From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION:
DEBUT....
Longtime CNN anchor Kitty Pilgrim's SINCLAIR, tracking abrilliant archaeologist and a renowned oceanographer as they join forces with a team of virologists trying to decode the genome of the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, to Nan Graham and Roz Lippel at Scribner, in a two-book deal, by Mort Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (World).
THRILLER...
O.J. Simpson prosecutor and NYT bestselling author Marcia Clark's debut GUILT BY ASSOCIATION, to Judy Clain at Little, Brown, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (World).
Thomas Koloniar's CANNIBAL REIGN, in a post asteroidal world where the sun has ceased to shine and human kind has begun to savagely feed upon itself, the last five green berets on earth have chosen to make a stand, to Matthew Benjamin at William Morrow, for publication in 2011, by Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER...
Liza Palmer's WHITE PICKET FENCES AND OTHER CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, about a teacher at a private school whose world is rocked when her school's seemingly perfect new headmistress is killed by her seemingly perfect husband; and THE LAST SUPPER CLUB about an aspiring chef who, after a disastrous attempt to make it in NY, drags herself back to Texas, taking a job preparing last meals for condemned prisoners (simultaneously being developed by the agency's film/tv department as a television series), to Carrie Feron at William Morrow, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Company.
Arturo Perez-Reverte's THE SIEGE, set during Napoleon's famous 19th-century siege of Cadiz, the only Spanish city never to fall to the French, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency on behalf of Raquel de la Concha (NA).
Lorna Graham's THE GHOST OF GREENWICH VILLAGE, the story of a woman who moves to Manhattan in search of romance and excitement, only to find that her apartment is haunted by the cantankerous ghost of an old Beat Generation writer who wants her help in finishing his life's work, all as she tries to balance a new job at a morning news show, a budding friendship with a legendary fashion designer, and a search for clues to her mother's past, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, at auction, for publication in Summer 2011, by Susan Golomb at the Susan Golomb Agency (World).
NONFICTION:
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS...
Author of the NYT bestseller Beautiful Boy, David Sheff's THE THIRTEENTH STEP, drawing on recent research and stories of the author's own and others' experiences to show what's wrong with how we approach addiction today and the best ways to treat and prevent it, again to Eamon Dolan at Penguin Press, for publication in spring 2011, by Amanda Urban of ICM.
BIOGRAPHY...
Garry Wills' THE SPIRITUAL CROSSING, a biography of the site of St. Augustine's baptism, to Stefan Vranka at Oxford University Press, by Andrew Wylie at The Wylie Agency.
HUMOR...
Star, writer, and producer of The Office, Mindy Kaling's THE CONTENTS OF MY PURSE, a series of comic essays, drawing in part on her blog "Things I Bought That I Love," sharing personal moments -- such as her ode to the most romantic moment in any relationship (when you can scrub your makeup off before you go to sleep and not feel self-conscious), a piece about the dress she can't wear anymore because it reminds her of one of her most embarrassing public moments, and the story of the day she was horrified to learn her boyfriend could fit into her jeans, to Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, for publication in fall 2011, by Richard Abate and Howard Klein at 3 Arts Entertainment (world).
MEMOIR...
Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu's OFF BALANCE, revealing the often-dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics, her controversial "divorce" from her parents at age 17 -- and the recent shocking revelation that forced her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her family and the sport she loves, to Michelle Howry at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Stephanie Abou at Foundry Literary + Media.
Figure-skating champion (and star of a reality show on the Sundance Channel) Johnny Weir's collection of entertaining anecdotes and essays about "everything from pop culture to skating to fashion to Johnny himself," to Jennifer Bergstrom at Gallery, for publication in January 2011, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (world).
Singer Susan Boyle's THE WOMAN I WAS BORN TO BE, about her unlikely journey to stardom, to Atria, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management, and to Transworld in the UK, for publication in fall 2010, by Mark Lucas at Lucas Alexander Whitley.
NARRATIVE...
Roseanne Montillo's THE LADY AND HER MONSTERS, pitched as in the tradition of The Professor and the Madman, about the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, combining literary history with the story of the real life occultists and mad scientists who inspired Shelley to write her gothic masterpiece, to Henry Ferris at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Jake Bauman at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Foreign: Jenny Meyer Literary Agency
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Selection of Good Books Coming...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest winner Bernie McGill's first novel THE BUTTERFLY CABINET, based on a true event, revealing what really happened on the last day in the life of 4-year-old girl, from the alternating points of view of her mother, accused of killing her, and a former nanny who wants to unburden herself of a 70-year secret, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in summer 2011, by Anna Stein on behalf of Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander Associates (NA).
Matthew Olshan's MARSHLANDS, a tale of occupation, assimilation and treason pitched as in the tradition of Coetzee's WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, beginning with a doctor's release from prison and moving backward in time to discover the nature of his crime, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, by Seth Fishman at Sterling Lord Literistic (World).
Len Rosen's ALL CRY CHAOS, in which an aging interpol agent is investigating the bizarre murder of a famous Harvard mathematician and the confounding equation he left behind when a terrifying Bosnian war criminal exacts revenge from behind bars at the Hague and has his men hunt down his family, testing him like Job, until he begins to wonder if the cases are connected by a higher power, to Martin Shepard at The Permanent Press, by Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (World).
PARANORMAL:
Julie Kenner, writing as J.K. Beck's books four through six in her soon-to-be-published Shadow Keeper series of paranormal romances about an age-old judicial system that is hidden within and mirrors our own, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (world).
THRILLER:
Kate Taylor's A MAN IN UNIFORM, a historical thriller novel set in 19th century Paris, told against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself after the Dreyfus Affair scandal, to John Glusman at Harmony, for publication in December 2010, by Dean Cooke at The Cooke Agency (US).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Alison Pick's FAR TO GO, an epic historical novel set during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia and the fate of one Jewish family, to Claire Wachtel at Harper Perennial, by Barbara Howson at House of Anansi Press.
Author of Bound South and A Soft Place to Land Susan Rebecca White's A PLACE AT THE TABLE, set in New York and Atlanta about the literary and culinary vanguards of those cities in the twentieth century, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (World English).
Filmmaker John Sayles' long-shopped long historical novel, SOME TIME IN THE SUN, set during the U.S. occupation of the Phillippines at the turn of the twentieth century, to Dave Eggers at McSweeney's, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Anthony Arnove at Roam Agency (world English).
Paul Harding's ENON, set in the same fictional town as his Pulitzer-winning TINKERS, to Susan Kamil for Random House, at auction, sold at the end of 2009, in a two-book deal, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group (US).
UK CHILDREN'S:
Elizabeth George's first series for young adults, starting with THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, to Tim Hely-Hutchinson at Hachette UK, for four books, for publication beginning in 2011, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (UK/Commonwealth).
NONFICTION
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson's THE NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, the story of how entrepreneurs are using web principles to rejuvenate manufacturing - and the economy - through open source, custom-fabrication and do-it-yourself design, predicting that we are about to see the collective potential of a million garage tinkerers unleashed on global markets, to John Mahaney at Crown, by John Brockman of Brockman (NA).
Business school professor and Deadhead Barry Barnes's MANAGEMENT SECRETS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, analyzing the band's remarkable thirty-year career, particularly their influence on the business world and the ways in which they pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by corporate America, with an introduction by Grateful Dead songwriter John Perry Barlow, to Sara Weiss at Business Plus, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Howard Yoon of the Gail Ross Literary Agency.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
What's the Matter with Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew author Thomas Frank's untitled book about the resurgence of conservatism in 2010, explaining how the right positioned itself to profit from the economic crisis, why it has flourished despite its discredited ideology, and what its revival means for America's future, to Sara Bershtel at Metropolitan, by Joe Spieler at The Spieler Agency (World).
MEMOIR:
73 year-old Kenyan conservationist, Dame Daphne Sheldrick's AN AFRICAN LOVE STORY, focused on the love story in the 1950s and 1960s between her and David Sheldrick, the charismatic wildlife campaigner for whom Dame Daphne left her then husband, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, and to Venetia Butterfield at Viking UK, in a pre-empt, by Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh.
German rights to Goldmann, in a pre-empt, and Dutch rights to De Boekerij, in a pre-empt.
Film rights sold previously to Peter Guber at Mandalay for Warner, with Walter Salles to direct, and the Imax rights sold separately to Imax, who start filming this summer in Kenya.
NARRATIVE:
GQ and Wired writer Jason Fagone's GENIUS IS NOT A PLAN, a narrative about four teams furiously competing to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize for the design of a clean, production-capable car that gets more than 100 mpg, also offering a look at the past and future of automotive innovation; the engineering of cars; and the archetype of the classic American inventor, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Jen Lin-Liu's GREAT NOODLE BAZAAR, a personal narrative arguing that the culinary exchanges along the Silk Road are not only the earliest examples of globalization, but more important, proof that the borders between Asia and Europe are more fluid than those created by nations, to Becky Saletan at Riverhead, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SCIENCE:
Dr. Norman Doidge's follow up to THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF, in which this expert on brain plasticity tells miraculous stories that further illustrate the brain is not hard-wired as previously thought, but flexible and dynamic, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, with Jim Silberman editing, for publication in 2013, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Wrap...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest winner Bernie McGill's first novel THE BUTTERFLY CABINET, based on a true event, revealing what really happened on the last day in the life of 4-year-old girl, from the alternating points of view of her mother, accused of killing her, and a former nanny who wants to unburden herself of a 70-year secret, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in summer 2011, by Anna Stein on behalf of Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander Associates (NA).
Matthew Olshan's MARSHLANDS, a tale of occupation, assimilation and treason pitched as in the tradition of Coetzee's WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, beginning with a doctor's release from prison and moving backward in time to discover the nature of his crime, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, by Seth Fishman at Sterling Lord Literistic (World).
Len Rosen's ALL CRY CHAOS, in which an aging interpol agent is investigating the bizarre murder of a famous Harvard mathematician and the confounding equation he left behind when a terrifying Bosnian war criminal exacts revenge from behind bars at the Hague and has his men hunt down his family, testing him like Job, until he begins to wonder if the cases are connected by a higher power, to Martin Shepard at The Permanent Press, by Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (World).
PARANORMAL:
Julie Kenner, writing as J.K. Beck's books four through six in her soon-to-be-published Shadow Keeper series of paranormal romances about an age-old judicial system that is hidden within and mirrors our own, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (world).
THRILLER:
Kate Taylor's A MAN IN UNIFORM, a historical thriller novel set in 19th century Paris, told against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself after the Dreyfus Affair scandal, to John Glusman at Harmony, for publication in December 2010, by Dean Cooke at The Cooke Agency (US).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Alison Pick's FAR TO GO, an epic historical novel set during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia and the fate of one Jewish family, to Claire Wachtel at Harper Perennial, by Barbara Howson at House of Anansi Press.
Author of Bound South and A Soft Place to Land Susan Rebecca White's A PLACE AT THE TABLE, set in New York and Atlanta about the literary and culinary vanguards of those cities in the twentieth century, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (World English).
Filmmaker John Sayles' long-shopped long historical novel, SOME TIME IN THE SUN, set during the U.S. occupation of the Phillippines at the turn of the twentieth century, to Dave Eggers at McSweeney's, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Anthony Arnove at Roam Agency (world English).
Paul Harding's ENON, set in the same fictional town as his Pulitzer-winning TINKERS, to Susan Kamil for Random House, at auction, sold at the end of 2009, in a two-book deal, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group (US).
UK CHILDREN'S:
Elizabeth George's first series for young adults, starting with THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, to Tim Hely-Hutchinson at Hachette UK, for four books, for publication beginning in 2011, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (UK/Commonwealth).
NONFICTION
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson's THE NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, the story of how entrepreneurs are using web principles to rejuvenate manufacturing - and the economy - through open source, custom-fabrication and do-it-yourself design, predicting that we are about to see the collective potential of a million garage tinkerers unleashed on global markets, to John Mahaney at Crown, by John Brockman of Brockman (NA).
Business school professor and Deadhead Barry Barnes's MANAGEMENT SECRETS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, analyzing the band's remarkable thirty-year career, particularly their influence on the business world and the ways in which they pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by corporate America, with an introduction by Grateful Dead songwriter John Perry Barlow, to Sara Weiss at Business Plus, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Howard Yoon of the Gail Ross Literary Agency.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
What's the Matter with Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew author Thomas Frank's untitled book about the resurgence of conservatism in 2010, explaining how the right positioned itself to profit from the economic crisis, why it has flourished despite its discredited ideology, and what its revival means for America's future, to Sara Bershtel at Metropolitan, by Joe Spieler at The Spieler Agency (World).
MEMOIR:
73 year-old Kenyan conservationist, Dame Daphne Sheldrick's AN AFRICAN LOVE STORY, focused on the love story in the 1950s and 1960s between her and David Sheldrick, the charismatic wildlife campaigner for whom Dame Daphne left her then husband, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, and to Venetia Butterfield at Viking UK, in a pre-empt, by Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh.
German rights to Goldmann, in a pre-empt, and Dutch rights to De Boekerij, in a pre-empt.
Film rights sold previously to Peter Guber at Mandalay for Warner, with Walter Salles to direct, and the Imax rights sold separately to Imax, who start filming this summer in Kenya.
NARRATIVE:
GQ and Wired writer Jason Fagone's GENIUS IS NOT A PLAN, a narrative about four teams furiously competing to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize for the design of a clean, production-capable car that gets more than 100 mpg, also offering a look at the past and future of automotive innovation; the engineering of cars; and the archetype of the classic American inventor, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Jen Lin-Liu's GREAT NOODLE BAZAAR, a personal narrative arguing that the culinary exchanges along the Silk Road are not only the earliest examples of globalization, but more important, proof that the borders between Asia and Europe are more fluid than those created by nations, to Becky Saletan at Riverhead, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SCIENCE:
Dr. Norman Doidge's follow up to THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF, in which this expert on brain plasticity tells miraculous stories that further illustrate the brain is not hard-wired as previously thought, but flexible and dynamic, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, with Jim Silberman editing, for publication in 2013, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Wrap...
Sunday, April 18, 2010
So, Who?
This is a tough one...when Obama's term of President is up, who will we vote for? Shall we give him another term or should we choose someone else?
And who might that someone be? Who might run against Obama? Who might be willing to take on that horrendous job?
Given how things are going, it seems to me to be worth contemplating...
Wrap...
And who might that someone be? Who might run against Obama? Who might be willing to take on that horrendous job?
Given how things are going, it seems to me to be worth contemplating...
Wrap...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Peter Shurman is running against Jerry Brown....
I'd sure like to learn more from Peter Shurman (D) who is running for CA governor against Jerry Brown and the Repub candidates. He's suddenly just popped up on the scene. Had this email from him yesterday...here's part of it:
"Friends -
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for signing on to my campaign for Governor of California. The response since we launched this campaign just a little more than one week ago has been simply incredible.
We're picking up terrific press coverage, including a new Op-Ed published just moments ago, and tapping a well-spring of popular commitment to a prosperous, fair, and Democratic future for California. We're meeting with voters up and down the state, and taking part in major candidate forums. We've won our first major endorsement, from the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles -- thank you, PDLA!
Our next big focus is the California Democratic Party Convention, this weekend in Los Angeles. It's a huge opportunity to make connections with local leaders from all over the state. We're here now busily preparing."
"Friends -
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for signing on to my campaign for Governor of California. The response since we launched this campaign just a little more than one week ago has been simply incredible.
We're picking up terrific press coverage, including a new Op-Ed published just moments ago, and tapping a well-spring of popular commitment to a prosperous, fair, and Democratic future for California. We're meeting with voters up and down the state, and taking part in major candidate forums. We've won our first major endorsement, from the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles -- thank you, PDLA!
Our next big focus is the California Democratic Party Convention, this weekend in Los Angeles. It's a huge opportunity to make connections with local leaders from all over the state. We're here now busily preparing."
Thursday, April 08, 2010
New lawyers WORK....
Ian Graham's non-fiction book's Chapter One title is "I'm Going To Prison". And he does, but not because he's been bad.
UNBILLABLE HOURS is the true story of Graham's becoming a lawyer who, after graduating from law school, lands a job with a high-powered Los Angeles law firm. This is a place where new lawyers damned near get worked to death.
And in the process, Ian ends up with a pro bono case...and that's why the book is titled UNBILLABLE HOURS. The lawyers work for free.
So, UNBILLABLE HOURS is both a story about a new lawyer landing a job in a big firm and just what that's like, but also about what it takes to get an innocent person out of prison.
I was fascinated. The book, sent to me by its publisher, Kaplan, should be read by all law students. It's an education in itself.
Wrap...
UNBILLABLE HOURS is the true story of Graham's becoming a lawyer who, after graduating from law school, lands a job with a high-powered Los Angeles law firm. This is a place where new lawyers damned near get worked to death.
And in the process, Ian ends up with a pro bono case...and that's why the book is titled UNBILLABLE HOURS. The lawyers work for free.
So, UNBILLABLE HOURS is both a story about a new lawyer landing a job in a big firm and just what that's like, but also about what it takes to get an innocent person out of prison.
I was fascinated. The book, sent to me by its publisher, Kaplan, should be read by all law students. It's an education in itself.
Wrap...
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Soldiers Killing Themselves...Why?
From Secrecy News...
ARMY GRAPPLES WITH "EPIDEMIC" OF SUICIDES
The U.S. Army is still struggling to come to grips with the unusually high rate of suicide within its ranks.
"The Army ratios are above the national average and in some months recently, there have been more suicides in the Army than combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan," observed Nancy Youssef of McClatchy News last week. "There is no pattern to suicides. One third who commit suicide have never served in combat; another third commit suicide while in combat; and yet another third do it once they return, according to Army statistics."
Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh issued two directives on March 26 that are intended to further an understanding of the problem and to improve the availability of information to surviving family members.
Effectively immediately, all suspected suicides will be subject to an official (AR 15-6) investigation, the purpose of which is "to identify the circumstances, methods, and the contributing factors surrounding the event.... The completed investigation should provide clear, relevant, and practical recommendation(s) to prevent future suicides," according to Army Directive 2010-01 (pdf).
A second Army directive (pdf) provided guidance for reporting (and redacting) information to be provided to family members, who are to be "kept fully informed while the investigation is underway."
