Good Books Getting Ready For Market....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION....
DEBUT:

Faber & Faber writing academy student S.J. Watson's BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, about a woman suffering from catastrophic memory loss, who for 20 years wakes up not knowing who she is, portraying the events of a week and the journal in which she is writing her memories, to Jonathan Burnham and Claire Wachtel at Harper and Selina Walker at Doubleday UK, at auction, by Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh

Rights to Michael Heyward at Text Publishing, for ANZ; Iris Tupholme at Harper Canada; Julia Schade at Fischer, at auction, in Germany; Mariaguilia Castagnone at Piemme, at auction, in Italy; Luciana Villas-Boas at Record in Brazil; Chris Herschdorfer at Ambo Anthos in Holland; Marie Misandeau at Sonatine in France; Sonia Draga at Draga, in Poland; Keter in Israel, by Gal Pikarski at the Pikarski Agency; and to Angela Sotiriou at Psichogios, in Greece. A film auction is looming.
Rights: jake@convilleandwalsh.com

Benjamin Buchholz's ONE HUNDRED AND ONE NIGHTS, a story presenting Iraq from the inside out, based on the author's personal experience of the Iraqi village of Safwan (where he worked as a Civil Affairs Officer), pitched as combining the topical immediacy of current work like The Kite Runner with the magical sensibilities of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, to Vanessa Kehren at Little, Brown, by Jon Sternfeld of the Irene Goodman Agency.


MYSTERY/CRIME:

Mystery Writers of America's DARK JUSTICE, an anthology of original fiction with stories by Michael Connelly, edited by Lee Child, and Dennis Lehane among others, which explores the right - and sometimes wrong - things that happen when men and women take the law into their own hands, to Michael Pietsch and Asya Muchnick at Little, Brown, by Howard Morhaim at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).


THRILLER:

C.J. Carpenter's THE RETURNED and VIBRATIONS, featuring an Irish Catholic NYPD detective on the trail of a psychopath who is sending "good girls" to God by killing them, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Doug Grad at the Doug Grad Literary Agency (World).


GENERAL/OTHER:

HUMMINGBIRDS author Joshua Gaylord's FRONTIERLAND, set in 1975 Orange County, interweaving the stories of a twelve year-old tomboy and an ex-beauty queen both searching for escape, moving to Marjorie Braman at Holt, by Josh Getzler at Russell & Volkening (World).

Candace Bushnell's THE TWO MRS. STONES, about a love triangle, for publication in 2012, and a second novel, moving to Deb Futter at Grand Central (which published the paperback of Sex and the City), by Heather Schroder at ICM (NA).

Nikolai Grozni's WUNDERKIND, pitched as if Holden Caulfield had been thrust into the world of a fifteen-year old piano prodigy, grappling with the numbing madness all around him at Sofia (Bulgaria)'s School for the Musically Gifted during the last two years before the fall of Communism in a beautiful, tragicomic celebration of art, honesty and self-discovery, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2011, by Rob McQuilkin at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (World).


CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT:

Author of HEX HALL Rachel Hawkins's REBEL BELLE, about a high school Miss Popularity whose world changes when a funny thing happens on the way to the (Homecoming) coronation: she's recruited into the Paladins, a supernatural sect of bodyguards sworn to protect those who will play an important role in the future, and charged with saving her archnemesis even if it means sacrificing her place as queen bee, to Ari Lewin at Disney-Hyperion, in a three-book deal, by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency (NA).

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Adrian Slywotsky's DEMAND: What We Want, What We Get, And How the Connection Drives the World Economy, with Karl Weber, an analysis of the business, economic, social, psychological and sociological reasons that cause demand for a product or service to rise, fall or never happen, using a wide variety of stories about companies and individuals and how they understand markets, customers, and consumers in many dimensions in order to meet one of the great challenges of the new economic order, to John Mahaney at Crown, by Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor (NA).

HUMOR:

The louder, larger half of magic duo Penn & Teller, novelist, comedian and producer of The Aristocrats, Penn Jillette's GOD, NO! SIGNS YOU MAY ALREADY BE AN ATHEIST AND OTHER MAGICAL TALES, a reinterpretation of the ten commandments that reveals one outspoken atheist's experience in the world -- from performing on the Vegas strip alongside Siegfried and Roy to children and fatherhood to his ongoing dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right and the joys of sex while scuba-diving, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, for publication in November 2010, by Steve Fisher at APA (world).

