Agencies

Unbridled Power is the inside story of the supposedly unlawful practices occurring within the IRS. It is written by Shelley Davis, a former historian with the IRS. Ms. Davis was hired to give an account of IRS activity for posterity's sake. When she began to uncover certain illegal or unethical practices that were happening at the IRS, she became a bit of an outcast.

Most of the activities that she exposes deal with the treatment of IRS employees who have become whistle blowers. Apparently the IRS has a wall much like the police blue wall.

Many of the accusations that Ms. Davis makes are neither unknown nor shocking. Most Americans have come to accept, with or without proof, the bad behavior of the IRS. If you have buried your head in the sand for the last 40 years, then this book may help to enlighten you regarding the abusive nature of our government's tax collecting agency. If you are familiar with the agency, or have been a victim of it, this book will only tell you of specific cases that you may not have been aware of.

Unbridled Power is a book written by an IRS insider which seeks to expose the evil inner workings of the IRS. The book does document a few cases of abuse of power or outright illegal activity by members of the IRS; but, these cases are generally known by the public. Most Americans have suspected this kind of behavior was occurring at the IRS for years. There were not any great exposes on criminality at the IRS or on criminial behavior being an ingrained culture at the IRS.

What we get instead is the picture of a typical government agency. The lifetime beauracrats are corrupt and the temporary political apointees designated to clean up the mess do not have the spine to stand up to a girl scout. What this book really does is argue the case for a renewal of the spoils system which was prevalent in the early years of the republic. Instead of having lifetime beauracrats separating themselves from the masses, the positions would be up for grabs after each new president is elected. This may reduce the creation of the out of touch government employee.

All in all, it was not a book that really brought anything new to the table. I must commend Ms. Davis for her courage in stepping forward and speaking out against the IRS. Too many of her fellow beauracrats have been too content to turn their head so as not to ruin their future prospects of advancement.

Before I read this book, I assumed that it was the story of a single individual's plight inside of the IRS. I thought it could be a questionable account, perhaps based on unsubstantiable facts. In fact, the book's subject matter is much broader than only Shelley Davis' experience. Ms. Davis, in true historical form, describes as reality an organization that should only exist in the minds of science-fiction writers. Even if only a fraction of her allegations are true, this work represents an irrecoverably scathing indictment on an admittedly powerful government agency. Although she never makes the connection, she paints a picture of official organized crime, a government body out of control, operating in the underworld of power and intimidation, where the law is openly despised. It is clear that the IRS requires immediate and extensive reform, in order that it might be made accountable to the people of the United States

It is possible to see the beginning of a revisionist school of historical writing on Vietnam. Spector's AFTER TET, Burkitt's STOLEN VALOR, and now PHOENIX AND THE BIRDS OF PREY all represent a point of view that wants to remove the stigma of absolute failure from the U.S. military efforts in Vietnam. Moyar's book is more than a simple defense of the Phoenix/Phung Hoang program; it is a study of intelligence-gathering, pacification programs and their effectiveness against the NVA and the Viet Cong. Moyar concentrates on the post-Tet period which he argues saw increased American and South Vietnamese success in counterinsurgency. He collates interviews, translated captured documents, official statistics, and memoirs for his history and does a pretty fair job of evaluating the material. Moyar criticizes plenty of Americans and Vietnamese, and credits the NVA/VC for excellent motivation, organization and determination. Not all of his arguments are persuasive, but the breadth of his work must be considered by anyone who wants to challenge him. The response by an earlier "reviewer" at this site ("...CIA propaganda...") is enlightening. One of the moral bases of the 1960s political movements was opposition to the war in Vietnam. The antiwar movement cast the U.S. in a villainous role; My Lai, Cambodia, and inflated body counts made that pretty easy. Over the years, evidence of atrocities, the forced collectivization of agriculture in the reunited South Vietnam, corruption in the Communist Party leadership, and grudging admission by NVA leaders of high losses and military mistakes have made some question whether the war was such a stark "good guys v. bad guys" conflict. Of course, questioning the assumption that the U.S. was on the wrong side in Vietnam would seriously weaken the moral arguments of the antiwar leaders. Is the former South Vietnam better off once the U.S. left? If it is, why did so many leave after reunification, and why is the current Vietnamese leadership so eager to welcome American capitalists? On the other hand, if it was important that we took a stand in South Vietnam, why didn't the U.S. push the Diem and Thieu governments into real political and economic reforms? The real study of the Vietnam War can only begin when historians can set aside the need to prove a theory, and can look at what participants really did and why they thought they had to do it.

