For a couple of years, the Disinformation TV series was shown in Britain. It dealt with all sorts of strange topics. Through a quirk of fate, it was scheduled right after Ally McBeal, an unintended bit of surrealism. In America, the show was bought by the Sci-Fi Channel, but never shown, because they suddenly realized just what they had. The interviews reprinted here represent the tame "intellectual" part of the show. The companion DVD contains the more bizarre bits.

Duncan Laurie discusses the science of radionics. Douglas Rushkoff looks at media viruses. Howard Bloom (The Lucifer Principle) talks about the coming biological apocalypse. Grant Morrison talks about Hollywood's interest in underground culture and relates a very cool alien abduction story. Artist Joe Coleman discusses his thinking on serial killers. Peter Russell looks at spiritual renewal and ecological doomsday.

Robert Anton Wilson talks about Aleister Crowley and the Illuminati. Artist Paul Laffoley has a solution to the housing shortage; grow houses from plants. A separate interview with Laffoley looks at a painting of his which is supposedly alive. Metzger, the interviewer, visits Kembra Pfahler, New York's most outrageous performance artist. Last, but not least, Genesis P-Orridge (of the band Throbbing Gristle) tells what it's like to be the leader of your own cult.

Those who understand the previous two paragraphs need read no further; buy this book. For everyone else, the people profiled here take their own paths through life. They visit places that the rest of us don't even know exist. The fringes of modern culture are where they hang out.

Lest anyone think that this is just an interview book, there are plenty of pictures included. Some of them are quite disturbing, so this book is very much not for everyone. For those who are ready to have their minds forced open, this book will do a very good job. It's highly recommended.

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Peter Levenda looks at Hitler's obsession with the occult, and a side of World War II fought with spells as much as with bullets. Daniel Pinchbeck tells the story of how he unintentionally brought poltergeists into his home by snorting a hallucinogenic compound called DPT. One of the pieces in this book is an interview with Black Pope Anton LaVey, author of the "Satanic Bible." Of course, Aleister Crowley is well represented in this book.

The crises in our present-day world are the "fault" of a powerful spiritual being called Ahriman. It is the inspirer of materialistic science and commercialism, and permeates modern culture with deadening forces. Another piece analyzes the Cthulhu Mythos stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Several pieces look at various aspects of the magickal collaboration between Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs. Robert Anton Wilson tells of a collaboration in the field of astral projection between him and Timothy Leary, while Leary was part of the California penal system. Jack Parsons was one of the pioneers of the American space program, helping to found what would become the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was also an avid practitioner of the occult sciences. Ida Craddock was an advocate for women's freedom, including sexual freedom, in the late 19th century. She also claimed to be the wife of an angel.

To quote from the Introduction, "And if it is your first dip into occult literature, I do hope this book is like having a nuclear bomb go off behind your eyeballs or a razorblade slashed across your brain." In that respect, this book succeeds really well. It is another book from The Disinformation Company Ltd that is not for the faint of heart, or those who don't want their perceptions challenged. Parts of this book were way over my head, but I enjoyed the rest of it. Those with any interest in magick or the occult need this book. It's very much worth it.

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As an attempt at damage control, the first female elf, Lilacs, is hired, and given a senior position in the organiztion. Santa gets much too friendly with Ms. Lilacs, and is hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit. It gets thrown out of court (he is Santa Claus, after all), but Lilacs makes her point with a best-selling tell-all book.

Santa goes into seclusion for a year and loses a lot of weight. He decides to go to Hollywood, and reinvent himself as actor Nick Saint. Meantime, back at the North Pole, Santa has arranged for three clones of himself to be made in order to restore his reputation, Nice Santa, Evil Santa and Crazy Santa. It doesn't work properly. In Tinseltown, Santa is cast alongside Magdalena Chickone, a famous pop star entering the movie business. He falls (literally) into a very public, and scandalous, affair with her. Mrs. Claus hears about it, and immediately files for divorce.