MEMOIR:

Boyd Varty's IN THE FRONT GARDEN OF EDEN, about growing up at the remarkable Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, his larger-than-life family, and their relationship to the land, the animals, and to each other over four generations, to Susan Kamil at Random House, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2012, by Tina Bennett at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).

SCIENCE:

Professor Paul Zak's THE MORAL MOLECULE: Vampire Economics and the New Science of Good and Evil, the first book setting out his research in neuroeconomics, a field Zak helped create, taking a step beyond the recent popular discussion of behavioral economics, and revealing the underlying biology that drives our behavior -- precisely how our brains can foster trust, generosity, and other human connections (or not), as well as suggesting ways we can foster these connections at home, in business, and around the world, to Stephen Morrow at Dutton, in a pre-empt, by Linda Loewenthal of the David Black Literary Agency (World).

Wrap...

Keep the Good Guys...Send the Gang Members...

Had a thought this morning. Sitting on the patio at the restaurant where I have breakfast every morning, saw a mess of Marines with a mess of ribbons on their chests, walk in with families. Though they were smiling, their eyes were not.

These are the good guys, sent to war to kill for us. And now they have memories that hurt. So my thought was, why not send our gangs...they like killing. Let them go kill as much as they want and not send them to jail for it. Better them than the good guys.

Wrap...

"Let Me Say It Again..."

"The Help" a first novel by Kathryn Stockett is hands down the book everyone should read. It is unforgettable, incredible, infuriating...just a mind blower! And no, I'm not kidding. Nor am I gonna tell anything about it. Once begun, there's no way in hell to put it down until the last page is read. It's that fine a piece of work.

Wrap...

The #1 Novel of the Year...Bar None!

NOTE: "The Help" a first novel by Kathryn Stockett is hands down the book everyone should read. It is unforgettable, incredible, infuriating...just a mind blower! And no, I'm not kidding. Nor am I gonna tell anything about it. Once begun, there's no way in hell to put it down until the last page is read. It's that fine a piece of work.

From Publishers Lunch Weekly...

FICTION:

Poet and physician Amit Majmudar's PARTITIONS, set in 1947 during the chaotic and violent partition of India, about the journeys to safety of twin Hindu boys, a young Sikh girl, and a Muslim doctor, to Riva Hocherman at Metropolitan, for publication in Fall 2011, by Georges Borchardt at Georges Borchardt (NA).

Brian O'Reilly's ANGELINA'S BACHELORS, combining recipes with the story of a female widow, who creates a new life and livelihood from her primary passion: food, to Tricia Boczkowski at Gallery, by Lucinda Blumenfeld at Fletcher & Company (NA).

THRILLER:

Co-founder of Soho Press and author of The Trudeau Vector (2005) Juris Jurjevics's RED FLAGS, an espionage novel set in 1966, in which an Army CID (Criminal Investigation Division) special agent confronts drug running and corruption in the remote Central Highlands of Vietnam, to Tom Bouman at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, by Neil Olson at Donadio & Olson (NA).

GENERAL/OTHER:

TV personality Star Jones self-described "juicy novel" about the female hosts of a daytime talk show who learn that a former colleague -- who departed under mysterious circumstances, and is privy to all their backstage secrets -- is coming back with a splash, to Jennifer Bergstrom at Gallery, for publication in spring 2011, by Nancy Yost at Nancy Yost Literary Agency (world).

Those twenty unpublished stories required to make the New Yorker's writers list will be anthologized, with 20 UNDER 40: Stories from The New Yorker, to Farrar, Straus, for publication as a trade paperback original in December 2010.


Argentine novelist Eduardo Sacheri's THE QUESTION IN HER EYES, the basis for the recent Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film, El secreto de sus ojos, about a retired criminal investigator still haunted by the decades-old brutal rape and murder of a young married woman and its impact on the lives around her, including his own, to Judith Gurewich at Other Press, with Katie Henderson editing, in a pre-empt, by Tom Colchie on behalf of Ir�ne Barki (world English).

NONFICTION
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS:

Ellen Dolgen and Jack Dolgen's SHMIRSHKY: Think Inside the Box, originally self-published, a clever and humorous, yet entirely serious girlfriend's guide to perimenopause and menopause, inspired by the author's own struggles, to Barbara Jones at Voice, in a pre-empt, for publication in Winter 2011, by Trena Keating of Keating Literary and Sally Wofford-Girand of Brick House Literary Agents (NA).

