Shrub : The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush
Average Customer Review:
Audio Cassette (15 February, 2000)
list price: $25.00 -- our price: $15.75
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

"Youthful political reporters are always told there are three ways to judge a politician," write Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose in Shrub. "The first is to look at the record. The second is to look at the record. And third, look at the record." The record under scrutiny in this brief, informative book belongs to one George W. Bush--dubbed "Shrub" by Ivins--governor of Texas and 2000 presidential hopeful. These two veteran journalists know how politics are played in Texas and they've done their homework, writing a comprehensive examination of Bush's professional and political life that's a lively read, to boot. And if the title alone doesn't convey their particular slant, perhaps the following caveat from the introduction will: "If, at the end of this short book, you find W. Bush's political résumé a little light, don't blame us. There's really not much there. We have been looking for six years."

Beginning with his admission to the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam War (where he bypassed a waiting list of about 100,000), the authors go on to deconstruct his losing congressional bid, his failed career as an oil executive, and his role as managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, revealing how he was helped every step of the way by wealthy and influential friends of the family. Ever popular, Dubya has always been good at rounding up powerful players to bankroll a variety of ventures, including political campaigns. For this reason, explain the authors, along with his lineage and social status, Bush's primary allegiance is to the business community. While his speeches may deal with the "entertainment issues" of "God, guns, and gays," Bush is a "wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America," they write. They further point out that Texas ranks near the bottom of the nation in terms of a number of social categories, such as poverty, health insurance for children, and pollution, spearing the governor for his less-than-compassionate conservatism.

Shrub is not a complete Bush whacking, though. The authors laud the governor's record on education, in which he has managed to raise standards, push local control of schools, and launch a successful reading campaign. They also cite his wooing of the Hispanic vote and his ability to bridge the gap between the Christian right and the economic conservatives within the Republican party as evidence of true political acumen, though they maintain he lacks a penchant for actual governing: "From the record, it appears that he doesn't know much, doesn't do much and doesn't care much about governing." Bush has admitted that he dislikes reading, particularly about policy issues, and that he hates meetings and briefings, causing the authors to wonder, "The puzzle of Bush is why someone with so little interest in or attention for policy, for making government work, would want the job of president, or even governor."

Love him or leave him, Shrub leaves much to consider about the man who would be president. And it can be read in about a day. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Features

• Unabridged

Reviews (132)

Should Have Been Called "When Nice Guys do Awful Things."
What I appreciate most about Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose is their concentration on the actions of George W. Bush rather than his supposed character.They make it clear that Bush is an amicable, likable rascal, but they make it equally clear that what really matters about Bush is his effect on his electorate through his policy-making (and also his behavior before he moved into the world of politics).They home in on Bush's pet issues and then demonstrate the effects of his policies in those areas.

The book is written in an editorial style and thus should not be treated as an academic or objective work of political analysis.Ivins' and Dubose's political leanings are relatively transparent, but getting angry with them for that is about the same as getting mad at Anne Coulter for being conservative.With all books of this type, you assume the author is biased and is writing for a specific market.However, this does not mean that Shrub should be disregarded.A little digging into the record of George W., and you'll have the "proof" you've been seeking.In the age of computers, it isn't that hard to find a reference article or two about virtually all of the claims made by Ivins and Dubose.That being said, it would have been nice if the authors had thought to include a bibliography.

References and footnotes aside though, this book is loaded with solid examples of how Bush's allegiances and preferences affect and inform his policies, and how those policies translate into real-world results.Their assessments of Bush's policies are not unreasonable given the results they have wrought.

Required Reading, Especially in the Red States
I read this book years ago and was highly impressed by the facts assembled and the support in which those facts were grounded.

"Thank heavens Molly Ivins is here to reveal to the American people what a mediocre, bungling, occasionally mean-spirited, non-entity George Bush is," I thought while reading this book.

"Molly has done the background work so that we don't ever make the mistake of giving George Bush so much power that he can cause trouble on a national, heaven forfend, on an international scale."

Well, I write these words a few days after the presidential election of 2004.

This much is true -- Molly Ivins has written a good book. She did give us the salient facts, she does present them in a brisk, humorous and pithy way, and she does put solid support behind everything she says.

In other words, it's not Molly Ivins' fault.

