A Curious Intimacy: Art and Neuro-Psychoanalysis

Book Description

What can neuroscience contribute to the psychodynamic understanding of creativity and the imagination?

A Curious Intimacy is an innovative study into the interrelation between art and neuro-psychoanalysis which significantly narrows the divide between the humanities and the sciences.

Situating our grasp of the creative mind within the historical context of theories of sublimation, Lois Oppenheim proposes a change in paradigm for the study of the creative process, questioning the idea that creativity serves, above all, the reparation of early object relationships and the resolution of conflict. The book is divided into two parts. Part one, Art and the Brain, introduces the field of neuro-psychoanalysis and examines the contribution it can make to the discussion of gender and art. Part two, A New Direction for Interdisciplinary Psychoanalysis, draws on the verbal and visual artistry of Samuel Beckett, Paul Klee and Martha Graham to put to the test the proposed new direction for applied psychoanalysis. Lois Oppenheim concludes by addressing the future of psychoanalysis as it becomes increasingly informed by neuroscience and raising questions about what the neurobiology of emotion and feeling has to tell us about the creative experience of an individual and what might constitute a neuro-psychoanalytic aesthetics.

A Curious Intimacy will have great appeal for all those interested in the study of imagination and creativity. It will also be of particular interest to students across the humanities and sciences and to psychotherapists and psychoanalysts wanting to explore the contribution that neuro-psychoanalysis can make to our understanding of the creative process.

Customer Reviews:

connection between physiology and artistic style with special atttention on Beckett, Klee and Martha Graham.......2006-02-23

"I will argue in this book that, insofar as a number of dynamic somatically based tensions are inherent in the creative process--that there is a discharge of bodily drive in representation--neurophysiological function is significant (in more than obvious ways for both making and reception of art." Oppenheim continues that what she more precisely wants to show is that [following quote in italics in original] "the primary impulse of creativity is homeostatic in as much as creativity serves to augment self-awareness and it is on awareness of self that homeostasis depends." In conjunction with this latter quote, the author makes a reference to the influential work of Antonio Damasio on physiology as a means for homeostasis both biologically and mentally. Artistic creativity is a special case of this physiological theory with implications for neuro-psychoanalysis and self-awareness that is only in the relatively early stages of exploration and study. Since artists feel more intensely, are finely attuned to their inner lives, are instinctively compulsive, and perceive more acutely and elaborately than average persons, their means for homeostasis both mentally and bodily sought by all persons is idiosyncratic and specialized. Oppenheim examines in depth the different art of the writer Samuel Beckett, the artist Paul Klee, and the dancer Martha Graham as these fill out her neuro-psychoanalytic subject matter and illustrate her related perspective. She's a professor of French and head of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Montclair (NJ) State U. "A Curious Intimacy" is right at the leading edge of carrying the contemporary medical and life sciences field of neuroscience into the particular field of art.

Book Description

Ooh la la! Abrams is pleased to introduce French Kitty! Campy and fun, French Kitty has been a highly successful fashion industry icon since 1997 and a favorite of 'tweens and teens. French Kitty's impeccable style, joie de vivre, and romantic adventures are sure to inspire girls of all ages through 2004. Includes stickers.

Customer Reviews:

This is the best calendar I've ever owned!.......2004-04-06

I received this calendar as a birthday gift back in September 2003, and it took every ounce of self-restraint not to hang it up right away! This calendar is fabulous. Every month features a bright picture taken from the pages of French Kitty's first book. I bought an extra copy of the calendar so that i could have some of the illustrations framed. I can't wait to get the 2004 edition!

