Form-T Books

Let me start by saying that I'm center-right politically. That said, I like to understand both sides of any argument, so I gave this book a try based on reviews. Here's what I think based on having read about a third of this thing before I just couldn't take anymore.

The title of the book should not be "Censored". It should be titled "Unreported". The reason that these stories have been ignored by both the liberal and conservative media is very simple ... THEY ARE NOT STORIES. Rather, they are the same old conspiracy theories repeated with an ultra-left wing slant. I don't mean liberal ... I mean ultra-left wing, as in fringe. These "journalistic watchdogs" accuse the center and right of everything except eating little puppies alive, although that accusation may be made later in the book. And, this nonsense starts pretty much from the beginning of the book as you read about how wonderful the world would be when the lights go out. What does that have to do with journalistic integrity? Here's a side question for all of you who think this would be great. How will you be making bicycles out of scrap cars in you don't have a blast furnace to melt the metal? But, I digress.

If you are an avid conspiracy theorist, run out and buy this book. If you want a true unbiased performance assessment of the media in our country and the world, look elsewhere and save your money. This book is nothing more than a divisive and polarizing ultra-left rant written by a bunch of liberal academics who've never done much more than sit around a campus and dream this nonsense up while their teaching assistants actually teach.

This book is a MUST read for EVERYbody. Our freedoms are being taken away as we sleep. WAKE UP everyone and read what's really going on!

I was pleased with how quickly I received my order and that it was in good shape!!

This is another great Project Censored Yearbook. This book contains important stories that are lergely overlooked by the mainstream media even though these stories have great relevance toward public policy and the future of America and the World. The Yearbook also contains articles on media analysis and updates of previous Project Censored stories.

As always with the yearbooks of the Project Censored, the edition of 2008 contains a wealth of all important information (not disinformation) which the media monopolies, completely controlled by the few, refuse deliberately to divulge.
Initiatives, like the Project Censored, are the lighthouses of truly democratic news gathering. They are the necessary messengers of the really important facts, of the truth (what really happens and happened).
Regarding the anti-democratic media monopolies, which could flower after the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine (requiring that public broadcasters provide equal time to opposing viewpoints) by the Reagan administration, Ben Bagdikian states: `At issue is the possession of power to surround almost every man, woman and child in the country with controlled images and words in order to alter the political agenda of the country.'

The common theme of the 2008 yearbook is the systemic erosion of human rights, civil liberties and personal freedoms all over the world.
This edition is hitting extremely hard: `Corporate avarice interlocked with governmental police power is fascism and a police State in the making.'
It stresses the all importance for a democracy of a free internet. It points its finger at sometimes truly `astonishing' facts: there is no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11 (sic!), the `pulling' of the WTC 7 tower on 9/11 without being hit, the scandal of the intellectual property rights issue (`communities could find themselves forced to pay for patented plant varieties based on genetic sources from their own soil'!), the stolen 2004 elections ( the statistically impossible gap between the exit polls and the ultimate results) or the official denial of the link between global warming and hurricanes.
Among many others, important items are the use of deliberate fake news and misinformation.

All Project Censored books are a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

Project censored is the brainchild of Dr. Carl Jensen, a former professor of Communication Studies at Sonoma State University, who in 1976 launched the effort to report the news of social and national significance not reported in the national-mainstream media. Every year, over 200 faculty and students pour over 700 underreported but important stories submitted by librarians, journalists, scholars et al. and select the top 25 to submit to a panel of judges before publication.

Censored 2008 is another magnificent book that every US citizen should read, including the social elitists and political conservatives who are, to no one's surprise, the staunchest critics of this effort.

How many Americans are aware that the $12 billion newly printed and shrink wrapped $100 bills flown to Iraq by Ambassador Paul Bremer are unaccounted for? During Bremer's questioning in February 2006, most news media were too busy covering the death of Anna Nicole Smith rather than airing the hearing on this important issue.

And how many US citizens are aware that the construction of the US Embassy in Baghdad with a price tag of over $700 million was awarded to a Kuwaiti company in a largely political decision as a show of appreciation to Kuwait for its support of the US invasion of Iraq?