Meantime, tired of waiting for Prince Charming, Rapunzel lets down her hair and escapes from her tower. Her beauty precedes her, so all the men in the nearby villages ask for her hand in marriage. She says no to all, and quickly gets a reputation as very anti-social. In another tower, she meets a handsome man named Damian. He is a great kisser, but he is also allergic to everything, so their marriage is brief. Rapunzel eventually finds herself in a modern suburb. She is taken in by George and Martha, a childless couple. Rapunzel gives birth to a boy, but doesn't know who the father is, Damian or a male gypsy she met in her wanderings.

After the baby is born, the witch next door steals it and won't return it. George and Martha are no help, so Rapunzel goes off to look for assistance. When she gets back, the witch's house has been sold, and George and Martha have adopted the baby and gone to their cabin in the woods. When Rapunzel gets there, she discovers that George and Martha are her parents. The discussion in hell revolves around things like Satan and the concept of free will.

The author packs a lot into 110 pages (the length of this story). It's a modern look at two famous folk characters, it's interesting and quite thought-provoking. This is really worth reading.

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Meddlemaniacs come in many forms. They can be politicians, corporate leaders or televangelists (among the prime culprits in the policing of America). TV commercials from the Ad Council promote "religion in America." Would this have anything to do with the Marxist maxim that "religion is the opiate of the masses?"

The author saves much of his opposition for the "War on Drugs" and, specifically, mandatory drug testing, especially urine testing. The War on Drugs is really a war on the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. Did you know that three-fourths of all deaths and three-fourths of all hospital admissions from drug overdoses, are caused by prescription drugs, not illegal drugs? Alcohol has been shown to be much more deadly than narcotics, but alcohol is freely sold everywhere. Who benefits from the illegal ststus of narcotics, the public or organized crime?

The public has been taught, or brainwashed, from birth to obey the law, no matter how many laws are on the books (enough to make practically any activity illegal at sometime) or how ill-considered those laws may be. Witness the popularity of crime shows on TV. Have you ever noticed how movies are edited to soften or remove "unacceptable" words that people hear every day? Will the American psyche be damaged by hearing such words?

This book is small, but mighty. It's especially recommended for those who don't know, or never learned in school, that the US Constitution is much more than a dusty piece of paper that was signed over 200 years ago. Sit down sometime and read the Law of the Land; it's not complicated. It wil open your eyes, and so will this book. They're both worth reading.

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There are times when taking antibiotics is a very good idea, but they should not be taken every day, like a multi-vitamin. Not only will the body build up an immunity to antibiotics, so that higher and higher doses will be needed, but each dose will weaken the body's immune system until it can barely handle the common cold.

Even if you don't take antibiotics every day, you are still taking antibiotics every day. How? Cows, pigs, chickens and other meat animals are given large doses of antibiotics and other chemicals every day to keep them healthy during their short lives. Antibiotics have been found in the water supply which is sprayed on crops that make it to your dinner table and in the water that comes out of your faucet. Just wait until next winter's cold and flu season meets all those weakened immune systems.

Another item that is slowly creating havoc with your immune system is your bedside alarm clock/radio. Electric devices like that give off harmful RF (radio frequency) energy anywhere up to two feet in every direction. You may be sleeping in a field of RF energy. If you sit in front of a computer for long periods of time, you are sitting in a giant bubble of RF energy. The computer, monitor, surge suppressor, printer and any other nearby components are all giving off energy that is wiping out your immune system. And then there are cell phones, another source of RF energy, seemingly glued to the ears of most people.

One of the major causes of disease are parasites and viruses that enter the body through a surprising number of ways. They won't show up on the average blood test, because no one actually looks at blood under a microscope any more. Once the patient has flushed their system of parasites and adopted a much healthier diet (the book tells how), the effects of even major diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer have been severely reduced or even totally reversed.

This book is meant to be used in addition to, not instead of, regular medical treatment. A major recommendation of the authors is that each person should take responsibility for their health; don't leave it for the medical profession. I have read this book twice and can only say Wow. It is very easy to read, quite eye-opening (some might call it radical) and extremely highly recommended.