Customer Reviews:

great work hopelessly marred by printing errors..........2002-04-23

This book suffers from huge ordering errors (which no one seems to be in any great hurry to correct...) The story, while enjoyable, is near impossible to decode without asking another fan or using the original comics as a guide. Even if you can decode the confusing order, it's impossible to immerse yourself in a world when you're hunting for the next page ^^;

It's all out of order!.......2002-03-16

Elfquest is the best. However, I just want to post some info about the correct order to read this printing.
Here's the page sequence if you get this edition. This series was 4, 28-page issues. This book has no page numberers.
This Volume Orig.Comic,Orig. page#
Pages 1-24 - Seige #1---->1-24
Pages 25-49 - Seige #3---->1-28
Pages 50-53 - Seige #4---->1-3
Pages 54-57 - Seige #1---->25-28
Pages 58-86 - Seige #2---->1-28
Pages 87-End- Seige #4---->4-28
The idea is that you want to read it following the sequence of the "original comic" column. I put sticky notes all over mine and found it possible to read this. Hope that helps.

AMazing.......2001-05-15

I love this book! It shows just how manipulative Winnowill can be.

WARNING!.......2000-08-09

Attention first time readers of Elfquest! This edition is COMPLETELY OUT OF ORDER!!!! It would be better to look around for the original copies of these issues.

Still good, but obviously not Pini.......2000-04-09

Right after the great conclusion of The Great War on The World of Two Moons, the first thing you notice about the follow-up stories is that the art style is quite different. It still looks good at first, however. You may remember that back in the espiode of the Blue Mountain, the unfortunate young Dewshine had been forced to mate with a genetically misfigured bat-elf, so here she had produced and nurtured a very chubby "Windkin" baby which had inherited a floating knack of its own. So in this new espiode, one of the Guilders who had survived the "Blue Mountain" incident had come sniffing around the Wolfrider's new hideout in The Forbidden Grove. Unfortunately, Dewshine's kid had flown right out to regard the intruder with some bubbly baby talk. As a result, the Guilder had suddenly grabbed the infant and made right off with it as a prize to present to the wicked Winnowill, who has by now made herself The Queen of The Blue Mountain. So it's the Wolfriders to the rescue! A good read, with all the characters sporting an appearance makeover, but not as exsiquite as the original stories done by the hand of the original creators.

A Working Musician's Joke Book
Average customer rating:
A Working Musician's Joke Book
Daniel Theaker
Manufacturer: Sound And Vision
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Jokes & Riddles | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Musician's Ultimate Joke Book: Over 500 One-Liners, Quips, Jokes and Tall Tales

The Music Lover's Quotation Book (Musical Quotations) (Musical Quotations)

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Better Than It Sounds!: A Dictionary of Humourous Musical Quotations

The Musician's Joke Book: Knowing The Score

ASIN: 092015123X

Book Description

Daniel Theaker's A Working Musician's Joke Book is a compilation of the funniest and most popular music jokes today. From groaners to gut busters, these jokes really reflect the attitudes and personalities of people who make music for a living.

Wes Craven's Last House On The Left
Average customer rating:

Really into it

Horrifying

midnight confessions

a paramount reading,

1970's Horror

Wes Craven's Last House On The Left
David A. Szulkin
Manufacturer: Fabs Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Making Friday The 13th: The Legend Of Camp Blood

Beyond Horror Holocaust: A Deeper Shade of Red

Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema

Witchcraft Through the Ages: The Story of Haxan, the World's Strangest Film, and the Man Who Made It

The Vampire Collection (The Rape of the Vampire / The Shiver of the Vampires / Requiem for a Vampire)

ASIN: 1903254019

Book Description

Wes Craven began his career in fear with a notorious low-budget shocker called Last House On The Left. Szulkin's book tells the inside story of the making of this landmark film through in-depth interviews, rare photographs and extensive research. Featuring stills from unreleased out-takes and commentary from Wes Craven, this book is the definitive record of one of the most legendary, iconoclastic horror movies in history. Now in a fully revised, updated and expanded second edition - with a contracted price too (gasp!).

Customer Reviews:

Really into it.......2004-09-15

The best way to describe this book is reverent. This is a seriously in depth look at Wes Craven's demented debut, Last House on the Left.

Szulkin has done a ton of research. There are countless references in here to obscure genre work, foreign films, etc, etc. Plenty of pictures, too, big, bright and shiny pictures of various artwork from the film and its unofficial 'sequels', grisly scenes, and more. Whatever you think of the film, this is an impressive book.