Although national security, third-person privacy and other FOIA-exempt information may be withheld, "the release authority cannot withhold information merely because it may be emotionally difficult for the surviving Family members to see or hear." However, "potentially upsetting information should be segregated from the body of the report and made available in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked as potentially upsetting information."
An updated official account of the number of Army suicides through the end of March will be published on Thursday, reported Sig Christenson of the San Antonio Express-News on April 2.
Wrap...
ARMY GRAPPLES WITH "EPIDEMIC" OF SUICIDES
The U.S. Army is still struggling to come to grips with the unusually high rate of suicide within its ranks.
"The Army ratios are above the national average and in some months recently, there have been more suicides in the Army than combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan," observed Nancy Youssef of McClatchy News last week. "There is no pattern to suicides. One third who commit suicide have never served in combat; another third commit suicide while in combat; and yet another third do it once they return, according to Army statistics."
Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh issued two directives on March 26 that are intended to further an understanding of the problem and to improve the availability of information to surviving family members.
Effectively immediately, all suspected suicides will be subject to an official (AR 15-6) investigation, the purpose of which is "to identify the circumstances, methods, and the contributing factors surrounding the event.... The completed investigation should provide clear, relevant, and practical recommendation(s) to prevent future suicides," according to Army Directive 2010-01 (pdf).
A second Army directive (pdf) provided guidance for reporting (and redacting) information to be provided to family members, who are to be "kept fully informed while the investigation is underway."
Although national security, third-person privacy and other FOIA-exempt information may be withheld, "the release authority cannot withhold information merely because it may be emotionally difficult for the surviving Family members to see or hear." However, "potentially upsetting information should be segregated from the body of the report and made available in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked as potentially upsetting information."
An updated official account of the number of Army suicides through the end of March will be published on Thursday, reported Sig Christenson of the San Antonio Express-News on April 2.
Wrap...
Monday, April 05, 2010
36 Dead at US Consulate After Attack...
From Stratfor:
RED ALERT: U.S. Consulate Attacked In Pakistan
April 5, 2010
Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area - possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. consulate.
Many U.S. diplomatic missions (including the one in Peshawar) have a number of built in security features, such as a perimeter wall, ample stand-off distance between the buildings and the wall, reinforced concrete structure and windows and marines stationed inside to ward off attacks. While militant activity in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan has led to regular attacks against targets of the Pakistani state, today’s assault against the consulate is an extremely rare direct attack on a U.S. target.
STRATFOR is monitoring the situation for more details. Monitor our coverage.
Wrap....
RED ALERT: U.S. Consulate Attacked In Pakistan
April 5, 2010
Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area - possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. consulate.
Many U.S. diplomatic missions (including the one in Peshawar) have a number of built in security features, such as a perimeter wall, ample stand-off distance between the buildings and the wall, reinforced concrete structure and windows and marines stationed inside to ward off attacks. While militant activity in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan has led to regular attacks against targets of the Pakistani state, today’s assault against the consulate is an extremely rare direct attack on a U.S. target.
STRATFOR is monitoring the situation for more details. Monitor our coverage.
Wrap....
Thursday, April 01, 2010
What the Public Doesn't Know About Yet...
From Secrecy News...
BIOTERRORISM, CHANGES IN THE ARCTIC, AND MORE FROM CRS
New Congressional Research Service reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf):
"Federal Efforts to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism: Selected Issues for Congress," March 18, 2010.
"Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress," March 30, 2010.
"Deforestation and Climate Change," March 24, 2010.
"The Impact of Major Legislation on Budget Deficits: 2001 to 2009," March 23, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Timeframes and Procedures," March 15, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: Trends, Analysis, and Options for Congress," February 11, 2009.
"The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress," March 24, 2010.
"Europe's Preferential Trade Agreements: Status, Content, and Implications," March 22, 2010.
"F-35 Alternate Engine Program: Background and Issues for Congress," March 22, 2010.
"Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive," April 1, 2010.
A bill on government transparency that was introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) last week would finally make all non-confidential CRS reports publicly available online. There must have been a dozen such proposals that have been introduced in Congress over the last 15 years without effect, and it is not clear whether the latest iteration will fare any better.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
Wrap...
BIOTERRORISM, CHANGES IN THE ARCTIC, AND MORE FROM CRS
New Congressional Research Service reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf):
"Federal Efforts to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism: Selected Issues for Congress," March 18, 2010.
"Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress," March 30, 2010.
"Deforestation and Climate Change," March 24, 2010.
"The Impact of Major Legislation on Budget Deficits: 2001 to 2009," March 23, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Timeframes and Procedures," March 15, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: Trends, Analysis, and Options for Congress," February 11, 2009.
"The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress," March 24, 2010.
"Europe's Preferential Trade Agreements: Status, Content, and Implications," March 22, 2010.
"F-35 Alternate Engine Program: Background and Issues for Congress," March 22, 2010.
"Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive," April 1, 2010.
A bill on government transparency that was introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) last week would finally make all non-confidential CRS reports publicly available online. There must have been a dozen such proposals that have been introduced in Congress over the last 15 years without effect, and it is not clear whether the latest iteration will fare any better.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
Wrap...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Rove on Book Tour....
From JJ in San Diego:
Even better: Karl Rove is at Warwick's signing books tonight. Long line of people, many protesters, several police watching everyone. Looks like they're only letting people in 1 or 2 at a time for their moment with the anointed one. And right in front of the door stand two women on the sidewalk holding a big sign with bold letters: JAIL THE TURD
I about fell outta the chair!
Note: Warwicks Bookstore is in La Jolla.
Wrap...
Even better: Karl Rove is at Warwick's signing books tonight. Long line of people, many protesters, several police watching everyone. Looks like they're only letting people in 1 or 2 at a time for their moment with the anointed one. And right in front of the door stand two women on the sidewalk holding a big sign with bold letters: JAIL THE TURD
I about fell outta the chair!
Note: Warwicks Bookstore is in La Jolla.
Wrap...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Patriot Act Illegal...
From Secrecy News...
WYDEN: PATRIOT ACT SECRECY IS "INTOLERABLE"
"I believe that there is a discrepancy between what most Americans believe is legal and what the government is actually doing under the Patriot Act," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a statement last week on the Senate floor regarding reform of the Patriot Act.
"In my view, any discrepancy of this sort is intolerable and untenable, and can only be fixed by greater transparency and openness."
"Most members of the public do not expect to have detailed information about how intelligence collection is actually conducted," Sen. Wyden said, "but they do expect to understand the boundaries of what the law does and does not allow, so that they can ratify or reject the decisions that public officials make on their behalf."
Under present circumstances, Sen. Wyden said, Americans do not have an accurate perception of what the Patriot Act permits and how it is being used and, he said on Thursday, this is unacceptable.
"There is key information that is relevant to the debate on the Patriot Act that is currently classified. Over the past two and a half years, I have pressed the executive branch to declassify this information in a responsible way, so that members of Congress and the public can have an informed debate about what the law should actually be."
In partial response, he said, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have produced a classified account of the use of the Patriot Act that any member of Congress can now read in the intelligence committees' secure offices.
"But by itself this step does not go nearly far enough," he said. "It is just as essential for the public to have this information as well."
Among other things, Sen. Wyden noted that the so-called "business records" provision of the Patriot Act (Section 215) actually applies to collection of "any tangible thing," which means that "it covers things like blood or tissue samples as well."
Wrap...
WYDEN: PATRIOT ACT SECRECY IS "INTOLERABLE"
"I believe that there is a discrepancy between what most Americans believe is legal and what the government is actually doing under the Patriot Act," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a statement last week on the Senate floor regarding reform of the Patriot Act.
"In my view, any discrepancy of this sort is intolerable and untenable, and can only be fixed by greater transparency and openness."
"Most members of the public do not expect to have detailed information about how intelligence collection is actually conducted," Sen. Wyden said, "but they do expect to understand the boundaries of what the law does and does not allow, so that they can ratify or reject the decisions that public officials make on their behalf."
Under present circumstances, Sen. Wyden said, Americans do not have an accurate perception of what the Patriot Act permits and how it is being used and, he said on Thursday, this is unacceptable.
"There is key information that is relevant to the debate on the Patriot Act that is currently classified. Over the past two and a half years, I have pressed the executive branch to declassify this information in a responsible way, so that members of Congress and the public can have an informed debate about what the law should actually be."
In partial response, he said, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have produced a classified account of the use of the Patriot Act that any member of Congress can now read in the intelligence committees' secure offices.
"But by itself this step does not go nearly far enough," he said. "It is just as essential for the public to have this information as well."
Among other things, Sen. Wyden noted that the so-called "business records" provision of the Patriot Act (Section 215) actually applies to collection of "any tangible thing," which means that "it covers things like blood or tissue samples as well."
Wrap...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tough On Journalists...
From Secrecy News...
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND "NEWSGATHERING CRIMES"
It might be pleasant for writers and publishers to suppose that First Amendment principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are absolute and will prevail in every circumstance. But that is clearly not the case.
For one thing, the Supreme Court has specifically excluded obscenity, child pornography, and certain other forms of communication from First Amendment protections. (See "Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment" (pdf), Congressional Research Service, updated October 16, 2009.) Moreover, courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of prohibitions in the Espionage Act against the unauthorized disclosure of certain types of classified information (most recently in a 2006 ruling [pdf] in the AIPAC case, USA v. Rosen and Weissman).
The intersection of national security law and ordinary newsgathering remains a bit murky, and is contested in some quarters even where it is fairly clear. Although "the right of the press to publish confidential information is well established, [t]here is... a paucity of constitutional doctrine protecting newsgathering activities that seek the leaking of confidential information," according to a recent law review article.
"Ethics codes for news organizations state that reporters must not commit crimes such as trespassing or stealing information but are silent on inchoate crimes such as solicitation," wrote Prof. William E. Lee of the University of Georgia last year. "And while news organizations have elaborate rules about relations with confidential sources, they do not address the propriety of promising confidentiality as an inducement to the disclosure of classified information."
"Although there are practical and political difficulties in prosecuting reporters for solicitation or conspiracy, there is little First Amendment precedent in support of the argument that reporters should be exempt from generally applicable criminal laws." See "Probing Secrets: The Press and Inchoate Liability for Newsgathering Crimes" (purchase req'd) by William E. Lee, American Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 36, no. 2, Spring 2009.
The longstanding conflict over press publication of national security information is revisited in the forthcoming book "Necessary Secrets" by Gabriel Schoenfeld (Norton Books, May 2010).
Wrap...
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND "NEWSGATHERING CRIMES"
It might be pleasant for writers and publishers to suppose that First Amendment principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are absolute and will prevail in every circumstance. But that is clearly not the case.
For one thing, the Supreme Court has specifically excluded obscenity, child pornography, and certain other forms of communication from First Amendment protections. (See "Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment" (pdf), Congressional Research Service, updated October 16, 2009.) Moreover, courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of prohibitions in the Espionage Act against the unauthorized disclosure of certain types of classified information (most recently in a 2006 ruling [pdf] in the AIPAC case, USA v. Rosen and Weissman).
The intersection of national security law and ordinary newsgathering remains a bit murky, and is contested in some quarters even where it is fairly clear. Although "the right of the press to publish confidential information is well established, [t]here is... a paucity of constitutional doctrine protecting newsgathering activities that seek the leaking of confidential information," according to a recent law review article.
"Ethics codes for news organizations state that reporters must not commit crimes such as trespassing or stealing information but are silent on inchoate crimes such as solicitation," wrote Prof. William E. Lee of the University of Georgia last year. "And while news organizations have elaborate rules about relations with confidential sources, they do not address the propriety of promising confidentiality as an inducement to the disclosure of classified information."
"Although there are practical and political difficulties in prosecuting reporters for solicitation or conspiracy, there is little First Amendment precedent in support of the argument that reporters should be exempt from generally applicable criminal laws." See "Probing Secrets: The Press and Inchoate Liability for Newsgathering Crimes" (purchase req'd) by William E. Lee, American Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 36, no. 2, Spring 2009.
The longstanding conflict over press publication of national security information is revisited in the forthcoming book "Necessary Secrets" by Gabriel Schoenfeld (Norton Books, May 2010).
Wrap...
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Books Arriving In 1011....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly....
FICTION..
DEBUT:
Sarah Jio's THE WATERS OF MARCH, in which a bestselling novelist whose life has fallen into disarray takes refuge on Bainbridge Island at the home of a beloved aunt who is the unwitting custodian of a long-lost manuscript that may reveal much about her past and could alter her future, to Denise Roy at Plume, at auction, by Elisabeth Weed at Weed Literary (NA).
UK and translation: jenny@meyerlit.com
GENERAL/OTHER:
Susan Woodring's GOLIATH, focusing on the interior lives of a clutch of the town's citizens, including the scion of the furniture business, whose suicide sets the events of the book in motion, and his secretary and one-time lover, whose relationships with her boss, daughter and a gentleman friend animate this novel pitched as comparing well to Annie Dillard and Elizabeth Strout, to Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at The Steinberg Agency (world English).
Author of LIFE AS I KNOW IT Melanie Rose's COMING HOME, pitched as in the vein of Cecilia Ahern and Allison Winn Scotch, about a woman who sparks a second chance at life for a young widower when she's stranded at his house during a blizzard along with his mute six-year-old daughter -- who suddenly begins to speak again, to Caitlin Alexander at Random House Trade Paperbacks, by Valerie Borchardt at Georges Borchardt (US).
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
John Grisham's THEODORE BOONE: Kid Lawyer, about a 13-year-old, amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial, plus a second in the series, to Don Weisberg and Julie Strauss-Gabel at Penguin Children's, for publication on May 25, 2010, and again in 2011, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
UK rights following longtime editor Oliver Johnson to Hodder & Stoughton, for publication on June 10, 2010.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Mark Lamster's PHILIP JOHNSON: Architect of the Modern Century, moving to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, at auction, by Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company (world).
Rights: Tracy.Williams@hbgusa.com
Guggenheim fellow and professor at University of Nebraska Lincoln Rhonda Garelick's exploration of Coco Chanel, ANTIGONE IN VOGUE, capturing not only the story of Chanel's life and loves but her impact on 20th century culture, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Scott Moyers of The Wylie Agency (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Lisa Gansky's THE MESH: WHY THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS SHARING, explaining how a new and disruptive model for commerce---sharing rather than owning---is turning the business world inside out and how companies can operate, create value, and effectively compete within this new framework, to Courtney Young at Portfolio, on an exclusive submission, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions.
HISTORY/POLITICS/WORLD AFFAIRS:
Associated Press correspondent Kevin Maurer's THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS, an inside look at Special Forces in action in southern Afghanistan, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
MEMOIR:
Oprah.com producer Rachel Bertsche's MWF SEEKING BFF, chronicling the author's search for a new best friend after she moves to Chicago for love, and the many discoveries she makes while embarking on 52 girl-dates over the course of a year, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, by Alison Schwartz at ICM (World).
NARRATIVE:
New York magazine executive editor John Homans'sWHAT'S A DOG FOR?: What the Changing Human-Canine Relationship Tells Us about Who We Are, a narrative exploration of the co-evolution of man and dog, combining first-person reportage, memoir, and state-of-the-art "dog science" research to understand the dog as an artifact of human culture, and to trace the progression of the dog from its rural past to its urban present and future, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Journalist Richard Rushfield's AMERICAN IDOL, a look behind the scenes at the tumultuous ten year history of America's most popular television show, to Elisabeth Dyssegaard at Hyperion, with Brenda Copeland editing, for publication in January 2011, by Daniel Greenberg at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Wrap....
FICTION..
DEBUT:
Sarah Jio's THE WATERS OF MARCH, in which a bestselling novelist whose life has fallen into disarray takes refuge on Bainbridge Island at the home of a beloved aunt who is the unwitting custodian of a long-lost manuscript that may reveal much about her past and could alter her future, to Denise Roy at Plume, at auction, by Elisabeth Weed at Weed Literary (NA).
UK and translation: jenny@meyerlit.com
GENERAL/OTHER:
Susan Woodring's GOLIATH, focusing on the interior lives of a clutch of the town's citizens, including the scion of the furniture business, whose suicide sets the events of the book in motion, and his secretary and one-time lover, whose relationships with her boss, daughter and a gentleman friend animate this novel pitched as comparing well to Annie Dillard and Elizabeth Strout, to Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at The Steinberg Agency (world English).
Author of LIFE AS I KNOW IT Melanie Rose's COMING HOME, pitched as in the vein of Cecilia Ahern and Allison Winn Scotch, about a woman who sparks a second chance at life for a young widower when she's stranded at his house during a blizzard along with his mute six-year-old daughter -- who suddenly begins to speak again, to Caitlin Alexander at Random House Trade Paperbacks, by Valerie Borchardt at Georges Borchardt (US).
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
John Grisham's THEODORE BOONE: Kid Lawyer, about a 13-year-old, amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial, plus a second in the series, to Don Weisberg and Julie Strauss-Gabel at Penguin Children's, for publication on May 25, 2010, and again in 2011, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
UK rights following longtime editor Oliver Johnson to Hodder & Stoughton, for publication on June 10, 2010.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Mark Lamster's PHILIP JOHNSON: Architect of the Modern Century, moving to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, at auction, by Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company (world).
Rights: Tracy.Williams@hbgusa.com
Guggenheim fellow and professor at University of Nebraska Lincoln Rhonda Garelick's exploration of Coco Chanel, ANTIGONE IN VOGUE, capturing not only the story of Chanel's life and loves but her impact on 20th century culture, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Scott Moyers of The Wylie Agency (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Lisa Gansky's THE MESH: WHY THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS SHARING, explaining how a new and disruptive model for commerce---sharing rather than owning---is turning the business world inside out and how companies can operate, create value, and effectively compete within this new framework, to Courtney Young at Portfolio, on an exclusive submission, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions.
HISTORY/POLITICS/WORLD AFFAIRS:
Associated Press correspondent Kevin Maurer's THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS, an inside look at Special Forces in action in southern Afghanistan, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
MEMOIR:
Oprah.com producer Rachel Bertsche's MWF SEEKING BFF, chronicling the author's search for a new best friend after she moves to Chicago for love, and the many discoveries she makes while embarking on 52 girl-dates over the course of a year, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, by Alison Schwartz at ICM (World).