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A Justice Department investigation was eventually started. After many delays, and several changes of personnel, the matter came very close to being taken up by a grand jury; it was quashed in the higher levels of the Justice Department. When the Reagan Administration came into office, Bryen, and his "mentor," Richard Perle, were appointed to senior positions in the Defense Department. Perle assured the Senate during his confirmation hearing that Bryen was a fine, upstanding public servant who held America's interests paramount at all times.

Saba, and the organization for which he worked while in Washington, the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA), filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the Justice Department file on Bryen. They were told that the file was about 600 pages in length, but that over 80 requests for other files were ahead of them, so it would be a while before Justice could get to it. A couple of years later, the NAAA was told that 450 pages of the file had disappeared. After the NAAA retained a lawyer specializing in FOIA reuqests, the missing pages suddenly reappeared, pluys over 400 more pages, totaling almost 1000 pages on Mr. Bryen.

Later in the book, in the early 1980s, Israel was in deep financial trouble. By this time, Perle and Bryen had maneuvered themselves into positions where all transfers of US technology to other countries had to go through them. They imposed severe restrictions on such transfers, ostensibly to keep it out of Soviet hands. It had the side effect of creating havoc with America's allies and American business. The rest of the world got the idea that there was one way to get American technology without all sorts of red tape; to go through Israel.

A person could be forgiven for thinking that some parts of the American government place Israel's interests above those of America. This snapshot of the "special relationship" between American and Israel is a must read. Ask yourself if anything has changed in the last 25 years.

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He first explores the Reagan and Bush I reactions to events like Lockerbie, TWA 800, and the Beirut bombing that killed over 200 American soldiers. The word "terrorism" had not yet entered the American lexicon. Whatever else is said about the Clinton Administration, at least President Clinton took the threat from al Qaeda very seriously, and tried to do something about it.

There were several opportunities to get Osama bin Laden during the Clinton years. Unfortunately, the reports that he was in a certain building at a certain time were never rock solid. Even if they were totally reliable, it takes time to get the report from Afghanistan to Washington, and for the appropriate orders to be sent to the ships or planes in the area. No senior al Qaeda figure, especially bin Laden, was going to stay in one place for any length of time. If the US had bombed innocent people, it would have been a public relations disaster.

The second Bush Administration came into office much more concerned about Iraqi terrorism than about al Qaeda (according to Clarke, for no good reason). When he tried to impress upon senior White House officials the seriousness of the threat from al Qaeda, he was met with bureaucratic delay after delay. Bush's decision to invade Iraq (again, according to Clarke, for no good reason) gave al Qaeda a propaganda coup of immense proportions.

After 9/11, the Bush Administration should have worked to improve relations with the frontline states, like Iran and Saudi Arabia, that are most vulnerable to al Qaeda. It should also have worked to improve relations with Islam, in general. These things were not done. Officially, there was no federal money available to fix the gaping holes in America's domestic vulnerability to terrorist attack, but there was plenty of money to invade Iraq.

Could 9/11 have been prevented, even if all parts of the intelligence community were running like a well-oiled machine (another area of criticism from Clarke)? Perhaps not. If a major attack didn't happen on that particular day, it would have happened some other day. This book is a huge wake-up call, and it is very highly recommended for all Americans. If I could, I would give this book three thumbs up.

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He is chosen to make the first sub-orbital flight by rocket from a launch pad in the American Southwest. Ascending the rocket by ladder, his flight is successful, and he is able to get a quick look at space from above the atmosphere. On the way down, he ejects from his capsule, intentionally, and parachutes the last couple of miles to the ground. The Space Service is able to send people into space, but they haven't yet figured out the part about the soft landing with the capsule intact. McCauley is chosen to pilot the X-21, a state of the art rocket plane, on the first orbital flight around the earth, and returns for a soft landing.

Building the Space Platform, in earth orbit, almost becomes a disaster when one of the three crewmen suddenly starts floating away into space. McCauley manages to get the crewman, and himself, back to safety. As chief of the moon base, McCauley sent two of the crew onto the moon's surface to set up a repeater to establish a communication link with Farside Base. This was before he realized that the two men have a very deep hatred for each other. McCauley does not want to be the person in charge during the first murder on the Moon.