Last House on the Left is definitely demented, but looking at the current state of the horror genre, it holds up pretty well. The raw, grainy quality and the depiction of the kind of sick, stark horror you read about in the papers--this is definitely not a movie that glorifies crime and murder as other slick, entertaining films do. Craven would do similar things later in the decade with The Hills Have Eyes, another ultra low-budget but creepy study of an American family.

Video nasty buffs and horror fans will highly appreciate such a respectful book about an oft-disrespected and reviled film. I mean, this is the second, revised edition(!) That is dedication, folks.

Horrifying.......2004-06-07

I think this may be one of those reviews that get 0 out of 20 user ratings. I didn't even read the whole book, only about 50%. If you want a good review go read any of the other usefull ones of which there are plenty.

Let me start out by saying that this is a good book, highly detailed just like everyone else has said. It however had me going out of the house to the nearest garbage can at three o'clock in the morning. After spending the whole day reading the very detailed desciptions of an orgy in violence I felt dirt, disgusted and in need of a shower and a memory loss. I couldn't get the imagery of the book out of my head and I definately couldn't sleep, so I decided to make a symbolic trip to the garbage can to cleanse my house since there was no way I could sleep with that thing in the house. If like me you have a sensitive disposition, you should be warned that this book may not be for you. Otherwise, like previously noted, it's probably a good book.

midnight confessions.......2000-01-31

hello last house fans, as a close confidant of david szulkin and last house star david a hess, i must say people have to read this graphically detailed monster of written class. this 70's film student text book has inspiration.szulkin has touched the heart and soul of wes cravens masterpiece. All cult fanatics will read this book

a paramount reading,.......1998-12-07

the importance of the movie,is overshadowed by Szulkin's "under the microscope" details and facts.And those details and facts are exactly why you can not put this book down.The index alone is a treasure listing of the the greatest horror/slasher/sci-fi/camp...movies ever made. I cannot wait to see what Szulkin's next subject will be....

1970's Horror.......1998-06-27

This book is a must for any fan of 70's horror. The genre had a feel to it in the 70's, and this book shows that feeling. Great book for any aspiring filmaker.

Book Description

Musical Childhoods and the Cultures of Youth is an immensely rich contribution to childhood studies and shows how children are socialized into the musical life of their communities. Children have rarely been central to musicological or anthropological studies, and childhood was once dismissed as too early in the human developmental process to be of significant interest. In a variety of historical, social, and cultural frameworks, these 10 essays address subjects as diverse as choirboys in early modern Seville, the griot culture of West Africa, and Jewish youth at summer camp. The essays reveal childhood as a time all its own, a time when individual identities are forged through music, and when voices emerge in ways that are as personal as they are communally bound and musically varied. This is an important book for music scholars, educators, cultural and social historians, and for scholars across the social sciences, as well as anyone interested in childhood. It sheds new light on children and youth cultures as alternately dependent upon and independent from the "grown-up" musical worlds that surround them.

Book Description

This informal collection of lore and advice on a wide range of poker games places emphasis on strategy. The author assumes that the reader has knowledge of basic poker rules and card values, but focuses on poker as it's played in a friendly home atmosphere, rather than high-stakes casino-style games. His book's overall purpose is to encourage players to temper the thrill of gambling with the spirit of social bonding that typifies the best “Thursday night poker evenings.” Over the years, poker has evolved dozens of variations on the original five-card draw or seven-card stud. Readers will find the rules here for many of them, including Acey-Deucy, Auction, Chicago, Omaha, and Spit in the Ocean, to cite just a few. The book's eye-catching sidebar features include tips on

Bluffing fish and sandbagging friends
Dealing with the math
Deciding on house rules
The biz of show . . . and more

Also offered is advice on what to learn first, rules and games to avoid, pot builders, and several other aspects of the game. Here's the authoritative poker reference, ideal for use among poker friends looking for fun and variety as they improve their game. 50 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Poker Nights.......2005-10-24

If you are looking for a book for the home poker game that is more than just hold'em this is the one. Has great tips, such as how to set up your bank to the best way to deal and bet. Has a large amount of games to keep the home poker party fun for hours. So if your looking for a guide to set up a home poker party this is it.