This book is an invaluable addition to the history of the Vietnam War. Containing much more information on Phoenix and the village war than any other book, it is also packed with new insights. Phoenix and the Birds of Prey brings the scholarship of the Vietnam War and guerrilla warfare to new levels.

It's not hard to see why certain individuals are upset about this book. For years, opponents of the war-- to include much of the media-- have been telling us that the Phoenix Program was an important and cruel component of an immorally conducted war. Moyar's book demolishes their argument, showing that the reports of indiscriminate killing are grossly exaggerated. It's not one-sided, however: it details exploits of the Allied forces that are reprehensible, particularly involving the treatment of prisoners. It is testimony to the intransigence of some of the war's opponents that they are completely unwilling to consider that Moyar may be correct. Apparently anticipating the reaction he would encounter, Moyar loaded his book with a mountain of facts, derived from interviews, memoirs, books, U.S. government documents, and captured Communist documents. Many of the sources are quoted at length, allowing readers to be the judge. While any one source may have its uncertainties, it would be very difficult to look at the sum of all the facts presented by Moyar and not conclude that there is something to them. But the book does much more than just refute. It provides a remarkable look at all aspects of the American and South Vietnamese efforts to wrest control of the villages from the Viet Cong. Whether or not you're likely to agree with everything Moyar has to say, this book is worth reading if you have an interest in the Vietnam War or counter-guerrilla warfare.

If the war's opponents have information that contradicts Moyar, where is it? They certainly haven't published it. Douglas Valentine's book on the subject doesn't come close. Even Morley Safer said Valentine's book was bad, in a review for the New York Times. All of Valentine's star witnesses are discredited in Phoenix and the Birds of Prey-- people like Mike Beamon, Elton Manzione, and Kenneth Barton Osborn, to name a few. These are the people the Left has used for years to build its case on Phoenix. Moyar also discredits journalists and historians like Neil Sheehan and Frances FitzGerald, who based their writings on a few days trips to secure provinces and chats at the bar of the Caravelle Hotel.

Excellent foreword by Col. Harry Summers is an added bonus.

It's good to see that some historians are finally challenging the dogmas of the "mainstream" and are doing so in a thorough manner. If it's true, as Moyar contends, that veterans of Phoenix and other Vietnam veterans were not "assassins" and "baby-killers," then the nation owes them an apology.

This is the real truth about the Phoenix Program. The anti-war left has tried for years, with some success, to discredit it with disinformation. This is a well-written, accurate history of what really happened and is convincingly documented. And real -- I know, I was there (June 1968-June 1969)

Please let's move on from the nonsense of these kinds of government guru books! Our governments are already messed up enough to have our government officials follow this advice.

Well, the Vice President loved it and the President bought into it, but it did not make a difference. The National Performance Review identified a number of substantive objectives for intelligence reform, and the intelligence bureaucracy was successful in ignoring the White House. I suspect it has something to do with one of the fundamentals: "Unleash-but Harness-the Pioneers." The U.S. Intelligence Community can't stand pioneers unless they are spending billions of dollars on something really, really secret that has a high probability of failure. Reinvention boils down to uncoupling or deconstructing a whole bunch of stuff, and then allowing the pieces to compete. It requires managers that can "let go" and employees that can "take hold." Above all, it requires openness and accountability....