Anyway, it's not too late to read this book, and, along with other books by folks like Richard Clarke, Joseph Wilson, and Paul O'Neill / Ron Suskind, I recommend that you do. Especially if you live in a red state. As the evangelical pastors say, it's never too late to repent, no matter how much damage you've done.

Partisan tripe of the worst kind
The sheer disgust I felt while reading this worthless waste of paper and ink is indescribable. Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose ramble on and on with charges and accusations with absolutely no credible sources or facts to back their claims, with no purpose other than to tarnish the reputation of a man rising to greatness. This book was a complete and utter waste of time, giving a bad name to honest, unbiased documentarians everywhere. Obviously charged with blatant partisanship, I hate that I wasted money and time purchasing it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0375410171
Subjects:  1. Audio - Nonfiction (Unabridged)    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Biography    4. Children of presidents    5. General    6. Governors    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Political    9. Presidential candidates    10. Texas    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

The Annotated AA Handbook : A Companion to the Big Book
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 2000)
list price: $20.00 -- our price: $14.00
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (16)

A Remarkable Wonderful Tool
I have tried to be a careful student of the Big Book for many years.It is the most important book in my life.This volume is an invaluable tool for studying the Big Book.It's comments are clear, insightful, and helpful.It is clearly the product of years of study.The author keeps the comments brief, accurate and writes withstyle of deep humility that comes from practicing this program over time.

I rate this book as one of the top three tools to study the Big Book.The other two are Joe and Charlie tapes and e-AA, an electronic vesion of the Big Book with concordance, subject index, original manuscript etc from anonpress.org.

Can not recommend.
I found the editing of this edition to be amateurish and poorly done (for instance, the last 30 or so pages are repeated).
Anyone interested in the text of the First Edition would be better off using the Anonymous Press's reproduction.

THIS BOOK IS WORTH BUYING
The Annotated AA Handbook explains the directions for working the 12 steps using the first edition Big Book text and stories. There is a massive amount of commentary explaining almost every sentence of the Big Book. The annotations illustrate how the principles of AA apply to our lives and how we can live the program. I am amazed at the amount of study and understanding that writing this book must have required. The cross refs really enable us to more fully understand the AA program. There are tables included that show what the Big Book has to say about topics such as: Reasons to Believe; Medical Opinions of Alcoholism, Attitudes that Hinder our Progress; Directions for making a Beginning. Chapter 5 includes GREAT tables for doing our fourth steps. The index is amazing in itself -- the best I have ever seen, and way better than a concordance. Every chapter has an introduction and section showing an outline of concepts presented that I found especially helpful. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the 12 steps, AA history, the writers of the first edition stories, and especially those who want to recover from alcoholism. Buy this book! ... Read more

Isbn: 1569801649
Sales Rank: 68286
Subjects:  1. General    2. Reference    3. Self-Help / Alcoholism    4. Self-Help / Recovery    5. Alcoholics    6. Alcoholics Anonymous    7. Alcoholism    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Recovery    10. Reference / General    11. Rehabilitation    12. Self-Help    13. Twelve-Step Programs   

Guns & Ammo
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $47.88 -- our price: $14.97
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (5)

great magazine
A great magazine for any one interested in the shooting sports. It has articles for the experienced and novice alike. Basically a great all around magazine.

good contenet
This is a great magazine.The editors work hard to keep up with the latest developments. The editors also keep reaching out to the novice as well. So the experienced and novice will find this magazine helpful.

Good, but there's only so much you can say
When I was a regular shooter I found G&A interesting, but after a few years you notice there's only so much news out there. Maybe a few articles after the annual shows, and once every few years something new like the .17 rimfire comes along.

But after a few years you notice the same articles start showing up with depressing regularity. How many times can you read "30-06 or .308- which is better?" or "Is the .30-30 obsolete?" or (and this is the worst) "Stopping Power: What are the facts?"

I ended up dropping all my shooting magazines except American Rifleman. That seems to be enough. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7QM
Sales Rank: 344
Subjects:  1. Sport & Leisure    2. Hunting    3. Firearms   

Weapon Tech: G36 Assault Rifle
Average Customer Review:
Toy

US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (3)

the nothing shooting gun
This gun is dumb because it doesn't shoot anything. It should shoot bullets or at least bb's. If guns don't shoot anything, they're stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great item for your collection
I was very pleased with this item. It is well made, sturdy, displays nicely and it was a cinch to put together. Like the other weapons in the series it allows for several assembly combinations, but in this case they follow real action performance criteria (support fire, assault, etc.). Weather you want to collect mint-in-box or to display it with action figures or alone, this is a great addition. I don't believe this is an item appropriate or useful for children (even those who play with G.I. Joes) as it is too delicate and can fall apart easily. The low rating for educational value is in lieu of skipping the rating which the system does not allow.

