Telling Pieces: Art As Literacy in Middle School Classes

Book Description

Uses the case of a 6th grade classrm in a small US town to systematically consider how pre-adolescent middle-school children develop a knowledge & understanding of the conventions of art & how they use this knowledge to create artful representations.

Book Description

Horatio Hornblower, young midshipman and gallant hero of C. S. Forester's epic novels, arrives as a raw recruit in Nelson's navy, but is destined to rise through the ranks. Amidst a wealth of bloody sea battles, he proves himself courageous in danger and resilient intimes of trouble. The Making of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower is a fascinating account of howForester's much--loved fictional hero was brought to the screen to create one of the most ambitious and lavish productions on TV. Filled with in-depth interviews with the stars and crew, The Making of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower captures the excitement and complexities of filming in its two foreign locations,the Crimea and Portugal. It contains more than 100 full-color photographs and illustrations charting all stages of production and shows exactly how navy life in the Napoleonic era was re-created through authentic costumes, makeup, sets, naval design, and special effects. It also gives an exclusive insight into the building of the HMS Indefatigable--a 125-foot, 22-cannon replica of a 1750s vessel, and the first British frigate to be handcrafted from wood in the last 140 years. Containing background historical information as well as on-set anecdotes and a behind-the-scenes look at key action sequences, The Making of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower is essential reading for all of Forester's Hornblower fans.

Customer Reviews:

Pictures are worth thousands of words........2002-10-26

Whoever found Ioan Gruffudd for the role of Hornblower should be rewarded 10 times over and then some. This book is chock full of fantatic pictures and great insite into the making of this exciting series. I laugh out loud at some of the humor laced throughout this book. The pictures are worth owning this book for on their own, is a must own for any fan of Hornblowaaahhhhh!

A great companion to the movies!.......2002-04-22

I love this book. Aside from the tons of great pictures of the cast, it gives a lot of background on all the characters - including the boat that they used to for filming.

There are brief synopsis' on all the movies as well as a brief rundown of the characters we meet in each movie.

Wonderful interviews, beautiful pictures, and indepth characterization from the actor's perspective.

This is a great book for any Hornblower fan!

Hornblower at your fingertips.......2001-12-10

If you are a Hornblower fan you must have this book! First, the photographs are amazing including captures from the hit A & M mini series to back stage candids, technical details and beautiful portraits of the stars. Second, the written commentary if fantastic. The writer goes into details of the complexities of filming in a foreign place, supplying food, costumes, transportation and everything else. It also talks about the Grand Turk, the ship they filmed the mini series on. It was interesting to read about how the crew from the film had to work with the crew that actually operated the ship, the movie sailing cast and the makeup and wardrobe people, all on what seems to be a pretty small ship. This book is very well done, and really should be owned by any true Horatio Hornblower fan.

Cast Performance.......2000-01-11

To all,

Mr. Gruffudd's performance in this movie was absolutely spectacular. I don't think that it is possible to give an amount of stars on this movie. All the actors were great, including stand out acting by Robert Lidnsey and Jamie Bamber. I think this is defintely a book everyone should read, and a movie for all to enjoy.

I'm Out,

Val

Wonderful behind-the-scenes story of a fabulous miniseries!.......1999-11-11

I first decided to watch A&E's Horatio Hornblower because I had caught a glimpse of Ioan Gruffudd, and thought he was very handsome. But, as I watched, I got caught up in the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Then, when I learned there was a behind-the-scenes book availiable, I knew I had to have it. I tried all the local bookstores (and some not so local, too) with no luck. Then I tried Amazon, and I finally got my book. It is a great book, with loads of candid pictures and still frames from the filming of the series. I enjoyed learning how all the battle scenes were filmed, about the use of scale models, and all the hard work put into the filming of Horatio Hornblower. I would definately reccommend this book to anyone who liked the series. It is a wonderful, informative, and captivating look at the behind-the-scenes action of the best miniseries I have ever seen, Horatio Hornblower.