NARRATIVE:
New York magazine executive editor John Homans'sWHAT'S A DOG FOR?: What the Changing Human-Canine Relationship Tells Us about Who We Are, a narrative exploration of the co-evolution of man and dog, combining first-person reportage, memoir, and state-of-the-art "dog science" research to understand the dog as an artifact of human culture, and to trace the progression of the dog from its rural past to its urban present and future, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Journalist Richard Rushfield's AMERICAN IDOL, a look behind the scenes at the tumultuous ten year history of America's most popular television show, to Elisabeth Dyssegaard at Hyperion, with Brenda Copeland editing, for publication in January 2011, by Daniel Greenberg at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Wrap....
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
The Army & Cyberspace...
From Secrecy News...
ARMY FORESEES "PERPETUAL TURBULENCE" IN CYBERSPACE
U.S. Army doctrine (pdf) published last week anticipates an increasingly unstable information environment that may challenge Army operations and test national capabilities.
"Unprecedented levels of adverse activity in and through cyberspace threaten the integrity of United States critical infrastructure, financial systems, and elements of national power. These threats range from unwitting hackers to nation-states, each at various levels of competence. Collectively, the threats create a condition of perpetual turbulence without traditional end states or resolution."
Under prevailing circumstances, the Army says, "Notions of 'dominating' cyberspace are simplistic and unrealistic. A realistic and meaningful goal is to achieve and maintain freedom of action in and through cyberspace while being able to affect that of the adversaries."
The Army's assessment and proposed response are described in "Cyberspace Operations Concept Capability Plan 2016-2028," TRADOC Pamphlet 525-7-8, February 22, 2010.
Wrap...
ARMY FORESEES "PERPETUAL TURBULENCE" IN CYBERSPACE
U.S. Army doctrine (pdf) published last week anticipates an increasingly unstable information environment that may challenge Army operations and test national capabilities.
"Unprecedented levels of adverse activity in and through cyberspace threaten the integrity of United States critical infrastructure, financial systems, and elements of national power. These threats range from unwitting hackers to nation-states, each at various levels of competence. Collectively, the threats create a condition of perpetual turbulence without traditional end states or resolution."
Under prevailing circumstances, the Army says, "Notions of 'dominating' cyberspace are simplistic and unrealistic. A realistic and meaningful goal is to achieve and maintain freedom of action in and through cyberspace while being able to affect that of the adversaries."
The Army's assessment and proposed response are described in "Cyberspace Operations Concept Capability Plan 2016-2028," TRADOC Pamphlet 525-7-8, February 22, 2010.
Wrap...
Monday, March 01, 2010
Caught My Attention...
*Repub Senator, Jim Bunning, from Kentucky had no qualms about cutting off unemployment benefits for 1.2 million jobless people. And had the nerve to follow up with this comment: "Tough shit." A friend from Arkansas, hearing this, asked, "Does he want to get shot?" Guess not. He hasn't gone anywhere near Kentucky since doing his dastardly deed.
*The 8.8 earthquake that just hit Chili literally moved the earth to the point that we have a shorter day. Not much shorter, but still....
*Skip Jurus has been a doorman at the San Diego Convention Center for 20 years and has shaken the hands of 11 million people from all over the world. Last Thurs evening, he was honored with a top award at the annual meeting of the Hotel & Motel Assn. International: The James V Cunningham Award for Personalized Service.
Wrap...
*The 8.8 earthquake that just hit Chili literally moved the earth to the point that we have a shorter day. Not much shorter, but still....
*Skip Jurus has been a doorman at the San Diego Convention Center for 20 years and has shaken the hands of 11 million people from all over the world. Last Thurs evening, he was honored with a top award at the annual meeting of the Hotel & Motel Assn. International: The James V Cunningham Award for Personalized Service.
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Justice Dept on FISA....
From Secrecy News...
SOME BELATED ANSWERS ON ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
The Justice Department has released its responses to questions (pdf) originally posed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the Department's views on the legal framework governing electronic surveillance under the amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
In questions for the record from a September 18, 2007 hearing, House Committee members probed the potential use of electronic surveillance against U.S. persons, the exclusivity of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the claimed scope of independent presidential authority, and the basis for mandating telecommunication carrier immunity.
"If the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) was perfectly legal as has been claimed, why would companies who cooperated in it need immunity?" the Committee asked. (To protect classified information, among other reasons, the Department responded.) "Is the President free to disregard any provisions of FISA with which he disagrees?" (No, not exactly.) "If an individual in the United States is suspected of working in collusion with persons outside the United States--such that an investigation of one is in effect the investigation of the other--under what circumstances, generally, would you use criminal or other FISA wiretaps?" (Targeting of persons in the United States can only be done under FISA procedures.)
The Committee hearing volume (pdf) was published in June 2008 without the Justice Department's answers to these questions, because they were provided to Congress too late to be included in the published record. A copy of the answers was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act.
Wrap...
SOME BELATED ANSWERS ON ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
The Justice Department has released its responses to questions (pdf) originally posed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the Department's views on the legal framework governing electronic surveillance under the amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
In questions for the record from a September 18, 2007 hearing, House Committee members probed the potential use of electronic surveillance against U.S. persons, the exclusivity of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the claimed scope of independent presidential authority, and the basis for mandating telecommunication carrier immunity.
"If the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) was perfectly legal as has been claimed, why would companies who cooperated in it need immunity?" the Committee asked. (To protect classified information, among other reasons, the Department responded.) "Is the President free to disregard any provisions of FISA with which he disagrees?" (No, not exactly.) "If an individual in the United States is suspected of working in collusion with persons outside the United States--such that an investigation of one is in effect the investigation of the other--under what circumstances, generally, would you use criminal or other FISA wiretaps?" (Targeting of persons in the United States can only be done under FISA procedures.)
The Committee hearing volume (pdf) was published in June 2008 without the Justice Department's answers to these questions, because they were provided to Congress too late to be included in the published record. A copy of the answers was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act.
Wrap...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My Selection of Books On the Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION:
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Gayle Trent's KILLER SWEET TOOTH, the next novel in her Kindle bestselling cozy mystery series, moving to Lauren McKenna at Gallery, in a two-book deal, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group.
SI-FI/FANTASY...
Filmmaker David Goyer and author and TV writer Michael Cassutt's sci-fi adventure trilogy, HEAVEN'S SHADOW, HEAVEN'S WAR, and HEAVEN'S FALL, about teams of astronauts sent to intercept an object hurtling toward Earth -- which is filled with alien forces, to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace, for publication beginning in July 2011, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Francine Pascal's SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, following her iconic identical blonde twins and full cast of characters into adulthood, now in their late twenties and early thirties, "where the real world intrudes," to Dan Weiss at St. Martin's (who created the original series with Pascal when he was a book packager), with Hilary Rubin Teeman editing, for publication in early 2011.
UK...
Amor Towles's debut RULES OF CIVILITY, set in New York in 1938 and telling the story of a young woman of extraordinary ability and ignominious beginnings who, armed with little more than formidable intellect, bracing wit, and uncommonly good legs, embarks on a journey through the upper echelons of a city on the brink of dramatic change in search of a future far brighter than she's been told she has the right to expect, to Jocasta Hamilton at Hodder Sceptre and to Neri Pozza, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Cathryn Summerhayes and Laura Bonner on behalf of Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor, who will be auctioning North American rights next week.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
Professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and former corporate chair in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation, Bruce Hoffman's ANONYMOUS SOLDIERS: The Jewish Underground, the British Army, and the Rise of Israel about the militant factions that drove the Jewish revolt against British rule in Palestine between 1944-1948, to Andrew Miller at Knopf, on exclusive submission, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Washington D.C. editor for The Nation, New America fellow, and regular MSNBC commentator Christopher Hayes's SYSTEM FAIL: The Crisis of Authority, the Decline of the Meritocracy, and the Reformation to Come, revealing the origins, effects, and scope of the crisis of authority that is crippling American politics and society, exploring the poor performance of key institutions from Wall Street to Major League Baseball to the Big Three automakers and Congress, and offering a way forward to remedy what ails us, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, for publication in 2012, at auction, by Will Lippincott at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NA).
MEMOIR...
MacArthur scholar and Georgetown physics and public policy professor Dr. Francis Slakey's TO THE LAST BREATH, pitched as Into Thin Air meets Three Cups of Tea, a memoir of the distinguished scientist's quest to summit the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean -- and how this pursuit challenged his fiercely ingrained scientific beliefs, inspired a new understanding of human interdependence, and deepened his humanity, to David Rosenthal and Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Anna Goldsworthy's PIANO LESSONS, a memoir of the extraordinary teacher who brought a respect for life, a generous spirit, and a love of music into a nine-year-old's world, and gave her the courage to embrace the musical life as she discovers passion and ambition, confronts doubt and disappointment, and learns about much more than tone and technique -- a story for anyone who has ever loved a teacher, to Nichole Argyres at St. Martin's, by Sophy Williams at Black Inc. (NA; UK).
The Tennessee couple who adopted Michael Oher (subject of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side), Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book about the power of giving, to Steve Rubin at Holt, for publication in summer 2010.
SCIENCE...
Author of KLUGE and Director of the NYU Center for Child Language, Gary Marcus's GUITAR ZERO, pitched as in the tradition of THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC, Marcus becomes his own subject in the quest to create and map the neuromuscular aspects of musicianship, to Ginny Smith at the Penguin Press, for publication in 2011, by Daniel Greenberg of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Forbes senior reporter David Randall's DREAMLAND: Adventures in the Strange World of Sleep, an entertaining exploration into the rich, complex realm of sleep science, to Jill Bialosky at Norton, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (World English)
SPORTS...
Tennis Magazine executive editor Stephen Tignor's THE END OF THE EARTH: Borg, McEnroe, Connors, and the Final Days of Tennis' Golden Age, a chronicle of how a bunch of free-spirited but ferocious rivals took the sport farther from its gentlemanly roots than anyone thought possible and gave it a mystique that has never been equaled since, to David Hirshey at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Amy Rennert of the Amy Rennert Agency (World).
Wrap....
FICTION:
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Gayle Trent's KILLER SWEET TOOTH, the next novel in her Kindle bestselling cozy mystery series, moving to Lauren McKenna at Gallery, in a two-book deal, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group.
SI-FI/FANTASY...
Filmmaker David Goyer and author and TV writer Michael Cassutt's sci-fi adventure trilogy, HEAVEN'S SHADOW, HEAVEN'S WAR, and HEAVEN'S FALL, about teams of astronauts sent to intercept an object hurtling toward Earth -- which is filled with alien forces, to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace, for publication beginning in July 2011, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Francine Pascal's SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, following her iconic identical blonde twins and full cast of characters into adulthood, now in their late twenties and early thirties, "where the real world intrudes," to Dan Weiss at St. Martin's (who created the original series with Pascal when he was a book packager), with Hilary Rubin Teeman editing, for publication in early 2011.
UK...
Amor Towles's debut RULES OF CIVILITY, set in New York in 1938 and telling the story of a young woman of extraordinary ability and ignominious beginnings who, armed with little more than formidable intellect, bracing wit, and uncommonly good legs, embarks on a journey through the upper echelons of a city on the brink of dramatic change in search of a future far brighter than she's been told she has the right to expect, to Jocasta Hamilton at Hodder Sceptre and to Neri Pozza, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Cathryn Summerhayes and Laura Bonner on behalf of Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor, who will be auctioning North American rights next week.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
Professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and former corporate chair in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation, Bruce Hoffman's ANONYMOUS SOLDIERS: The Jewish Underground, the British Army, and the Rise of Israel about the militant factions that drove the Jewish revolt against British rule in Palestine between 1944-1948, to Andrew Miller at Knopf, on exclusive submission, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Washington D.C. editor for The Nation, New America fellow, and regular MSNBC commentator Christopher Hayes's SYSTEM FAIL: The Crisis of Authority, the Decline of the Meritocracy, and the Reformation to Come, revealing the origins, effects, and scope of the crisis of authority that is crippling American politics and society, exploring the poor performance of key institutions from Wall Street to Major League Baseball to the Big Three automakers and Congress, and offering a way forward to remedy what ails us, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, for publication in 2012, at auction, by Will Lippincott at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NA).
MEMOIR...
MacArthur scholar and Georgetown physics and public policy professor Dr. Francis Slakey's TO THE LAST BREATH, pitched as Into Thin Air meets Three Cups of Tea, a memoir of the distinguished scientist's quest to summit the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean -- and how this pursuit challenged his fiercely ingrained scientific beliefs, inspired a new understanding of human interdependence, and deepened his humanity, to David Rosenthal and Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Anna Goldsworthy's PIANO LESSONS, a memoir of the extraordinary teacher who brought a respect for life, a generous spirit, and a love of music into a nine-year-old's world, and gave her the courage to embrace the musical life as she discovers passion and ambition, confronts doubt and disappointment, and learns about much more than tone and technique -- a story for anyone who has ever loved a teacher, to Nichole Argyres at St. Martin's, by Sophy Williams at Black Inc. (NA; UK).
The Tennessee couple who adopted Michael Oher (subject of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side), Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book about the power of giving, to Steve Rubin at Holt, for publication in summer 2010.
SCIENCE...
Author of KLUGE and Director of the NYU Center for Child Language, Gary Marcus's GUITAR ZERO, pitched as in the tradition of THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC, Marcus becomes his own subject in the quest to create and map the neuromuscular aspects of musicianship, to Ginny Smith at the Penguin Press, for publication in 2011, by Daniel Greenberg of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Forbes senior reporter David Randall's DREAMLAND: Adventures in the Strange World of Sleep, an entertaining exploration into the rich, complex realm of sleep science, to Jill Bialosky at Norton, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (World English)
SPORTS...
Tennis Magazine executive editor Stephen Tignor's THE END OF THE EARTH: Borg, McEnroe, Connors, and the Final Days of Tennis' Golden Age, a chronicle of how a bunch of free-spirited but ferocious rivals took the sport farther from its gentlemanly roots than anyone thought possible and gave it a mystique that has never been equaled since, to David Hirshey at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Amy Rennert of the Amy Rennert Agency (World).
Wrap....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
DADT...
From Keith Taylor...
Me and the Admiral
by
Keith Taylor
Admiral Mike Mullen and I have something in common. We are both Navy men of long standing. I enlisted in 1947, and made the leap from enlisted to officer in 1964. Mike became an ensign in 1968. Hey, I outranked him by half a stripe, but that was temporary. I stayed a JagGee. Mike ended up with so much gold on his sleeve I wonder how he is able to raise his arm to return a salute, and that’s a lot. He’s now the top dog in our armed forces.
But me and the Admiral have more in common than being veterans for a long time. Both of us bought the idea that homosexuality and military life were incompatible. I don’t know what they taught the plebes at Annapolis in the 60s, but the boot pushers at Great Lakes in 1947 told us those guys weren’t to be trusted or tolerated, and they were to be discharged as soon as they were caught, simple as that.
With “everybody” believing the same thing it was easy to go along. But doubt crept in. In 1964 shortly after the Navy “promoted” me from being the senior enlisted man on a ship to being the junior officer in the universe, an ensign. I was assigned to a small island far away when my skipper suddenly disappeared.
Mister Smith (not his real name) was, like me, a mustang. He was also a grouchy old goat, but he sported a chest full of ribbons gained from a long and honorable 26-years in the Navy. Ironically Smitty’s request for retirement was turned down because he was too valuable and the Navy would have to find a qualified relief. Then he made a trip to Washington to discuss a problem and we never saw him again.
Word about him filtered down the scuttlebutt pipeline slowly. Only two things are known for sure. He was caught in some sort of homosexual act and was given a choice of a general court martial or a general discharge. Some said he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. If so, that didn’t matter. The rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice were immutable. Any penetration no matter how slight was forbidden. Whether Greg penetrated or was penetrated didn’t matter. He was a goner. Twenty-six years of faithful, sometimes, cantankerous, service was wiped out by those archaic rules.
But that was a long time ago. The term “homosexual” disappeared and was replaced by the ironic term “gay.” In 1993 a new president promised to change the rules and allow gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. But it was thwarted by congress with the strong backing of the leaders of the armed forces. We ended up with don’t ask, don’t tell rule. It was a great invitation to sweep a problem, if it was a problem, under the desk.
In essence it said, our fighting men and women could be as gay as they wished as long as they didn’t tell anybody, and as long as they didn’t have sex with folks of the same sex. All sorts of sex is against the law but, some laws are more vigorously prosecuted. None more than when the word “gay” pops up.
As with so many compromises it was a complete flop. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group devoted to defending gays who are being discriminated against by the military, discharges increased 72% in the first ten years of Don’t Ask.
Now a new president is again trying to carry out a campaign policy by doing away with roadblocks to their serving. And again we hear the objections. Our local congressman, Duncan Hunter, just raised the horrible specter that rescinding the ban altogether would open the military “to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians." Not that it was a huge problem. I never took a shower with a hermaphrodite during my 22 years, nine months, and 11 days active service. Nor did I take one with a lesbian. Gays, I’m just not sure.
But the congressman seems to be on the losing side of this. A poll just out by Military Times indicates only half of its readers don’t ask compared to 63% a few years ago.
I doubt that he was polled, but my old running mate (for a short while) changed course as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,”
Welcome aboard the ship of common sense admiral, even if it took you a while.
Keith Taylor is a retired Navy officer living in Chula Vista. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
Me and the Admiral
by
Keith Taylor
Admiral Mike Mullen and I have something in common. We are both Navy men of long standing. I enlisted in 1947, and made the leap from enlisted to officer in 1964. Mike became an ensign in 1968. Hey, I outranked him by half a stripe, but that was temporary. I stayed a JagGee. Mike ended up with so much gold on his sleeve I wonder how he is able to raise his arm to return a salute, and that’s a lot. He’s now the top dog in our armed forces.
But me and the Admiral have more in common than being veterans for a long time. Both of us bought the idea that homosexuality and military life were incompatible. I don’t know what they taught the plebes at Annapolis in the 60s, but the boot pushers at Great Lakes in 1947 told us those guys weren’t to be trusted or tolerated, and they were to be discharged as soon as they were caught, simple as that.