want a cool new rifle with many options?
this is a great rifle if you have ever seen tomb raider the movie when they were in the second ice cave those rifles they were using is the g36 which is this set, its very cool a great gift or buy ... Read more

Asin: B00007M9HX
Sales Rank: 17305
Subjects:  1. Military    2. Action Figure Accessories   

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 April, 2000)
list price: $16.95 -- our price: $11.53
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. Although Kiyosaki can take a frustratingly long time to make his points, his book nonetheless compellingly advocates for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how those assets might be acquired so that the jobs can eventually be shed. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (1627)

This book will change your life...
After reading Rich Dad/Poor Dad, a question posed in the book kept echoing in my head: Who is in debt to you? I gave considerable thought to the fact that most people I know are in debt to other people and no one (other than their kids) owe them money. I began to ponder further: Do I know anyone positioned to receive passive (real estate) or portfolio income on a regular basis? The answer was NO. After much discussion, my husband and I decided to purchase investment real estate rather than personal property first.This was the best investment decision we could have made. Here we are at age 34 with three apartment buildings and finally our own home.As a teacher, I also encouraged my school to allow me to teach a financial literacy class to interested students.The students enjoyed the "rat race" game and key lessons about the distinctions between earned, passive, and portfolio income.Personally, I cannot thank Robert Kiyosaki enough for opening my eyes to the possibility of financial freedom.Due to this book, I believe financial freedom will be a reality for us before our retirement years.

Jump Start Your Financial IQ
I believe that this book is a great read for anyone looking to get some background and some ideas about personal finance.As a young "professional" I have worried about falling into the rat race but until I read this book I never knew how to avoid it.I grew up in an educated family with the typical goals as presented in the book, get good grades, get a good job, work forever.Now I can start thinking about things in terms of the income sheet vs. balance statement and making money work for me instead of working for money.

The ideas presented in this book make sense and I appreciate the fact that he gives hope to those of use that aren't starting out with a large inheritance.But, at the same time, he reiterates the point throughout that not everyone has the ability or the will to put in the effort necessary to get out of the rat race.This book has inspired me to read more and especially LEARN more about personal finances, real estate, and investing.

Verbose and Oversimplified
Kiyosaki is correct saying that schools don't teach money skills, and that much of what we buy (eg. cars, boats) are poor investments because of the immediate and substantial depreciation upon purchase.

However, to also state that an owner-occupied home is a liability (incur taxes, repair, and other costs), not an asset, is going too far.An owner-occupied home may be the only "asset" that allows personal enjoyment and substantial appreciation gains at the same time.Further, unlike owning rentals, it has a much lower risk of serious damage from irresponsible occupants.True one does become exposed to the risk of losing one's home if one becomes overextended; however, many have lost money on rental properties also - forcing unplanned early selling because of various inherent problems.And once one reaches retirement age, the home can be reverse-mortgaged and provide a good supplemental retirement income.

The author's bias is towards buying rental properties.However, this "business" is one that has been sold for years by others (eg. Allen), and I've always wondered why, if the business was really so good, they would want to focus on teaching others to become additional competitors bidding up acquisition prices to unrealistic levels, instead of quietly doing it themselves.The "business model" quickly becomes overcrowded and infeasible.

Kiyosaki also makes a big point about wage-earners constantly paying taxes and increasing expenditures at a rate equal or greater than income.Unfortunately, he forgets to mention that wage-earners have an increasing number of means to reduce taxes (eg. Keogh and IRA plans), and those deriving income from investments are just as vulnerable to becoming over-committed financial as wage-earners.

The other problem I had with the book is that it is too verbose - taking entirely too long to make a few points.Perhaps that was the point - to drag it out so that readers wouldn't realize how little they were getting.