COOKING:

Food writer Alana Chernila's THE BY HAND KITCHEN, a narrative-driven collection of recipes and family stories born of her modest budget, her love for sharing recipes with her farmer's market customers, and a desire to stop buying mass-produced supermarket foods for her young family and instead create simple, delicious meals by hand -- all of which are less expensive, more satisfying, and better for the environment and the soul, to Emily Takoudes at Clarkson Potter, at auction, by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Pulitzer prize winning co-author of TIGER FORCE Mitch Weiss and AP correspondent Kevin Maurer's NO WAY OUT: A story of heroism in the mountains of Afghanistan, about a Special Forces mission in which more Silver Stars were awarded to any unit in one battle since WWII, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.

Author of Troublesome Young Men and Citizens of London Lynne Olson's THE GREAT DEBATE: Fighting for America's Soul, describing, by featuring the leading personalities involved, the 18 months prior to Pearl Harbor, when the US was deeply divided about whether to get involved in the European war effort or remain isolated, to Susanna Porter at Random House, by Gail Ross (world).

Hoover Institution senior fellow Thomas Sowell's DISMANTLING AMERICA, a look at the decline of the values and institutions that have sustained and advanced American society for more than two centuries; BASIC ECONOMICS, 4th ed.; and THE THOMAS SOWELL READER, an introductory volume to Sowell's variegated fields of interest and expertise, to John Sherer at Basic, by Carol Mann at the Carol Mann Agency (world).

HOW-TO:

Expert Jeff Eisenberg's THE BED BUG SURVIVAL GUIDE, from a man whose company has exterminated everything from Lincoln Center to Bll Clinton's NYC offices, plus over 100,000 private clients, the first book with advice on how to prevent and treat infestation by these newly ubiquitous creatures (whose victims cross all economic and social lines), to Diana Baroni at Grand Central, by Mary Evans at Mary Evans and Tanya McKinnon at Victoria Sanders & Associates (world).

ILLUSTRATED/ART:

Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett's TOO MUCH HORROR BUSINESS, an intriguing view into the mind of a horror-obsessed, superstar guitar hero and his legendary collection of horror movie poster art & memorabilia, the largest private collection in the world, to David Cashion at Abrams, by Frank Weimann at The Literary Group (World).

MEMOIR:

Demi Moore's currently untitled book, chronicling her life and career, promising a candid narrative that will be framed by her complicated relationship with her mother, Virginia King, who died in 1998, and her own experiences as a mother to three daughters, to Jonathan Burnham at Harper, with Jennifer Barth editing, in a major deal, for over $2 million according to Crain's, for publication in 2012, by Luke Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (world).

Legendary rocker and original KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley's memoir NO REGRETS, covering his childhood in the Bronx, his ups-and-downs and influences which catapulted him into a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and what is was like to be one of the founding members of one of the most influential bands, to Jeremie Ruby-Strauss for VH1 Books, for publication in Summer 2011, by Frank Weimann at The Literary Group (world).

Wrap...

Ah, the Intel Secrets....

From Secrecy News:

DECLASSIFICATION AND THE "CRISIS" IN INTEL HISTORY

The ongoing failure to establish a robust, reliable and productive declassification program is steadily eroding the study of intelligence history and may lead to the collapse of the entire field, one intelligence historian told the National Security Agency last month.

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we're at a crisis point in the study of intelligence history in general, and signals intelligence history in particular; because there is a very real question of whether any serious historians outside of the intelligence community are going to continue trying to research and understand and write about this subject at all," said author Stephen Budiansky in an invited lecture at the National Cryptologic Museum at Fort Meade on May 24.

"The critical mass of scholars willing to invest the considerable energy required to master the technicalities of a complex and often difficult-to-understand subject is dwindling in the face of the impossibility of making a career in a field where the primary sources -- notably nearly all documents relating to the post-World War II period -- are locked away and no longer forthcoming."

"As my fellow intelligence historian David Alvarez recently remarked to me, Dave Kahn [author of the pioneering book 'The Codebreakers'] may have the unique distinction of having created an entire new field of study, watched it blossom, and lived to see its demise," Mr. Budiansky said.