Poker Nights : Rules, Strategies, and Tips for the Home Play.......2004-10-11

Scott Tharler knows how to make us think. He has written a handbook for people who want to understand. Tharler presents the full spectrum of poker playing. Poker Nights is fun, humorous, and tremendously helpful. I recommend this book to all who are involved or interested in poker. It spells out what you need to know. Read this book and learn.

Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up)
Average customer rating:

Great initial read

Take it from one who knows - do NOT waste your money!

Clear, concise, and comprehensive

Straight forward, practical, to the point

Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up)
Entrepreneur Press
Manufacturer: Entrepreneur Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Home-Based Recruiting Business: A Step-By-Step Business Plan for Entrepreneurs

Recruiting on the Web : Smart Strategies for Finding the Perfect Candidate

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The Recruiter's Almanac of Scripts, Rebuttals and Closes

Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market

ASIN: 189198490X

Book Description

This comprehensive guide reveals strategies used by top-ranking executive search professionals to start and run their own successful placement services.

Customer Reviews:

Great initial read.......2006-04-25

I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for, for an initial read on the business of executive recruiting. It is not intended for experienced recruiters, but I have an M.A. in personnel and several years in HR and career transition coaching and still found it to be a good overview of the E. R. profession. I have a couple of dozen other books on E. R., but this one delivers on its main purpose very well. Helps in seeing the forest for the trees. An excellent first read!

Take it from one who knows - do NOT waste your money!.......2005-05-02

As a Certified Personnel Consultant with 20 years as an executive recruiter, and the owner of a recruiting firm for 8 years, take my word for it, don't waste your money on this book. I bought it because I thought I might get some useful tips on certain aspects of the business I may have overlooked. Immediately, after reading the first few pages, I knew this person was not an executive recruiter, nor had she ever owned a recruiting business! Anyone who thinks they can just open up a recruiting business without a minimum of five years in the executive recruiting business (and not all of it on the Internet) is mistaken. I take that back. They can certainly start a recruiting business! However, I doubt those having less than five years of being successful as an executive recruiter, would make it past a few months, a year at the most. (That is, unless they hired seasoned executive recruiters to work for them. )

It's a tough business. Most people think you just talk on the phone (or surf the net for jobs and candidates) and rake in the money!

*Read articles on the Web linked to The Fordyce Letter, publishers of a newsletter to the executive recruiting industry, the "bible" of executive recruiting. Then go to sites of leaders in the field, mentioned there. People like Bill Radin, William Finlay, Don Ramer, etc. I'm sure there is an FAQ somewhere on one of these sites that will give you the best information on opening up a recruiting firm! (If not, after reading some of their articles, you will realize there's more to it than you thought!)

I'm writing this to get the word out that (a) this book is completely useless, and (b) no book on opening up an executive recruiting firm will help you if you don't have a few years as a sucessful, repeat successful - meaning you've made in excess of at least 25 placements as both the originator of the search assignment and the candidate - executive recruiter.

This is the first time I've ever written a review, but I felt compelled to say this, and to particularly warn unsuspecting people not to even think about opening an executive recruiting business without doing lots of legitimate research on the subject! (Which you won't get from this book.)

Clear, concise, and comprehensive.......2005-01-31

Excellent start-up guide. In just over 100 pages, the author gives real-life details about the costs and benefits of starting your recruiting firm. Touches on home-based office versus renting professional space, has lists of approximate start-up costs, and a realistic view of some pitfalls to avoid. As a recruiter who's been in the business, she was dead-on about what it takes to make it in the field without being too sunny or too bitter.

Straight forward, practical, to the point.......2004-01-25

Looking to make a career change, I picked up this book at a local book store (Sorry, Amazon!) and I'm glad I did. This is not strictly a "how to" book. There is a fair amount of discussion - most from actual recruiters - on what it's like to be in this business. This is a good book for someone who hasn't quite made up their mind to start a recruiting business. There's enough detail to begin the process of creating a business plan but you will likely need to look elsewhere for specifics on recruiting technology, sales techniques, etc.