Unfortunately, various 9/11 conspiracy theories were included in "Censored 2008", which, when put together would implicate the CIA, Larry Silverstein, the owner of the 3 collapsed WTC buildings, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), CNN, BBC and Bin Laden himself (colluding with the CIA?!). Two of Project Censored's esteemed judges resigned in protest as a result of the publication of these questionable theories in 2007.

Ignoring this hiccup, Censored 2008 and efforts like it are necessary in any society to publicize news that is either deliberately ignored or falsified. It is the job of the citizens of every country to dig deeper than what is fed to them through "for profit" news agencies to ensure democracy is not tampered with.

Incidentally, I found it peculiar that in the last chapter, Greg Guma accuses Walter Cronkite, "the most trusted man in America", of pandering to ratings. All the while, Cronkite's endorsement can be seen in the title section of Project Censored's web site. I guess project censored truly tells it like it is, but I doubt Mr. Cronkite read pages 355-356 ("The Power to Misinform") before he gave it his stamp of approval.

Warning: Reading too many pages of this book in one sitting can be depressing if you're not familiar with the evils that men do.

This book is funny in parts, but a bit dated since it's from the 80's. A typical, "Oh woe is me, I am single and have no boyfriend, however, if I meet someone and he likes me and treats me well, then I'm scared! I don't actually want a commitment, I want to be single!"

I read this book just recently and laughed at many of the sections. It's very funny for the young and modern woman. Beats down some stereotypes, which is always good.

I really wanted to like this book. With a great title like that, I expected it to be a comic look at the relations between men and women, likely coming hard down on the side of women. Instead, it is a mismash of New York angst mixed with the fading regret of yet another runaway from the 60s. In short, choppy doses (each section was originally published as individual essays in Playboy, Cosmopolitan, or The Village Voice), Heimel raves against the world, but not of it ever is funny enough to make you laugh out loud or close enough for that frission of understanding to occur. Oh, you might be able to identify with her if you are a single mother of a teenage son who supports herself by writing in Manhattan, but I wouldn't take bets on it.

The essays are grouped into sections labled "The Times," "Women," "Men," "Women and Men," and "The Writer's Life." The best stuff is in "The Times" such as "Notes on Black" about how all the trendy people who were the originators of the black look are conspiring to forgo it for another color until all the sheep quit wearing it, then they'll go back. The worst stuff is in "The Writer's Life," which should instead have been entitled "Cynthia Heimel's Life" because I saw nothing there that resembled any other writer I know.

I guess I looked in the wrong place. I had noticed that I had a lot of comic stuff by men on my shelf, but nothing by a woman, so I browsed the shelves and came up with this. I'm not necessarily a fan of the comic essay (Dave Barry probably being the prime example of it today, and whom I can read but I never feel like purchasing a whole volume of his stuff). In essays, I tend to like humorous political commentary (say Molly Ivins or P.J. O'Rourke) better than Andy Rooney style essays on the little things of life. Instead I should have picked up comic fiction by a woman, I guess--except I'm not aware of any. Zora Neale Huston? Anyway, with due apologies to Heimel, I can live without her.

Heimel is brilliant. I do love her work. Her essay on "Clothes and PMS", included in this book, stands as one of the funniest things I have ever read ("I am a symphony of reds!" she sings, before she is saved from herself). Her slightly embittered, I-don't-even-want-to-know approach to life rings true.

The only place the book sags is when it tries to be too serious. Heimel should stick to comedy. Some people just can't be trusted with biting social commentary. About a third of the book seems to fall within this category. I skipped most of that. But the rest is pure genius, with insight and wit.