Kiyosaki would serve his readers better if he also talked about the value of getting and keeping a "safe" job (eg. in government, education, or healthcare) with good benefits, maintaining a two-income family (both work; avoid divorce) ... Read more

Isbn: 0446677450
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Finance, Personal    4. Investments    5. Personal Finance    6. Personal Finance - General    7. Personal Finance - Investing    8. Rich people    9. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Investing   

National Geographic Atlas Of The World 7th Edition
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 November, 1999)
list price: $150.00
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When National Geographic published its first Atlas of the World more than 35 years ago, the world was indeed a different place. In order to cover today's world--including its oceans, stars, climate, natural resources, and more--National Geographic has published its seventh edition of the Atlas of the World. With each new edition, National Geographic strives to make its atlas more than just maps. You'll learn that the coldest place in the world is the Plateau Station in Antarctica, where the average daily temperature is minus 56.7 degrees Celsius; the most populated continent is Asia, with more than 3.6 billion people, or 60.8 percent of the world's population; the driest place on earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile; a flight from New Delhi to Rio de Janeiro covers 14,080 kilometers; life expectancy in the Republic of Zambia is 37 years; and the literacy rate in Turkmenistan is 98 percent.

Flip through the pages of this impressive book and you will feel as though the world is literally at your fingertips. Full-page spreads are devoted to more than 75 political and physical maps (political maps show borders; physical maps show mountains, water, valleys, and vegetation). There are many new touches to be found in this edition, including increased usage of satellite images, an especially helpful feature when researching the most remote regions of the earth; more than 50 updated political maps that record the impact of wars, revolutions, treaties, elections, and other events; and the use of the latest research on topics such as tectonics, oceanography, climate, and natural resources. The sheer size of the atlas's index--134 pages--offers insight into just how much information is packed into 260-plus pages. The book is so physically large, in fact, that when it's open, the reader is staring at three square feet of information, a surface area larger than many television screens. The potential uses of this book for a family are vast, from settling a friendly argument to completing a school report. In the end, though, the atlas is still mostly about maps. Pages and pages of maps. Maps that force us to see how wonderful and dynamic our world is. Maps that remind us of where we've been and where we'd still like to go. --John Russell ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Incredible Family Resource
I've had the new atlas for 60 days and find myself looking something up every 2-3 days. It's really been fun looking up remote places like Palmyra Atoll, Kerguelen Island, the Fly River and other obscure places I read about.

And now I've found an interesting use for the password protected online atlas as well. The online Atlas gives you high-resolution access to all the Atlas map plates. You can print, copy or email maps or portions of maps. I expect the online Atlas to come in handy for school projects.

If you've read through the reviews you'll know the Iranians are upset about the "renaming" of the Persian Gulf. OK, since I'm at work, I'll log in to the password protected Atlas website, pull up Plate 75 and take a look. The Persian Gulf is labeled "Persian Gulf" but underneath it in parentheses is the label "Arabian Gulf". Apparently "Arabian Gulf", even in parentheses, is an affront to Iranian pride.

I want to be fair on this so I decided to check out some other atlases at my local bookstore to see how they handle the Gulf label. Most of the atlases use the term Persian Gulf by itself, but several prominent, highly-rated Atlases use the label "The Gulf" with no Persian or Arabian modifier, so there is legitimate debate in the cartographic world about how to refer to this body of water. For nationalistic reasons the Iranians want it only to be called the Persian Gulf, but I suspect the other countries bordering the Gulf would disagree. Most people will continue to call it the Persian Gulf, and the NGS Atlas appropriately uses that name as the primary label.

However, Iran does not own the Persian Gulf, and if a different name is now used by millions of people, then you have to admire the NGS for including both labels and not bowing to pressure from any political group, unlike the Atlases that meekly call it "The Gulf". I sympathize with the Iranian's anger over what they perceive to be psychological warfare by the Arabs, but I would still prefer to know if an alternate name is in use locally, and that is what the NGS atlas provides. Geographic names evolve, and the NGS continues its strong history of providing up-to-date cartography.

The new NGS World Atlas is among the top two or three World Atlases available, and the discounted price from Amazon makes it a relative bargain, especially when you consider you also get an online Atlas that mirrors the printed edition.

I for one feel the maps in the NGS World Atlas are as accurate and beautiful as you will find anywhere and now they're available online as well. This is a great family resource.

Fantastic, but doesn't live up to all advertisements
With a limited number of printings and a three-digit price, you expect great things from National Geographic's Altas of the World. And, for the most part, the book delivers. In lieu of a long review, I though I'd just come up with some pros and cons to explain why I gave the book the rating I did.

Pros: amazing quality of pictures/maps, city maps, intresting nation and political information, wealth of information, built-in bookmark.