A major obstacle to extensive space exploration is solar flares coming from the sun. McCauley and a co-pilot go on a mission around Venus and back to test a new radiation screen. The third member of the crew is Dr. Bramwell, the screen's inventor. Bramwell hides his absolute fear of going into space by being a loudmouthed, unreasonable jerk. The solar system contains a natural cargo transportation system that eases the difficulty of setting up a base on Mars: the asteroid Eros. Its eccentric orbit takes it within a couple of million miles of Earth, making it relatively easy to land and lash all sorts of supplies to its surface. Two years later, Eros comes within a couple of million miles of Mars, making it relatively easy to land, and send the supplies to Mars with the help of drone rockets. It's certainly easier than sending everything from the bottom of Earth's gravity well.

I really liked this book. Perhaps it's best for its historic value, showing America's march into space before it happened. Still, this is an interesting story, and Leinster is an excellent writer. It's well worth reading.

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In the early 1950s, the elected president, a man named Arbenz, was interested in agrarian reform. He expropriated idle land owned by the United Fruit Company, and planned to divide it up among small farmers.This is land the United Fruit was not using, and they were repaid for the land. Allen Dulles, head of the CIA, was on the United Fruit Board of Directors. Guatemala was immediately branded a communist state, and some of the most repressive leaders in Latin America, like Batista of Cuba, and Somoza of Nicaragua, through the Organization of American States, condemned the plan. In mid-1954, Arbenz was overthrown in a military coup, sponsored by the CIA, and the first of a series of military governments was installed.

Today (1967) there is a civilian president, a man named Mendez Montenegro, but he is little more than a figurehead. The Defense Minister has the real power. Anyone who even tries to organize the people, like peasant leaders, teachers, priests, etc, can expect to be jailed, tortured or shot. The income discrepancy can best be called extreme. Over three-quarters of the land is owned by 2 percent of the people, while over three-quarters of the people live on less than a dollar a day.

The Guatemalan resistance is home-grown; there is no Cuban or Soviet "influence," despite US propaganda to the contrary. On the other hand, the military is full of North Americans, including "volunteers" to fly bombers to drop napalm on civilians, and actual Green Berets teaching torture techniques. What the military doesn't control is controlled by Washington and Wall Street through the Alliance for Progress. A number of financial and economic agreements were forced on the Guatemalan government under extremely unfair conditions, making the country even more and more dependent on "aid" from Washington.

This snapshot of American foreign policy (the Guatemalan struggle, or civil war, only ended in the 1990s) as seen from inside the country is really good, and pretty eye-opening. It's short, easy to read, and is well worth the reader's time.

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Military vistory is not necessary for a country to realize its aims. A military defeat may produce a better postwar situation than victory. In judo, it is possible to battle strength with weakness; the same thing is true between countries, as long as the vanquished submits the right way. The victor not only has to financially take care of their own country, they also have to pay the bills of the vanquished. It is possible to intentionally create a foreign policy whose ultimate goal is to be conquered by another. How?

A first step is to alienate your allies. The next step is to make a claim on your neighbor's territory, whether emotional or accidental. The easiest way to ruin your economy is to do nothing; the economy will run aground by itself. Timing is critical; ruining the economy must be done before war starts. Do it too far ahead of battle, and there will be time for an economic recovery to begin.

When it comes to the actual army, many factors, alone or together, can cause military disaster. Bad troops must be recruited (good troops can survive almost anything). Treatment must be as harsh as possible to keep morale low. The troops must be kept hungry, or in a constant state of indigestion. Excessive drills, marches and exercises are needed. A non-working weapon has a greater chance of not harming the army.

On the battlefield, many things must be considered, including how to measure the severity of defeat. When retreat time comes, one way is to swing around a fixed point, so that the front becomes the rear, thereby making it easier to retreat along the line of communication. The act of surrender cannot easily be performed while on the move. It's best if it happens while an army is besieged. The hardest part is actually giving up. Each army should equip itself with regulation white flags and hoist them properly. There is also a proper procedure for raising one's hands in surrender.