Cynthia Heimel's "If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" is a collection of her columns from the Village Voice, Playboy, and Cosmo. The book is half painful wisdom, half male-oriented feminist anger, and half fall-on-the-floor-laugh-out-loud comedy. If you think that doesn't add up right, you haven't taken into account that anger can be funny, and sometimes even wise. The columns date from the 1980's and are totally New York oriented, so if you don't think the Big Apple is the center of the universe you may find yourself annoyed, and the discussion of drug use will profoundly disturb some. But Heimel's not out to offend--she's just an urban divorced mother trying to live a worthwhile life. She's caught in the crossfire of mindless masculinity and rabid feminism, looking for a safe place for a love life, a job, and a family. Her most moving columns are about her son, and "Childhood is Powerful" should be required reading for prospective parents. In it, she talks about guilt, and how honesty with your child is more important than parental authority; and how limits must not be placed on your child in order to create that authority. "As much as love, empathy cures all evils." And "For Rent: Empty Nest" is a tear-and-smile inducing bit of writing that will resonate with every mother. "If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" isn't a perfect book, but it's bite-sized slices of life are well worth the price of admission, especially if your date is paying!

This book has no humor what's so ever,when I was reading this to my son it was hard to find anything funny in this book,and what did I find funny in this book,nothing.If you FIND something funny,fine, but if you DON'T, return it.(If you'd like to)

Having read the three earlier reviews I can only wonder how different the tastes and likings of people are. Two persons gave five stars, one gave one and I am giving two just because of the funny faces of the author on the back cover of the book. She might be an excellent presenter of stories. The stories reflect life and maybe true, but I did not find them funny. The book has positive values and gives some good lessons, but my review reflects the wrong promises of the front cover. The couple on the cover is just about exhausted about laughter. They may have their own jokes to laugh, but not those from the book. This review makes me sad, because it is terribly difficult to write a really funny book.

This book is hysterical! Real life is better than fiction, and in this case, a lot funnier! A compilation of funny stories and anecdotes from people across the country, dotted with a few true adventures from Liz's life. Help! is sure to tickle your funny bone, and reading it is a great way to spend an afternoon.

This was a good, clean fun book. I was reading it and the phone rang and I was laughing so hard I couldn't answer the phone. I enjoyd it! It is great for all ages!

If you love this guy, you can have him. I never liked his "appearances" on NPR's "All Things Considered," although I found THE CHRISTMAS STORY movie mildy amusing. People assured me I had to hear his original shows to understand his genius and all I know now is I'm roughly 50 bucks poorer for the effort. I return to my original impression (from almost 30 years ago) : the man was a witless lacrymose gasbag with an oedipal complex and absolutely nothing original or interesting to say. And he seems to be in love with himself as he jabbers on, chortling at his own "jokes" and generally coming off like a hick town Lenny Bruce wannabe. Boring, irritating and not funny. At least not to me.

as the master of the radio once put it, the transmision will go on for infinity traveling out into space and you only need the electronics to listen in again and again. we dont have to leave the comfort of the planet to catch his radio shows, a wonderful slice of the good life spitting out of those little coaxial drivers. recommended but from a person who cannot get enough jean shepherd.

I was in junior high shool in New York during the 60's. Each night I made sure to be in bed by 10:15pm so I could turn on my radio and listen to Jean Shepherd's show. Some shows were better than other's, but I enjoyed them all. If you haven't listened to him before, do so now. It's great to hear about Scutt Farkas, Grover Dill, Flick, Schwartz, The Bumpuses, W.C. Snelgrove and other great characters. They've got to make you laugh.

I like Jean Shepherd when I listen to him. I love to read him. I think Garrsion Keillor does a better job of radio presentation, but definitely took his lead from Shepherd. Shepherd, on the other hand, is the much better writer--light years ahead of Keillor.

What frustrated me most about this CD was that if I had to stop listening at any point in the, I couldn't just select the track where I'd left off and begin from that point. I had to go back to the beginning. It's irritating, and took away from my enjoyment of this. I think using the commercial breaks Shepherd takes in his show would be a natural breaking point, allowing the listener to take up where they left off.

So for the production company that put this together, may I suggest going back and reformatting this entire collection, because I'm betting you did it on all the other Shepherd cds you've made available.

Then they would be writing books like this ! It is a great account of the highs and lows of being young and free, wondering through popular European cities. It is a must for any young person coming to Europe and if you just want a laugh, well that to. It will make you look at buskers in a different light ! And it's brilliant continuation to "Don't Lean Out of the Window!". Enjoy.

