health Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Medical Law & Legislation | Family & Health Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Special Topics | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Medical Ethics | Physician & Patient | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The American Way of Birth
Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood (California Series on Social Choice & Political Economy)

ASIN: 0801436079

Book Description

Once backed primarily by anti-abortion activists, fetal rights claims are now promoted by a wide range of interest groups in American society. Government and corporate policies to define and enforce fetal rights have become commonplace. These developments affect all women--pregnant or not--because women are considered "potentially pregnant" for much of their lives. In her powerful and important book, Rachel Roth brings a new perspective to the debate over fetal rights. She clearly delineates the threat to women's equality posed by the new concept of "maternal-fetal conflict," an idea central to the fetal rights movement in which women and fetuses are seen as having interests that are diametrically opposed.

Roth begins by placing fetal rights politics in historical and comparative context and by tracing the emergence of the notion of fetal rights. Against a backdrop of gripping stories about actual women, she reviews the difficulties fetal rights claims create for women in the areas of employment, health care, and drug and alcohol regulation. She looks at court cases and state legislation over a period of two decades beginning in 1973, the year of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Her exhaustive research shows how judicial decisions and public policies that grant fetuses rights tend to displace women as claimants, as recipients of needed services, and ultimately as citizens.

When a corporation, medical authority, or the state asserts or accepts rights claims on behalf of a fetus, the usual justification involves improving the chance of a healthy birth. This strategy, Roth persuasively argues, is not necessary to achieve the goal of a healthy birth, is often counterproductive to it, and always undermines women's equal standing.

Customer Reviews:

making women pay...an eye opener........2001-03-26

Rachel Roth sheds intellectual and logical light on some highly emotional issues. Her book covers topics such as women's employment, citizenship, and individual rights. This book does not ponder the moral question of abortion, but rather it points out the price women must pay and the burdon they bear during pregnacy. Women no loger have control over their bodies and in some cases are forced into unwanted medical procedures. This book should be read by all because it well documented and shows how society puts more importance on the fetus and less on the woman. However, I sometimes found this book to get a little repetative in the message it was conveying.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books