If you work in a school or another government institution, and if every Dilbert cartoon is one you want to cut out and post, then read this book.

Working in an absurd environment is funny on the surface but it also can be deeply depressing. This books shows us how we can do something about it.

This is a handbook for fighting the good fight for the return of a little sanity in the government workplace.

This book has a method in which to induce the reader to keep reading, especially if that reader happens to already be intrigued by planes.
In this vivid account Pat Milton takes the reader inside the lives and homes of the victims' family and as close as possible to the reason of the crash.
Like the sinking of the Titanic, the crash of TWA Flight 800 just off Long Island, New York, in the early evening of July 17, 1996, captured the world's imagination. Associated Press reporter Pat Milton has covered the story from day one and was granted unprecedented access to the FBI investigation--the largest and most complex in the agency's history.

Initially suspecting that a crime had been committed, James Kallstrom, the head of the FBI's New York office, led the two-year investigation from the start.

Although this book was a bit slow and dry it gives an understanding view of the FBI. All too often books put the FBI down. It had a lot of technical information. I am glad I read it.

The beginning of this book was very graphic and gory so it was somewhat interesting to me. I couldn't put the book down. The book just kept getting better and better. But the thing is, when a tragedy like this happens, it really makes you feel for the families that suffered. Especially after the tragedy at the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica which hit pretty close to home, I wanted to help out (donate blood) just like the community did in In the Blink of an Eye. When the plane first went down, people went out on their boats, helping pick up the bodies. And in the end the families tried to get the Death on the High Seas Act passed. Now I'm starting to babble... But anyways, it was a great book, and I highly recommend it!

I have just finished reading this book and feel that it is very informative and thought provocating. In particular, I enjoyed it because the book does not contain a typical bibliographical section. Rather, Mr. Cook has placed all his research references directly into the text. This makes it much easier to read, verify, and digest.

I can't understand how anyone with an open mind can be critical of this work! Every claim mentioned therein is easily verifiable. However, some people don't want to hear the truth no matter how it is told.

I highly recommend this work to anyone seeking insight into where the world is taking us, and how every living person will soon be affected by very powerful, worldly forces.

Many Tools of Big Brother Are Up and Running
By JOHN MARKOFF and JOHN SCHWARTZ

In the Pentagon research effort to detect terrorism by electronically monitoring the civilian population, the most remarkable detail may be this: Most of the pieces of the system are already in place.

Because of the inroads the Internet and other digital network technologies have made into everyday life over the last decade, it is increasingly possible to amass Big Brother-like surveillance powers through Little Brother means. The basic components include everyday digital technologies like e-mail, online shopping and travel booking, A.T.M. systems, cellphone networks, electronic toll-collection systems and credit-card payment terminals.

In essence, the Pentagon's main job would be to spin strands of software technology that would weave these sources of data into a vast electronic dragnet.

Technologists say the types of computerized data sifting and pattern matching that might flag suspicious activities to government agencies and coordinate their surveillance are not much different from programs already in use by private companies. Such programs spot unusual credit card activity, for example, or let people at multiple locations collaborate on a project.

The civilian population, in other words, has willingly embraced the technical prerequisites for a national surveillance system that Pentagon planners are calling Total Information Awareness. The development has a certain historical resonance because it was the Pentagon's research agency that in the 1960's financed the technology that led directly to the modern Internet. Now the same agency - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa - is relying on commercial technology that has evolved from the network it pioneered.

The first generation of the Internet - called the Arpanet - consisted of electronic mail and file transfer software that connected people to people. The second generation connected people to databases and other information via the World Wide Web. Now a new generation of software connects computers directly to computers.

And that is the key to the Total Information Awareness project, which is overseen by John M. Poindexter, the former national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan. Dr. Poindexter was convicted in 1990 of a felony for his role in the Iran-contra affair, but that conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court because he had been granted immunity for his testimony before Congress about the case.

