Governments

"Let Every Child Be Wanted" is an excellent book in story telling and history reviewing on world's contraceptives social marketing. Besides its vivid and detailed description of many interesting events, it is also a classic textbook on the development, the principles and the practice of the social marketing programs. This is a great book not only for those social marketing pros, but also I believe sales/marketing people, entrepreneurs, health professionals, social workers, government officials and even recreactional readers will find it very interesting and beneficial. I enjoy reading it very much.

If you are interested in social marketing, HIV prevention, or family planning (as I am), this book is a late night page turner. It contains plenty of description and discussion on the practical and concrete side of actually running a program - a must for anyone in the field - as well as a colorful history on social marketing. However, it goes beyond that to answer some of the academic debate on cost effectiveness, program efficiencies, and issues such as pricing, measuring results, and social marketing "models." Most of all, this book had me laughing out loud with anecdotal stories of Bangladeshi Presidents requesting that condom signs be taken down, descriptions of rotating heart-shaped waterbeds in the Philippines, and stories about condoms from around the world. A social marketing Bible.

Clear, concise, insightful with lots of anecdotes, "Let Every Child Be Wanted" is a book that I couldn't put down until finished. I recommend it highly!

This is a wonderful book about a father and son leading revisions in southern traditions. The father's dreams and roots are within the son's reality and fruits. Al Gore Jr. has fully developed into the responsible man his father has molded. The subtle teachings from Gore's grandparents to parents to children actually helped transform the south and is evident throughout the book.

Although Al Gore Sr. voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act for political survival it did not deter his march to changes in character. Today, Affirmative Action, Unions and Abortion Rights are now accepted in Tennessee something that was Anathema in prior history and shows Gores real profile of courage.

The father's legacy can be carried on by the son's leadership by the abandonment of the "Politics Of Demagogues." Athens was a pure democracy where every citizen could vote on anything and the majority ruled. Leaders struggled for power by convincing the people they had the best plans for them. Overtime, the education of aristocrats produced many able men, but the poor who could not afford schooling fell victim to listening despots, agitators and demagogues.

Demagogues were candidates who promised anything to gain power and worried more about how they said something, rather what they were saying. These demagogues eliminated many good man from achieving office who would provide not just a life but a good life for the people. For example, Socrates was voted by the people to commit suicide, Themistocles was sent into exile. Eventually, Athens fell from plague within while fighting a Persian siege from abroad. The author reflects on such events of his own experiences.

Al Gore can change the Democratic Demagogues preaching class warfare like his father changed the segregationists. The pitting of "haves" against "have nots," seniors entitlements versus children's futures, and the uneducated hostile to the educated like the old south, has pass its time!

As in the book Democrats must change for the betterment of all. The day of tax and spend remedies that die under there own weight of too many taxes and too few revenues needs to change. Regulated private and semi-private solutions to public problems is a good alternative compromise. And where private solutions fail, government can step in for the benefit of the needy. Al Gore can lead the Democrats and Republicans to reach beyond history, toward a blazing more encompassing future of good ideas to eliminate class envy by letting people help people, not degrade each other.

"Let the Glory Out," has the solutions for new ideology within the courage of Al Gore's boyhood from father to son. The age of Democratic Demagogues promising free health care, free housing and free prescriptions' drugs when nothing comes free without burdens must end. At the same time, saying opponents will starve babies, cause dirty water and let the elderly die is pure demagoguery and must end too!

What I found refreshing in the book is Gore admissions that he often goes overboard in his zeal to serve the public. Whether it be mean personal attacks, over exaggerations or passionate pleads, he reflects after each one of them wondering if he has gone too far. More evidence of Gore being a man with a conscious and his concession speech was one of the finest ever given in history after a long bitter political fight.

The father's memoir shows the reader a quick look into a public servant who changed not himself but an entire state for the better. A simple story shared with a devoted son about his father in a way we learn more about the author's values too! I highly recommend it!

Albert Gore Sr. was an incredible politician and public servant, ahead of his time. It is shame, in a way, that we can't have him for President. But, in this meantime, it is valuable to read the how, where, and why Al Gore got the values he did, and strong values they are.

It is easy to see why Al Gore has grown up to be the man he is. In Al Gore Sr.'s political memoir, we see a rare figure in American politics--a man who is slow to reason, but quick to act; smart enough to understand the issues, but compassionate enough to think of the consequences of his policies. Senator Gore held firm to basic American values during the turbulent times of his political career, the values of fairness and concern for the little guy. Even if it weren't a good background study into what makes our VP (and possibly next president) tick, and regardless of one's political persuasion "Let the Glory Out"--with its great introduction and eulogy from junior to senior Gore--is a terrific testimony of the love between father and son.