Hell, the only bad thing I can think of is that it's too short. I could have gone on reading this for weeks. I've never read anything quite as brave as Don't Mention the War. These guys deserve a medal for pushing the boundaries of humorous travel writing out so far. It's certainly not going to be appreciated by anyone who takes themselves too seriously, but for the rest of us, including the authors, there's a lot of fun to be had by causing chaos across Europe. Sure, they take some swipes as us Americans, but gee, don't we deserve it sometimes? Their humor is never vicious towards us, and is often more self-deprecating than offensive. If you can handle travel writing flavored with a heavy dollop of irony, sandwiched between hilarious incidents and cheeky attitudes, you guys will enjoy this incredible book.

British authors Ferris and Bassett make sophomoric remarks and observations while traveling through several European countries. This is supposed to be humorous (and if you don't 'get' their juvenile brand of humor, why, that must be because you are American). The book is filled with little jabs at Americans, and one can only be left wondering why these Brits feel themselves to be so superior to the Americans and others they encounter on their travels. Surely it can't be due to their sense of humor or writing ability, which is junior-high level at best.

exactly what to be expected from an anthology. good introductions to the pieces, authors, etc. 'salright.

As its name describes, this book contains many known works of famous writers from Europe, Asia, and a few from Latin America. I was to read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert and I found in the introduction that the editors of this book gave away the ending in an attempt to summarize the plot. Thus I read over 200 pages knowing exactly what was the destiny of the main character!!! I do understand that many people do know the story, from beginning to end, but I also know that there are many others like me that have never read Madame Bovary. From now on I will avoid the introductions completely. It was cruel that editors from well known universities commit such atrocities. It clearly shows their lack of common sense and that even in the best universities people don't learn the basics.

Overall, this book provides an excellent survey of world literature from the Age of Reason to Post-Modernism.

The translations were very well done for all languages. I especially enjoyed the German works written by Goethe, Freud, Rilke, and Kafka. The footnotes served as a great tool in explaining that certain words chosen may not have been the exact equivalent, and definitions and examples are sometimes included to give the reader a better understanding of the messages conveyed by authors.

Unfortunately, I see some overlap in this book and in Norton's American Literature II and British Literature II. Also, the pronunciation guides in the beginning some stories such as Achebe's Things Fall Apart are quite limited.

The durability of the pages and covers of Norton's books have greatly improved. The type, font, kerning and spacing is fairly easy to read without too much eye strain, especially since the character size is so small.

This is not your mother's book on marrying Jewish (or not). It's totally tongue in cheek, and I must say I laughed my way through the entire book. The biblical references are reworked to fit the book's concept of the trials and tribulations of being Jewish and seeking love and long term commitment in today's world. Very clever overall.
If you like the humor of Dave Barry, Woody Allen and the like, this is a book you will love. I recommend it.

This is one of the most consistently hilarious novels I have ever read. It's admittidly on the short side, but the concentrated humor, layed dense on every page, certainly makes up for it. Dennis Kleinman tackles these issues with the perfect balance of wit, gravity and timing.

I would recommend this book to anyone, Jewish or no.

This is not really a book, but a short booklet.
Rather two very short booklets - one for men about women and one for women about men - pasted together back to back.

the level of humor in this book is pathetic. I couldn't find ONE funny line. it is not informative. It is not funny. it offers nothing but a waste of about 30 minutes of your time.

Anyone who recommended it must have done so because they are related to the authors or work for them. I'm serious

A homicidal tortoise, a man's head changes into that of a criminal with whom he has been drinking, and a observer follows the dead into a series of caves where, like Dante, they observe their torments. These are a few of the subject covered by this book of weird tales.

As noted by reviewer Rory Coker the stories are divided into categories dealing with haunted places, weird creatures, and fantasy. The stories cover a period roughly from the mid-19th century into the early decades of the 20th. One of stories that caught my attention was "The Mummies Foot" by Theophile Gautier, which I had read years before and did not have in any anthologies I currently have.

Like many anthologies of tales of terror the stories can be a bit uneven. I found H. L. Mencken's "The Windows of Horror" more of an amusing satire on the designers of women's clothing, although there is a connection to the "House of Wax" films. "The Graven Image" of William Sharp is a well written and conceived ghost story. There also are other familiar names in the collection that do not disappoint: Lafcadio Hearn's tale warns us not to make promises we cannot keep; Ambroise Bierce is his irreverent self as he talks to a demon and Sheridan Lefanu's shady astrologer.