Although Dr. Poindexter's system has come under widespread criticism from Congress and civil liberties groups, a prototype is already in place and has been used in tests by military intelligence organizations.

Total Information Awareness could link for the first time such different electronic sources as video feeds from airport surveillance cameras, credit card transactions, airline reservations and telephone calling records. The data would be filtered through software that would constantly look for suspicious patterns of behavior.

The idea is for law enforcement or intelligence agencies to be alerted immediately to patterns in otherwise unremarkable sets of data that might indicate threats, allowing rapid reviews by human analysts. For example, a cluster of foreign visitors who all took flying lessons in separate parts of the country might not attract attention. Nor would it necessarily raise red flags if all those people reserved airline tickets for the same day. But a system that could detect both sets of actions might raise suspicions.

Some computer scientists wonder whether the system can work. "This wouldn't have been possible without the modern Internet, and even now it's a daunting task," said Dorothy Denning, a professor in the Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Part of the challenge, she said, is knowing what to look for. "Do we really know enough about the precursors to terrorist activity?" she said. "I don't think we're there yet."

The early version of the Total Information Awareness system employs a commercial software collaboration program called Groove. It was developed in 2000 by Ray Ozzie, a well-known software designer who is the inventor of Lotus Notes. Groove makes it possible for analysts at many different government agencies to share intelligence data instantly, and it links specialized programs that are designed to look for patterns of suspicious behavior.

Total Information Awareness also takes advantage of a simple and fundamental software technology called Extended Markup Language, or XML, that is at the heart of the third generation of Internet software. It was created by software designers at companies like Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and I.B.M., as well as independent Silicon Valley programmers.

This book is incredibly prophetic in light of current events! Honestly, just take a look at current events such as President Bush's Homeland Security Department proposal and the Patriot Act and ask yourself if America is not indeed sliding down the "slippery-slope" of Big-Brotherism.

Accordingly, in the very near future, all private, corporate and government computer databases will be combined into one "VIRTUAL SYSTEM" that can readily access and analyze all informational data on everyone from all sources! Such a thing is really scary even if you think you "have-nothing-to-hide." Who truly wants any government to have that kind of control over its citizenry?

It is a fact that most of human history is replete with controlling authoritarian dictatorships. Therefore, who can deny that one day very soon America itself will NOT become a socialistic dictatorship? Combining all information on everyone into one huge government database system, such as the National Security Agency, really makes that probability viable.

George Orwell's so-called novel, 1984 (about "Big-Brother" totalitarian government control, surveillance and enslavement), should no longer be considered "science-fiction" because it is now an ominous and imminent reality. Yes, folks, it is indeed happening at this very moment! Therefore, if you have not recently read Orwell's book, 1984, I urge you to order it from Amazon.Com as well. For it is truly happening as we breath!

Mr. Cook's Big Brother NSA is very timely at this moment in America history. You won't like the reality of the information contained therein, but get it and read it anyway!! You need to understand these things!

Also, if you can still find a used copy of his former book, The Mark of the New World Order, get that and read it as well. Then you'll truly be enlightened about the world in which we all live.

Accordingly, I highly recommend Mr. Cook's work to anyone wanting to know the truth about current events and where they are obviously taking us!

Regarding your response to the college student, Lee Iacocca and Chrysler PAID BACK the government loan!

As for the S&L's they should have come under the same regulations as full service banks years ago, as well as the credit unions, which will be the next government bailout!