This book details the blood-drenched history of the Soviet regime, an evil empire founded on slavery and mass murder. Calculating the death toll at nearly 62 million, it exposes the practical results of Lenin's dictum that those who are against cruelty do not understand the most basic Marxism.

Rummel shows that the Bolsheviks created a police state from the very beginning, provoking hundreds of popular rebellions from the first moment of their coup. By the end of the Civil War, Lenin and Trotsky had massacred perhaps half a million innocent people - between 50,000 and 150,000 were butchered in the Crimea alone - while establishing over 300 concentration camps. But their worst crime was the man-made famine which killed some 5 million men, women and children - a catastrophe caused by Soviet plunder and prolonged by the deliberate export of vital food supplies.

Most of the book, however, is devoted to the seemingly endless catalogue of bloodbaths and genocides inflicted by Stalin, starting with the slaughter of the kulaks and the forced famine in the Ukraine, and proceeding through the Great Terror and the climax of the Gulag during and after the Second World War. While millions were being brutally worked to death in subzero temperatures - the Kolyma camps alone killed 3 million people, more than twice the death toll at Auschwitz - the Soviets were deporting millions more from the newly subjugated colonies of Eastern Europe. As Rummel demonstrates, the communists targeted not only so-called class enemies but also entire national, ethnic and religious minorities as well as ordinary people who were murdered simply in order to meet state killing quotas.

The book concludes with the little-known post-Stalin death toll. During this period several million people quietly disappeared in the Gulag, and the Red Army committed genocide against the people of Afghanistan.

Readers may also wish to consult Rummel's book China's Bloody Century (which addresses the strikingly similar crimes of Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Tse-Tung), as well as his Death by Government (which discusses Marxist bloodbaths in Yugoslavia, North Korea, Cambodia and Vietnam). Rummel's book is also an excellent companion to Stephane Courtois, The Black Book of Communism.

This is the best book ever written about the Soviet Union - in fact, it is one of the very few which are even honest. The author, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii, demonstrates that the Soviet Union committed terrible crimes against humanity, including huge massacres, forced famines and slave labour. The atrocities began with the October Revolution in 1917 and continued with Stalin's genocides against national, religious & socio-economic groups, the mass purges in Eastern Europe and the silent deaths of millions in the Gulag during the '50s, '60s, & '70s. The book concludes with the genocidal invasion of Afghanistan.

If you only want to read one book on the Soviet regime, this is it. It shows that every Soviet dictator - from Lenin to Gorbachev - committed terrible atrocities against entire populations, including large-scale massacres, man-made terror-famines, and the destruction of millions in concentration camps. After discussing the historical record, the author collects and analyses thousands of estimates of the Soviet death toll, which he calculates at nearly 62 million. This book should be compulsory reading for anyone who cares about human rights.

Mansour El-Kikhia provides a critical and entertaining account of the 'unique' and flawed political system that Ghadafi has instituted in Libya. I found it balanced and very relevant. This system has produced some interesting, if puzzling, results in the course of its implementation that clearly demonstrate its shortcomings and its proclivity to suffer from excessive zeal .
El-Kihia shows how Qadhafi has concentrated power to the provinces where the Colonel's extended family members wield important posts in the army and provincial government. The concept of a formal head of state has also been revised in favor of designating an official leader. El-Kikhia also suggests that there has been a concerted effort to diminish the influence of technocrats and educated personnel, who have been instrumental in ceating the institutions to manage the oil economy and important political negotiations with the outside world, in favor of the ideologues of the revolutionary cadres . Certainly this is in accordance with the pattern of power distribution that has prevailed in Libya since the al-Fatah revolution.
There are also accounts of the decline of culture and eductaion as a result of Qadhafi's policies and the profusion of ideology in all aspects of daily life.

As a political science major at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and also a frequent student of Dr. El-Kikhia, having read this book I can say that it is absolutely essential to an understanding of Libya's past and present political course and journey. Dr. El-Kikhia's unique perspective and special knowledge presents both the average reader and political science student with a powerful insight into the core of Quaddafi's world.

As a student of Professor El-kikhia's Foreign Policy courses, I can address his almost uncanny knowledge and understanding of foreign policy and the Middle East in specific. I would wholeheartedly recommend this and any other of Professor El-Kikhia's books to those who wish to educate themselves in foreign policy in this unique sector of the globe.

Ben Herd

There are some who consider Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln the two greatest writers in American history- and not in that order. Others have compared Lincoln's eloquence to none other than Shakespeare. Both are wonderful compliments, and in my mind highly accurate. Abraham Lincoln was a master of the English language.