The Making of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower

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The Making of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
Tom McGregor
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEOTLI

Book Description

The latest pop-culture craze out of Japan is Kakuro! Kakuro has already edged out Sudoku to become Japan's favorite puzzle game and it's already becoming enormously popular in the U.K.- it stands to reason that Americans are going to love this game as well. Kakuro is a simple yet challenging game. While Sudoku asks players to use logic to solve the puzzle, Kakuro requires some basic addition and subtraction. The aim of Kakuro is to place numbers between 1 and 9 in blocks of between two and nine empty cells running horizontally and vertically inside a larger grid. The sum of each block should match the target number or clue, which appears inside the blacked-out cells. No number may be used more than once in each block, but a number may reoccur in the same row or column in a different run. The Way of Kakuro offers 95 puzzles created by the team at Nikoli, who was first responsible for Japan's Sudoku craze. Each puzzle has been crafted by hand -rather than generated by computer - to give it the key ingredient that makes puzzle-solving enjoyable: the sense of communication between solver and author. Graded from easy to hard, and with a basic tutorial that even a novice can follow, The Way of Kakuro offers everything players need to become totally enthralled with this hot new game.

Customer Reviews:

best kakuro book i've found.......2007-07-20

This kakuro book has challenging puzzles without it also being impossible. The time factor adds a really fun dimension to solving the easier puzzles too. Even beat the expert time on some!

Very satisfying games for puzzle fans and especially for sudoku players.......2006-05-27

Kakuro is Sudoku's bigger brother: THE WAY OF KAKURO: THE KING OF JAPANESE NUMBER PUZZLES VOLUME 1 bills it the top of Japanese number puzzles from the original Japanese creators of the rage Sudoku, and thus it should hold appeal to any who want to move to a new puzzle based on numbers. Easy addition and subtraction helps the Kakuro novice get started, but the puzzles don't stop there: brain teasers and complicated routines provide very satisfying games for puzzle fans and especially for sudoku players.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

Book Description

Financial guru Stephen Leeb shows how following oil prices can lead investors to real financial security. A storm is coming-an inflationary 'perfect storm' whipped up by skyrocketing oil prices that will lay waste to millions of portfolios if investors don't prepare.Renowned financial advisor Stephen Leeb asserts that in this perilous period, oil prices will drive all other economic indicators. But there is a way to diversify away from disaster, by dedicating a significant part of one's portfolio to real assets that keep their value relative to inflation. Here, Leeb helps readers pick the 'energy-producer star performers,' and reveals the 'double payoff' to investing in metals like platinum and silver. He also explains why the stocks of 'mega-insurers' are a safe bet, and shows how investing in real estate does not have to mean actually owning it. Filled with sound advice for an unstable marketplace, this is the book no one with a 401K can afford to miss.

Download Description

Financial guru Stephen Leeb sees a storm coming—an inflationary "perfect storm" that will lay waste to millions of portfolios if investors don't prepare ahead of time. In this perilous period, it will be essential to pay attention to the price of oil, because as prices fluctuate, so, too, will the economy. As Foreign Affairs recently pointed out, to support the world's population, oil production must rise in the next 20 years from 75 million barrels a day to 125 million—a 66% increase! And yet all over the world—from the North Sea to Mexico to Venezuela—come reports of production capacity maxing out.
Even an American victory in Iraq could only mean a 1% rise in capacity in the short term. Result: pressure to raise output will mean higher production costs, which will mean vastly more expensive oil. Higher energy costs mean depressed growth for most companies (the exception being energy producers) and rising prices undermine the value of bonds. But there is a way to diversify away from disaster: by dedicating a significant part of one's portfolio to real assets that keep their value relative to inflation.
Here, Stephen Leeb will help readers pick the "energy-producer star performers," reveal the "double payoff" to investing in metals like platinum and silver, explain why the stocks of "mega-insurers" are a safe bet, and show how investing in real estate does not have to mean actually owning it.

Customer Reviews:

Good advice and a powerful message.......2007-09-12

The book offers good investment and economics advice. It is well documented and researched. A little bit redundant at the beginning but once it gets to the point it is quite straightforward. Overall, good reading material and advice.

ps: I never noticed the author had an investment fund until I read it in one of the reviews below.

Good book.......2007-02-23

Good book on investing using oil costs as a guide.
A little pessimistic about the future, yet certainly plausible and possible.

Powerful & Vital.......2006-08-17

Having read numerous books on Peak Oil, I can honestly say that this one is unique.

The authors have a very simple and engaging writing style. They explain in concise terms the concept of Peak Oil, and how this will affect the global economy and stock markets.

The book is filled with invaluable advice and great ideas on where to hold your investments in the times ahead.