"Alvarez said with only slight exaggeration that almost no one is working in the field of intelligence history any more. 'Even the crazies seem to have lost energy,' he said. He was recently on a panel to award a prominent prize for the best paper in any aspect of cryptologic history. Well past the deadline, they had received no entries at all."

The main thrust of Mr. Budiansky's lecture, entitled "What's the Use of Cryptologic History?" (and not yet published), was not a plea for favoritism toward intelligence historians, but rather an argument for the importance of intelligence history -- to the general understanding of history, and to the practice of intelligence itself.

As it happens, a new effort to expedite the declassification of historical records is now underway at the new National Declassification Center. The Center has been tasked by President Obama with eliminating the backlog of more than 400 million pages of classified records that are more than 25 years old by the end of 2013.

Millions of newly declassified pages should be publicly available by the end of this month and each month thereafter, said Assistant Archivist Michael Kurtz on a conference call on June 4.

This is a well-intentioned effort that will almost certainly yield a significant increase in public access to declassified records. But it also seems biased towards secrecy in two unfortunate ways.

First, the review of the backlog will be conducted on a Pass/Fail basis, Mr. Kurtz said. That means that if a document contains any classified information at all, even a single word or number, the entire document will be withheld from release. This approach may be necessary in order to gain some traction on the enormous backlog and to avoid getting bogged down in details. But the regrettable consequence is that none of the unclassified contents of many partly classified documents will be disclosed through this process. (The documents may be redacted for release at a later time through a Freedom of Information Act request or through a subsequent declassification review.)

Second, the documents that do pass the review and are declassified will be subjected to two quality control audits to ensure that no classified information has inadvertently passed through. One audit will be performed by the Archives and a second audit will be done by the Department of Energy. On the other hand, however, there will be no audit of withheld records to ensure that no unclassified record has been unnecessarily kept secret. In effect, the process is tilted towards minimizing disclosures of classified information rather than maximizing disclosures of unclassified information.

The National Archives has prepared a draft prioritization plan to guide its declassification activities, and has invited public input on the plan. A public forum on the subject will be held on June 23.

Wrap...

More On Wall St & Our Newspapers...

Go here to read the full LA Times story on Wall Street's Hedge Funds buying our newspapers:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tribune-20100606,0,7572272,full.story

Wrap...

Now Wall St Corps Buy Newspapers....

We'd damned well better pay some attention here. An LA Times article in their Business section this morning...June 6th...reports that some big outfits on Wall Street are about to purchase our newspapers!!! They're talking consolidation of say, the LA Times with the Orange County Register.

Well, a corporation named Platinum has already purchased the San Diego Union-Tribune and as a San Diego person, I can tell you that the paper is a disaster. Even Platinum has come to realize that since any number of subscribers have concelled their subscriptions.

Wrap...

Justice Stevens And Habeas....

From Secrecy News...

THE JURISPRUDENCE OF JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS

"Justice John Paul Stevens played a pivotal role in determining the scope of executive-branch power in a post-9/11 world," observed the Congressional Research Service in one of a series of new reports reviewing the legacy and impact of Justice Stevens, who is set to retire from the Supreme Court next month.

"Justice Stevens authored majority opinions in two leading cases, Rasul v. Bush and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, in which the Court allowed detainees' habeas petitions to proceed and invalidated the early incarnation of military commissions, thereby rejecting the broader views of executive power articulated shortly after the 9/11 attacks. In the cases, his view prevailed over strongly articulated dissenting opinions authored by Justice Scalia and other justices," the CRS noted.

"Justice Stevens has been instrumental in developing post-9/11 jurisprudence regarding the limits of executive power during -- and following -- armed conflicts. Prior to 9/11, the Supreme Court had rarely considered questions regarding potential limits on the President's Commander in Chief power. The wartime detention cases provide key insights into the Court's views on the reach of executive authority, as well as on other separation-of-power concerns, including Congress's role."

However, a portion of this legacy on detainees' rights may already be subject to limitation or erosion. Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that detainees held abroad by the U.S. military in Afghanistan -- unlike those in Guantanamo -- could not invoke habeas corpus to appear before a judge.

See "The Jurisprudence of Justice John Paul Stevens: Leading Opinions on Wartime Detentions" (pdf), May 13, 2010.

The companion reports from CRS are these (all pdf):

"The Jurisprudence of Justice John Paul Stevens: Selected Federalism Issues," May 19, 2010.

