America in 1990 is a land of 24-hour surveillance. Cameras are everywhere, recording everything. It all gets sent to a giant supercomputer, nicknamed Herbie, that takes up 10 floors of a Washington office building. Any dissent, or even individuality, leads to a visit by the Clinic Squad (the police) and mandated "treatment," usually involving a lobotomy.

The social engineers have taken over America. The vast majority of citizens, whose "job" is to be consumers, are guided by massive amounts of propaganda in all media. The entire Western Hemisphere has been annexed, so America now consists of 74 states. The social engineers put forward candidates for President who will appeal to the greatest number of voters. Candidates for US Senate are chosen by the state Party (there is now one political party). Members of the House are employees of major companies. The only problem with this is a small and secret resistance called the Uns, which stands for United Nations, now headquartered in Australia. A major propaganda campaign is planned to equate the Uns with communists, who have been pretty well eradicated from America.

Garrett Leeds is a middle-level employee in Security and Consent, the government "surveillance department." He is also a senior member of the Uns, whose hero is Henry David Thoreau. Any attempt to disrupt the propaganda campaign will result in his exposure as the enemy. How can he stay one step ahead of the government, while preparing for a big push by the Uns to bring down the whole social engineering system? What can anyone do about a supercomputer that knows a person better than they know themselves, and can very accurately predict their future actions?

This book is surprisingly good, and, if you can find a copy, very much worth reading. In these days of growing surveillance and already large amounts of propaganda in the media, this novel is also pretty prophetic.

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Here are some titles of winning papers, some of appeared in real scientific journals: "The Effect of Country Music on Suicide," "Compliance With the Item Limit of the Food Supermarket Express Checkout Lane: An Informal Look," "Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans," "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture," "Patient Preference for Waxed or Unwaxed Dental Floss," and "Chicken Plucking as Measure of Tornado Wind Speed."

Other winners include a man from Ontario who developed and personally tested a suit that is impervious to grizzly bears; the inventor of karaoke; the entire nation of Liechtenstein, which can be rented for conventions, weddings and other gatherings; a pair of Japanese researchers who invented a computer-based dog-to-human language translation device; the inventors of tamagotchi; a man who investigated why shower curtains billow inwards, and the inventors of Spam and Beano.

The only "requirement" for anyone to win an Ig Nobel award is that the research makes a person laugh, then think. This hilarious book certainly accomplishes that. It can be picked up and read starting at any point, and read anywhere, and shows that science can be funny.

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Keep it simple; if an operation is too complicated, no one will invest in it. Practically any industry is ripe for scam artists, from real estate to travel to technology. Tax havens and tax dodges are a very popular field for thieves. Schemes run by so-called "investment advisors" or "financial planners" are the most favored area for scammers, but commodities and precious metals are a close second. Scams can come in a seemingly infinite array of shapes and sizes.

Their continued success is based on several human emotions. Family ties are very strong; people are reluctant to attack, or sue, the uncle or cousin who got them into this scheme. People are also reluctant to let others know that they have been scammed; it’s easier to keep quiet. The most important emotions are pure greed and gullibility. Who can resist a "no-risk" investment with a double digit return?

What can a victim do? Some agency like the state Attorney General’s office or Federal Trade Commission will have jurisdiction over your case; make friends with them. Go after the people who got money out of the scheme before it collapsed. While the scammer was in business, they were advised by banks, lawyers and/or accountants; don’t be afraid to go after them. Last but not least, when the scheme reaches bankruptcy court, as it will (Ponzi schemes have a 100% failure rate), don’t be afraid to fight like a caged animal for your money. No one else will do it for you.

This book is excellent and very easy to read. Anyone can say that they would never be caught anywhere near such a scheme. Remember that the next time a friend of a friend goes on about this incredible, "no-risk" money making plan, and read this book first.

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The investor should certainly keep up with the business news, but do not spend hours and hours every day at it; that will not leave any time for actual trading. Go through the Sunday paper and come up with a list of buying possibilities. These are May Buy stocks, as opposed to Will Buy. Just some basic information is needed about each stock, like its 52-week high/low and yesterday’s close. If a stock is down at least 20% from its 52-week high (not 19.5%), move it onto your Will Buy list. When choosing a broker, is it really worth going through several minutes of Press 1 and Press 2, before you reach a human, while the price of your stock goes in the wrong direction, all to save a few dollars on the commission? Pay the extra commission, and choose a broker where a human really is just a phone call away.