Richard DiMaggio, the author, must respond to the debt collector who is upset with the notion that consumers have rights. I must first state that the book does mention that debt collection is an occupation of last resort for most collectors. Unable to find a "real" job in the profession of their choice, the unemployable resort to harassing people for money. The unknown reviewer is an economist who became a debt collector. Enough said. When banks went broke in the S&L scandal, they went to Congress for a bailout. When Chrysler almost went belly up in the early 80's, they went to Congress, too. It would be great if we, as consumers, could go to our government for hand outs, but we can't. And with but a sprinkling of true "consumer advocates" in the country, the consumer has no where to turn. Even popular consumer credit counselling groups are sponsored by banks--but no, they don't tell you that.
The collection industry is huge. It has training camps for collectors, law firms, seminars and conventions. The lawyers who represent debt collectors monitor consumer protection attorneys and discuss ways to quash them. Law suits are monitored on a nationwide basis. Meanwhile, a consumer who has lost a job, became ill, or went through a divorce is up against this behemouth of an industry. The point of the book is that consumers have rights, and lots of them. But you don't know those rights, because the collection industry does everything it can to keep their limitations a secret--i.e., giving a great book a single star rating, even though they most likely didn't even read it.
You, the consumer, are in control of the debt collector. Never, ever, forget that. If the reader is so concern about credit card debt, tell him to tell the credit companies to stop sending everyone so many solicitations and to stop being so reckless in their own business. I have personally been quoted in Business Week magazine, and have appeared on WABC, CBS Evening News and lecture extensively to groups. I know of which I speak.

I read this book and consider it to be the best book written on the FDCPA and the consumer. This attorney/author informs the average consumer of laws the collection agents have to follow. He does it in a very easy-to-understand and friendly manner. There are even forms you can use to write your own letters! The coward who didn't leave his name on a couple of reviews below is a perfect example of the narrow-mindedness of many of the average debt collectors. That is one of the reasons congress enacted this law. If this so-called economics major knew anything about economics he would realize the credit industry LOVES it when people pay their bills late and default! It gives them reason to raise the interest rate and charge additional fees! The deliquency and default rate are fairly constant and thus built-in to the cost of doing business. Its also a loss against their revenue, thus offsetting taxes on profits. The creditors win every which way but loose! And as for learning to pay one's bills....I seem to recall a few years ago, Mr. Econ. major, when a vast amount of banks couldn't pay their bills and had to go running to congress in order for us, the taxpayer, to BAIL THEM OUT! I hope you are as morally indignant toward the banking industry as you are the consumer who gets behind in their bills. If you are not, please explain the difference. And the next time you feel the need to illustrate your stupidity, try reading a book and writing something remotely similar to a review of that book.

The book is very well written, the problem with this book is the content of it.
The author tries to portrait Noriega as innocent, the victim of a goverment that will do anything to put him out.
Everybody likes him and he has done nothing wrong.

As a Panamanian, that lived in Panama during Noriega's dictatorship, I know what really went on .
The information that this book contains is misleading to the reader that didn't live in Panama during those years.
People might start thinking that Noriega is a saint.

This book is of interest because it tells another side of the story of Panama in the 80's. There's a lot of interesting information here. But while I find it almost unavoidable to conclude that American intervention in Panama was guided as much by political expediency and diplomatic incompetence as it was by noble ideals, that doesn't imply Noriega was clean. Sure, Bush, Cheney, Oliver North, Eliot Abrams, etc. were all crooked politicians. But Noriega's portrayal as himself as simply a Panamanian patriot who was destroyed by the USA for standing up to them doesn't hold water. Many controversial aspects of Noriega's reign are not mentioned (Noriega's superstition or alcohol abuse), glossed over (Spadafora killing) or implausibly denied (the fate of the Giroldi coup plotters). He very seldom admits mistakes and even then only half-heartedly ("We should have just cancelled the elections outright instead of waiting until the results were in to anull them") and never shows a trace of regret. The subject of democracy seldom comes up; all opposition to Noriega is characterized simply as the white power elite ("rabiblancos") and their status as pawns of the USA.

In short, the book is disappointing as it appears Noriega has not used his time in jail for serious, thoughtful introspection and analysis. It's not a truthful confession, or even an intersting autobiography; it's basically a defensive essay on the American invasion of 1989. Still it's worth reading as no doubt some of his accusations against the "wimp" Bush bear examination.