"The Jurisprudence of Justice John Paul Stevens: Selected Opinions on Intellectual Property Law," May 14, 2010.

"The Jurisprudence of Justice John Paul Stevens: The Constitutionality of Congressional Term Limits and the Presidential Line Item Veto," May 18, 2010.

Congress has forbidden CRS to make these and other publications directly available to the public online. Copies were obtained by Secrecy News.


_______________________________________________
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

To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html

Wrap...

Thinking About Things....

Sunday Afternoon: San Diego, CA...

Right off the top, I could give two hoots in hell about whether Supreme Judge nominee, Kagen, is a lesbian or not. That has absolutely nothing to do with her brainpower, which is considerable. In my opinion, she should be nominated for that position right quick.

The Texas Schoolboard...the whole mess of them...need their heads examined. It's pretty plain that they couldn't care less about the quality of education Texas kids get so long as the boards' ideologic opinions as expressed in those books make their way into the kids' heads and therefore, their beliefs. It's assinine. Problem: What to do about it?

So yes. Russia has sealed off gushing oil wells by bombing them. It works. Don't necessarily have to use a nuke to do it. The bunker-buster bomb ought to be powerful enough to do the job, so let's get on with it.

Now here's a question: Are the drones, currently in use especially near the Pakistan border, a good thing or not? I really don't know. Yes, they save American lives, but no, they kill innocent people...both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Which brings us to Osama bin Laden, the cause of the Afghanistan War. Nobody knows where the hell he is. And we'll probably never find him. Money is not his problem. He's a part of the Saudi royal family, so he's set for life. Al Queda is a problem, but I'm not too sure about the Taliban...bastards tho they are to women. Far as I'm concerned, let Karzai and his government deal with them. Thing to do is get our guys outta there. We're just treading water as it is. NATO certainly wouldn't object to getting their people out either. We're not doing a bit of good there, so what's the point?

It was good that President Obama invited the Mexican President, Calderon, to visit the White House. Fact of the matter is, Mexico wouldn't be having the drug cartels shooting everybody and their brother along the border if the US legalized drugs and stopped shipping guns down there. As it is, we're after their illegal drugs and they're after money and guns. It's sort of a similar situation we had during alcohol prohibition. The only way that situation was solved was through legalization. Same with drugs now. So we'd have more car accidents, etc. same as with drinking. And they yell about smoking! At least it doesn't alter/drug your brain like drugs or drinking.

Wrap...

Problem Solving At the DOD....

From Secrecy News...

Basic scientific research sponsored by the Department of Defense has suffered a precipitous decline in recent years, according to a newly disclosed 2009 report (pdf) from the JASON defense advisory panel.

"Basic research" refers to the investigation of fundamental phenomena, and contrasts with "applied research" that aims to meet a specific mission requirement or to solve a specified problem.

"Over the past decade, there has been an exodus of scientific and technical expertise from the U.S. government and, in particular, from the DoD [basic] research enterprise," the JASONs said.

"Gone are many of the technically literate program officers who plied the streets of the scientific community to find those remarkable people who could help shape the future. Gone too are many of the scientists and engineers in the academic community [who were supported by DoD basic research contracts] and who contributed to revolutionary advances that changed the landscape of modern war fighting. And most importantly, lost is the opportunity to develop the next generation of scientific talent who would otherwise have been trained and capable of carrying the research enterprise forward."

“Despite the importance of DoD Basic Research, we believe that important aspects of the DoD basic research programs are ‘broken’ to an extent that neither throwing more money at these problems nor simple changes in procedures and definitions will fix them,” the report said.

The JASONs nevertheless offer a series of recommendations concerning program organization and personnel recruitment to strengthen basic research. Among other things, they say that DoD should reject the "peer review" model for evaluating funding decisions, since that tends to reinforce the status quo, and should instead provide funding to exceptional individuals. They favorably cite Nobel laureate Luis Alvarez saying: "In my considered opinion the peer review system, in which proposals rather than proposers are reviewed, is the greatest disaster to be visited upon the scientific community this century...."

The JASON report was originally marked "for official use only." When the Federation of American Scientists requested it last year under the Freedom of Information Act, most of the document was withheld as "deliberative." But upon appeal, DoD agreed this month to release the entire report. To accompany the release, Alan R. Shaffer, Director of Defense Research and Engineering, issued a cover memorandum stating that the JASON report was "one perspective" among several and that it was not based on a comprehensive data set.