It is easy to buy a stock, but much harder to know when to sell it. If your stock rises from 20% to 10% below its 52-week high, sell it. Do not get greedy, and wait for it to rise just one more point; it may never come. There will be other opportunities. Besides, a double digit profit in the stock market is nothing to scoff at. On the other hand, if your stock continues to slide into oblivion, know when to cut your losses. There will be other stocks.

This book seems to be much easier to understand than the stock trading "systems" advertised on TV and in the Business section of the local book store. The experienced investor may kick themselves, realizing the money they have given to Wall Street, for little or no reason. It is also recommended for novice investors, and even non-investors (like yours truly).

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In the early 1950s, there was much concern, even paranoia, about Soviet military capabilities. The concern got even worse when Sputnik was launched in 1957. Lamb was an Air Force cardiologist who was given the task of developing the cardiology portion of the physical exam used on participants in the Man in Space program. Starting from scratch (a couple of abandoned buildings at Brooks AFB in Texas), Lamb and his group knew that they had to be as sure as possible about a pilot’s physical condition. Lamb did not have the final word as to who would be going into space, but his recommendation carried a lot of weight.

When he recommended that Donald "Deke" Slayton, one of the original Mercury astronauts, not be cleared for spaceflight, many important people were not happy. Attempts were made to find cardiologists who would publicly state that Slayton’s heart arrythmia should not ground him. Other attempts were made to take the whole cardiology program away from Lamb and his group, and put it under the direct control of NASA or the Pentagon. Lamb strongly objected when he discovered that Slayton was to be the backup astronaut for John Glenn’s orbital flight (which almost never happened and which almost ended in disaster), and when Slayton was to be the astronaut for the second orbital flight.

When the emphasis turned to longer flights, Lamb talks about the experiments that were devised to measure the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body. Data from Russian flights showed that the human body simply could not take any more than several days of weightlessness. Until methods were found to ease the effects on the body, going to the moon (or anywhere else, for that matter) was not a sure thing.

This is a very interesting inside look at a famous part of American history. It is first-rate, and is recommended for readers of all ages.

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Zeus is not just a talking dog. He leads Larry on a spiritual journey that turns his concept of reality inside out. They meet a talking juniper tree, ephemeral Native American masters, and all sorts of other beings who tell a fascinating story.

According to various cultures, including the Mayans, Hopis and the Bible, a planetary shift in consciousness is coming soon. Approximately 70 million highly evolved beings called Wanderers, have agreed to incarnate on Earth to help with the transition. Part of the deal is that they pass through the Veil of Forgetting, to temporarily forget who, and what, they are. At least, it was supposed to be temporary. This novel is an attempt to reach the rest of the Wanderers, those who know that they are "different," but can’t put their finger on it.

The famous saying says "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." I must not be ready, because I had a hard time "getting" this book. I do not mean to imply for a minute that this is any sort of bad book, because it isn’t. It’s a very interesting story, especially for those who know their way around the worlds of spirituality and metaphysics. I am sure that this book has helped, and will help, a lot of people. I am just not one of them.

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The author is a native of Sarajevo, who came to LA via Brussels and Chicago (with 2 years in Vietnam included). He dreams of being a writer. He spends his days driving people in the film business, or who are working on a "project" (which can mean practically anything), so they feel that they can treat others, including cabbies, like dirt. It would be a huge understatement to say that he hates LA, and would leave in a second, if he had the money. More important things come first, like wondering if he can pay the monthly rent on his apartment, and his cab.

Many things about Los Angeles get him angry and frustrated, but perhaps the worst is waiting in the taxi line at a hotel (which is bad enough). Hoping for a potentially lucrative fare to the airport, he gets pulled out of line by someone wanting to travel only a couple of blocks, a fare worth only a couple of dollars. Back at the hotel, he is now last in line.