For the price, it's quite a deal!

Book Description

"With the air of intimacy that only comes from intensive research, Uncommon Valor vividly shows us the contributions made by escaped slaves, ex-slaves, and freemen to the Union cause."
—Gene Smith, author of Lee and Grant

Christian Fleetwood had mixed feelings about America, and America had mixed feelings about him. As a free twenty-three-year-old black man living in Baltimore, with the Civil War raging, he understood well all that was worrisome and all that was inspiring in his war-torn country. A few days after Gettysburg, as his hometown was flooded with horribly wounded soldiers, Fleetwood made a momentous and patriotic decision. He enlisted.

Uncommon Valor tells the powerful story of how Sergeant Fleetwood and his fellow "colored" troops overcame oppression, suspicion, derision, and a ceaseless torrent of Confederate gunfire to overrun a heavily fortified rebel position against impossible odds. For outstanding bravery and devotion beyond the call of duty, Fleetwood and thirteen of his comrades were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Based on personal diaries, letters, and other firsthand accounts, this riveting tale takes you deep into the heat of battle and beyond, as these heroic soldiers are forced to fight two wars at once—one against the enemy, the other against their own white commanders and fellow troops.

The Civil War produced hundreds of heroes and thousands of thrilling accounts of their brave and glorious deeds. None is more moving, compelling, or inspiring than Uncommon Valor.

Customer Reviews:

An Uncommon Civil War Book.......2006-04-08

Melvin Claxton and Mark Puls have written an uncommonly fascinating book about the uncommon valor of African-American soldiers during the Civil War. In the battle of New Market Heights fourteen Medals of Honor were awarded to the incredibly brave "colored " troops " who fought it. They demonstrated that the notion that black troops would not fight was a racist slander. Claxton and Puls tell a compelling and important tale of a battle even more significant than the more celebrated effort of the 54th Massachusetts before Fort Wagner portrayed in the film " Glory ".They provide new insight into an important topic and will keep you turning the pages until the early hours. This book is a must for not only Civil War buffs, but all those interested in American history - especially those untold chapters of the black contribution to the making of this nation.

Informative Journey.......2006-03-04

Uncommon Valor provides a unique perspective for the reader that truly brings history alive. The flow of the book allows the reader to accompany Christian Fleetwood through his individual Civil War experience while being supplemented with interesting and relevant historical fact. Uncommon valor prompts the reader to develop a profound appreciation for the courageous contributions of African American Civil War soldiers in the face of extreme prejudice. This book is a goldmine of information for the student of African American and Civil War history.

An important African American story.......2006-02-13

"`Uncommon Valor' is a good introduction to the black warriors of the war...Claxton and Puls do an excellent job following Fleetwood through battles in North Carolina and Virginia, allowing him to speak through his diary and letters." Linda Wheeler, Washington Post, 2-12-2006

"The book debunks the notion that freedom from slavery was somehow handed to black Americans. Out of one battle at New Market Heights...came 14 medals of honor for black soldiers -- more than black soldiers ever received on any one day, in any war."
Shaun A. Pennington, St. Thomas Source, 2-10-2006

"At last we're getting the real story of how black soldiers helped the Union win the Civil War." William Steif, The State, 2-05-2006

A Great Story.......2005-12-15

This book shows why Melvin Claxton is the finest investigative reporter working today. He does two things in this book. First, he tells a bigger and far more important story than "Glory" when he tells how 14 black soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their extraordinary valor in the Battle of New Market Heights. This obscure battle, during the last days of the Civil War, forever laid to rest the then-popular notion that black soldiers were cowards; that they would cut and run in the heat of combat.
Almost 900 black soldiers died at New Market Heights. And they died charging wave after wave into Confederate gunfire. It would be almost 100 years before President Truman desegregated the U.S. military. But black Americans soldiered on because of their legacy from this battle.
Black troops at New Market Heights won respect and honor, not only for themselves, but for black troops who later would die charging Japanese positions in the Pacific or German strongholds in Europe. They won honor for black troops who fought in the frozen hell of Korea or in the steamy jungles of Vietnam.
This is more than a military book. It is a book about how when America was tearing itself apart, a few valiant black soldiers were putting the country together.