This is a nice single volume of Lincoln's best known writings. It has all the great speeches you have heard of (Gettysburg Address, etc.)plus many the non specialist might have missed. If you are a specialist, you probably already own Roy Basler's nine volume set of Lincoln's writings. If you do not, this fine volume will suit you nicely and help you to understand why Lincoln is the revered man that he is.

This is a great book. I think the introduction is the best. It is interesting plus you really feel Lincoln was a man of the people. My favorite part was when Lincoln had one of his sons in a wagon. Lincoln was so much in his thoughts that the child fell out and was crying loudly and Lincoln kept walking dragging an empty wagon behind him.

I have a large Civil War library, and if there was a fire, this is the one Lincoln book I would try to rescue. Despite being written almost 50 years ago, the book's strong point is not its selection of Lincoln's writings (although that is quite good), but its masterful biographical sketch of Lincoln by Stern. Almost seven score since Lincoln's death, there is still no other satisfying BRIEF biography. In about 200 pages, Stern has managed to capture, in skilfull prose, all the important facts while still having room for some less-wordy, interesting comments. Each important event is succinctly captured in a couple paragraphs. I like that Stern actually calls Lincoln "neurotic" in certain personal aspects. I also like his passages on Willie Lincoln's death, emancipation, and the war's closing. There's really not enough room for any heavy politically-influenced interpretations of issues like those in modern long biographies,and that's why Stern's sketch can't be considered outdated. Some people may not like the short description of Lincoln's assassination, and I thought Stern spent too much ink on Lincoln's final attempts to compensate the South. Since the book predates the most comprehensive, closely-inspected collection of Lincoln's letters, there may be some inaccuracies in the writings reproduced here. However, the selection is an excellent one, linked together well with intros by Stern. I can't imagine this was an easy job for Stern and I'm lost why it's been virtually ignored. But all in all, I can only repeat, if you want to know the most about Lincoln in the fewest words, and have your interest held throughout, just buy this book and you're set!

Machiavelli's Republican should prove to be an eye opener for any critical citizen. It is an excellent vehicle for stating what many of us have already intuited for years. I would recommend it highly to anyone who is serious about wading through the manufactured morass of "PoliSpeak and PoliDo" that is modern American politics.

Dr. Blue's, through the personna of Machiavelli, depicts the Republican philosophical platform and their methods in a clear and irrefutable form.

What this book is missing is an expanded view of how Machiavellian thinking affects all of American politics and not just the Republican Party form of it.

This book is a masterful summation of modern day conservative republican thinking and behavior. Although presented in an unflattering light, Mr. Blue provides concrete examples of their thinking without creative editing. At the same time he shows how they have distorted or ignored the writings of the founding fathers and the bible to support their twisted views. It's almost as if he has been channeling the right wing viewer callers to C-SPAN rather than Machiavelli.

This book is a masterful summation of modern day conservative republican thinking and behavior. Although presented in an unflattering light, Mr. Blue provides concrete examples of their thinking without creative editing. At the same time he shows how they have distorted or ignored the writings of the founding fathers and the bible to support their twisted views. It's almost as if he has been channeling the right wing viewer callers to C-SPAN rather than Machiavelli.

The global economy, especially those aspects dealing with global finance, often appear to be intimidating in their complexity. Susan Strange decodes processes of finance and monetary policy and puts them in terms that just about anyone can understand. There is, in fact, nothing that complex about these processes at all. The metaphor of "casino capitalism" still holds...and they are playing with your money. One would do well to read this in combination with a book by George Soros. Comprehensive, but readable. A great book.

Please me know if this book will be tranlsated into Korean, in a few year

I would like to know if that book is going to be translate in french. Thank you.

Hybel lectures on his book at Connecticut College, and you need to read for the mid term;)

Hybel here presents a broad-reaching description and analisys of the political and economic processes which led to the system we live in today. The inherent complexity of this is deftly handeled in a way that makes it appear simple.

Essential reading for internationalists or political economists, or for that matter anyone intersted in why the world works like it does. Done in a straightforward style which avoids overly-technical jargon.

Furthermore, Hybel presents a fresh viewpoint. Often the contrarian, he challenges those who say globalization, a force in and of itself, is rendering traditional strategic theory obsolete.

This book is very informative and you can definatly tell that the author knows what he is talking about. His writing style is unique and a pleasure to read. Even though it's at times confusing, in the end you come out as a more knowledgeable person.

Smart cities, intelligent cities, thinking cities, learning cities - whatever your city's aspirations this book will not only make you think, it will make you act. I couldn't put it down as page after page of ideas, facts, case studies and new knowledge came before me. This is a must-read not just for educators but for councillors, city professionals and anyone who has the future of our cities in mind.