With “everybody” believing the same thing it was easy to go along. But doubt crept in. In 1964 shortly after the Navy “promoted” me from being the senior enlisted man on a ship to being the junior officer in the universe, an ensign. I was assigned to a small island far away when my skipper suddenly disappeared.
Mister Smith (not his real name) was, like me, a mustang. He was also a grouchy old goat, but he sported a chest full of ribbons gained from a long and honorable 26-years in the Navy. Ironically Smitty’s request for retirement was turned down because he was too valuable and the Navy would have to find a qualified relief. Then he made a trip to Washington to discuss a problem and we never saw him again.
Word about him filtered down the scuttlebutt pipeline slowly. Only two things are known for sure. He was caught in some sort of homosexual act and was given a choice of a general court martial or a general discharge. Some said he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. If so, that didn’t matter. The rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice were immutable. Any penetration no matter how slight was forbidden. Whether Greg penetrated or was penetrated didn’t matter. He was a goner. Twenty-six years of faithful, sometimes, cantankerous, service was wiped out by those archaic rules.
But that was a long time ago. The term “homosexual” disappeared and was replaced by the ironic term “gay.” In 1993 a new president promised to change the rules and allow gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. But it was thwarted by congress with the strong backing of the leaders of the armed forces. We ended up with don’t ask, don’t tell rule. It was a great invitation to sweep a problem, if it was a problem, under the desk.
In essence it said, our fighting men and women could be as gay as they wished as long as they didn’t tell anybody, and as long as they didn’t have sex with folks of the same sex. All sorts of sex is against the law but, some laws are more vigorously prosecuted. None more than when the word “gay” pops up.
As with so many compromises it was a complete flop. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group devoted to defending gays who are being discriminated against by the military, discharges increased 72% in the first ten years of Don’t Ask.
Now a new president is again trying to carry out a campaign policy by doing away with roadblocks to their serving. And again we hear the objections. Our local congressman, Duncan Hunter, just raised the horrible specter that rescinding the ban altogether would open the military “to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians." Not that it was a huge problem. I never took a shower with a hermaphrodite during my 22 years, nine months, and 11 days active service. Nor did I take one with a lesbian. Gays, I’m just not sure.
But the congressman seems to be on the losing side of this. A poll just out by Military Times indicates only half of its readers don’t ask compared to 63% a few years ago.
I doubt that he was polled, but my old running mate (for a short while) changed course as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,”
Welcome aboard the ship of common sense admiral, even if it took you a while.
Keith Taylor is a retired Navy officer living in Chula Vista. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
CIA Hit List...
From Secrecy News...
NO U.S. CITIZENS ON CIA HIT LISTS
It is useful to be reminded from time to time that not every allegation or published report concerning Central Intelligence Agency operations is necessarily true.
A front-page story in the Washington Post on January 27 included the remarkable statement that "Both the CIA and the JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense] maintain lists of individuals... whom they seek to kill or capture. The JSOC list includes three Americans, including [Islamist cleric Anwar al-] Aulaqi, whose name was added late last year. As of several months ago, the CIA list included three U.S. citizens, and an intelligence official said that Aulaqi's name has now been added."
But at least the part about the CIA list turns out to be unfounded.
"The article referred incorrectly to the presence of U.S. citizens on a CIA list of people the agency seeks to kill or capture," the Washington Post said in a correction published in the February 12 edition. "After The Post's report was published, a source said that a statement the source made about the CIA list was misunderstood. Additional reporting produced no independent confirmation of the original report, and a CIA spokesman said that The Post's account of the list was incorrect. The military's Joint Special Operations Command maintains a target list that includes several Americans. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have said that the government is prepared to kill U.S. citizens who are believed to be involved in terrorist activities that threaten Americans."
The correction has been appended to the online version of the article.
On February 3, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair testified to his view that U.S. government agencies may use lethal force against U.S. citizens who are involved in terrorist activities. "We don't target people for free speech," he said. "We target them for taking action that threatens Americans."
"I'm actually a little bit surprised you went this far in open session," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) at the hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
"The reason I went this far in open session," replied DNI Blair, "is I just don't want other Americans who are watching to think that we are careless about endangering -- in fact, we're not careless about endangering lives at all, but we especially are not careless about endangering American lives as we try to carry out the policies to protect most of the country. And I think we ought to go into details in closed session."
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
NO U.S. CITIZENS ON CIA HIT LISTS
It is useful to be reminded from time to time that not every allegation or published report concerning Central Intelligence Agency operations is necessarily true.
A front-page story in the Washington Post on January 27 included the remarkable statement that "Both the CIA and the JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense] maintain lists of individuals... whom they seek to kill or capture. The JSOC list includes three Americans, including [Islamist cleric Anwar al-] Aulaqi, whose name was added late last year. As of several months ago, the CIA list included three U.S. citizens, and an intelligence official said that Aulaqi's name has now been added."
But at least the part about the CIA list turns out to be unfounded.
"The article referred incorrectly to the presence of U.S. citizens on a CIA list of people the agency seeks to kill or capture," the Washington Post said in a correction published in the February 12 edition. "After The Post's report was published, a source said that a statement the source made about the CIA list was misunderstood. Additional reporting produced no independent confirmation of the original report, and a CIA spokesman said that The Post's account of the list was incorrect. The military's Joint Special Operations Command maintains a target list that includes several Americans. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have said that the government is prepared to kill U.S. citizens who are believed to be involved in terrorist activities that threaten Americans."
The correction has been appended to the online version of the article.
On February 3, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair testified to his view that U.S. government agencies may use lethal force against U.S. citizens who are involved in terrorist activities. "We don't target people for free speech," he said. "We target them for taking action that threatens Americans."
"I'm actually a little bit surprised you went this far in open session," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) at the hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
"The reason I went this far in open session," replied DNI Blair, "is I just don't want other Americans who are watching to think that we are careless about endangering -- in fact, we're not careless about endangering lives at all, but we especially are not careless about endangering American lives as we try to carry out the policies to protect most of the country. And I think we ought to go into details in closed session."
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
And Still More Books....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION
DEBUT...
Kieran Shields' debut novel, THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS, in which a police inspector in Portland, Maine finds a murdered prostitute pinned to the earth with a pitchfork, and learns that death by "sticking" is a traditional method of killing a witch, and enlists a brilliant Abenaki Indian criminalist to help, as each detective overcomes his skepticism of the other's methods as they follow a trail through postmortems and opium dens, into the spiritualist societies and lunatic asylums of gothic New England, and the Salem witch trials' profound connection to the local Native American tribes, until it reveals the story of the accused witches we almost never hear about: the men, to Sean Desmond at Crown, at auction, for publication in fall 2011, by Erin Malone and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Stacia Brown's ACCIDENTS OF PROVIDENCE, the story of a young glove-maker in London who falls in love with a member of the radical Levelers, and falls victim to a law targeting unwed mothers during the Puritan Revolution, to Jenna Johnson at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Henry Dunow.
THRILLER...
International bestselling author Jeff Abbott's ADRENALINE, the start of a series featuring Sam Capra -- a brilliant CIA agent, loving husband, and expectant father, who loses everything that matters to him a horrifying moment in London and escapes from the CIA to go on a desperate hunt to save his kidnapped wife and child, reuniting with Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, for publication in summer 2011, in a two-book deal, by Curtis Brown (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER...
Edna O'Brien's OLD WOUNDS, a story collection and her memoir, COUNTRY GIRL, to Pat Strachan at Little, Brown, and to Lee Brackstone at Faber & Faber, at auction, by Ed Victor of Ed Victor Ltd..
Bookforum editor Chris Lehmann's RICH PEOPLE THINGS, an adaptation of the author's witty columns for The Awl about the trials and tribulations of society's most fortunate members and institutions, to Colin Robinson at Or Books, by Melissa Flashman at Trident Media Group (World).
NON-FICTION:
BIOGRAPHY...
General George S. Patton's youngest grandson, Benjamin Patton's WITH ALL THY MIGHT: Life Lessons From My Father, His Father & Our Personal Heroes, based on an article in Smithsonian, with previously unpublished material on Patton and interviews with everyone the author has known, from Rommel's son and Major General James Dozier to an American nun living undercover in occupied France and his mother, reading like a compendium of heroes who share their "life lessons"; pitched as Profiles in Courage meets Tuesdays with Morrie, to Natalee Rosenstein at Caliber, in a very nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Harvey Klinger at Harvey Klinger (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE...
Louis Hyman's BORROW: A Brief History of Debt in Modern America, the story of how the United States became a nation fueled by credit, focusing on the micro-level, individual decisions of Americans over the course of the last century - from buying a Model T, to speculating on houses in the roaring 20s, to charging freely at Bloomies in the 40s and 50s, to getting that first credit card or home equity line - a journey through American history following a single character that has shaped a significant portion of it, to Jeff Alexander at Pantheon, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
FT columnist 'The Undercover Economist' Tim Harford's ADAPT: How to Save the World One Failure at a Time, which looks at how we can solve both global problems - climate change, the threat of terrorism, the impact of the financial crisis, etc. - and issues in our personal and business lives through accepting failure as part of progress and using the same, under-rated method: trial and error, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency on behalf of Sally Holloway at Felicity Bryan (US).
MEMOIR...
Erica Heller's YOSSARIAN SLEPT HERE, a humorous, moving memoir of her childhood and her parents, Shirley and Joseph Heller, set against the backdrop of the Apthorp apartment building where the Heller family has lived for decades, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, for publication in Fall 2011 (the 50th Anniversary of the publication of CATCH-22) (world).
The Daily Beast correspondent and former WSJ reporter Rebecca Dana's JUJITSU RABBI AND THE GODLESS BLONDE, pitched as Candace Bushnell meets The Odd Couple meets Shalom Auslander, to Amy Einhorn at Amy Einhorn Books, in a two-book deal, at auction, by Jason Anthony and Rachel Vogel at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (world).
Wrap...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Kieran Shields' debut novel, THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS, in which a police inspector in Portland, Maine finds a murdered prostitute pinned to the earth with a pitchfork, and learns that death by "sticking" is a traditional method of killing a witch, and enlists a brilliant Abenaki Indian criminalist to help, as each detective overcomes his skepticism of the other's methods as they follow a trail through postmortems and opium dens, into the spiritualist societies and lunatic asylums of gothic New England, and the Salem witch trials' profound connection to the local Native American tribes, until it reveals the story of the accused witches we almost never hear about: the men, to Sean Desmond at Crown, at auction, for publication in fall 2011, by Erin Malone and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Stacia Brown's ACCIDENTS OF PROVIDENCE, the story of a young glove-maker in London who falls in love with a member of the radical Levelers, and falls victim to a law targeting unwed mothers during the Puritan Revolution, to Jenna Johnson at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Henry Dunow.
THRILLER...
International bestselling author Jeff Abbott's ADRENALINE, the start of a series featuring Sam Capra -- a brilliant CIA agent, loving husband, and expectant father, who loses everything that matters to him a horrifying moment in London and escapes from the CIA to go on a desperate hunt to save his kidnapped wife and child, reuniting with Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, for publication in summer 2011, in a two-book deal, by Curtis Brown (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER...
Edna O'Brien's OLD WOUNDS, a story collection and her memoir, COUNTRY GIRL, to Pat Strachan at Little, Brown, and to Lee Brackstone at Faber & Faber, at auction, by Ed Victor of Ed Victor Ltd..
Bookforum editor Chris Lehmann's RICH PEOPLE THINGS, an adaptation of the author's witty columns for The Awl about the trials and tribulations of society's most fortunate members and institutions, to Colin Robinson at Or Books, by Melissa Flashman at Trident Media Group (World).
NON-FICTION:
BIOGRAPHY...
General George S. Patton's youngest grandson, Benjamin Patton's WITH ALL THY MIGHT: Life Lessons From My Father, His Father & Our Personal Heroes, based on an article in Smithsonian, with previously unpublished material on Patton and interviews with everyone the author has known, from Rommel's son and Major General James Dozier to an American nun living undercover in occupied France and his mother, reading like a compendium of heroes who share their "life lessons"; pitched as Profiles in Courage meets Tuesdays with Morrie, to Natalee Rosenstein at Caliber, in a very nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Harvey Klinger at Harvey Klinger (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE...
Louis Hyman's BORROW: A Brief History of Debt in Modern America, the story of how the United States became a nation fueled by credit, focusing on the micro-level, individual decisions of Americans over the course of the last century - from buying a Model T, to speculating on houses in the roaring 20s, to charging freely at Bloomies in the 40s and 50s, to getting that first credit card or home equity line - a journey through American history following a single character that has shaped a significant portion of it, to Jeff Alexander at Pantheon, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
FT columnist 'The Undercover Economist' Tim Harford's ADAPT: How to Save the World One Failure at a Time, which looks at how we can solve both global problems - climate change, the threat of terrorism, the impact of the financial crisis, etc. - and issues in our personal and business lives through accepting failure as part of progress and using the same, under-rated method: trial and error, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency on behalf of Sally Holloway at Felicity Bryan (US).
MEMOIR...
Erica Heller's YOSSARIAN SLEPT HERE, a humorous, moving memoir of her childhood and her parents, Shirley and Joseph Heller, set against the backdrop of the Apthorp apartment building where the Heller family has lived for decades, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, for publication in Fall 2011 (the 50th Anniversary of the publication of CATCH-22) (world).
The Daily Beast correspondent and former WSJ reporter Rebecca Dana's JUJITSU RABBI AND THE GODLESS BLONDE, pitched as Candace Bushnell meets The Odd Couple meets Shalom Auslander, to Amy Einhorn at Amy Einhorn Books, in a two-book deal, at auction, by Jason Anthony and Rachel Vogel at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (world).
Wrap...
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Some Unusual Books Coming...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION
DEBUT...
Susan Juby's THE REPUBLIC OF DIRT, about a well-intentioned but inept woman leading a cast of misfits as she tries to save her inheritance, to Jeanette Perez at Harper, for publication in March 2011, by Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists (US).
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Dennis Lehane's untitled Patrick & Angie mystery, the 6th and final Patrick & Angie novel, a sequel to "Gone Baby Gone", to Claire Wachtel for William Morrow, for publication in 2011, by Ann Rittenberg at Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency (NA).
THRILLER...
Doug Magee's NEVER WAVE GOODBYE, minutes after a couple put their only child on a van for sleepaway camp, a second van arrives to pick the girl up -- and no one at the camp has any knowledge of the first van or its driver, to Sulay Hernandez at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, for publication in June 2010, by Ann Rittenberg at Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency (NA).
German rights to Aufbau, by Sabine Pfannensteil-Wright at Andrew Nurnberg Associates; Portuguese rights to Sextante, by Daniela Petracco at Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Jojo Moyes's THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER, searching her newspaper's archives for a story, a woman is surprised to discover a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her husband; despite, or perhaps because of her own romantic entanglements with a married man, she can't help but investigate; in 1960 a different woman wakes up in hospital after a car accident; she can't remember anything - her husband, her friends, who she used to be; and then, when she returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover she was willing to risk everything for, to Pamela Dorman of Pamela Dorman Books, for publication in summer 2011, by Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown UK (NA).
NON-FICTION:
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE...
Chris Brogan's SOCIAL MEDIA 101, the follow-up to Trust Agents and a quick-to-market guide to the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests, to Shannon Vargo at Wiley, for publication in March 2010 (World).
Founder of Digg.com Kevin Rose's ONE TO ONE MILLION, to Harper Studio.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
High-school-principal-turned-media-phenomenon Steve Perry's PUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE, in which the educator and CNN commentator reveals the "whatever it takes" secrets of the inner-city high school he founded and runs, now being seen as a template for how America can reinvent its schools, to Rick Horgan at Crown, by Bonnie Solow at Solow Literary Enterprises (world).
LKaplan@randomhouse.com.
Investigative reporter and author of The Sellout Charlie Gasparino's BOUGHT AND PAID FOR, exploring the unholy alliance among Big Business, Big Banking, and Big Government, to Adrian Zackheim at Sentinel, at auction, by Ethan Friedman and Stephen Hanselman at LevelFiveMedia (world).
MEMOIR:
Actor and activist Ashley Judd's highly personal memoir about change and hope and human transformation "along with those [stories] of the beautiful and resilient people I've met in the most desperate places," drawing on 500 pages of journal entries compiled while serving as global ambassador for the public health non-profits PSI (Population Services International)/Youth AIDS, to Pamela Cannon at Ballantine, for publication in spring 2011, with a foreword by Nicholas Kristof, by Trena Keating at Keating Literary (world English).
Gidget the Taco Bell Dog's trainer Sue Chipperton's A (FAMOUS) DOG'S LIFE, with People Magazine staffer Rennie Dyball, celebrating the unusual life of this celebrated celebrity dog, and exploring the life of a Hollywood animal trainer who has worked on everything from LEGALLY BLONDE and the Aflac commercials to TITANIC and GRAN TORINO, to Danielle Perez at NAL, by Mollie Glick at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
SCIENCE:
THE MORAL ANIMAL and THE EVOLUTION OF GOD Robert Wright's untitled book on what evolution tells us about finding a happiness worth having, to Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rafe Sagalyn at The Sagalyn Agency.
Wrap...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Susan Juby's THE REPUBLIC OF DIRT, about a well-intentioned but inept woman leading a cast of misfits as she tries to save her inheritance, to Jeanette Perez at Harper, for publication in March 2011, by Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists (US).
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Dennis Lehane's untitled Patrick & Angie mystery, the 6th and final Patrick & Angie novel, a sequel to "Gone Baby Gone", to Claire Wachtel for William Morrow, for publication in 2011, by Ann Rittenberg at Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency (NA).
THRILLER...
Doug Magee's NEVER WAVE GOODBYE, minutes after a couple put their only child on a van for sleepaway camp, a second van arrives to pick the girl up -- and no one at the camp has any knowledge of the first van or its driver, to Sulay Hernandez at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, for publication in June 2010, by Ann Rittenberg at Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency (NA).
German rights to Aufbau, by Sabine Pfannensteil-Wright at Andrew Nurnberg Associates; Portuguese rights to Sextante, by Daniela Petracco at Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Jojo Moyes's THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER, searching her newspaper's archives for a story, a woman is surprised to discover a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her husband; despite, or perhaps because of her own romantic entanglements with a married man, she can't help but investigate; in 1960 a different woman wakes up in hospital after a car accident; she can't remember anything - her husband, her friends, who she used to be; and then, when she returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover she was willing to risk everything for, to Pamela Dorman of Pamela Dorman Books, for publication in summer 2011, by Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown UK (NA).