Peak Oil will bring dramatic changes to our world, but this book creates a positive vision - one that shines through the usual doom and gloom scenarios that are painted by other Peak Oil authors.

Essential reading.

Bubble, Bubble, Who's in Trouble?.......2006-05-21

Calling this book an eye opener will be a major understatement. It provides some of the fascinating analysis on the upcoming Oil crisis and its affect on everything ... right from your pocketbook to the world economy. Based on its analysis, it speculates on some of the repercussions on personal behaviour, defense and drive towards alternative energies. Additionally it suggests some interesting ideas that can help us protect & grow our portfolio as an Investor.

Some key takeaways ...

* Oil is going to hit $100+ a per barrel in the near future.
* Obviously Oil related companies are going to benefit.
* Automotive companies that make fuel efficient cars will benefit. (my extension ... companies making bigger and bulkier hulks will march towards extinction.)
* Alternative energy seeking companies will benefit.
* Interestingly key defense related companies might benefit.

The authors have put their ideas in a nice and lucid manner. The book progresses from analysis to possible strategies to counter Oil crisis using their Oil Indicator. (One personal recommendation... start the book from last chapter and progress towards the 1st chapter in reverse. You will better understand and appreciate what the authors are recommending and why they are recommending). The chapters have been written in perfect bite sizes. I liked the summary of the chapter in the key points format.

Although this book was written in 2003, I see most of the predictions coming true. Oil has already touched $75+ and regressed a little bit. For individual consumers, $4 per gallon of gas is not far away.(I remember paying $1 something just some years back. Currently it stands at $3 something ... whopping 200% increase.)

-Sachin

The Fear Factor - Beware of this book........2006-03-27

I read this book with great excitement. Not only does Leeb predict a great tumoil for the world but he tells you how to get fabulously rich off it. After finishing this and doing my homework, I have developed some doubts.

This book is divided into two sections. 1) The world is running out of oil which will cause inflation and finally deflation. 2) This is how you can profit if this happens.

While it is true that we will eventually run out of oil, nobody really knows when. The people who have the best data, the best access and the best training to study this issue , the US Geological survey, the oil companies and the Saudi petroleum engineers put this date at about 2040. The Peak Oil cult that has developed assumes that this is wrong and that we will really run out of oil in 200X where X is usually 5 or 7 or so but this moves back every year that it doesn't happen. This Peak Oil movement is incredibly persistant and has lots of websites to convince you that they are right. However, they probably aren't. Notice that they are never actually petroleum engineers or scientists. Many are just people who have made a career out of this idea. Some are people like goldbugs who will profit from people buying into this idea. If they are scientists they are fringe or scientists who have no respect in their fields. Leeb for example runs an investment fund. He is no position to tell you how much oil we have left. Neither are these people who write books on this. They just don't have data so they assume the worst and sell books. While some of these people in the PO movement are more moderate and have good intentions, many are fascists, leftists and people who just plain hate capitalism and hate America and want it to be destroyed. See this blog for more info
http://peakoildebunked.blogspot.com/

On to part 2. One thing that has happened is that oil prices have gone up. The reason why probably has nothing to do with Peak Oil. It is probably due to the Chinese and Indian economies growing faster than economists in the oil industry estimated and so we have run low on short term reserves. Also Katrina and some other supply problems. However the good part of this book is that it correctly forcasted what would happen if oil prices rise. Leeb was bang on with just about all of his predictions. If you invested the way he told you too you could have doubled your money in the last two years or possibly even more. Oil company stock is up, gold is up, oil service companies are up. Other stocks are down. Three cheers for Leeb. Fortunately for him, he got lucky. Oil prices may now go back down and so will these gains.

What you should take out of this book is what you should do if you think oil prices will rise. You should NOT decide that oil prices will rise based on info in this book. That would be making an outright speculation on future oil prices. There are billions of dollars worldwide invested in trying to guess which way oil prices will go. There are billions of investor dollars riding on this. This is not something that people ignore. If it was so obvious that oil prices will rise, then oil futures would already be this high. You cannot expect to read some book and get a better insight into this than the people who spend full time analyzing these issues for their billionaire investment clientel.