There are only 2 things which help keep him sane during the day. The first is anything to do with books and writing. The second is the nice people that he sometimes ferries in his cab. There are some people who willingly give decent tips, or who otherwise are not arrogant, self-absorbed jerks, unlike everyone else in Los Angeles. The first story in this book, which, by itself, is worth the price of the book, is about being an unofficial tour guide for a young woman visiting from Denmark. He tries very hard to show that he is interested in a serious relationship instead of just sex (but if sex becomes a possibility...).

These stories are very much worth reading. This honest, almost painfully honest, writing does an excellent job of showing the underside of humanity.

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Since there are a nearly infinite number of angels, the author concentrates on some of the "major" angels, including Sandalphon and Metatron, the Angel of Death and Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. The CD that accompanies this book includes a number of guided meditations that get into How To Do It.

I must be the wrong person to review religion/spirituality books like this (maybe I am not spiritual enough), because this is not the first such book that I have had a hard time "getting." Absolutely no disrespect is meant toward the book or the author. I am sure that this book has helped, and will help, a lot of people. Perhaps some of us are meant to stay on the outside, looking in.

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This book is really good. These stories are about humanity, about people just trying to get through this thing called life. They are universal stories that could have been set anywhere in the world. It is very much worth reading, once the reader gets past the lack of familiarity with Vietnamese culture.

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Several senior members of the crew are on dry land, sick with dysentery. The ship which was doing the towing suddenly lets go, in the middle of the night, leaving F.P.1 drifting. Three tugboats conveniently show up and continue with the towing. Droste, one of F.P.1’s creators, takes over command, to keep things on schedule. The schedule is vital because Lennartz, the owner of the German shipyard where F.P.1 was built, has staked his company’s future on the platform. If it is not in its proper position, and open for business, by a certain date, just a few days away, a large loan from the German government, on which the shipyard is depending, will disappear. Bankruptcy, and the sale of the company to Hansly, Lennartz’s rival, will result.

Someone really wants F.P.1 to be late. The three tugboats unhook from the platform and take off, leaving it drifting. The radio is destroyed, having come in contact with several thousand volts of electricity. Doors are opened in the pylons to suck in water for ballast, but the valves to close the doors mysteriously vanish. Panic and near-mutiny sets in among the hotel waiters, convinced that F.P.1 will sink, and they will drown, while the crew is able to leave. Unless those valves are found, drowning awaits everyone. From land, a private search is made for F.P.1 by air, that includes Lennartz’s daughter, Gisela, who happens to be in love with Droste. Any publicity that F.P.1 is "missing" would be a disaster for Lennartz. Will F.P.1’s "maiden voyage" turn into a trip to Davy Jones’ locker?

I really enjoyed this story, which will certainly keep the reader’s interest. This would make a very good adventure film, the kind that are seen on TV on weekends.

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Abstinence and the use of contraceptives have been shown to be very effective in reducing national rates of teen pregnancy and HIV infection. But, abstinence alone (the Bush Administration policy) is close to worthless as an anti-HIV and anti-pregnancy policy. As Chief of Staff of the Council on Environmental Quality, Philip Cooney rewrote many government reports to make it sound like there was great disagreement about global warming in the scientific community, when such disagreement did not exist. His qualifications included being a lawyer for the American Petroleum Institute.

Other Bush Administration strategies include appointing partisans, who consider ideology more important than science, to second- and third-level positions (where the real work is done) and using political litmus tests. If a scientist is not sufficiently loyal to the Administration, or was part of a full-page newspaper ad critical of the Administration, they could forget about being appointed to any federal advisory board or commission, regardless of their professional qualifications.

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Javier is an ex-boxer who now works in construction, and his wife, Caressa, is recovering from a stroke. Dakota is a lady professor of archaeology, and Justin is a recent transplant from Philadelphia. He seems to have been accepted by a unique cat that Justin named You Too. The cat is already famous, leading rescuers to Geri, a deaf former Army nurse, the night of the fire. He also senses Caressa’s physical infirmities, because You Too thinks nothing of jumping on her lap, working himself under her damaged hand, and repeatedly moving it, like she was in physical therapy.