NON-FICTION:
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE...
Chris Brogan's SOCIAL MEDIA 101, the follow-up to Trust Agents and a quick-to-market guide to the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests, to Shannon Vargo at Wiley, for publication in March 2010 (World).
Founder of Digg.com Kevin Rose's ONE TO ONE MILLION, to Harper Studio.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
High-school-principal-turned-media-phenomenon Steve Perry's PUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE, in which the educator and CNN commentator reveals the "whatever it takes" secrets of the inner-city high school he founded and runs, now being seen as a template for how America can reinvent its schools, to Rick Horgan at Crown, by Bonnie Solow at Solow Literary Enterprises (world).
LKaplan@randomhouse.com.
Investigative reporter and author of The Sellout Charlie Gasparino's BOUGHT AND PAID FOR, exploring the unholy alliance among Big Business, Big Banking, and Big Government, to Adrian Zackheim at Sentinel, at auction, by Ethan Friedman and Stephen Hanselman at LevelFiveMedia (world).
MEMOIR:
Actor and activist Ashley Judd's highly personal memoir about change and hope and human transformation "along with those [stories] of the beautiful and resilient people I've met in the most desperate places," drawing on 500 pages of journal entries compiled while serving as global ambassador for the public health non-profits PSI (Population Services International)/Youth AIDS, to Pamela Cannon at Ballantine, for publication in spring 2011, with a foreword by Nicholas Kristof, by Trena Keating at Keating Literary (world English).
Gidget the Taco Bell Dog's trainer Sue Chipperton's A (FAMOUS) DOG'S LIFE, with People Magazine staffer Rennie Dyball, celebrating the unusual life of this celebrated celebrity dog, and exploring the life of a Hollywood animal trainer who has worked on everything from LEGALLY BLONDE and the Aflac commercials to TITANIC and GRAN TORINO, to Danielle Perez at NAL, by Mollie Glick at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
SCIENCE:
THE MORAL ANIMAL and THE EVOLUTION OF GOD Robert Wright's untitled book on what evolution tells us about finding a happiness worth having, to Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rafe Sagalyn at The Sagalyn Agency.
Wrap...
Monday, February 01, 2010
Health Care Brouhaha....
From Keith Taylor:
HEALTH CARE BROUHAHA
by
Keith Taylor
Well, it’s over, or so it would seem. Even a compromise will leave us far behind virtually all other developed nations, each with a working national health care program. And, by every means of measure, all are much better off for having one.
Despite the claims, few of the objections started with the rank and file They were the result of a coordinated effort by powerful interests who have had a world of experience of swaying the opinion of a our nation.
Hence: “IT’S SOCIALISM” cried a teabagger, obviously elated to be on TV. He was so upset at the idea of having a national health care system in the land of the free he wanted to go back to the way America was in the beginning. I waited in vain for the reporter to ask if he wanted to explain to his wife why she wouldn’t be able to vote or own property? Or did he just want to buy a slave as people had in the beginning.
And so it went. The brouhaha over health care was filled with lies, exaggerations, half truths, urban legends, misunderstandings and, now and then, enough truth to keep the more strident talk show hosts from looking like utter fools – a formidable task by itself.
As a guy heading into his ninth decade, and after a eclectic background as a sailor, cryptographer, writer, political activist, and insurance salesman; I’ve picked up a stray idea or so. To start with, socialism doesn’t cause me to tremble as it does for those who claim it will be the end of all that’s good about the greatest nation on earth.
It’s been around since Daniel Boone bellyached about not having enough elbow room even after he’d traversed the Cumberland Gap. Early on someone noticed that a bit of control of people and business would be necessary if our thirteen disparate states were to comprise a nation. Adam Smith was tempered by John Maynard Keynes.
But the haves in our nation fought any sort of control tooth and nail. It was part of the cause for the greatest war in our history. But what is considered socialism has prevailed. And except for those who want to own other people, enslave women, or otherwise abuse the have-nots, it has been a pretty good deal.
But, the naysayers are claiming, health care is the most pernicious form of socialism. As always, there is enough truth in the claims to scare the bejabbers out of those who are afraid to look around the next corner.
It would ration care, but not as much as the insurance industry does today. Those folks with the red umbrellas, outstretched open hands and blue crosses not only ration health care with policy limits and exclusions, they get to decide who can get it in the first place.
But how does our current hodgepodge compare with the government provided health care of the other developed countries? It stinks! Their plan costs far less per person than in the U.S.A. By most measurable standards, the results are better too. Citizens of those countries live longer. Their babies have a much greater chance of surviving one year.
And ten percent of us are one illness away from bankruptcy. Our “health program,” is nothing more than a mélange of Medicare, individual policies, group policies, and one sparkling program – the program available for U.S. government employees, including military retirees, and their families. It does wonders for my wife and me.
The cost alone of this mess is reason enough to abolish the present system. When the deficits of one huge segment of our economy outstrips the rest, we are headed towards disaster. The math is so simple and so stark it can be seen through a tea bag.
And so it goes. We’ve had this much vaunted competition for decades now and it works – for the companies. They are not evil. They are simply doing what they have to do to make a profit and attract stockholders. They cut costs by eliminating the problem, those who get sick, or who are apt to.
It is time to recognize that it doesn’t work. Our congressional representatives need to stop imitating the teabaggers and shouting meaningless phrases. The health of our citizens and our nation is at stake. If we don’t put the country’s needs first, the problem will consume us.
//Keith Taylor is a retired Naval officer living in Chula Vista, Ca. He is also retired as an insurance broker. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
HEALTH CARE BROUHAHA
by
Keith Taylor
Well, it’s over, or so it would seem. Even a compromise will leave us far behind virtually all other developed nations, each with a working national health care program. And, by every means of measure, all are much better off for having one.
Despite the claims, few of the objections started with the rank and file They were the result of a coordinated effort by powerful interests who have had a world of experience of swaying the opinion of a our nation.
Hence: “IT’S SOCIALISM” cried a teabagger, obviously elated to be on TV. He was so upset at the idea of having a national health care system in the land of the free he wanted to go back to the way America was in the beginning. I waited in vain for the reporter to ask if he wanted to explain to his wife why she wouldn’t be able to vote or own property? Or did he just want to buy a slave as people had in the beginning.
And so it went. The brouhaha over health care was filled with lies, exaggerations, half truths, urban legends, misunderstandings and, now and then, enough truth to keep the more strident talk show hosts from looking like utter fools – a formidable task by itself.
As a guy heading into his ninth decade, and after a eclectic background as a sailor, cryptographer, writer, political activist, and insurance salesman; I’ve picked up a stray idea or so. To start with, socialism doesn’t cause me to tremble as it does for those who claim it will be the end of all that’s good about the greatest nation on earth.
It’s been around since Daniel Boone bellyached about not having enough elbow room even after he’d traversed the Cumberland Gap. Early on someone noticed that a bit of control of people and business would be necessary if our thirteen disparate states were to comprise a nation. Adam Smith was tempered by John Maynard Keynes.
But the haves in our nation fought any sort of control tooth and nail. It was part of the cause for the greatest war in our history. But what is considered socialism has prevailed. And except for those who want to own other people, enslave women, or otherwise abuse the have-nots, it has been a pretty good deal.
But, the naysayers are claiming, health care is the most pernicious form of socialism. As always, there is enough truth in the claims to scare the bejabbers out of those who are afraid to look around the next corner.
It would ration care, but not as much as the insurance industry does today. Those folks with the red umbrellas, outstretched open hands and blue crosses not only ration health care with policy limits and exclusions, they get to decide who can get it in the first place.
But how does our current hodgepodge compare with the government provided health care of the other developed countries? It stinks! Their plan costs far less per person than in the U.S.A. By most measurable standards, the results are better too. Citizens of those countries live longer. Their babies have a much greater chance of surviving one year.
And ten percent of us are one illness away from bankruptcy. Our “health program,” is nothing more than a mélange of Medicare, individual policies, group policies, and one sparkling program – the program available for U.S. government employees, including military retirees, and their families. It does wonders for my wife and me.
The cost alone of this mess is reason enough to abolish the present system. When the deficits of one huge segment of our economy outstrips the rest, we are headed towards disaster. The math is so simple and so stark it can be seen through a tea bag.
And so it goes. We’ve had this much vaunted competition for decades now and it works – for the companies. They are not evil. They are simply doing what they have to do to make a profit and attract stockholders. They cut costs by eliminating the problem, those who get sick, or who are apt to.
It is time to recognize that it doesn’t work. Our congressional representatives need to stop imitating the teabaggers and shouting meaningless phrases. The health of our citizens and our nation is at stake. If we don’t put the country’s needs first, the problem will consume us.
//Keith Taylor is a retired Naval officer living in Chula Vista, Ca. He is also retired as an insurance broker. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Interstellar Archeology...is...???
From Secrecy News:
INTERSTELLAR ARCHEOLOGY
The search for signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not only focus on detection of electromagnetic signals, but should also seek evidence of the physical artifacts that an intelligence life form might produce, a scientist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory suggested in a paper (pdf) last month.
"Searching for signatures of cosmic-scale archaeological artifacts such as Dyson spheres or Kardashev civilizations is an interesting alternative to conventional SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, which searches for radio waves]. Uncovering such an artifact does not require the intentional transmission of a signal on the part of the original civilization. This type of search is called interstellar archaeology or sometimes cosmic archaeology."
All of this of course is quite speculative, not to say whimsical. "With few exceptions interstellar archeological signatures are clouded and beyond current technological capabilities," the author notes.
But the concept and the logic behind it are explained with pleasant clarity in "Starry Messages: Searching for Signatures of Interstellar Archaeology" by Richard A. Carrigan, Jr., Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, December 1, 2009.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
INTERSTELLAR ARCHEOLOGY
The search for signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not only focus on detection of electromagnetic signals, but should also seek evidence of the physical artifacts that an intelligence life form might produce, a scientist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory suggested in a paper (pdf) last month.
"Searching for signatures of cosmic-scale archaeological artifacts such as Dyson spheres or Kardashev civilizations is an interesting alternative to conventional SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, which searches for radio waves]. Uncovering such an artifact does not require the intentional transmission of a signal on the part of the original civilization. This type of search is called interstellar archaeology or sometimes cosmic archaeology."
All of this of course is quite speculative, not to say whimsical. "With few exceptions interstellar archeological signatures are clouded and beyond current technological capabilities," the author notes.
But the concept and the logic behind it are explained with pleasant clarity in "Starry Messages: Searching for Signatures of Interstellar Archaeology" by Richard A. Carrigan, Jr., Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, December 1, 2009.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Will Congress Ever Inquire?
From Secrecy News...
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON TORTURE: A ROAD NOT TAKEN
Last year the Senate Judiciary Committee considered a proposal by Senator Patrick Leahy to establish a formal "commission of inquiry" that would investigate the conduct of the post-9/11 war on terrorism, including detention, rendition and interrogation policies. The record of a Senate hearing on the proposal was published earlier this month, but that seems to be all that remains of it.
"It is not enough to say that America is discontinuing the policies and practices of the recent past," said Amb. Thomas Pickering, one of the witnesses who testified in favor of the idea at the March 2009 hearing. "We must, as a country, take stock of where we have been and determine what was and is not acceptable, what should not have been done, and what we will never do again. It is my sincere hope that the commission will confront and reject the notion, still powerful in our midst, that these policies were and are a proper choice and that they could be implemented again in the future."
While commissions are rarely effective in advancing policy changes, they often serve to produce a detailed public accounting and an expanded documentary record, even when the subject matter is otherwise generally classified. From the Church Committee to the 9/11 Commission, such investigations have provided permanently valuable bodies of knowledge. And from that point of view, the failure to pursue a commission of inquiry to ventilate the persistent controversies of the recent past seems regrettable.
Opponents argued that the commission would inevitably turn into a partisan witch hunt; that it was unnecessary, since the Obama Administration had already pledged to chart a different course; that the Justice Department was responsible for ascertaining if any crimes had been committed, and prosecuting them; and that anyway, it was time to move onward.
"We really ought to follow regular order here," argued Senator Arlen Specter. "You have a Department of Justice which is fully capable of doing an investigation. They are not going to pull any punches on the prior administration."
Senator Patrick Leahy, who sponsored the proposal and convened the hearing, said he would only move the idea forward if there was a bipartisan consensus behind it.
"This idea for a commission of inquiry is not something to be imposed," Sen. Leahy said. "Its potential is lost if we do not join together. Today is another opportunity to come forward to find the facts and join, all of us, Republicans and Democrats, in developing a process to reach a mutual understanding of what went wrong and then to learn from it. If one party remains absent or resistant, the opportunity can be lost, and calls for accountability through more traditional means will then become more insistent and compelling."
No such consensus could be achieved, and the proposal was abandoned.
See "Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry," Senate Judiciary Committee, March 4, 2009.
Wrap...
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON TORTURE: A ROAD NOT TAKEN
Last year the Senate Judiciary Committee considered a proposal by Senator Patrick Leahy to establish a formal "commission of inquiry" that would investigate the conduct of the post-9/11 war on terrorism, including detention, rendition and interrogation policies. The record of a Senate hearing on the proposal was published earlier this month, but that seems to be all that remains of it.
"It is not enough to say that America is discontinuing the policies and practices of the recent past," said Amb. Thomas Pickering, one of the witnesses who testified in favor of the idea at the March 2009 hearing. "We must, as a country, take stock of where we have been and determine what was and is not acceptable, what should not have been done, and what we will never do again. It is my sincere hope that the commission will confront and reject the notion, still powerful in our midst, that these policies were and are a proper choice and that they could be implemented again in the future."
While commissions are rarely effective in advancing policy changes, they often serve to produce a detailed public accounting and an expanded documentary record, even when the subject matter is otherwise generally classified. From the Church Committee to the 9/11 Commission, such investigations have provided permanently valuable bodies of knowledge. And from that point of view, the failure to pursue a commission of inquiry to ventilate the persistent controversies of the recent past seems regrettable.
Opponents argued that the commission would inevitably turn into a partisan witch hunt; that it was unnecessary, since the Obama Administration had already pledged to chart a different course; that the Justice Department was responsible for ascertaining if any crimes had been committed, and prosecuting them; and that anyway, it was time to move onward.
"We really ought to follow regular order here," argued Senator Arlen Specter. "You have a Department of Justice which is fully capable of doing an investigation. They are not going to pull any punches on the prior administration."
Senator Patrick Leahy, who sponsored the proposal and convened the hearing, said he would only move the idea forward if there was a bipartisan consensus behind it.
"This idea for a commission of inquiry is not something to be imposed," Sen. Leahy said. "Its potential is lost if we do not join together. Today is another opportunity to come forward to find the facts and join, all of us, Republicans and Democrats, in developing a process to reach a mutual understanding of what went wrong and then to learn from it. If one party remains absent or resistant, the opportunity can be lost, and calls for accountability through more traditional means will then become more insistent and compelling."
No such consensus could be achieved, and the proposal was abandoned.
See "Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry," Senate Judiciary Committee, March 4, 2009.
Wrap...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Selection of Books On The Way...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Sam Hawken's NORTH PASS, about the femicides in Ciudad Juares where over 400 Mexican women have been murdered or gone missing since 1993, to Pete Ayrton of Serpent's Tail, by Svetlana Pironko of Author Rights Agency (World English).
HORROR:
Diana Rowland's SECRET OF THE DEMON, three more books in the series that began with MARK OF THE DEMON, plus three books in a new urban fantasy series about a young woman who is turned into a zombie and takes a job as a morgue technician for easy access to brains, to Betsy Wollheim at Daw, in a six-book deal, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
THRILLER:
Sex crime prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington D.C. Allison Leotta's LAW OF ATTRACTION, about a 26-year-old lawyer determined to bring justice to men who brutalize the women they love; frustrated and determined when the man she prosecuted for beating the mother of his two children goes free and the woman turns up murdered, she pursues clues to the case, jeopardizing her career, her romance, and finally her very life as she uncovers the horrifying truth about the murderer, to Lauren Spiegel at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in Fall 2010/Winter 2011, by Elaine Koster at Elaine Koster Agency (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Camilla Gibb's THE BEAUTY OF HUMANITY, set in modern-day Vietnam, a country on the brink of momentous change, uniting an old man, who has survived decades of political upheaval, with a young American returned to Vietnam in search of clues about her dissident father's disappearance, to Jane Fleming at Penguin Press, for publication in Winter 2011, by Anne McDermid at Anne McDermid Associates (US).
Steve Martin's novel WOMAN ONE, which "examines the glamor and the subterfuge of the fine art world" in New York, for publication in November 2010, and LATE FOR SCHOOL, for young readers, based on a song from his album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, illustrated by C.F. Payne and including a CD, to Deb Futter at Grand Central, by Esther Newberg at ICM.
Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel Linden MacIntyre's THE BISHOP'S MAN, to Counterpoint, for publication in the fall of 2010, by the Cooke Agency International.
Foreign rights to Eduardo Hojman at Urano in Spain, by Martina Torrades at Pontas Literary & Film Agency; Sahinpasic in Bosnia; and Sezam in Serbia; on behalf of Random House of Canada and Shaun Bradley of the Transatlantic Literary Agency.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Audrey Hepburn's younger son Luca Dotti's AUDREY AT HOME, written with Alessia Margiotta, an intimate off-stage look at the home life of one of the great film icons of all time, including anecdotes and memories from her family and friends, illustrated with never-before-seen family photographs, scrapbook memorabilia, and personal recipes, to Aliza Fogelson at Clarkson Potter, at auction, by Larry Kirshbaum at LJK Literary Management (World English).
Business/Investing/Finance:
Rajeev Peshawaria's TOO MANY BOSSES, TOO FEW LEADERS, stories of global leadership practice at its best, drawn from the author's experience at Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, American Express and beyond, providing a new, synthesized understanding of leadership for the time-starved executive; containing the author's personal interviews with John Mack, Jacqueline Novogratz and CEOs internationally, to Emily Loose at Free Press, in a pre-empt, for publication in Spring 2011, by Lucinda Blumenfeld at Fletcher & Company (World).