This is certainly a very different sort of book. It feels very logical, and well thought out. It contains plenty of historical examples to illustrate its points. This is worth checking out, especially for military and historical enthusiasts.

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During the Nazi era, the Big Lie was simple and repeated over and over again until it became the equivalent of inescapable sound. For whatever reason, George Bush was not a good liar. He and his advisers made the mistake of elaborating, retracting and adding on to the reasons for attacking Iraq. The rest of the world must have been laughing when the Bush Administration came up with one more reason for invasion. The American people believed them, as they generally do when their government and television tell them something. Another rule to keeping things simple is to not offer any evidence, so there can be no refutation. The supposed warehouses full of evidence turned out to be nothing.

Ever since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, America has believed that it is a "city on a hill," a feeling of "we are right and you are wrong." Since Providence has chosen America to work through human history, anyone already occupying the continent could justifiably be removed or killed.

The first lines of the National Anthem contain the roots of flagolatry, or excessive reverence for the national symbol. Democracies are always right, America is a democracy, so America is always right. Since America is the best democracy, it is more right than the others. Inside the terrarium called America, Arabs don't exist and nobody has heard of them. Arabs are considered non-people with a non-claim to nothing. Americans go on and on about being the greatest country in the world with an almost neurotic need for praise from outside the biosphere. Americans also have rabbit ears for criticism from outside, but the voice of reason just bounces off the glass.

This is a Wow of a book. I'm not sure if I Have ever read a book quite like this. It's rare when an American can look at this country the way foreigners (probably) do. It is very highly recommended.

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There are several aspects to the official approach to terrorism. First, terrorists change. Yesterday's terrorist is today's freedom fighter, and vice versa. Second, there seems to be no such thing as an "official" definition of terrorism. Explanations are designed to arouse our emotions, instead of stimulating our intelligence. Third, government officials may not be able to define terrorism, but they know that it must be stamped out worldwide.

Fourth, it's supposedly possible to tell the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Fifth, the official approach ignores the causes of terrorism. Cause? What cause? Sixth, the moral revulsion against terrorism needs to be selective. Terror from disapproved groups needs to be strongly condemned, but terror from allies or approved groups can be ignored.

Why do groups commit terrorist acts? Getting their grievances heard through regular channels hasn't worked, so, to them, terrorism is the only way to be heard. Terrorism is an expression of anger and helplessness, and also a sense of betrayal. Through the spread of modern technology and communications, terror has become globalized. Everyone is a target.

The author recommends several approaches for America. Stop with the double standards. Don't condone some terrorism, and condemn others. In the present situation, such an approach will not work. Also, America should actually consider the causes of terrorism. It's a political problem; seek a political solution. The author also recommends reinforcing the framework of international law. Try going through the International Court of Justice.

This is an excellent book. It's short, and written from a non-American perspective. It does a fine job looking at the background behind terrorism, and it's well worth reading.

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Run by a man named Slim Brundage, the College was a very egalitarian sort of place. Any night of the week, anyone could attend a lecture on any topic under the sun; sometimes serious, sometimes frivolous. It wasn't a place where only "educated" people could give lectures (though a number of college professors did just that); even the lowliest person could stand and challenge the lecturer or give a lecture themselves. One of the College's central principles was that just because a person had a blue-collar job, or no job, did not mean that they did not care about intellectual matters, or that they couldn't talk on any given subject.

Other nights, the College played host to art exhibitions, live music, theater, etc. The walls were lined with chalkboards for anyone to use. It was one of the few places in 1950s Chicago to accept blacks and women. It didn't discourage right-wingers from coming, but it's general point of view was more left-wing and Marxist/Leninist. In the latter 1950s, when the beatnik movement was suffering a backlash throughout much of America, the College was one of the few places to say Beatniks Are Welcome. It lasted from 1951 to 1961, when Brundage was forced to close by the IRS, the official reason being nonpayment of entertainment taxes. Throughout that time, the College of Complexes never forgot the meaning of the word "fun".