Is Leeb an unbiased source on this? NO. He runs a mutal fund which invests in the oil companies that he describes in his book. He wants people to buy these stocks so that his fund will prosper. Pretty simple. Fear sells. In addition you should notice how high the fees are to join this fund. They have complicated scheme where you have to pay like 20% of your earnings if you make a profit. Sounds like they are making a gamble on a speculation. If oil prices go up, they make a fortune on fees. If oil prices go down, they lose nothing. Not so for the people who buy into this. I wonder if Leeb is investing his own personal money in this fund? I doubt it. I would suggest diversifying outside of energy stocks as well as owning some of them. You can't afford to risk your whole savings on this speculative idea.

One last point. One might ask why aren't the oil companies, the Saudis and the petroleum industry professionals coming out and debating these Peak Oil people? If Peak Oil is bogus, why doesn't ExxonMobile have a webpage giving all of the reasons why it is all bogus. Doesn't that prove that they have no agument?

You might have guesed the answer. They love Peak Oil. The fears of an oil shortage drives up the price of oil and therefore their company profits. Why would they go out of their way to calm people's fears when it just would reduce their profits. People in the indurstry think that fears of an oil shortage add about 20% to the price of oil. The Saudis as well as Chavez take every opprotunity to spook the public about oil shutdowns. It just brings in more money. They often call this the fear factor which might be a better title to this book.

In conclusion. Oil prices might go up so you should own some of these companies. Buying gold is a pure speculation. Maybe a good idea but don't overdo it. Gold just keeps up with inflation in the long run. It is only an inflation hedge. Many of the companies Leeb recommends are just standard S&P 500 companies. ExxonMobile, GE, Toyota etc and can't be bad to own anyway. Others such as Devon Energy , Suncore Energy, Schlumberger MAY now be wildly overpriced. Hard to say. They are very leveraged to the price of oil and so may go down by a lots. Playing it safe is probably a wiser tactic. Berkshire Hathaway is of course a great company and always will be. Whether or not it is now fairly priced in beyond my knowledge. One might want to consider other stocks that do well if a recession happens like cigarette companies. People will always smoke. Also pay more attention to the housing bubble. That is probably a bigger threat right now than an oil shock.

Book Description

Born into slavery, young Harriet Tubman knew only hard work and hunger. Escape seemed impossible--certainly dangerous. Yet Harriet did escape North, by the secret route called the Underground Railroad. Harriet didn't forget her people. Again and again she risked her life to lead them on the same secret, dangerous journey.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome book!!!!!.......2007-01-31

I am reading this book right now in t.a.g/school and it is very good. It inspires all chilldren to take a stand. This is a good book for excellent readers!!! Buy the book for 5 dollars on amazon.com and read great book Freedom Train!!!!~~~~!!!!

freedom train.......2006-11-28

The book I read was called freedom train. It was about harriet tubman trying to escape. An one day she found a tunnel that lead to Canada. Happy as she was she went to tell everyone. and they were free!and also this book made me feel I could do something too. Because when she caped on saying I can do it!And she never gave up!I will reccomand this to my friends because I hope they will enjoy the things she did,And feel the same way I felt.

The Underground Railroad.......2006-11-23

If I could, I'd give this book 6 stars. It's the story of Harriet Tubman who was born into slavery. Harriet Tubman escaped and then helped other slaves escape with the underground railroad. I learned more about the Civil War and how courageous Harriet was. It is a good book for those who want to learn more about the Civil War. This would be good for all ages to read.

Important and inspirational tale of a young woman who defied slavery.......2006-02-25

Harriet Tubman has to rate as one of the most amazing heroines in history. A slave born in America in about 1820, (I say about as she never really new her birth date). She was always fired with a stronger will than her 'master' and 'mistress' liked. As a very young girl she was taken to the big house but she never got on with the mistress. She ended up whipped and sent back to be a field hand. She was short, but she worked so hard she soon was capable of doing a mans work. However she never wished to bow her head to any one.

When she was quite young she helped another slave escape and in the process was badly injured. Despite leaving her with sudden sleeping spells she escaped and went on to join the freedom train. Her inspirational way, strength and sheer will made her extremely successful at freeing many others - even when they eventually had to take the 'train' all the way to Canada. She even helped her elderly parents escape.

This is as much a story of slavery in America as this outlines the background of what Harriet was doing. Why she suddenly had to take her 'passengers' beyond the Delaware border to Canada. The wrangling of the slave-owning congress who wanted all slaves returned, that Lincoln refused to allow black troops in the civil war at first - and paid them only 2/3rds of what the white troops were earning.