History/Politics/Current Affairs:
Markos Moulitsas's AMERICAN TALIBAN, comparing how the Republican Party and Islamic radicals maintain similar worldviews and tactics, from sex to war, from culture to science and education; arguing that progressives hate radical Jihadists for the same reason they hate conservatives -- intolerance, militarism, disrespect for democracy, and a desire to impose their regressive mores on the rest of society, to Peter Richardson at PoliPoint Press, for publication in September 2010 (NA).
Humor:
Bloggers and journalists Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich's STUFF HIPSTERS HATE, based on their popular Tumblr site, an anthropological guide to the buzzed-about subculture, featuring analysis of the mating habits, habitat, theology, grooming practices and preferred entertainment of the modern-day hipster, with helpful graphs and charts to understand the elusive character of the trendy beast, to Kelly Reed at Ulysses Press, for publication in Fall 2010, by Jason Allen Ashlock at Movable Type Literary Group.
Writers behind Twitter's @FakeAPStyleBook Ken Lowery, Mark Hale, and the Bureau Chiefs' HOW TO WRITE ON THE INTERNET: An Absolutely Phony Stylebook, to Stephanie Chan at Three Rivers Press, at auction, by Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.
Lifestyle:
Emmy-winning costume designer of Mad Men Janie Bryant's book on creating your own "leading lady" style, with advice and inspiration on everything from loving your curves to knowing which decade will give you the perfect vintage look, written with fashion journalist Monica Corcoran, to Karen Murgolo at Grand Central, for publication in Fall 2010, by Monika Verma at Levine Greenberg Literary AgencY.
Wrap...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Sam Hawken's NORTH PASS, about the femicides in Ciudad Juares where over 400 Mexican women have been murdered or gone missing since 1993, to Pete Ayrton of Serpent's Tail, by Svetlana Pironko of Author Rights Agency (World English).
HORROR:
Diana Rowland's SECRET OF THE DEMON, three more books in the series that began with MARK OF THE DEMON, plus three books in a new urban fantasy series about a young woman who is turned into a zombie and takes a job as a morgue technician for easy access to brains, to Betsy Wollheim at Daw, in a six-book deal, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
THRILLER:
Sex crime prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington D.C. Allison Leotta's LAW OF ATTRACTION, about a 26-year-old lawyer determined to bring justice to men who brutalize the women they love; frustrated and determined when the man she prosecuted for beating the mother of his two children goes free and the woman turns up murdered, she pursues clues to the case, jeopardizing her career, her romance, and finally her very life as she uncovers the horrifying truth about the murderer, to Lauren Spiegel at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in Fall 2010/Winter 2011, by Elaine Koster at Elaine Koster Agency (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Camilla Gibb's THE BEAUTY OF HUMANITY, set in modern-day Vietnam, a country on the brink of momentous change, uniting an old man, who has survived decades of political upheaval, with a young American returned to Vietnam in search of clues about her dissident father's disappearance, to Jane Fleming at Penguin Press, for publication in Winter 2011, by Anne McDermid at Anne McDermid Associates (US).
Steve Martin's novel WOMAN ONE, which "examines the glamor and the subterfuge of the fine art world" in New York, for publication in November 2010, and LATE FOR SCHOOL, for young readers, based on a song from his album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, illustrated by C.F. Payne and including a CD, to Deb Futter at Grand Central, by Esther Newberg at ICM.
Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel Linden MacIntyre's THE BISHOP'S MAN, to Counterpoint, for publication in the fall of 2010, by the Cooke Agency International.
Foreign rights to Eduardo Hojman at Urano in Spain, by Martina Torrades at Pontas Literary & Film Agency; Sahinpasic in Bosnia; and Sezam in Serbia; on behalf of Random House of Canada and Shaun Bradley of the Transatlantic Literary Agency.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Audrey Hepburn's younger son Luca Dotti's AUDREY AT HOME, written with Alessia Margiotta, an intimate off-stage look at the home life of one of the great film icons of all time, including anecdotes and memories from her family and friends, illustrated with never-before-seen family photographs, scrapbook memorabilia, and personal recipes, to Aliza Fogelson at Clarkson Potter, at auction, by Larry Kirshbaum at LJK Literary Management (World English).
Business/Investing/Finance:
Rajeev Peshawaria's TOO MANY BOSSES, TOO FEW LEADERS, stories of global leadership practice at its best, drawn from the author's experience at Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, American Express and beyond, providing a new, synthesized understanding of leadership for the time-starved executive; containing the author's personal interviews with John Mack, Jacqueline Novogratz and CEOs internationally, to Emily Loose at Free Press, in a pre-empt, for publication in Spring 2011, by Lucinda Blumenfeld at Fletcher & Company (World).
History/Politics/Current Affairs:
Markos Moulitsas's AMERICAN TALIBAN, comparing how the Republican Party and Islamic radicals maintain similar worldviews and tactics, from sex to war, from culture to science and education; arguing that progressives hate radical Jihadists for the same reason they hate conservatives -- intolerance, militarism, disrespect for democracy, and a desire to impose their regressive mores on the rest of society, to Peter Richardson at PoliPoint Press, for publication in September 2010 (NA).
Humor:
Bloggers and journalists Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich's STUFF HIPSTERS HATE, based on their popular Tumblr site, an anthropological guide to the buzzed-about subculture, featuring analysis of the mating habits, habitat, theology, grooming practices and preferred entertainment of the modern-day hipster, with helpful graphs and charts to understand the elusive character of the trendy beast, to Kelly Reed at Ulysses Press, for publication in Fall 2010, by Jason Allen Ashlock at Movable Type Literary Group.
Writers behind Twitter's @FakeAPStyleBook Ken Lowery, Mark Hale, and the Bureau Chiefs' HOW TO WRITE ON THE INTERNET: An Absolutely Phony Stylebook, to Stephanie Chan at Three Rivers Press, at auction, by Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.
Lifestyle:
Emmy-winning costume designer of Mad Men Janie Bryant's book on creating your own "leading lady" style, with advice and inspiration on everything from loving your curves to knowing which decade will give you the perfect vintage look, written with fashion journalist Monica Corcoran, to Karen Murgolo at Grand Central, for publication in Fall 2010, by Monika Verma at Levine Greenberg Literary AgencY.
Wrap...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
More Interesting Books On The Way...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION
DEBUT:
Kenneth Harmon's BETTER NOT POUT: A Tale of North Pole Noir, in which a hard-boiled elf is framed for murder in a world that plays reindeer games for keeps, to Ben Sevier at Dutton, in a very nice deal, in a pre-empt, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
Tyler McMahon's HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE, about the rise and fall of a punk supergroup in Seattle in the early 1990s, narrated by its tough girl drummer, now known notoriously to fans as "the girl who broke up the band," to Hilary Rubin Teeman at St. Martin's, by Jennifer de la Fuente at Fountain Literary (World).
Peter Geye's YOU WILL COME SAFE FROM THE SEA, in which a father and son reconnect thirty-five years after the father survived the tragic wreck of a Great Lakes ore boat, to Greg Michalson at Unbridled Books, by Laura Langlie (world English).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Lawyer Adam Mitzner's untitled novel, pitched as in the vein of Scott Turow, in which a young New York City criminal defense attorney defends an old family friend who is not what he seems to be, to Ed Schlesinger at Gallery, in a very nice deal, by pre-empt, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Winner of the 2009 Governor General's Award Kate Pullinger's THE MISTRESS OF NOTHING, based on the true-life story of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid in nineteenth-century Egypt, to Danielle Friedman at Touchstone Fireside, by Anne McDermid at Anne McDermid Associates.
Dominic Smith's AMBER AND GLASS, which takes place in the final years of the 19th century amid Chicago skyscrapers and far-flung Pacific islands - and sets two young men and their cultures on a collision course, to Sarah Branham at Atria, by Wendy Weil at the Wendy Weil Agency.
Francesco Pacifico's THE STORY OF MY PURITY, the first translated novel by this Italian youth sensation, about an ultramontane, unhappily married Roman intellectual who falls under the spell of Jews, gays, MDMA, and beautiful women in nightclub (not exactly in that order), to Lorin Stein at Farrar, Straus, for publication in Winter 2012, by Anna Stein at Aitken Alexander on behalf of Kylee Doust (World English).
NYT bestselling author of COLD Bill Streever's HEAT, in which the author explores the science, history, and culture behind warmth, in an adventurous narrative that tackles fire walking, fever, thermonuclear weapons, the invention of matches, and much more, again to John Parsley at Little, Brown, by Elizabeth Wales at Wales Literary Agency (World).
Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann's MY NAME IS CARLY: A Girl Discovers Her Voice, the story of a severely autistic child, diagnosed as mentally deficient, declared unreachable, and described as "a modern day Helen Keller," who was unable to control her impulses, sleep through the night, or communicate at all until she began typing messages to her parents on the computer, conveying to the world how it feels to be "locked in" and revealing her superior intellect, wit and determination to be an advocate for those like her told by her dad and interspersed with Carly's own writings, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Linda Loewenthal of the David Black Literary Agency (World).
Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann's MY NAME IS CARLY: A Girl Discovers Her Voice, the story of a severely autistic child, diagnosed as mentally deficient, declared unreachable, and described as "a modern day Helen Keller," who was unable to control her impulses, sleep through the night, or communicate at all until she began typing messages to her parents on the computer, conveying to the world how it feels to be "locked in" and revealing her superior intellect, wit and determination to be an advocate for those like her told by her dad and interspersed with Carly's own writings, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Linda Loewenthal of the David Black Literary Agency (World).
CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT:
Amy Huntington's SLEEPWALKING, centering around an American teenager attempting to rebuild her shattered life after the death of her parents, to Tara Weikum at Harper Children's, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in Summer 2011, 2012, 2013, by Stacey Glick at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World English).
Translation: labramo@dystel.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Eric Rutkow's OUT OF THE WOODS: How Trees Shaped America and America Shaped Trees, about how a land of "mightie greate wooddes" (according to an early explorer) grew into a great nation in no small part because of those very woods, showing how from birth to expansion to industrialization, in peacetime and in war, through ages of razing and clearing and conserving and preserving, trees have shaped the United States, and how, in turn, the people of America - settlers, explorers, builders, consumers, protectors, and scholars - have shaped trees just as surely, to Colin Harrison at Scribner, by Eric Simonoff and Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Freelance journalist (GQ, The Atlantic, Harper's, Time) Peter Savodnik's THE INTERLOPER: LEE HARVEY OSWALD INSIDE THE SOVIET PERPLEX, a carefully reported historical account of the two-and-a-half years JFK's assassin spent in the Soviet Union, showing that he was a tragic man in search of stability and meaning, whose experience reflected powerful emotional and political currents already coursing through the American consciousness, to Lara Heimert at Basic, in a very nice deal, by Ted Weinstein at Ted Weinstein Literary Management (World English).
REFERENCE:
NYT bestseller BUY KETCHUP IN MAY AND FLY AT NOON author Mark Di Vincenzo's THERE'S WOOD IN YOUR TURKEY BACON: And 333 Other Fascinating Facts That Will Make You Smarter, Safer and Healthier, to Kate Nintzel at Harper, in a very nice deal, by Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary Agency (World).
SPORTS:
NYT bestselling author Don Van Natta's biography of Sid Gillman, regarded by his peers as the most creative mind in football, and his three dozen disciples -- among them John Madden, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs, Dick Vermeil, Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, and Mike Tomlin -- who, by applying his revolutionary theories, have combined for an incredible twenty Super Bowl victories, to Geoff Shandler at Little, Brown, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Company.
Wrap...
FICTION
DEBUT:
Kenneth Harmon's BETTER NOT POUT: A Tale of North Pole Noir, in which a hard-boiled elf is framed for murder in a world that plays reindeer games for keeps, to Ben Sevier at Dutton, in a very nice deal, in a pre-empt, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
Tyler McMahon's HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE, about the rise and fall of a punk supergroup in Seattle in the early 1990s, narrated by its tough girl drummer, now known notoriously to fans as "the girl who broke up the band," to Hilary Rubin Teeman at St. Martin's, by Jennifer de la Fuente at Fountain Literary (World).
Peter Geye's YOU WILL COME SAFE FROM THE SEA, in which a father and son reconnect thirty-five years after the father survived the tragic wreck of a Great Lakes ore boat, to Greg Michalson at Unbridled Books, by Laura Langlie (world English).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Lawyer Adam Mitzner's untitled novel, pitched as in the vein of Scott Turow, in which a young New York City criminal defense attorney defends an old family friend who is not what he seems to be, to Ed Schlesinger at Gallery, in a very nice deal, by pre-empt, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Winner of the 2009 Governor General's Award Kate Pullinger's THE MISTRESS OF NOTHING, based on the true-life story of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid in nineteenth-century Egypt, to Danielle Friedman at Touchstone Fireside, by Anne McDermid at Anne McDermid Associates.
Dominic Smith's AMBER AND GLASS, which takes place in the final years of the 19th century amid Chicago skyscrapers and far-flung Pacific islands - and sets two young men and their cultures on a collision course, to Sarah Branham at Atria, by Wendy Weil at the Wendy Weil Agency.
Francesco Pacifico's THE STORY OF MY PURITY, the first translated novel by this Italian youth sensation, about an ultramontane, unhappily married Roman intellectual who falls under the spell of Jews, gays, MDMA, and beautiful women in nightclub (not exactly in that order), to Lorin Stein at Farrar, Straus, for publication in Winter 2012, by Anna Stein at Aitken Alexander on behalf of Kylee Doust (World English).
NYT bestselling author of COLD Bill Streever's HEAT, in which the author explores the science, history, and culture behind warmth, in an adventurous narrative that tackles fire walking, fever, thermonuclear weapons, the invention of matches, and much more, again to John Parsley at Little, Brown, by Elizabeth Wales at Wales Literary Agency (World).
Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann's MY NAME IS CARLY: A Girl Discovers Her Voice, the story of a severely autistic child, diagnosed as mentally deficient, declared unreachable, and described as "a modern day Helen Keller," who was unable to control her impulses, sleep through the night, or communicate at all until she began typing messages to her parents on the computer, conveying to the world how it feels to be "locked in" and revealing her superior intellect, wit and determination to be an advocate for those like her told by her dad and interspersed with Carly's own writings, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Linda Loewenthal of the David Black Literary Agency (World).
Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann's MY NAME IS CARLY: A Girl Discovers Her Voice, the story of a severely autistic child, diagnosed as mentally deficient, declared unreachable, and described as "a modern day Helen Keller," who was unable to control her impulses, sleep through the night, or communicate at all until she began typing messages to her parents on the computer, conveying to the world how it feels to be "locked in" and revealing her superior intellect, wit and determination to be an advocate for those like her told by her dad and interspersed with Carly's own writings, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Linda Loewenthal of the David Black Literary Agency (World).
CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT:
Amy Huntington's SLEEPWALKING, centering around an American teenager attempting to rebuild her shattered life after the death of her parents, to Tara Weikum at Harper Children's, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in Summer 2011, 2012, 2013, by Stacey Glick at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World English).
Translation: labramo@dystel.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Eric Rutkow's OUT OF THE WOODS: How Trees Shaped America and America Shaped Trees, about how a land of "mightie greate wooddes" (according to an early explorer) grew into a great nation in no small part because of those very woods, showing how from birth to expansion to industrialization, in peacetime and in war, through ages of razing and clearing and conserving and preserving, trees have shaped the United States, and how, in turn, the people of America - settlers, explorers, builders, consumers, protectors, and scholars - have shaped trees just as surely, to Colin Harrison at Scribner, by Eric Simonoff and Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Freelance journalist (GQ, The Atlantic, Harper's, Time) Peter Savodnik's THE INTERLOPER: LEE HARVEY OSWALD INSIDE THE SOVIET PERPLEX, a carefully reported historical account of the two-and-a-half years JFK's assassin spent in the Soviet Union, showing that he was a tragic man in search of stability and meaning, whose experience reflected powerful emotional and political currents already coursing through the American consciousness, to Lara Heimert at Basic, in a very nice deal, by Ted Weinstein at Ted Weinstein Literary Management (World English).
REFERENCE:
NYT bestseller BUY KETCHUP IN MAY AND FLY AT NOON author Mark Di Vincenzo's THERE'S WOOD IN YOUR TURKEY BACON: And 333 Other Fascinating Facts That Will Make You Smarter, Safer and Healthier, to Kate Nintzel at Harper, in a very nice deal, by Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary Agency (World).
SPORTS:
NYT bestselling author Don Van Natta's biography of Sid Gillman, regarded by his peers as the most creative mind in football, and his three dozen disciples -- among them John Madden, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs, Dick Vermeil, Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, and Mike Tomlin -- who, by applying his revolutionary theories, have combined for an incredible twenty Super Bowl victories, to Geoff Shandler at Little, Brown, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Company.
Wrap...
Monday, January 04, 2010
A Million Pages of Secrets A Year....
From Secrecy News...
THE DEC 2009 DECLASS DEADLINE: WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN
There has been almost no criticism of the new Obama Executive Order on national security classification, which itself is kind of troubling.
For a full-throated denunciation, one has to turn to the outer periphery of Newsmax.com, which argues that declassification of historical editions of the President's Daily Brief "will render impotent one of the intelligence community's most vital tools." ("Obama Imperils Intel Briefings," by Theodore Kettle, Newsmax.com, January 3.)
A more cogent complaint, put forward by PRI's show The Takeaway on December 22, is that creation of a National Declassification Center "will actually delay the declassification of 400 million pages of Cold War-era documents," because these were already subject to a December 31, 2009 deadline, which has now been eliminated.
As previously reported ("New Executive Order Aims to Avoid Declass Deadline," Secrecy News, November 23, 2009, and by the Boston Globe, Nov. 29, and the Associated Press, Dec. 20), there was a December 31 deadline for automatic declassification of historical records that required referral to more than one agency, and this deadline created some urgency for completion of the new Executive Order, which superseded it.
But even if the deadline had come into effect, officials told Secrecy News, the affected pages would still not have been released to the public. They said this was so for several reasons.
First, no one knows where those pages are. There are perhaps as many as 100 million pages (not 400 million) that have been referred from one agency to another for declassification review, but they are not systematically tracked and so they could not be systematically released.