I really enjoyed this book. Anyone interested in 20th century anti-establishment/free speech/beatnik history in America will also enjoy it. It's well worth the reader's time.

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Republicans have worked hard, and very methodically, for at least the last 20 years, to build the conservative movement. It now ranges from conservative think tanks, like the Heritage Foundation, to K Street lobbying firms, to right wing media (especially talk radio). Starting from the grass roots, Republicans have become very good at getting their message to the public. The weekly Republican "must attend" meeting in Washington is run by tax opponent Grover Norquist. It is there that the message of the week is chosen. Democrats are nowhere near as organized.

Even inside the Republican Party, moderation and disagreement are squelched, and traditional oversight agencies are stripped of their influence. The National Cancer Institute's website was altered to say that abortion increases a woman's chance of getting breast cancer, even though actual research overwhelmingly shows the opposite. The CDC's website has been altered, in that information showing that condom use is effective in preventing AIDS has been removed. This is in line with the Christian Right's opposition to sex education.

Woe unto that person or group who uses their constitutional right to oppose the war in Iraq. Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett has advocated the deportation of war critics. Who can forget the experiences of the Dixie Chicks? A number of recently published books equate liberals with hating America, and generally betraying the nation. Ann Coulter has called Democrats the Treason Party. It has now become popular among Republicans to label any dissenter, whether environmentalist or senior citizen, as a terrorist.

This is an excellent book from Rampton and Stauber. The brains behind PR Watch, they have created another Must Read look at how the US Government really works. This is highly recommended.

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To give one example, from 1982 to 2002, the number of Americans without health care jumped from 25 million to 43 million, a rise of more than 50 percent. In that same period, the number of American billionaires rose from 13 to 229.

The Bush Gang's plan looks something like this: Give tax relief to corporations and the very rich. Build up the military with big increases in defense spending. Be very aggressive in international relations. Deregulate business as much as possible. Overlook the criminal actions of those businessmen who support this agenda. Ignore the real possibility of large deficits. Also, attack labor and working Americans as much as possible.

This book covers a number of topics. The Bush remedy for a sick economy is CEOs who will drive up a company's stock price by laying off thousands of workers. There has been a systematic plan to keep wages low for most Americans in order to transfer wealth to the richest. The famous Skull and Bones club at Yale was originally endowed in the 1830s by the Russell Trust. It was connected to a company that, at the time, was the premier American smuggler of opium. The media, especially Rupert Murdoch and Fox News, can be counted on to keep up the fear level. One of the justifications for tax cuts is that the money will be used for new investment. Has that happened over the last 25 years?

What is to be done? The Democratic Party needs to get a backbone. It should not blame Ralph Nader for the results of the 2000 election, but itself. It needs to push its vision for America: higher minimum wage, federally funded health care for all, full employment, public works spending that fixes America's infrastructure, good public schools, etc.

This is a gem of a book. Can't get ahead financially? This book gives part of the reason. It's highly recommended.

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Word reaches President Abraham Lincoln that the end is near. On July 4, 1863, he and his family flee the White House at night, in the back of a horse-drawn ice truck. His first destination is Richmond, Virginia, where he is the "guest" of president Jefferson Davis. There is little or no looting of Washington by the advancing Confederate forces, though a number of White House items somehow make their way into Confederate homes. The looting is done by the citizens of Washington, whose name is changed from District of Columbia to District of Dixie.

America is given a chance to move the offices and documents out of Washington, and they eventually end up in the new capital of Columbus, Ohio, which is renamed Columbia. Seward's Folly, the purchase of Alaska from Russia, never happens. Throughout all of this, Texas remains independent.

In 1898, a Confederate battleship is blown up in Havana Harbor. The Confederate States declare war on Spain, and send an expeditionary force against Spanish forces in Cuba. After a successful campaign, the island is rebuilt and Cuba becomes the newest member of the Confederate States of America. Through the 20th century to the present, relations between the three countries (United States, Confederate States and Texas) are actually pretty good.