It also talks about Harriet's life after the end of the civl war and her support of her family, friends and freedmen institutions to better her community.

This is a very well written, informative and entertaining book suitable for 8-12 year olds and I would highly recommend it. It is inpirational - about a girl who would not give up hope and when she could acted on it. I really liked the fact that this story is about someone who actually made change. This is not a glamouress herione, but one who really changed the face of America.

Freedom Train.......2004-05-20

The setting is on a plantation. The main character is Harriet Tubman. In the beginging the is a little girl and she is a house servant. She takes care of the baby and other thing too. But when she tries to get a piece of candy off the table at dinner the Mistress catches her. The Mistress goes to get her wip and Harriet runs out the door............
You all know or at least heard of Harriet Tubman. To see what happens next READ the book!!!

Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman

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Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling
Manufacturer: Scholastic Book Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JR3TVQ

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Freedom Train , the Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MHNIX2

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Freedom Train the Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4FJNU

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Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NDNB8W

Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman (Scholastic 1970)

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Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman (Scholastic 1970)
dorothy sterling
Manufacturer: scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KMLWZ0

Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman/Teachers Guide (Scholastic Biography)

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Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman/Teachers Guide (Scholastic Biography)
Dorothy Sterling
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0590409883

Harriet's Freedom Train (the Story of Harriet Tubman -- Breaking the Chains of Slavery): Preview Pak (Student Edition & Listening CD)

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Harriet's Freedom Train (the Story of Harriet Tubman -- Breaking the Chains of Slavery): Preview Pak (Student Edition & Listening CD)
Patsy Simms
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0769293786

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Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQKF7O

Harriet's Freedom Train, the Story of Harriet Tubman -- Breaking the Chains of Slavery: Unison/2-part Teacher's Guide

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Harriet's Freedom Train, the Story of Harriet Tubman -- Breaking the Chains of Slavery: Unison/2-part Teacher's Guide
Patsy Simms
Manufacturer: Alfred Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Church and State, published by J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State on March 22, 1998. The length of the article is 464 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A Cautious Patriotism: The American Churches and the Second World War.
Author: Theodore R. Weber
Publication: Journal of Church and State (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1998
Publisher: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
Volume: 40 Issue: n2 Page: 493-494

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Uncorrected error

Great content, layout lacking

Our Leading Authority on Communication Politics

A timely and welcome contribution to Journalism Studies

One Dollar = One Vote

Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times
Robert W. McChesney
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mass Media | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Democracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Communication | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century

The New Media Monopoly

The Future Of Media: Resistance And Reform In The 21st Century

The Creation of the Media: Political Origins of Modern Communication

Our Media, Not Theirs: The Democratic Struggle Against Corporate Media (Open Media Series)

ASIN: 1565846346

Amazon.com

Robert McChesney makes no bones about it: he is a democrat with a small "d," and in this book, Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times, that spells leftist. As a media scholar (McChesney is a communications professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), he is primarily concerned with "the contradiction," as he puts it, "between a for-profit, highly concentrated, advertising-saturated, corporate media system and the communication requirements of a democratic society." As a citizen, he favors resolving this contradiction through measures that would make your average CEO's skin crawl: massive government subsidies for nonprofit journalism, vigorous antitrust litigation aimed at media conglomerates, and robust regulation of corporate broadcasters.

If your politics lie anywhere to the right of Ralph Nader's, in other words, don't come to this book looking for validation. But for a stimulating, nuanced, and rigorously researched presentation of the case for overhauling the current media regime, look no further. McChesney displays a sure grasp of today's fast-evolving, high-tech mediascape, and his arguments about how to shape its future evolution (especially his critique of the now-prevalent idea that corporations deserve First Amendment rights) unfold with an often-startling common sense. Whether or not you agree with his prescriptions in the end, McChesney's sweepingly expansive notions of democracy--and of the importance of media within it--demand to be reckoned with. --Julian Dibbell