Second, Congress has effectively barred bulk declassification and disclosure by means of the 1999 Kyl-Lott Amendment, which required the painstaking review or certification of all declassified records to ensure that they do not contain any inadvertently released nuclear weapons-related information. (If Congress wanted to facilitate declassification of historical records, repeal of the Kyl-Lott Amendment would be a good place to start.)
Third, the National Archives lacks the capacity to process large volumes of declassified records for public release. Even if fully declassified, the affected records would take years to process for disclosure to the public.
In short, the declassification program is seriously messed up, and it has been for many years. The new National Declassification Center may help to straighten it out. Significantly, the President ordered that the present backlog of 400 million pages shall not only be declassified over the next four years but also "shall be addressed in a manner that will permit public access to all declassified records."
To make good on this commitment, the Obama Administration is said to be considering a significant increase in its request for declassification funding for FY 2011.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
THE DEC 2009 DECLASS DEADLINE: WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN
There has been almost no criticism of the new Obama Executive Order on national security classification, which itself is kind of troubling.
For a full-throated denunciation, one has to turn to the outer periphery of Newsmax.com, which argues that declassification of historical editions of the President's Daily Brief "will render impotent one of the intelligence community's most vital tools." ("Obama Imperils Intel Briefings," by Theodore Kettle, Newsmax.com, January 3.)
A more cogent complaint, put forward by PRI's show The Takeaway on December 22, is that creation of a National Declassification Center "will actually delay the declassification of 400 million pages of Cold War-era documents," because these were already subject to a December 31, 2009 deadline, which has now been eliminated.
As previously reported ("New Executive Order Aims to Avoid Declass Deadline," Secrecy News, November 23, 2009, and by the Boston Globe, Nov. 29, and the Associated Press, Dec. 20), there was a December 31 deadline for automatic declassification of historical records that required referral to more than one agency, and this deadline created some urgency for completion of the new Executive Order, which superseded it.
But even if the deadline had come into effect, officials told Secrecy News, the affected pages would still not have been released to the public. They said this was so for several reasons.
First, no one knows where those pages are. There are perhaps as many as 100 million pages (not 400 million) that have been referred from one agency to another for declassification review, but they are not systematically tracked and so they could not be systematically released.
Second, Congress has effectively barred bulk declassification and disclosure by means of the 1999 Kyl-Lott Amendment, which required the painstaking review or certification of all declassified records to ensure that they do not contain any inadvertently released nuclear weapons-related information. (If Congress wanted to facilitate declassification of historical records, repeal of the Kyl-Lott Amendment would be a good place to start.)
Third, the National Archives lacks the capacity to process large volumes of declassified records for public release. Even if fully declassified, the affected records would take years to process for disclosure to the public.
In short, the declassification program is seriously messed up, and it has been for many years. The new National Declassification Center may help to straighten it out. Significantly, the President ordered that the present backlog of 400 million pages shall not only be declassified over the next four years but also "shall be addressed in a manner that will permit public access to all declassified records."
To make good on this commitment, the Obama Administration is said to be considering a significant increase in its request for declassification funding for FY 2011.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Year's Eve, 2009...Seaport Village...
Just back from Seaport Village. What a mob scene...and plenty of Nebraska people with red shirts, proud of having won the football game yesterday, 33-0!!! In the rain.
No rain today...Sunny San Diego is back for the New Year's weekend.
So the back porch of the Seaport Deli was crowded. Took my coffee to a front corner table and proceeded to wait out the group on my usual table, right behind me in the back corner. Guitarist playing soothing melodies on the stage in front of the carousel, a group of six at the front tables to my left...a guy in black t-shirt on each end, 3 young women and one older man on the sides.
The guy at the end nearest me was a non-stop talker. The girls laughed at all the appropriate places. The guy at the other end talked whenever he could break in. So between the two of them, they totally monopolized the conversation.
But finally the group at my usual back corner table left and I moved over there. The porch emptied eventually and all was peace and quiet but for the steady murmur of voices from the plaza tables.
Almost finished with my coffee when a big guy comes out of the deli with his lunch and a beer, sits down at the table in front of me, and says, "I hope I'm not blocking your view." I had to laugh. Of course he was.
So I finished the coffee and as I left, the guitarist was playing "Over the Rainbow".
No place like Seaport Village.
Happy New Year everybody! :))))
Wrap...
No rain today...Sunny San Diego is back for the New Year's weekend.
So the back porch of the Seaport Deli was crowded. Took my coffee to a front corner table and proceeded to wait out the group on my usual table, right behind me in the back corner. Guitarist playing soothing melodies on the stage in front of the carousel, a group of six at the front tables to my left...a guy in black t-shirt on each end, 3 young women and one older man on the sides.
The guy at the end nearest me was a non-stop talker. The girls laughed at all the appropriate places. The guy at the other end talked whenever he could break in. So between the two of them, they totally monopolized the conversation.
But finally the group at my usual back corner table left and I moved over there. The porch emptied eventually and all was peace and quiet but for the steady murmur of voices from the plaza tables.
Almost finished with my coffee when a big guy comes out of the deli with his lunch and a beer, sits down at the table in front of me, and says, "I hope I'm not blocking your view." I had to laugh. Of course he was.
So I finished the coffee and as I left, the guitarist was playing "Over the Rainbow".
No place like Seaport Village.
Happy New Year everybody! :))))
Wrap...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Selection of Interesting, Up-coming Books....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly....
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Leslie Daniels' CLEANING NABOKOV'S HOUSE, the spare, humorous and heart-wrenching story of a woman who, having recently lost her two kids in a custody battle, and left her beloved city behind for upstate, must creatively pull her life together before she can find her way, to Sulay Hernandez at Touchstone Fireside, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Molly Friedrich at Friedrich Agency (US).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Edgar Award-winner Eliot Pattison's ORIGINAL DEATH, a sequel to Eye of the Raven featuring Scottish-born sleuth Duncan McCallum who solves murders in colonial New England, to Charlie Winton at Counterpoint, by Natasha Kern at Natasha Kern Literary Agency (world English).
Liz Lipperman's debut DUCKS IN A ROW: A Casserole Lover Mystery, in which a woman with dreams of becoming a popular sports columnist gets stuck in a po-dunk town writing personal ads for a small time newspaper; when she's offered a chance to fill in for a local food critic off on sick leave, she jumps at the chance rationalizing that it's one step closer to her dream, but when a dead body is found underneath her apartment stairwell with her name and number along with it, she becomes the prime suspect, as well as, the main course on the murder menu, to Faith Black at Berkley Prime Crime, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2011-2012, by Christine Witthohn at Book Cents Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Cecilia Grey's debut A LADY AWAKENED, about an iron-willed widow who makes a high-stakes bargain with a neighborhood rake to conceive a fraudulent heir and safeguard her liberty and inheritance, beginning the Blackshears series, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, in a two-book deal, by Emmanuelle Alspaugh at Judith Ehrlich Literary Management.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Nicole Kelby's untitled novel, about food, inspired by the life and passions of Auguste Escoffier, brilliantly innovative French chef and international culinary star who deeply loved both his wife, Delphine, and the actress Sarah Bernhardt, examines the idea of the private versus public life while illuminating the spiritual and sensual nature of food and the decadent joy of unruly hearts, to Amy Cherry at Norton, by Lisa Bankoff at ICM (NA).
Author of THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE Julie Buxbaum's third novel THE MODERN GIRL'S HANDBOOK about a young woman's discovery of her grandmother's diary and the profound effect it has on her life again to Susan Kamil at Dial, for publication in 2012, by Elaine Koster at Elaine Koster Agency (US).
Laura Joh Rowland's THE RONIN'S MISTRESS and untitled Sano Ichiro novel -- the 15th and 16th in the series, surrounding a true incident in 18th century Japanese history wherein 47 ronin avenged their master's murder and became folk heroes before being forced to commit suicide, to Hope Dellon at St. Martin's, by Pam Ahearn at Ahearn Agency (World).
NON-FICTION...
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Actor, activist, and bestselling author Michael J. Fox's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FUTURE, a book for graduates, presenting his accumulated wisdom and lessons based on his life experiences, including such topics as ambition, curiosity, flexibility, the importance of mentors, and the power of facing both successes and setbacks with open eyes, again to Ellen Archer at Hyperion, with Leslie Wells editing, for publication in April 2010, by Amanda Urban at ICM (world).
BIOGRAPHY:
Photographer John Abbott and jazz journalist and writer Bob Blumenthal's SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins, prepared by the only two people Rollins has trusted to chronicle his life, based on the saxophonist's classic album as emblematic of his oeuvre, and scheduled for release on the legendary musician's 80th birthday in September 2010, to Deborah Aaronson at Abrams, by James Levine of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, with Paul Bresnick of Paul Bresnick Literary Agency representing Blumenthal (world).
Former NYT reporter and Fortune editor at large Richard Siklos's untitled account of Michael Jackson's career and the rise and fall of his fortune, as well as a look at the entertainment industry and the machinery of modern superstardom, to Charlie Conrad at Broadway, in a pre-empt, by David Kuhn of Kuhn Projects (NA).
COOKING:
Owners of Fleisher's Grass-Fed & Organic Meats and leaders of the anti-feedlot/conventional meat movement, third-generation butcher Joshua Applestone and Jessica Applestone's, with Alexandra Zissu, guide to sourcing, purchasing, butchering, and cooking grass-fed and organic meat—including poultry, beef, lamb, and pork, to Rica Allannic at Clarkson Potter, by Amy Hughes of McCormick Williams (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Former NYT reporter and investment banker and head of federal government's automotive intervention team Steven Rattner's OVERHAUL, the story of the intense 150-day struggle to save the American auto industry as both Chrysler and GM struggled to stay afloat, to George Hodgman at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in fall 2010, by Amanda Urban at ICM (NA).
Alan Dershowitz's analysis of our legal system over the past 50 years, told through the lens of the pivotal cases in the author's career, as well as the legal decisions he has not personally been involved in that have shaped American jurisprudence and that will continue to forge our future, to Roger Scholl at Broadway, for publication in Spring 2012, by Helen Rees at the Helen Rees Literary Agency (NA).
MEMOIR:
Actor and advocate for women's rights and breast cancer research Meredith Baxter's "candid and revealing" memoir of her eventful personal and professional life, presenting a portrait of her life as an actress, mother of five children, and grandmother, and discussing her fight with breast cancer, her 19 years of sobriety, entrepreneurship, and her recent decision to come out and announce that she is gay, to Diane Salvatore at Broadway, with Lorraine Glennon editing, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group, with Alan Iezman at Shelter Entertainment Group (world).
NARRATIVE:
Author and owner of downtown Manhattan's Pasanella & Son Vintners, Marco Pasanella's DON'T FORGET TO SPIT: Lessons from a Newfound Life in the Wine Trade, chronicling the birth of and daily life at his shop, along with a journey into the esoteric and often mysterious world of wine producing, distributing, selling, and consuming, to Doris Cooper at Clarkson Potter with Emily Takoudes editing, in a pre-empt, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (world English).
Wrap...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Leslie Daniels' CLEANING NABOKOV'S HOUSE, the spare, humorous and heart-wrenching story of a woman who, having recently lost her two kids in a custody battle, and left her beloved city behind for upstate, must creatively pull her life together before she can find her way, to Sulay Hernandez at Touchstone Fireside, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Molly Friedrich at Friedrich Agency (US).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Edgar Award-winner Eliot Pattison's ORIGINAL DEATH, a sequel to Eye of the Raven featuring Scottish-born sleuth Duncan McCallum who solves murders in colonial New England, to Charlie Winton at Counterpoint, by Natasha Kern at Natasha Kern Literary Agency (world English).
Liz Lipperman's debut DUCKS IN A ROW: A Casserole Lover Mystery, in which a woman with dreams of becoming a popular sports columnist gets stuck in a po-dunk town writing personal ads for a small time newspaper; when she's offered a chance to fill in for a local food critic off on sick leave, she jumps at the chance rationalizing that it's one step closer to her dream, but when a dead body is found underneath her apartment stairwell with her name and number along with it, she becomes the prime suspect, as well as, the main course on the murder menu, to Faith Black at Berkley Prime Crime, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2011-2012, by Christine Witthohn at Book Cents Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Cecilia Grey's debut A LADY AWAKENED, about an iron-willed widow who makes a high-stakes bargain with a neighborhood rake to conceive a fraudulent heir and safeguard her liberty and inheritance, beginning the Blackshears series, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, in a two-book deal, by Emmanuelle Alspaugh at Judith Ehrlich Literary Management.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Nicole Kelby's untitled novel, about food, inspired by the life and passions of Auguste Escoffier, brilliantly innovative French chef and international culinary star who deeply loved both his wife, Delphine, and the actress Sarah Bernhardt, examines the idea of the private versus public life while illuminating the spiritual and sensual nature of food and the decadent joy of unruly hearts, to Amy Cherry at Norton, by Lisa Bankoff at ICM (NA).
Author of THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE Julie Buxbaum's third novel THE MODERN GIRL'S HANDBOOK about a young woman's discovery of her grandmother's diary and the profound effect it has on her life again to Susan Kamil at Dial, for publication in 2012, by Elaine Koster at Elaine Koster Agency (US).
Laura Joh Rowland's THE RONIN'S MISTRESS and untitled Sano Ichiro novel -- the 15th and 16th in the series, surrounding a true incident in 18th century Japanese history wherein 47 ronin avenged their master's murder and became folk heroes before being forced to commit suicide, to Hope Dellon at St. Martin's, by Pam Ahearn at Ahearn Agency (World).
NON-FICTION...
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Actor, activist, and bestselling author Michael J. Fox's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FUTURE, a book for graduates, presenting his accumulated wisdom and lessons based on his life experiences, including such topics as ambition, curiosity, flexibility, the importance of mentors, and the power of facing both successes and setbacks with open eyes, again to Ellen Archer at Hyperion, with Leslie Wells editing, for publication in April 2010, by Amanda Urban at ICM (world).
BIOGRAPHY:
Photographer John Abbott and jazz journalist and writer Bob Blumenthal's SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins, prepared by the only two people Rollins has trusted to chronicle his life, based on the saxophonist's classic album as emblematic of his oeuvre, and scheduled for release on the legendary musician's 80th birthday in September 2010, to Deborah Aaronson at Abrams, by James Levine of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, with Paul Bresnick of Paul Bresnick Literary Agency representing Blumenthal (world).
Former NYT reporter and Fortune editor at large Richard Siklos's untitled account of Michael Jackson's career and the rise and fall of his fortune, as well as a look at the entertainment industry and the machinery of modern superstardom, to Charlie Conrad at Broadway, in a pre-empt, by David Kuhn of Kuhn Projects (NA).
COOKING:
Owners of Fleisher's Grass-Fed & Organic Meats and leaders of the anti-feedlot/conventional meat movement, third-generation butcher Joshua Applestone and Jessica Applestone's, with Alexandra Zissu, guide to sourcing, purchasing, butchering, and cooking grass-fed and organic meat—including poultry, beef, lamb, and pork, to Rica Allannic at Clarkson Potter, by Amy Hughes of McCormick Williams (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Former NYT reporter and investment banker and head of federal government's automotive intervention team Steven Rattner's OVERHAUL, the story of the intense 150-day struggle to save the American auto industry as both Chrysler and GM struggled to stay afloat, to George Hodgman at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in fall 2010, by Amanda Urban at ICM (NA).
Alan Dershowitz's analysis of our legal system over the past 50 years, told through the lens of the pivotal cases in the author's career, as well as the legal decisions he has not personally been involved in that have shaped American jurisprudence and that will continue to forge our future, to Roger Scholl at Broadway, for publication in Spring 2012, by Helen Rees at the Helen Rees Literary Agency (NA).
MEMOIR:
Actor and advocate for women's rights and breast cancer research Meredith Baxter's "candid and revealing" memoir of her eventful personal and professional life, presenting a portrait of her life as an actress, mother of five children, and grandmother, and discussing her fight with breast cancer, her 19 years of sobriety, entrepreneurship, and her recent decision to come out and announce that she is gay, to Diane Salvatore at Broadway, with Lorraine Glennon editing, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group, with Alan Iezman at Shelter Entertainment Group (world).
NARRATIVE:
Author and owner of downtown Manhattan's Pasanella & Son Vintners, Marco Pasanella's DON'T FORGET TO SPIT: Lessons from a Newfound Life in the Wine Trade, chronicling the birth of and daily life at his shop, along with a journey into the esoteric and often mysterious world of wine producing, distributing, selling, and consuming, to Doris Cooper at Clarkson Potter with Emily Takoudes editing, in a pre-empt, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (world English).
Wrap...
Friday, December 18, 2009
FBI Linguist To Blogger....
From Secrecy News:
FBI LINGUIST LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCS TO BLOGGER
An Israeli-American attorney who worked for the FBI as a translator pled guilty yesterday to unlawfully disclosing five classified FBI documents to an unidentified blogger last April, who then published information from the documents on his blog, the Justice Department announced.
In a signed plea agreement (pdf), Shamai Leibowitz stipulated that he had "knowingly and willfully caused five documents, which were classified at the Secret level and contained classified information concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States, to be communicated... to a person not entitled to receive classified information ('Recipient A'). Recipient A was the host of a public web log ('blog') available to anyone with access to the Internet."
"Recipient A then published on the blog information derived from the classified documents provided to Recipient A by Leibowitz. As a result of these disclosures, intelligence sources and methods related to these documents were compromised," the plea agreement said.
Recipient A was not named, and has evidently not been charged with any misconduct. Leibowitz was charged under 18 U.S.C. 798, which prohibits unauthorized disclosure of communications intelligence information.
"The willful disclosure of classified information to those not entitled to receive it is a serious crime," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "Today’s guilty plea should serve as a warning to anyone in government who would consider compromising our nation’s secrets."
Prosecutors credited Mr. Leibowitz for his "apparent prompt recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility for his criminal conduct" as well as his "timely notification of his intention to plead guilty." Based on those and other factors, they proposed a sentence of 20 months imprisonment.
Though it has no bearing on the case, Mr. Leibowitz happens to be the grandson of Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994), a renowned Israeli scientist, orthodox Jewish philosopher, polemicist and political activist.