This is a fascinating book. History buffs, especially Civil-War history, need to read it. Some knowledge of history, more than the usual amount, would be a help. This is highly recommended.

Everyone carries a song inside themselves, it's what makes us human. This book offers a key to letting out that song. Once you have picked up a guitar and properly tuned it, don't worry if you don't know any songs. Play just one note on one string and give it every bit of your heart and soul. Then repeat the process.

When you start regular practice, start with one new habit: Do one thing the right way one time. In the next moment, make the same commitment. On the other hand, there are potholes along the way that must be avoided at all costs. It's easy to skip practice "just once," a year later, the guitar is covered with dust and cobwebs.

Some feel that learning a certain technique is the most important thing in guitar playing. It's certainly important, but the more complicated the technique, the more brainpower that must be devoted to it. The aim is to play with the proper spirit, to play without having to consider technique. A person must have something to say, first.

To progress down the path of Zen Guitar, you need to love guitar playing and commit your heart to training. If it isn't fun for you, then there is a big problem. Don't be halfhearted about it. Overearnestness is just as bad. Some guitarists force themselves on an audience through excess volume or pyrotechnics. Learn self-control. A measure of mastery is through what you hold back, not what you show.

Another important part of guitar playing is responsibility. You must develop your talent to the fullest capacity, with no excuses. You must respect those who come to you with open ears and foster a feeling of community. Also, act as teacher to those who are seeking their own way along the path of Zen Guitar.

If there is a single rule to Zen Guitar, it might be this: Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and do it that way every time.

This is a fine piece of writing. It certainly gives a new perspective to guitar playing, whether it's folk music or heavy metal. I'm sure much of this book could apply to any instrument. For musicians and music lovers, this is very much worth reading.

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One day, Maria rows out to an island in the middle of a lake on the estate. Amid the thorns and brambles, she finds an entire town full of people, but they are all only 6 inches tall. Exiles from a place called Lilliput (yes, that Lilliput), they tell a harrowing story of mistreatment, including being forced into circuses and other spectacles for the financial benefit of others. Maria agrees to keep their secret, but almost destroys her relationship with the Lilliputians.

Miss Brown and the vicar know that something is up, so after leads them on a wild goose chase for several nights, they lock her in her room without supper until she cooperates. After a number of days of no contact with Maria, the Lilliputians mount a full-fledged rescue operation, which almost ends in disaster. Spurred on by dollar signs in their eyes (selling the Lilliputians to a circus), Miss Brown and the vicar resort to drastic measures, locking Maria in the dungeon until she starts talking. Assisted by the Professor, an eccentric elderly gentleman who lives in a book-lined cottage on the grounds, the Lilliputians find Maria again, but know that time, and the patience of Miss Brown and the vicar, is getting very short.

I really enjoyed this story, which, I guess, is a sequel to *Gulliver's Travels*. It is good for readers of any age, and is well worth the reader's time.

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The Burlend family reach their new home, a two-room log cabin near what is now Detroit, in November, just in time for winter. With little more than the clothes on their backs, they barely survive. In spring, they set about clearing land for plowing and tapping the maple trees on their land for maple syrup. Despite many trials and tribulations, they manage to make a go of it. One day, walking back from a neighbor's house, carrying his sickle, Mr. Burlend trips and gashes his knee on the blade. His condition quickly got worse; his survival was not assured. It was time to harvest the wheat; without that crop, the family was in severe trouble. Mrs. Burlend and her 9-year-old son were forced to bring in 4 acres of wheat by themselves, while Mr. Burlend eventually recovered.

The author also talks about the climate in Illinois (much drier than England), the native plants and animals, snakes and despised mosquitoes. They avoid buying on credit as much as possible. They get a taste of the 19th century equivalent of extortion. They also discover that the laws having to do with buying and selling of land are less than clear-cut; plus the county seat (where the records are kept) is always a long way away.

Written for other English families thinking of emigrating to America, this is intended as a straightforward look at what America is really like. The author does not overemphasize or sugarcoat anything. This book is said to be one of the finest chronicles ever written of life in early 19th century America, written by someone who was there. It is very much worth reading.

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