"The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega: America's Prisoner" by Manuel Noriega with commentary and analysis by Peter Eisner is an important story. It holds lessons about U.S. imperialism and the demonization of its supposed enemies -- lessons that, unfortunately, appear to have been largely overlooked by the American public. Indeed, the template for the exercise of U.S. power by the elder Bush against Noriega in Panama as described in this book seems to have been knowingly employed by the younger Bush against Saddam in Iraq.

Given the demonization of Noriega in the U.S. media, one may be surprised but nonetheless impressed with Noriega's personal values as they are expressed in this book. Noriega's support of policies that began with the Torrijos administration on raising living standards among the nation's poor seems to be sincere; no doubt this is connected with his Catholic faith and his familiarity with the Bible, which is quoted in several places in the book. Noriega also writes fondly about his career in the Panamanian military and the honor, discipline and professionalism associated with this career and the duties he performed on behalf of his country. Overall, while Noriega does not appear to be a saint he does seem to be a healthy, balanced and moral person.

I think that Noriega's contention that he became a marked man due to his insistence on Panamanian soveriegnty is credible. To his credit, Noriega never bought into Cold War ideology, choosing instead to provide safe haven for political refugees of all stripes and to open up channels of communication with Fidel Castro and others. Yet despite years of friendly relations with the U.S. and cooperation with the CIA, his decision to open talks with the Japanese about a new canal combined with his refusal to cooperate with Ollie North's illegal "contra" war in Nicaragua proved to be too much for the White House.

If Noriega ever did commit a crime that could possibly justify a full-scale invasion, it is also true that the drug conviction against him is highly suspect. The chapters that discuss the dirty dealings with Colombian drug cartels in securing the conviction is very disturbing. On the other hand, the fact that drug shipments increased in the absence of Noriega provides credence to the author's contention that the Panamanian Defense Forces cooperated in the war on drugs during Noriega's tenure.

Last but certainly not least, the horrible consequences of the war on the innocent Panamanian people are discussed. Clearly, it was unneccesary to use such overwhelming force against a peaceful country in the midst of its Christmas celebrations. Noriega's blistering comments about the leading protagonists of the war -- including Colin Powell and George Bush Sr. -- may cause consternation among some Americans; but on balance the General's narrative is remarkably restrained. Indeed, the book is a cautionary tale of powerlessness and how a small nation and its leaders have few options available once regime change has been deemed desirable by the U.S. government. The sad part, of course, is that thousands of innocent civilians had to pay for these policies with their lives (not to mention the countless others who have been left with the shattered remains of their bombed-out communities).

In my view, recent events in Iraq, Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere makes it more important than ever for Americans to gain greater perspective on the consequences of U.S. foreign policy. To that end, "America's Prisoner" is a superbly readable, provocative and informative book that deserves a wide audience. I highly recommend it to all.

Anyone mistaking this for an actual biography is in need of a serious wakeup call. Frank Dux never served with the CIA, and has never even been to Vietnam! This man is suffering from delusions of adequacy to say the least. His book was exposed for what it is by BG Burkett in his own book Stolen Valor. I don't doubt that Frank Dux is a skilled martial artist, however he never won a "secret" Medal of Honor, and the so-called "world championship" Kumate doesn't even exist. This is a slap in the face of all those who defend this great nation, and I am saddened that so many people have bought into it.