Book Description

The first paperback edition of a myth-breaking book on media, from one of today's most reputable and insightful media historian/critics. Winner of Harvard's Goldsmith Book Prize, Rich Media, Poor Democracy challenges the assumption that a society drenched in commercial information "choices" is a democratic one. Robert McChesney, whom Marc Crispin Miller calls "the greatest of our media historians," argues that the major beneficiaries of the so-called Information Age are wealthy investors, advertisers, and a handful of enormous media, computer, and telecommunications corporations. This concentrated corporate control, McChesney maintains, is disastrous for any notion of participatory democracy. Combining unprecedented detail on current events with historical sweep, in a book Noam Chomsky calls a "rich and penetrating study," McChesney chronicles the waves of media mergers and acquisitions in the late 1990s. He reviews the corrupt and secretive enactment of public policies surrounding the internet, digital television, and public broadcasting. He also addresses the gradual and ominous adaptation of the First Amendment as a means of shielding corporate media power and the wealthy, and he debunks the myth that the market compels media firms to "give the people what they want." In an eye-opening call to action, McChesney warns that we must organize politically to restructure the media if we want democracy to endure.

Customer Reviews:

Uncorrected error.......2006-03-26

This book contains a gross error of an incident about me that was widely, and accurately, covered by other media, most notably the Washington Post and Columbia Journalism Review. (See "Blasting the Boss in Boston", Stephen J. Simurda, Columbia Journalism Review, September 2000.) I contacted McChesney when I discovered it; he apologized and said he would correct it in any future editions of this book. There have, however, been no future editions and it would be good of him to uphold the journalistic responsibility about which he so passionately preaches by providing an insert to any copies sold. I have no knowledge that he has done so. Readers should therefore be forewarned of the scholarly deficiency of this work.

Great content, layout lacking.......2005-03-09

The first thing I'll say is that McChesney is probably the best, objective media analyst writing today. His ability to present information that describes the flaws of our media system is inspired and I cannot imagine anyone thinking of what McChesney describes as a good thing, unless they're personally profitting from the current system. I think the reviews below do a nice job at describing the book, so I will move onto my one complaint about this book.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy is very easy and very hard to read at the same time. McChesney's style and presentation is not the problem, I think the content is very readable. However the fact that the pages have such tiny margins and that the chapters aren't broken down into smaller, managable sections makes the book hard on the eyes and mind to get through. It's mainly a psychological thing I suppose, but just flipping through the book and seeing how it's structured almost makes you not want to read it. Everything runs together and going back to find specific passages for referencing is quite difficult.

However, I think if you can get past this one hurdle, this book will be highly rewarding to anyone concerned with the state of our media.

Our Leading Authority on Communication Politics.......2004-07-19

I am a graduate student researching the political structure (or political economy) of the media, and have found the works of Robert McChesney to be very influential for my studies. Here he analyzes how the corporate control of the modern media affects American democracy, and his insights into these areas are both illuminating and shockingly obvious, with a real knack for bringing out common sense enlightenment in understanding the nonsensical behavior and structure of the media. McChesney strongly argues that the media is the one industry most closely connected to the democratic health of the nation, because a democracy functions best when the citizens are well informed. Thus public, and not private, control of the media is a necessity. However, the corporate media system, dominated by well-connected elite mega-conglomerates, is actually the type of hyper-commercial oligopoly that is structurally unable (and unwilling) to give the masses true democratic choices and knowledge. McChesney's theories into how this has damaged the political health of the American people are obvious and depressing.

McChesney is also an outstanding political scientist, as he competently analyzes all sides of communications politics, from America's long-standing democratic traditions to our current ruinous domination by neoliberalism (economics) and neoconservatism (politics). One of this book's most fascinating chapters analyzes the highly troublesome hijacking of the First Amendment by the media conglomerates. Note that this particular book was published in 1999, so the chapter on the possibilities of the internet for democratic communications has become outdated (though McChesney's cynical attitude toward those possibilities has sadly become true). However, the underlying strength of McChesney's work is his focus on the structural issues behind the modern media and their very worrisome effects on public knowledge and democracy. Note that the "structuralist" arguments make up a portion of this volume, but have since been expanded in a hugely illuminating way in McChesney's exceptional 2004 release "The Problem of the Media." [~doomsdayer520~]

A timely and welcome contribution to Journalism Studies.......2003-06-19

Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics In Dubious Times by Robert W. McChesney (Institute of Communications Research and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) informative surveys and comments upon the history and politics of the American media up through the dawn of the twenty-first century. From the repercussions of globalization and the Internet; to a recounting of battles for control of U.S. broadcasting to the past, present, and questionable future of public broadcasting, Rich Media, Poor Democracy is a timely and welcome contribution to Journalism Studies reading lists and Political Science collections.