'A well-written, ideas-packed and scholarly text on its theme' (Biochemical education) 'I found this book tremendously stimulating' (Teaching in Higher Education) 'An excellent book in which the authors define Lifelong Learning and describe its far-reaching implications for every organisation, nation and individual throughout the world' (Times Ed Supp)

These are just three comments from the reviews of Professor Longworth's first book 'Lifelong Learning' (ISBN 0 7494 1972 5). In this forthcoming sequel, he turns his attention to how Lifelong Learning can be made to work in the community. He describes it as an agent for understanding and coping with accelerating change, using examples from communities which are already adapting for the future.

International Governmental Organisations like OECD, UNESCO and the World Bank may develop Lifelong Learning guidelines and Governments may produce White Papers, he says, but the place where it will happen is in the cities, towns and regions where the people live. This is where the action takes place.

This book will provide food for thought for opinion formers and decision makers as well as crucial material for teachers and lecturers, course developers and trainers in industry. But it will be of especial interest to civic leaders, professionals in all parts of local government and indeed all citizens with a concern for the future of their community.

CONTENTS

Within the many fascinating pages of this extra-ordinary book are:

1. Case Studies and examples from Britain, USA, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan, Spain and many other countries.

2. Examples of schools, businesses, universities, towns, cities, regions, adult education colleges etc meeting the challenge of the learning century

3. New insights and vision into the nature and content of lifelong learning and the actions needed to make it happen in all sectors of the community

4. Advice on strategies and action plans to help every town, city and region become a Learning Community

THE BOOK THAT WILL TRANSFORM EVERY CITY, TOWN AND REGION INTO A LEARNING, CARING AND UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY

MAKING LIFELONG LEARNING WORK LEARNING CITIES FOR A LEARNING CENTURY

Norman Longworth

Lifelong learning is no longer merely a philosophy. As Norman Longworth shows in this lively and inspiring book, it has now become a rapidly developing reality. Learning communities, where business and industry, schools, colleges, universities, professional organizations and local government co-operate and build a dynamic new environment to foster learning, are springing up throughout the world. The future for learning, from cradle to grave, is entering an exciting new phase.

Using many concrete examples of learning communities that are already adapting for the future, Norman Longworth also describes the circumstances under which lifelong learning can help cities, towns and regions to design and implement strategies for change. Packed with case studies and vital insights into the world of learning communities, the book provides a highly readable and thought-provoking glimpse of the future of learning within society and the city.

This book's strength lies in Norman Longworth's deep knowledge of the multi-faceted nature of lifelong learning and the sympathetic, entertaining and highly readable way in which he describes the future of communities and their relationship to a globalised world. The future of learning is already here. Making Lifelong Learning Work distils the best global practices into workable local solutions and will make compelling and indispensible reading for every person, private or professional, in local government, education, industry and the community at large.

The Author:

Professor Norman Longworth has worked in Universities, Industry, Education and Professional Associations. He was awarded one of the first UNESCO Chairs in 1990 and is now a visiting professor at Napier and Sheffield Hallam Universities, where he is establishing a 'centre for the learning city'. He has a worldwide reputation in both distance education and lifelong learning through his innovative work in schools, universities, industry and the European Lifelong Learning Initiative, of which he was President and the World Initiative on Lifelong Learning, of which he was Vice-President. His previous book for Kogan Page, 'Lifelong Learning' co-written with Keith Davies, was published to great critical acclaim.

Courage has to do with "big heartedness." I have read about many courageous people but few as courageous as this man. If you are a seeking a role model, a template for bringing meaning to life, then read this book. It made me realize the essence of non-violent living, gave me a clearer picture of Gandhi, helped me to see how little wisdom is exhibited in our leaders today.....and offered a hope for a new way of being. A way for bringing deep meaning to life. This is an important book and an important man. I intend to use it as a text in the class I teach at WPI.

This is an awesome book. I read it before 9/11/2000. I have always been interested in non-violence, and revere Gandhi and MLK Jr. We need the message of this book now, more than ever. This is "must reading" for Americans, westerners and Christians. Islam means peace. Here is a man who put his life on the line to LIVE his faith. Like Gandhi, his teacher, he suffered persecution and imprisonment for his efforts to bring a peaceful interpretation of Islam to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is a saint who should be revered by all the people of the book.

This book really demonstrates how you can incorporate non-violence into every aspect of your daily life. This brought me to a new sense of understanding about the world, its people and our conflicts, and how petty or large ones can be avoided and not escalated.

Particularly relevant is how Khan came from the Pathans, or tribe with a reputation of violence which covers much of Afghanistan, and so much in the news today. Khan however raised history's first "non-violent army" of 100,000 men form the ruthless Pathan tradition, and who through non-violent means courageously stood up unarmed against injustice.

Read this book, it is truly outstanding, and preferably after having read "Gandhi The Man" by the same author - Eknath Easwaran.

John Chamberlain