See "S & T for National Security," JASON Summer Study, completed May 2009, released May 2010.

Wrap...

Unusual Books Coming...

From Publishers Lunch Weekly...

FICTION:
DEBUT:

David Whitehouse's debut novel, BED, to Paul Whitlatch at Scribner, by Claudia Ballard on behalf of Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris Endeavor.
UK/Commonwealth rights to Francis Bickmore at Canongate, by Cathryn Summerhayes.

SCI-FI/FANTASY:

Greg van Eekhout's THE OSTEOMANCER'S SON, to Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (NA).

THRILLER:

MI6 field operative Matthew Dunn's international espionage thriller, which features a spy out to avenge his father's death and capture a brilliant and ruthless Iranian spy, to David Highfill at William Morrow, in pre-empt, for publication in summer 2011, on the same day UK rights were pre-empted by Rowland White at Orion, by Luigi Bonomi, by Susan Howe at Orion (NA).

GENERAL/OTHER:

Italian bestseller and Premio Strega finalist Silvia Avallone's ACCIAIO (STEEL), a novel of two best friends growing up in a working-class seaside town in the shadow of a steel mill, who dream of escaping together to the island of Elba, to Alessandra Lusardi at Viking, by Sonia Finotello at Rizzoli (world English).

NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Jeff Ryan's SUPER MARIO: AN UNOFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY, a colorful history of Nintendo in America detailing the plot-twisted saga worthy of a video game that gave rise to the most successful franchise in the history of video games, if not entertainment, to Courtney Young of Portfolio, in a pre-empt, for publication is planned for 2012, by Lynn Johnston at Lynn Johnston Literary.

COOKING:

Baker and star of the TLC show, CAKE BOSS, Buddy Valastro CAKE BOSS: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia, sharing his family's inspiring and poignant life story as a hard-working family realized their patriarch's dream of making their bake shop a household name, along with 25 recipes for the bakery's most popular treats, to Leslie Meredith at Free Press, for publication in November 2010, followed by a Cake Boss baking cooking for publication in November 2011, from Maura Teitelbaum of Abrams Artists Agency and Erin Niumata of Folio Literary Management.

HUMOR:

Comedian and writer Moshe Kasher's KASHER IN THE RYE, a comedic story exploring the universal themes of being raised by deaf parents, being kidnapped by his mother to live in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Oakland, and embarking on a whirlwind tour of drug addiction, gangs and lock-down institutions at the age of twelve, to Ben Greenberg at Grand Central, by Richard Abate and Josh Lieberman at 3 Arts Entertainment.

MEMOIR:

Roger Ebert's memoir covering his life and career, including his relationship with Gene Siskel, his nearly fatal illness and the loss of the ability to speak or eat, and the numerous celebrities he has met and befriended, to Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, for publication in 2011, by Joel Gotler and Brian Lipson at Intellectual Property Group (world).

Emmy award-winning actor Joe Pantoliano's THE GREAT DEPRESSION, experiences with being his mother's son, making it in Hollywood, coping with mental illness, and finding the path to recovery, to Judy Hottensen at Weinstein Books, by David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates.

POP CULTURE:

Journalists Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum's I WANT MY MTV, pitched as in the style of the book Live from New York, an oral history of MTV with exusive interviews from music and network executives, performers, managers, and fans to chronicle the heyday of the network from its founding in 1981 through the launch of The Real World in 1992, commissioned by Carrie Thornton at Dutton, for publication in 2011, by PJ Mark at Janklow & Nesbit (world)

Wrap...

Most Unusual Website....

New website!!! And a really interesting one. Surprised nobody has had this idea before that I know of.

The owner, Miles, says:

"my site is finally hot. it's not anywhere near finished but if you want to take a gander it's at:



http://www.mb1media.com "

Oh, you betcha!
Wrap...

Who's Plane Is This Anyhow?

Hah! A friend of mine recently flew back from Virginia. Here's what he saw:

So, I know the economy has been particularly rough on the airlines this past year, but
check this out:

My US Air ticket said in small print "Carrier: United Airlines" (?) so I had to literally board a United jet...It's an old commuter jet and the seats are all embossed with America West's logo. I look at the emergency procedure card in the seat back pocket and it says Mesa Airlines and when the flight attendant gives her spiel, states that the flight is operated by Canadian Air...huh???