One Dollar = One Vote.......2002-11-26

McChesney introduces us to laissez faire's New Theology of the First Amendment which since the 1970s has gone against most of the great political philosophers starting with John Stuart Mill: the wealthy have the right to purchase elections, advertisers have the right to operate without regulation, and further, commercial entities are to have the same First Amendment rights as citizens. In other words the role of capital is increasingly off limits to political debate and government regulation. Regarding public service broadcastings increasing marginalization and defunding by the conservatives McChesney asks: "...what type of society will dominate in the United States and globally for the coming generation? Will it be one in which the market and profits are sacrosanct, off-limits to informed political debate? One in which the notion of citizen will be replaced by that of consumer and where we will have a society effectively based on one dollar, one vote rather than one person, one vote? Will we have a society where people are regarded primiarlily as fodder for corporate irresponsibility or will we have a society where citizens have the right to actually determine whatever economic and media systems they regard as best?"

If reading McChesney, the premier historian of the U.S. media, doesn't convince you as to how utterly complicit the media is in the depoliticization and commoditization of American life, and how overdetermined that outcome has become in light of the penetration of the marketplace into every corner of the media, then perhaps you work for the FCC or you or one of the giant media conglomerates (down to 7 at last count who control more than half of the media worldwide).

McChesney tells us the same distressing story beginning at the introduction of radio through the launching of the Internet: the utopian promise of an enabled, informed citizenry using their community-owned bandwidth to inaugurate a new and glorious day of political engagement. Did you know, for instance, that We the People actually "own" the frequency spectrum, and that ostensibly We have the right to call the shots on what the spectrum is used for? If you didn't, it's not McChesney's fault. Instead, it's probably because broadcasters, who pay relatively little for our valuable common property and who have made billions from it in miniscule rental payments have not informed you of that fact. (That's what I mean by overdetermined.) In fact, the broadcast and cable media do everything they not to tell Americans how much they pay our government (or what pretends to be our government) for the right to put on mind-numbing and misleading junk as the filler between bouts of very profitable advertising. But, of course, the filler is all about advertising, too. As McChesney notes, nearly every show is a catalog and set of instructions for consumption and a series of disposable lifestyles. Here's McChesney quoting Milton Glaser, the famous graphic designer who wrote in 1997: "It is curious that after the triumph of capitalism MAerican business is embracing the politburo practice of censoring ideas it deems unacceptable."

But here's McChesney himself talking about the problem of a media which no longer feels any scruples to inform the American citizenry about anything except how good we will feel if we only buy those things we see on TV: "The logical consequence of a commercial media system is less to instill adherence to any ruling powers that be -- though that can and of course does happen -- than to promote a general belief that politics is unimportant and there is little hope for organized social change." He also scores a solid right to the jaw of the free marketeer version of reality: "As Milton Friedman put it in his seminal CAPITALISM AND FREEDOM, 'because profit making is the essence of democracy, and government that pursues antimarket policies is being anti-democratic, not matter how much informed popular support they might enjoy. Therefore it is best to restrict governments to the job of protecting private property and enforcing contracts, and to limit political debate to minor issues.'"

McChesney counsels that the only way to strike at the heart of this monster is to "seek new terminology, avoiding terms like "the left" with its undesirable baggage altogether." In his view "the only course that makes sense in the long run is to reclaim "left" and charge it with new historical meaning," a counsel not unlike culture jammer Kalle Lasn, who says in CULTURE JAM that in order to change the status quo we must "step over the dead body of the left."

But, who will cover it? Who will consider it "news?" Certainly not those who stand to lose so much.

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Rich Media, Poor Democracy : Communication Politics in Dubious Times (History of Communication Ser.)
Robert W. McChesney
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPWAF4

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Media Watchdogs.(Review) (book review): An article from: Dollars & Sense
Kenneth Rapoza
Manufacturer: Economic Affairs Bureau
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Release Date: 2005-07-28

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This digital document is an article from Dollars & Sense, published by Economic Affairs Bureau on May 1, 2000. The length of the article is 790 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Media Watchdogs.(Review) (book review)
Author: Kenneth Rapoza
Publication: Dollars & Sense (Newsletter)
Date: May 1, 2000
Publisher: Economic Affairs Bureau
Page: 41

Article Type: Book Review

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