Cons: not 400 pages like amazon claims (137 pages sans index), index is almost as long as rest of book, will not fit in any bookcase you own, poor binding for such an expensive book, hard to fit back in cover.

The last atlas I owned was a child's atlas from 1987. I bought the National Geographic version because I took it to be the diffinitive atlas. And it is. I'm happy with the 8th edition and I'm sure it will be a usefull reference for years to come. But given how few pages it is and how much money it cost, I'm not sure I would buy the 9th edition.

Best general atlas
I have both the 7th and 8th editions of this book, as well as recent editions of most of the other major world atlases.

In my opinion, this latest (8th) edition blows away the competition (_and_ the National Geographic's own 7th edition).

Having bought and owned world atlases for almost 50 years, I strongly recommend this atlas for home, school, or library use. I find this latest edition exceedingly accurate, especially in the areas of the Middle East (*despite* the protestations from certain _very_ organized political factions <ahem>).

Magnificent satellite photos, along with revised and improved political and geo-physical maps, set this one apart from the rest. Much of the "supplemental" map sections of the previous edition are expanded.

Regarding the reviewer who indicated that the 7th edition is "cloth-bound":well, the 7th edition (that I own) actually has a *cloth-textured* dark blue *paper* overlay on hardboard. The internal hinges are "binders' mull" (cloth) _but_ so are those of the plastic-coated covers of the 8th edition! Both editions should hold up very well. The main difference in the covers is the aesthetics, and the 8th edition is indeed quite pleasing in that department.

I most highly recommend the 8th edition of this atlas, and you certainly won't go wrong if you purchase it from Amazon.
A great addition to the panoply of atlases, and a huge treat for addictive map lovers! ... Read more

Isbn: 0792275284
Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Atlases - World    4. Earth Sciences - Geography    5. Reference    6. Reference / General   

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 January, 1993)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $10.17
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

What's most inspiring about Earth in the Balance is who wrote it. It's a big deal, after all, that a sitting senator was willing to write, "We must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization."And that's not all. In his 1992 book, Al Gore also wrote:

I have become very impatient with my own tendency to put a finger to the political winds and proceed cautiously.... [E]very time I pause to consider whether I have gone too far out on a limb, I look at the new facts [on the environment crisis] that continue to pour in from around the world and conclude that I have not gone far enough.... [T]he time has long since come to take more political risks--and endure more political criticism--by proposing tougher, more effective solutions and fighting hard for their enactments.

And the buzz on the street is that Gore actually wrote those words himself.

When Earth in the Balance first came out, it caused quite a stir--and for good reason.It convincingly makes the case that a crisis of epidemic proportions is nearly upon us and that if the world doesn't get its act together soon and agree to some kind of "Global Marshall Plan" to protect the environment, we're all up a polluted creek without a paddle. Myriad plagues are upon us, but the worst include the loss of biodiversity, the depletion of the ozone layer, the slash-and-burn destruction of rainforests, and the onset of global warming.None of this is new, of course, nor was it new in 1992.But most environmentalists will still get a giddy feeling reading such a call to action as written by a prominent politician.

The book is arranged into three sections: the first describes the plagues; the second looks at how we got ourselves into this mess; and the final chapters present ways out. Gore gets his points across in a serviceable way, though he could have benefited from a firmer editor's hand; at times the analogies are arcane and the pacing is odd--kind of like a Gore speech that climaxes at weird points and then sinks just as the audience is about to clap.Still, at the end you understand what's been said.Gore believes that if we apply some American ingenuity, the twin engines of democracy and capitalism can be rigged to help us stabilize world population growth, spread social justice, boost education levels, create environmentally appropriate technologies, and negotiate international agreements to bring us back from the brink. For example, a worldwide shift to clean, renewable energy sources would create huge economic opportunities for companies large and small to design, build, and maintain solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, and other ecofriendly innovations.

Gore doesn't mince words when describing just how hard it will be to get out of this jam.Real hope is contingent on a swelling up of concern among the public--and fast.A year into the vice presidency, in an interview with writer Bill McKibben, Gore paraphrased a key passage in his book, "The minimum that is scientifically necessary far exceeds the maximum that is politically feasible." Ah, a political out.Some readers will ask of Gore: what has he done since publishing his book to advance the political feasibility of decisive environmental action?--Chip Giller ... Read more

Reviews (109)

Julian Simon "said it all" about this SILLINESS..
The late Julian L. Simon who decimated (and won a bet) with
Paul Ehrlich summed up Mr. Gore's effort quite nicely: "The book
is as ignorant a collection of cliches as anything ever published on the subject."And, "Just about every assertion
in the book points in the wrong direction - suggesting that
conditions are getting worse rather than better, which they are."Mr. Simon then discusses the following subjects on which
Mr. Gore was WRONG:soil erosion; hardwood trees; DDT; Agent Orange; Love Canal.Finally, Mr. Simon states:"And the entire book is filled with this sort of environmental gossip, backed
by no sources, and contradicted by solid data."