Customer Reviews:

My Great Great Grandfather...Thomas Quinlan would be proud........2001-04-26

My Great Great Grandfather, Private Thomas Quinlan (who is on page 230 of this book)who fought under DeForest with the 12th Connecticut Volunteers, would have been proud of the way in which DeForest's written words immortalize the battles that they fought for future generations to understand just how brutal the Civil War battles were. DeForest describes the battles in such a way that the reader feels that they are there on the battlefield. This book is a "MUST HAVE" for any Civil War library/collection.

A Volunteer's Adventures a Union Captain's Record of the Civil War

Average customer rating:

A Volunteer's Adventures a Union Captain's Record of the Civil War

Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I64V1A

Average customer rating:

A VOLUNTEER'S ADVENTURES: A UNION CAPTAIN'S RECORD OF THE CIVIL WAR
John William (ed. by James H. Croushore) De Forest
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NWOKHY

Average customer rating:

Volunteer's Adventures: A Union Captain's Record of the Civil War
John De Forest; William; Editor And Notes James H. Croushore; Introduc
Manufacturer: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKAONE

A volunteer's adventures;: A Union captains's record of the Civil War,

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A volunteer's adventures;: A Union captains's record of the Civil War,
John William De Forest
Manufacturer: G. Cumberlege, Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

A VOLUNTEER'S ADVENTURES: A UNION CAPTAIN'S RECORD OF THE CIVIL WAR
John William deForest
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M0MZU6

Book Description

From sources inside the Pentagon and the CIA, Bill Gertz tracks the path of terrorists and terrorism in the United States. He uncovers information that could have prevented 9/11.

Customer Reviews:

Reads like a novel - Well done........2007-09-10

From the opening to the very end, this author writes in a novel-like style that makes this book so very readable.

There is no doubt that the author lays 9/11 at the feet of Bill Clinton - and, a LOT of the blame belongs there. Even more than I thought before reading this.

I do think that much of it lies in the bureaucracy that the FBI, CIA, and military intelligence had to deal with. And will the views of some bureaucrats.

Gertz does a great job of drilling down into some of these organizations and peeling the scab off of some of the intelligence wounds. As I read it, I kept thinking this guy must have INCREDIBLE access to sources and/or his research is just impeccable.

Bottom line - very well written and an easy read. Thank you!

Government Bungling - Again!.......2005-12-24

Gertz begins by relating how, prior to 9/11, the CIA failed to help an Afghan leader trying to rally forces against the pro bin Laden Taliban. As a result, he was captured and executed.

Lack of Coordination: In '95, Philippine police investigating a fire and explosion learned the details of plans to blow up 11 airliners over the Pacific, as well as to fly a plane into CIA headquarters. The individual involved also admitted having attended several U.S. flight schools. This information was not combined with Phoenix FBI findings that a number of Middle-East men with a hatred of America - one had bin Laden photo on his wall. another made calls to a Palestinian terrorist, still another was asking about airport security, and they had a "fatwah" that commericial airplanes were legitimate targets. Nor was it combined with the Minneapolis' finding that Moussaoui was similarly trying to learn to fly large jets, nor a like finding in Oklahoma City. The CIA did track two 9/11 terrorists to the U.S. (who had taken U.S. flight training) - but failed to even notify the FBI. Worse yet, when Minneapolis FBI agents were frustrated in their efforts to have Moussaoui's computer searched (refused because "no crime had been committed") and tried to notify the CIA - they were reprimanded.

The CIA attempted to prosecute Robert Baer (one of its top operatives) for supposedly trying to assassinate Sadam Hussein, per Iranian intelligence. It then claimed credit for stopping several Millenium attacks (actually accomplished via alert Custom's official), and for "thwarting" terrorist attacks after simply nabbing individuals entering with false documents. Also determined that a small boat attack against a U.S. warship was not possible, prior to the U.S.S. Cole bombing.