I happen to know from very reliable sources that Honshi Dux (Honshi is Japanese word which means founder of a fighting system), is about to answer all of the controversy and questions surrounding his reputation. During his competition days the Chinese nick named him 'Pha Ma', which means 'Flying Horse', so graceful, fast and powerful was and is his martial arts technique. And as far as anyone questioning his martial arts background, please, you don't acheive such status in the martial arts by not being able to back it up. He would've been physically knocked down from his deserved place of honor and respect in the martiasl arts long ago. I know, because many martial artist, elite martial artists mind you, have tried and failed. More than a number of them having been carried away by paramedics. There are reasons why certain things in this book were left out, like various documents which support his adventures as discribed in the book: 'The Secret Man', etc. One must take into account that Mr. Frank Dux was under a coma brought on by spinal meningitus (all more than variviable), when the book was being published and subsequently could not attend to seeing that his manuscript was left intact, and not over-edited by the editor. In this case, there are almost 200 pages that were excised from his originally intended version. A fact that is adressed on his upcoming website. So, to all his detractors and doubters, make no mistake about it, Frank Dux is an unsung American hero, not from any war, but in different areas that will eventually become apparent to all. I have seen the hard evidence. And I have seen private preveiws of his upcoming, not one, but several of his websites and I must tell you, there is a storm coming and its name is ...frankdux.com.

This book has a lot in common with great autobiographies I've read. Mr Dux deals with matters of conscience and circumstance that formed and directed his life. Everyone can relate to these things. He tells these things with an honesty you get in great autobiography, and seldom in everyday life. I wish he would do another book.

The book presented a fundamental knowledge of an Intranet, which may be applied in the business world. The only thing Top Secret about the book was just the words on the cover which is a sales pitch.

I was given this book at Hacker's (the MIT/Silicon Valley legal and largely very rich group, of which I am an elected member) by a NASA engineer, went to bed, could not get the book out of mind, got up, and read it through the night. If it were not for the fact that Intelink is largely useless to the rest of the world and soon to be displaced by my own and other "extranets", this book would be triumphal. As it is, I consider it an extremely good baseline for understanding the good and the bad of how the U.S. Intelligence Community addresses the contradictions between needing access to open sources and emerging information technologies while maintaining its ultra-conservative views on maintaining very restricted access controls to everything and everyone within its domain. I have enormous regard for what these folks accomplished, and wish they had been able to do it openly, for a much larger "virtual intelligence community" willing and able to share information. For a spy, information shared is information lost-until they get over this, and learn that information not only increases in value with dissemination but is also a magnet for 100 pieces of information that would never have reached them otherwise, the U.S. Intelligence Community will continue to be starved for both information and connectivity....an SGML leper in an XML world.

I am a contractor associated with the Intelligence Community. This book has proven invaluable to me and my company, and I highly recommend it to anyone who deals with this area. The CD Rom contains previously unavailable information that was very helpful to me.

If the level of writing and thinking is any indicator of the brains behind this agency, they should close within six months.
Shallow, insubstantial fluff from case studies of quite inconsequential and mostly invisible clients.
Most case studies in this book were entirely under everyone's radar.
Who the hell are Kirschenbaum and Bond anyway?
A book by nobodies about advertising? If they'd done something of note, maybe a book would be in order. Noteably, AdWeek published this vanity piece- no one outside of a very small circle of advertising people could possibly care what's in this book.

Though Ogilvy on Advertising is a useful book, even today, it fails to deal with critical issues in the mid and late 1990s. Jon Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum have a good story to tell here, and lots to impart on how to not revert to institutional advertising. The agency has done excellent work outside the box for many clients, and reading how they accomplished that are good lessons to read indeed. I found it much more useful that many other ad books, like some mentioned above by Trout & Reis.

It is a great book. I really enjoyed it and I recommended it to some of my fellow co-workers.
Although one of the obvious reasons to be written is to self-promote their agency, B & K have done tremendous job providing so much insight into how to talk and more importantly how to entice today's consumers. There are (or were) many agency theories and practices on integrated marketing communications such as "360 degree coomunications" of O&M or the "The Whole Egg" of Y&R but the really convincing and what is more important, working one is the approach of these two guys. I really like it and the fact that I feel like reading the book again is enough to rate it with five stars.