Talk about Corporate America consolidating!

Wrap...

Different Books Coming Up.....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly...

FICTION
DEBUT....

2010 Bellwether winner Naomi Benaron's RUNNING THE RIFT, about a young Rwandan man training for his ultimate dream -- the Olympics -- amid the rising tensions of Rwanda that ultimately lead to the devastating 1994 genocide, to Kathy Pories at Algonquin, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (World).

Erika Marks's LITTLE GALE GUMBO, in which a woman and her two teenage daughters leave an abusive home in New Orleans to start over again in a quiet Maine town where they open an authentic Creole restaurant that becomes a mainstay on the island, as does the legacy of an unlikely love affair that results in secrets that test the limits of lifelong friendships and unrequited love, to Danielle Perez at NAL, in a two-book deal, by Rebecca Gradinger at Fletcher & Company (World).

GENERAL/OTHER:

Orange Prize shortlisted author Monique Roffey's THE WHITE WOMAN ON THE GREEN BICYCLE, set in postcolonial Trinidad, an exploration of political unrest in the wake of colonial rule, as seen through the eyes a married couple and the wife's undelivered letters to Eric Williams, the island's charismatic leader, to Alexis Washam at Penguin, for publication in August 2011, by Melissa Chinchillo at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann (US).

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and photographer Art Wolfe's OF DOGS AND MEN: A 15,000 YEAR ROMANCE, an illustrated celebration of the ancient and universal bond between dogs and humans, to Nancy Miller at Bloomsbury, in a good deal, for publication in fall 2011, by Peter Beren at Peter Beren Publishing, representing Art Wolfe, and Andy Ross at Andy Ross Agency, representing Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (world).


CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT:

Tara Hudson's HEREAFTER trilogy, about an eighteen-year-old whose afterlife is forever altered the night she saves a boy from drowning and suddenly finds herself haunting the all-too-willing boy, who not only sees her but is determined to reintroduce her to the world of the living, to Barbara Lalicki at Harper Children's, in a pre-empt, for publication in Summer 2011, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management.
Film: Matthew Snyder at Creative Artists Agency

NYT bestselling YA author of LITTLE BROTHER and FOR THE WIN Cory Doctorow's PIRATE CINEMA, a story of teens on the raw cutting edge of the Internet, pirates who set out to save the world from Hollywood and Hollywood from itself, to Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor Children's, for publication in 2011, by Russell Galen at Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency (NA).
Foreign: Baror International

BIOGRAPHY:

Author of the forthcoming FIFTH AVENUE, 5 A.M., Sam Wasson's BYE BYE LIFE: The Loves and Deaths of Bob Fosse, poised to be the definitive biography of the legendary choreographer whose legacy extends across the worlds of dance, theater, film, and television, with an off-stage life that was fueled by pills, drugs, and serial infidelity, and whose fingerprints on popular culture remain indelible, to George Hodgman at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a pre-empt, by David Halpern at The Robbins Office (NA).

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Aaron Dignan's GAME FACE: UNLOCKING THE POWER OF GAME MECHANICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE, explaining how to use our naturally hard-wired affinity for play to improve our society and incentivize productive behavior in routine activities, using scenarios that range from "How can I exercise more/drive traffic to my store/improve employee work ethic/improve airline passenger boarding" to successful case studies, including the new dashboard screens on the Prius, the FourSquare app, Target's checkout system, and a reexamination of popular cases like Nike+, to Amber Qureshi at Free Press, by Meg Thompson at LJK Literary Management (World English).

COOKING:

Lisa Fain's THE HOMESICK TEXAN COOKBOOK, based on a blog of the same name, documenting her trials recreating Texas food in Manhattan with photos, stories and recipes, to Elisabeth Dyssegaard at Hyperion, with Leslie Wells editing, in a pre-empt, for
publication in September 2011, by Brettne Bloom at Kneerim & Williams (NA).

Founder of a gourmet ice cream company in Columbus, OH whose unique seasonal flavors have been hailed by Food & Wine magazine, the New York Times, and Food Network, Jeni Britton Bauer's JENI'S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS: Artisanal American Ice Creams for the Home Kitchen, showing home chefs how to create artisanal quality American-style ice cream in their own kitchens, to Ann Bramson at Artisan, at auction, by Jonah Straus at Straus Literary (world English).