The group comes up with a plan to buy the land on which their townhouses sat, and build an eco-friendly co-housing complex. As much as possible, it would be made of recycled materials, and include a Native American longhouse. One of the major requirements for new tenants is not that pets are accepted, or even welcomed, but that pets are required to move in. Their opponent, construction tycoon Baron Barkley, and his adult son, Kyle Ray, are not about to give up without a fight.

Justin and company suffer a series of "mishaps" that threaten to destroy their good works. Dakota receives an envelope of adult photos of her, taken secretly by Kyle Ray, photos that are guaranteed to be misinterpreted. She decides that a one-year sabbatical in China is suddenly a good idea. Javier is jailed on a trumped-up assault charge. He beat up a couple of kids that broke into the construction site with vandalism in mind. More than once, Justin follows Kyle Ray, intending to do him great bodily harm.

The other notable thing about the book is the book itself. Printed on thick glossy paper, each chapter has a different colored background or photo. On each page, various words are printed in a different font or color. To slow a slide in reading among the young, the intention is to make this book more like a graphic novel. That is a very worthy objective, but for the rest of us, this is either a bold move in the publishing field or an unnecessary distraction.

This story about the power of animals takes a while to get going, but once it does, it’s pretty good. It will get the reader looking at their pet dog or cat in a whole new light.

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The first thing a person should do is to find out what direction their house faces. Don’t assume that it faces directly east, for example, or directly south; buy a good compass and find out for sure. It matters. The book lists the best, and worst, colors to paint the exterior of your house based on the direction it faces. Depending on the year a person was born, everyone has a personal wealth direction. If at all possible, sleep with your head pointing in that direction. Also, if possible, enter a house, or a room from that direction.

If personal creativity is more important, then using the year of birth according to the Chinese Zodiac, find your creativity direction, and sleep in that direction, or enter a house from that direction. Every Zodiac sign also has a draining direction, that will make it harder to save money, for example; avoid this direction if possible.

A vase of water and fresh flowers placed in the proper part of the house (again based on your Zodiac sign) does attract more opportunities for romance. The book also includes short descriptions of 72 different house types, based on the direction it faces and the time it was built. Finally, if an important part of your house happens to be in the bathroom or garage, don’t despair; there are ways to get around it.

Ready for a change in your life? Perhaps the problem is in your surroundings. This book is easy to read, and starts with the basics. If doing all the things in this book at the same time is not possible, then start with just one.

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The Menuhin family contained three world-class musical prodigies, when most families would be happy with just one prodigy. Yehudi, the famous one, was considered the greatest musical talent of the 20th Century. Hephzibah, his sister, usually accompanied him on the piano. Then there was sister Yaltah, also a pianist. According to people who know about such things, she was the most talented of them all.

The family was run by Marutha, their mother, a cold, domineering woman. Yaltah was told, more than once, that the only reason she was alive was because of a broken diaphragm. Yaltah and Hephzibah were allowed piano lessons for the sole purpose of attracting a husband. When it came to marriage, all that mattered, according to Marutha, was whether or not he came from a well-to-do family; love was irrelevant. Yaltah’s first "arranged" marriage lasted about 6 months. The family lived in Paris, because that is where the great musicians were. The rise of Hitler in the 1930s forced a move to Manhattan, where they met Willa Cather.

She was a novelist and newspaper writer from the American Midwest, who became good friends with the family and became the children’s teacher (there was no regular school for the Menuhin’s). Marutha kept the children out of the public eye as much as possible (their educational walks with Cather began at 6:00 AM). As the years went on, the friendship between Yaltah and Willa grew. Willa helped Yaltah deal with her mother’s unfeeling personality, and Yaltah ended up inspiring several of Willa’s later novels.

For Yaltah’s second marriage, in the early 1940s, she eloped with an Army lawyer named Ben Rolfe. Her parents never accepted him as part of the family. The marriage ended after a number of years, partly because of his jealousy over her musical career. It was only after 2 more not-very-pleasant marriages, and her moving to London, that in the last few years of her life, she regained something like the musical career she had when she was younger.

Here is a very personal look inside a famous musical family, written by an “insider.” (the author is Yaltah’s son). It is very much worth reading, not just for classical music fans, or fans of 20th Century female novelists, but for everyone.

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