Lack of Capable Staff: In the early 1990s, the CIA had nobody in Iraq. Subsequent intelligence buildup involved adding staff attached to embassies who largely stayed inside and filed reports. Prior "housecleanings" had moved away from rewarding staff for recruiting spies, and instead focused on diversity, and avoiding recruitment of those with prior criminal or terrorist backgrounds. Clinton administration further weakened efforts by refocusing counter-intelligence on antii-abortion bombings - despite the FBI believing that Islamic terrorism was a much greater problem.

Sudan offered intelligence on bin Laden, and even to arrest him. Clinton administration did not follow-up, and the offer evaporated upon the erroneous bombing of a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant.

Former CIA Director Woolsey: Prior to 9/11, several times each year some crazy person would get into a cockpit, and the call would go out to strengthen the doors. NOTHING HAPPENED! (Was the ONE simple action that likely prevented 9/11.)

A little right biased.......2005-09-09

This was a informative book that outlined what Gertz thought was the reason Sept 11th happened. Though these were problems left over from countless decades of neglect to the intellgence community Gertz seems to protray this as the cause of failure. It is a combination af manyy things and to point your finger at one aspect of the pie is ludicris. The book does make a good point on how politics get in the way of policy. "It is what you do and not what you say, if your not part of the future than get out of the way." Stop pissing around and playing favorites and get the job done!

Excellent reminder of how 9.11 was a complete failure for .......2005-05-12

both the CIA and FBI. Mr. Gertz, the excellent correspondent for the excellent (meaning not anti-Bush/republican NY Times/Wash. Post/CNN/CBS/ABC,etc.) Washington Times does an excellent job in explaining how 9.11 could have been prevented. Examples include the lack of adequately trained translators, CIA apprehension in "penetrating" al-Qaeda, and the 1970 era of anti-CIA political machinatiions that decimated the US intelligence. Also, Mr. Gertz details the lack of attention paid to the intelligence community during eight years of Bill/Hillary/Madeline/fat Al Gore/Sandy stolen documents Berger/et al. Binny struck in 93, 95, 96, 98, and 2000 (and many aborted/thwarted attacks) and all we got from that administration was some cruise missiles and an exploded milk factory in Sudan (while cowardly running from Somalia). This all led to the tragedy of 9.11 (and now the madman Kim Jong-il.)
Mr. Gertz does offer many solutions to the problems with many quote from senior intelligence officials (thank you, James Woolsey).
Thank you for the great work Mr. Gertz.

"Breakdown" Wears Blinders.......2005-03-04

"Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11" by Bill Gertz provides an operational history of America's spy community.

While his credentials and writing ability are beyond reproach, Gertz fails miserably by simplistically concluding that politics ruined our intelligence gathering system. Without mentioning the bloody, destabilizing covert actions that compelled legislative intervention, Gertz blames congressional panels "packed with liberal Democrats who assumed that U. S. intelligence agencies posed a threat to American democracy and engaged in wide criminal activity."

To agree with Gertz, one must ignore scores of corporate-friendly coups supported by the CIA in the last half century. For a more complete examination of intelligence misdeeds, read "Endless Enemies: The Making of an Unfriendly World" by Jonathan Kwitny.

By taking a partisan stance to draw a political conclusion, Gertz fails to put the blame where it belongs; on the hubris ridden, bureaucratic Boys Club that the intelligence service has become. Sycophancy and conformity cross party lines, and smother the creative thinkers in our nation's intelligence community.

Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11. (Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Security Management

Average customer rating:

Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11. (Reviews).(Book Review): An article from: Security Management
Mayer Nudell
Manufacturer: American Society for Industrial Security
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Security Management, published by American Society for Industrial Security on February 1, 2003. The length of the article is 434 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: Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11. (Reviews).(Book Review)
Author: Mayer Nudell
Publication: Security Management (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 2003
Publisher: American Society for Industrial Security
Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Page: 97(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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