These quotes are from Mr. Simon's "Hoodwinking the Nation" which
has some excellent chapters on "media shaped opinion" and
the mis-use of statistics, sampling techniques and data which every citizen should read.

OPINIONS, POLITICS, AND FEWFACTS.
Before you read the book, look at the sources.I only found one scientific paper out of hundreds of sources. Everything else has to be classified as opinions.Sources for this bookinclude news stories and testimonies in congress.I will point out by two examples (not from the book, but from information that you are probably familiar with) why these are not good sources. I recall the news stories based on the opinions of experts that said it would take five years to put out the oil well fires started in the first Gulf War.They were all wrong.It took six months.CEO's and others testified before congress about tobacco products being non-addictive.Were they correct? No! So when we read this book, we can't be sure of anything.It is a book of opinions and ideas.Some of them may be good, but they may also be bad.This is why we have science and the scientific method.Even science may be corrupted at times or fail until we have a better understanding. Even if Mr. Gore had scientific papers, it is unlikely that he could judge whether they really support his environmental views.He would need a Ph.D. or at least a lot of experience in the proper field(s) to interpret scientific papers properly.

This book discusses how corporations are unfriendly to the environment. Surely some of them are.But so is the government.When the government plant at Fernald, Ohio, (near Cincinnati) was accused of poluting the soil and water with radioactive waste, the government denied, dragged its feet, and fought in court. The government lost it case because there was obvious guilt, but the government did not hestitate to fight against the very people it represents. When you or I appear to be at fault in an auto accident, do we admit it and offer to pay all claims, or do we take a less candid approach as our insurance company suggests?We might even think we are not at fault. Mr. Gore has denied being at fault countless times in his political career, but he can't believe that a corporation should do anything but admit guilt, accept every environmental claim that is made, and pay large sums of money.

Mr. Gore is an elitist.First, he believes that he is an environmental expert because he has heard a lot of opinions. He doesn't need an advanced degree in environmental scienceor experience in that field.He just knows better because he is Al Gore. Secondly, he sees how he uses the environment and how you should use the environment quite differently.When he was Vice President, he flew to Kyoto, Japan, to symbolically (read unnecessary trip) approve the Kyoto Treaty.He used more than 180,000 gallons of fuel in a private government plane in one day.My wife and I can drive our cars and heat our house for our lifetimes and never use this amount of fuel.During his Presidental campaign, Mr. Gore would fly a private jet to his son's games.I have no great objection to the former Vice President doing these things as long as he doesn't start telling me how I am abusing the environment, that I should drive an electric car, ...I do have trouble believing his environmental views are anything but political.

If you like the views in the book, read it and feel good.If you don't like the views, read it for some good laughs.There are plenty of flaws.Books like this make money, but they don't make good science, and they don't produce good policy.Don't forget to recycle the book!

Change is needed
Al Gores book is brilliant.It is rare that a politician recognizes the need to heal an environment that is being destroyed by its inhabitants.Gore not only describes the effects of Global Warming, Ozone depletion, deforestation, faulty irrigation, but also delves into the evils that are corporations swaying the views of high ranking officials to turn the other cheek towards the environment.George W. Bush is doing it now.Although most scientist agree these are problems, Corporations put out loads of propoganda saying it is junk science supported by only a few "scientist" who are in it for big incentives and overall greed.The book expresses the need for USA to take the lead in changing the effects of the overall corrosion of earths balance.The fact that people can dismiss the enviroment and the health our children makes me sick.Quite honestly it makes me ashamed to be an american.Our administrations, with the exception of Clinton and Gore, are ruining the environment for political and mentary gain.I wish them only the worse.Vote Kerry 2004! ... Read more

Isbn: 0452269350
Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environment    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Environmental Studies    5. Environmental policy    6. Environmental protection    7. Government policy    8. Human ecology    9. Sociology