The case was first reported in "Israeli lawyer & peacenik guilty of leaking FBI secrets" by Josh Gerstein in Politico, December 17. Laura Rozen, also writing in Politico, provided additional background and proposed speculatively that Leibowitz's disclosures were behind an April 16, 2009 story in the New York Times on NSA's "overcollection" of domestic intelligence.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
Wrap...
FBI LINGUIST LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCS TO BLOGGER
An Israeli-American attorney who worked for the FBI as a translator pled guilty yesterday to unlawfully disclosing five classified FBI documents to an unidentified blogger last April, who then published information from the documents on his blog, the Justice Department announced.
In a signed plea agreement (pdf), Shamai Leibowitz stipulated that he had "knowingly and willfully caused five documents, which were classified at the Secret level and contained classified information concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States, to be communicated... to a person not entitled to receive classified information ('Recipient A'). Recipient A was the host of a public web log ('blog') available to anyone with access to the Internet."
"Recipient A then published on the blog information derived from the classified documents provided to Recipient A by Leibowitz. As a result of these disclosures, intelligence sources and methods related to these documents were compromised," the plea agreement said.
Recipient A was not named, and has evidently not been charged with any misconduct. Leibowitz was charged under 18 U.S.C. 798, which prohibits unauthorized disclosure of communications intelligence information.
"The willful disclosure of classified information to those not entitled to receive it is a serious crime," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "Today’s guilty plea should serve as a warning to anyone in government who would consider compromising our nation’s secrets."
Prosecutors credited Mr. Leibowitz for his "apparent prompt recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility for his criminal conduct" as well as his "timely notification of his intention to plead guilty." Based on those and other factors, they proposed a sentence of 20 months imprisonment.
Though it has no bearing on the case, Mr. Leibowitz happens to be the grandson of Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994), a renowned Israeli scientist, orthodox Jewish philosopher, polemicist and political activist.
The case was first reported in "Israeli lawyer & peacenik guilty of leaking FBI secrets" by Josh Gerstein in Politico, December 17. Laura Rozen, also writing in Politico, provided additional background and proposed speculatively that Leibowitz's disclosures were behind an April 16, 2009 story in the New York Times on NSA's "overcollection" of domestic intelligence.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
Wrap...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Don't Go Near THIS Machine....
THIS is one huge & dangerous machine...I kid you not:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aja7gcgRMJU
If this link doesn't work, just google Monster Shredder.
Wrap...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aja7gcgRMJU
If this link doesn't work, just google Monster Shredder.
Wrap...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Some very different books on the way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
US Weekly film critic Thelma Adams's PLAYDATE, a suburban dramedy that follows the increasingly inappropriate entanglements of two families over four days as Santa Ana winds blow a brush fire toward the California coast, to Kathleen Gilligan at St. Martin's, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
THRILLER:
John le Carre's new book, moving to Kathryn Court at Viking (his move to Viking UK was announced previously), for publication in 2010, by Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown UK.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Cynthia Ozick's FOREIGN BODIES, set in post-war New York, Paris, and California, is the story of a divorced schoolteacher who tries to resolve her brother's family dramas, leading to extraordinary and wholly unanticipated results, to Bruce Nichols at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in winter 2011, by Melanie Jackson at Melanie Jackson Agency (NA).
Wendy Wax's THE SAND CASTLE, the story of three women who lose everything to a Bernie Madoff-like scam, except a one-third share of a derelict beachfront mansion which they must somehow rebuild if they hope to do the same for their lives, to Wendy McCurdy at Berkley, for publication in 2011, in a two-book deal, by Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (NA).
AROHO Foundation Literary Gift of Freedom winner Summer Wood's WRECKER, about a young boy (called Wrecker) whose mother has been sent to prison, and the eclectic Northern California community that comes together to raise him in her absence, to Kathy Belden at Bloomsbury, and Helen Garnons-Williams at Bloomsbury UK, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (World English).
NON-FICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Author of Profile of a Prodigy and Fischer intimate Frank Brady's ENDGAME: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer, a biography of one of the 20th century's most complex and tortured geniuses based on newly discovered documents left behind by the chess champion, who died in early 2008, exploring both Fischer;s mystique and his Howard Hughes-like descent into madness, to Rick Horgan at Crown, in a very good deal, for publication in 2010, by Jeff Schmidt at NY Creative Management (world).
Rights: LKaplan@randomhouse.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of In the President's Secret Service Ronald Kessler's book on the FBI, to Mary Choteborsky at Crown, by Robert Gottlieb and Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
Foreign: KSchulze@randomhouse.com
Historian at the War College David Kaiser's HOW WE WENT TO WAR: Roosevelt, His Cabinet, and the Plan For Victory, based on previously untapped sources, pitched as a 'Team of Rivals' approach to the eighteen months of economic and military planning leading up to the US entry into WWII by examining FDR's leadership style and the struggle for consensus within his cabinet, to Lara Heimert at Basic, in a pre-empt, by Christy Fletcher and Donald Lamm at Fletcher & Company (NA)
Martin Sandler's THE LETTERS OF JOHN F. KENNEDY, the first-ever published collection of JFK's correspondence to and from everyone from Khrushchev to schoolchildren, to be published for fiftieth anniversary of Kennedy's death, to Peter Ginna at Bloomsbury, for publication in Fall 2013 (World).
MEMOIR:
New York magazine contributing writer Stephen Rodrick's THE MAGICAL STRANGER, about his father's fatal plane crash as a Navy pilot in 1979, as well as a contemporary story about the mission of Navy pilots, and the consequences that both have had for the families that are left behind, to Tim Duggan at Harper, by David McCormick at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency.
Debra Chwast and her son, painter Seth Chwast's AN UNEXPECTED LIFE, the heavily illustrated memoir of a young man with autism who has become a celebrated and award-winning painter, to Barbara Berger at Sterling, for publication in Spring 2010, by Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (World).
NARRATIVE:
Journalist Peter Zuckerman and Pakistan program director for the Mountain Fund Amanda Padoan's BURIED IN THE SKY, telling the story of the catastrophic K2 expedition of 2008 through the eyes of two Sherpa climbers who survived, and providing a window into the customs and cultures of the often-anonymous porters upon whom Western climbers depend, to Tom Mayer at Norton, at auction, for publication in 2011, by Dan Conaway and Stephen Barr at Writers House (NA).
NPR producer and contributor Charlie Schroeder's RE-ENACTOR: Learning About History One Bloodless Battle at a Time, in which an everyday guy humorously attempts to learn what he missed in history class by participating in fifteen different war re-enactments, from the Greeks to Vietnam, alongside the passionate hobbyists who live to recreate the past, to Meghan Stevenson at Hudson Street Press, at Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary (NA).
Wrap...
US Weekly film critic Thelma Adams's PLAYDATE, a suburban dramedy that follows the increasingly inappropriate entanglements of two families over four days as Santa Ana winds blow a brush fire toward the California coast, to Kathleen Gilligan at St. Martin's, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
THRILLER:
John le Carre's new book, moving to Kathryn Court at Viking (his move to Viking UK was announced previously), for publication in 2010, by Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown UK.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Cynthia Ozick's FOREIGN BODIES, set in post-war New York, Paris, and California, is the story of a divorced schoolteacher who tries to resolve her brother's family dramas, leading to extraordinary and wholly unanticipated results, to Bruce Nichols at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in winter 2011, by Melanie Jackson at Melanie Jackson Agency (NA).
Wendy Wax's THE SAND CASTLE, the story of three women who lose everything to a Bernie Madoff-like scam, except a one-third share of a derelict beachfront mansion which they must somehow rebuild if they hope to do the same for their lives, to Wendy McCurdy at Berkley, for publication in 2011, in a two-book deal, by Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (NA).
AROHO Foundation Literary Gift of Freedom winner Summer Wood's WRECKER, about a young boy (called Wrecker) whose mother has been sent to prison, and the eclectic Northern California community that comes together to raise him in her absence, to Kathy Belden at Bloomsbury, and Helen Garnons-Williams at Bloomsbury UK, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (World English).
NON-FICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Author of Profile of a Prodigy and Fischer intimate Frank Brady's ENDGAME: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer, a biography of one of the 20th century's most complex and tortured geniuses based on newly discovered documents left behind by the chess champion, who died in early 2008, exploring both Fischer;s mystique and his Howard Hughes-like descent into madness, to Rick Horgan at Crown, in a very good deal, for publication in 2010, by Jeff Schmidt at NY Creative Management (world).
Rights: LKaplan@randomhouse.com
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of In the President's Secret Service Ronald Kessler's book on the FBI, to Mary Choteborsky at Crown, by Robert Gottlieb and Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
Foreign: KSchulze@randomhouse.com
Historian at the War College David Kaiser's HOW WE WENT TO WAR: Roosevelt, His Cabinet, and the Plan For Victory, based on previously untapped sources, pitched as a 'Team of Rivals' approach to the eighteen months of economic and military planning leading up to the US entry into WWII by examining FDR's leadership style and the struggle for consensus within his cabinet, to Lara Heimert at Basic, in a pre-empt, by Christy Fletcher and Donald Lamm at Fletcher & Company (NA)
Martin Sandler's THE LETTERS OF JOHN F. KENNEDY, the first-ever published collection of JFK's correspondence to and from everyone from Khrushchev to schoolchildren, to be published for fiftieth anniversary of Kennedy's death, to Peter Ginna at Bloomsbury, for publication in Fall 2013 (World).
MEMOIR:
New York magazine contributing writer Stephen Rodrick's THE MAGICAL STRANGER, about his father's fatal plane crash as a Navy pilot in 1979, as well as a contemporary story about the mission of Navy pilots, and the consequences that both have had for the families that are left behind, to Tim Duggan at Harper, by David McCormick at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency.
Debra Chwast and her son, painter Seth Chwast's AN UNEXPECTED LIFE, the heavily illustrated memoir of a young man with autism who has become a celebrated and award-winning painter, to Barbara Berger at Sterling, for publication in Spring 2010, by Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (World).
NARRATIVE:
Journalist Peter Zuckerman and Pakistan program director for the Mountain Fund Amanda Padoan's BURIED IN THE SKY, telling the story of the catastrophic K2 expedition of 2008 through the eyes of two Sherpa climbers who survived, and providing a window into the customs and cultures of the often-anonymous porters upon whom Western climbers depend, to Tom Mayer at Norton, at auction, for publication in 2011, by Dan Conaway and Stephen Barr at Writers House (NA).
NPR producer and contributor Charlie Schroeder's RE-ENACTOR: Learning About History One Bloodless Battle at a Time, in which an everyday guy humorously attempts to learn what he missed in history class by participating in fifteen different war re-enactments, from the Greeks to Vietnam, alongside the passionate hobbyists who live to recreate the past, to Meghan Stevenson at Hudson Street Press, at Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary (NA).
Wrap...
Saturday, December 05, 2009
A Film & Many Books On The Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly
FICTION...
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Gemma Halliday's PLAY DEAD, pitched in the spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in which a woman who faked her death fifteen years ago to escape life as an assassin has been discovered by men who want her dead -- for good -- and must join one of her would-be killers to save her own life and stop a political assassination, to Allison Caplin at Minotaur, in a two-book deal, by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
RITA finalist and Daphne DuMaurier award winner Nina Bruhns's romantic suspense trilogy in red, white and blue based on the ideals of Blood, Valor, and Honor each featuring a different branch of courageous men in uniform and heroines who keep our country safe and secure, to Kate Seaver at Berkley, in a three-book deal, by Natasha Kern at the Natasha Kern Literary Agency (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
IN HOVERING FLIGHT author Joyce Hinnefeld's STRANGER HERE BELOW, in which young women, one haunted by the past and the other utterly fearless, forge a troubled friendship in Kentucky in the early 1960s, to Fred Ramey at Unbridled Books, for publication in Fall 2010, by Liv Blumer at The Blumer Agency (World).
FILM:
Karen McQuestion's A SCATTERED LIFE, claiming to be the first self-published Kindle novel to be optioned to film, to Hiding In Bed, with Eric Lake producing.
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Chief Risk Officer at Alliance Bernstein David Martin's RISK AND THE SMART INVESTOR, the critical rules investors must know in order to make the right investment and financial decisions, to Leah Spiro at McGraw-Hill, for publication in Fall 2010, by Jacqueline Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Political blogger Michael Wolraich's HOW BILL O'REILLY SAVED CHRISTMAS, examining the right wing's tactic of persecution politics and sifting through the delusions of prominent politicians and pundits who imagine a liberal plot to oppress white Christian conservatives; exploring the history of the trend, dissecting the conspiracy theories, and examining the implications for the future of American politics, to Bob Pigeon at Da Capo, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).
Author of books including LOST CHICAGO and STANFORD WHITE'S NEW YORK, David Garrard Lowe's MAGNIFICENT ENEMIES: Richard Morris Hunt, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Epic Rivalry Behind America's Greatest Architecture, about these two titans who would find themselves pitted against each other, grappling to implement their vision -- and in the process, America's greatest and most memorable designs, from Central Park to Washington, DC's Mall, to Jonathan Galassi at Farrar, Straus, for publication in fall 2012, by Noah Lukeman of Lukeman Literary Management (world).
King's College, London professor of public policy, advisor to the EC, UN & UK, and broadcaster Alison Wolf's THE END OF SISTERHOOD: A New Divide among Women and How Female Success is Changing all our Lives, an investigation of the unintended consequences of women's rise in the workforce and specifically the knock-on effect (at home, in the workforce and in society at large) of the rise of "elite" women, using evolutionary psychology and behavioral economics to examine the growing divide between educated, often childless career women and other women, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (US). Foreign rights to Diane Turbide at Penguin Canada and to Sarah Caro at Profile, at auction, in her first acquisition for the list.
Translation: mail@zpagency.com
MEMOIR:
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and Disney's THE REPLACEMENTS writer and current FAMILY GUY staffer Dave Ihlenfeld's DOG DAYS, humorously chronicling a post-collegiate year spent driving the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile around the U.S. and Europe, to Iris Blasi at Union Square Press, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2011, by Jeff Schmidt at NY Creative Management (World).
SCIENCE:
Svante Paabo's ANCIENT GENES, hunting for the Neanderthal genome to answer the biggest question of them all: what does it mean to be human, to T.J. Kelleher at Basic, for publication in Fall 2011, by John Brockman at Brockman (NA).
UK:
Stephen Sondheim's two-volume memoir, FINISHING THE HAT, for publication in fall 2010, and LOOK, I MADE A HAT, for publication in 2011, to Louisa Joyner at Virgin, by Sara Menguc, on behalf of Helen Brann. US rights to Knopf.
Wrap...
FICTION...
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Gemma Halliday's PLAY DEAD, pitched in the spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in which a woman who faked her death fifteen years ago to escape life as an assassin has been discovered by men who want her dead -- for good -- and must join one of her would-be killers to save her own life and stop a political assassination, to Allison Caplin at Minotaur, in a two-book deal, by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
RITA finalist and Daphne DuMaurier award winner Nina Bruhns's romantic suspense trilogy in red, white and blue based on the ideals of Blood, Valor, and Honor each featuring a different branch of courageous men in uniform and heroines who keep our country safe and secure, to Kate Seaver at Berkley, in a three-book deal, by Natasha Kern at the Natasha Kern Literary Agency (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
IN HOVERING FLIGHT author Joyce Hinnefeld's STRANGER HERE BELOW, in which young women, one haunted by the past and the other utterly fearless, forge a troubled friendship in Kentucky in the early 1960s, to Fred Ramey at Unbridled Books, for publication in Fall 2010, by Liv Blumer at The Blumer Agency (World).
FILM:
Karen McQuestion's A SCATTERED LIFE, claiming to be the first self-published Kindle novel to be optioned to film, to Hiding In Bed, with Eric Lake producing.
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Chief Risk Officer at Alliance Bernstein David Martin's RISK AND THE SMART INVESTOR, the critical rules investors must know in order to make the right investment and financial decisions, to Leah Spiro at McGraw-Hill, for publication in Fall 2010, by Jacqueline Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Political blogger Michael Wolraich's HOW BILL O'REILLY SAVED CHRISTMAS, examining the right wing's tactic of persecution politics and sifting through the delusions of prominent politicians and pundits who imagine a liberal plot to oppress white Christian conservatives; exploring the history of the trend, dissecting the conspiracy theories, and examining the implications for the future of American politics, to Bob Pigeon at Da Capo, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).
Author of books including LOST CHICAGO and STANFORD WHITE'S NEW YORK, David Garrard Lowe's MAGNIFICENT ENEMIES: Richard Morris Hunt, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Epic Rivalry Behind America's Greatest Architecture, about these two titans who would find themselves pitted against each other, grappling to implement their vision -- and in the process, America's greatest and most memorable designs, from Central Park to Washington, DC's Mall, to Jonathan Galassi at Farrar, Straus, for publication in fall 2012, by Noah Lukeman of Lukeman Literary Management (world).
King's College, London professor of public policy, advisor to the EC, UN & UK, and broadcaster Alison Wolf's THE END OF SISTERHOOD: A New Divide among Women and How Female Success is Changing all our Lives, an investigation of the unintended consequences of women's rise in the workforce and specifically the knock-on effect (at home, in the workforce and in society at large) of the rise of "elite" women, using evolutionary psychology and behavioral economics to examine the growing divide between educated, often childless career women and other women, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (US). Foreign rights to Diane Turbide at Penguin Canada and to Sarah Caro at Profile, at auction, in her first acquisition for the list.
Translation: mail@zpagency.com
MEMOIR:
MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and Disney's THE REPLACEMENTS writer and current FAMILY GUY staffer Dave Ihlenfeld's DOG DAYS, humorously chronicling a post-collegiate year spent driving the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile around the U.S. and Europe, to Iris Blasi at Union Square Press, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2011, by Jeff Schmidt at NY Creative Management (World).
SCIENCE:
Svante Paabo's ANCIENT GENES, hunting for the Neanderthal genome to answer the biggest question of them all: what does it mean to be human, to T.J. Kelleher at Basic, for publication in Fall 2011, by John Brockman at Brockman (NA).
UK:
Stephen Sondheim's two-volume memoir, FINISHING THE HAT, for publication in fall 2010, and LOOK, I MADE A HAT, for publication in 2011, to Louisa Joyner at Virgin, by Sara Menguc, on behalf of Helen Brann. US rights to Knopf.
Wrap...
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