While not all of the stories are on the same level this is a collection worth investigating. The book itself is well-made, as one expects from Dover, with type of a good size and a sturdy binding that is made to last.

This time around, editor Joshi has turned up little-known tales by familiar authors such as Blackwood and Machen, and even less well known tales by authors who'd rarely be suspected of such work, such as Edith Nesbit and H. L. Mencken. The overall literary standards are fairly high, with only two real bummers in the lot.

We begin with "ghost" tales by Arthur Quiller-Crouch, William Sharp, Robert Hichens (an interesting tale spoiled by being precisely two times too long!), Lafcadio Hearn, and Walter de la Mare. The ghost is a very problematical concept, internally contradictory--- an immaterial spirit could not be seen nor could it affect the waking world--- and almost guaranteed to lead the author artistically astray. Most of these tales do not avoid that trap, although one does not involve a ghost at all.

Next are some "haunted places" explored by W. W. Astor, Violet Hunt and James Hopper. The last of these tales suggests that the afterlife is to be spent attending the same school one attended as a child--- whether the experience was bliss or torture.

Next come "weird creatures," depicted by Gautier, Bierce, and W. F. Harvey. The best of these is Gautier's tale of the foot of the mummy of a lovely Egyptian princess... and with the foot in hand, guess who's not far behind.

Next we encounter "the superhuman," with tales by LeFanu, Barry Pain, Edith Nesbit (an excellent mad-scientist adventure!), H. L. Mencken (with a plot that would have made a good early 1940s Bela Lugosi movie) and Thomas Burke.

The low point of the collection is found in "terror of fantasy," with the contributions by Erckmann-Chatrian and Gertrude Atherton descending to depths of pure, mindless idiocy rarely encountered even in supernatural fiction.

Things pick up again with "cosmic terror," which contains a moving poem in prose by Lord Dunsany, a cautionary tale about the dangers of "knowing too much" by Blackwood, a short tale that contemplates the total destruction of the earth with what is probably the only possible dignified attitude, from J. D. Beresford, and finally Lovecraft protege R. H. Barlow, characteristically looking forward from 1940 to a theme that came to dominate science fiction in the early 1950s.

Worth the money and worth your time.

We bought Picture Stories from the Bible along with the Comic Book Bible, and the Picture Bible. Our favorite out of the three was the Picture Bible. Feels nice, looks nice, glossy pages, etc. Also, very comprehensive representation of the Bible. We are giving it to kids aged 6-9 for Christmas, and as an adult, I also enjoy reading it. Amazon's price is a real bargain. The Comic Book Bible was okay, more for the younger set and early readers. Picture Stories from the Bible seemed out-dated and was just not as impressive to us. Also, it showed more gruesome details such as Judas hanging from a tree, and blood on Jesus, both of which were unnecessary.

This book, and its companion volume, are great additions to anyone's library. Children are drawn to comic books, and it never hurts to encourage kids to read on their own. The stories are a bit simplified, but that's actually a plus. The stories stick to the main point, and anyone interested in the stories after reading this can go to a standard bible for further information. For those who do not "support" the bible, the stories are still captivating, filled with drama, heroes and villains, adventure and challenges. Parents may want to scan the books before letting their children read them so they can see what's inside, but these stories are harmless entertainment and the children may end up better people for reading them.

How many ways can Dickens' classic story be retold? What with Muppets, comedies, musicals, and dozens of dramatic renditions, one might think that there is no fresh take on this tale.

If one thought that, though, one would be wrong.

For anyone who enjoys Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" style of humor, this book is a must. David Boyd's illustrations will look very familiar because he also illustrates Foxworthy's books. The text is clever, fast paced, and awfully funny to those of us who live in the South. (Hey, I just got a dead car out of my yard, so I can't be too quick to point the finger at rednecks!)

A great gift for your favorite redneck or recneck wannabe.

Laugh at all the rednecks you know and love with this dead-on parody of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. Helton and Yow's jokes and gags are perfectly illustrated by David Boyd.