PARENTING:

Vanity Fair deputy editor and journalist Bruce Handy's book on reading children's books -- an historical and erudite look at the classic books we read as kids and reread to our own children and why; a humorous and personal narrative about rediscovering lasting stories with his own kids, and a guide to reading the children's canon, from GOODNIGHT MOON to HARRY POTTER and beyond, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, for publication in spring 2013, by Jennifer Joel at ICM.

Wrap...

On Classified Information....

From Secrecy News...

A TUTORIAL ON THE CLASSIFIED INFO PROCEDURES ACT

Last week, prosecutors in the case of Thomas A. Drake, the former NSA official who is charged with unlawfully retaining classified information that he allegedly disclosed to a reporter, asked the court to hold a pre-trial conference on the use of the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) in that case.

CIPA was passed by Congress in 1980 to regulate the disclosure of classified information in criminal prosecutions, such as espionage cases, and to prevent so-called "graymail," in which a defendant threatens to release classified information in the hope of forcing the government to abandon the case.

In a nutshell, CIPA requires the defense to notify prosecutors and the court of any classified evidence it intends to introduce. Courts must then determine if the classified evidence is admissible. If so, the government may propose an unclassified substitution that does not involve classified information. But if the court finds that the unclassified substitution is inadequate to preserve the defendant's right to a fair trial, and if the Attorney General objects to disclosure of the classified version, then the indictment may be dismissed.

Perhaps assuming that the judge (or the defense) was unfamiliar with the law, prosecutors in the Thomas Drake case filed a motion (pdf) explaining the meaning of each section of CIPA.

The purpose of their CIPA tutorial was "to inform the Court of the applicability of CIPA and its procedures to issues involving classified information that will arise before and during the trial of this case," they wrote. See "Government's Motion for Pretrial Conference Under Section 2 of the Classified Information Procedures Act," May 5, 2010.

The development and early history of CIPA were reviewed by the Congressional Research Service in a March 2, 1989 report entitled "Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA): An Overview."

The use of CIPA to preserve defendants' rights while protecting classified information in criminal trials presents a stark contrast with the absence of any comparable procedure in civil trials, particularly those in which the government invokes the state secrets privilege to prevent the use of classified evidence.

"For almost 30 years, courts have effectively applied [CIPA] to make criminal trials fairer and safer," the Senate Judiciary Committee noted in a 2008 report on the pending State Secrets Protection Act. "Yet in civil cases, litigants have been left behind."

"Congress has failed to provide clear rules or standards for determining whether evidence is protected by the state secrets privilege. We've failed to develop procedures that will protect injured parties and also prevent the disclosure of sensitive information. Because use of the state secrets privilege has escalated in recent years, there's an increasing need for the judiciary and the Executive to have clear, fair, and safe rules," the Judiciary Committee report said.

A legislative response to the problems posed by the unilateral use of the state secrets privilege by the executive branch remains to be accomplished.

Wrap...

But Not Always Accidental....

From Secrecy News:

RISE IN FRATRICIDE SEEN IN THE WAR ON TERROR

Incidents of fratricide in the U.S. war on terrorism increased in recent years, according to a new report (pdf) from the U.S. Army.

"Fratricide" -- the unintended killing or injury of friendly forces -- "is a harsh reality during combat operations," the study states. "Over the course of 2004-2007, the number of fratricide incidents increased, and experts speculate this is due to the high operational tempo and the reliance on technology during the current war."

According to official data, "there were 55 U.S. Army fratricide incidents from 11 September 2001 to 30 March 2008. Forty of these were Class A accidents" -- involving damage costs of $2 million or more and/or destruction of an Army aircraft, missile or spacecraft and/or fatality or permanent total disability -- "resulting in the deaths of 30 U.S. Army personnel."

Human error is a primary causal factor in many fratricide incidents, the study indicated, and "therefore, human error must be considered in the design and development of fratricide countermeasures, including both technical and human-centric solutions... Improved supervision and leadership may have the greatest potential to reduce U.S. fratricide incidents."

See "An Analysis of U.S. Army Fratricide Incidents during the Global War on Terror (11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008)" by Catherine M. Webb and Kate J. Hewett, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, March 2010.

Wrap...

UGH!

From Voice of San Diego...

Two area congressmen had some interesting things to say about illegal immigration in the last few days. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter on Saturday told a Tea Party gathering that he supports deporting the children of illegal immigrants -- even if they are U.S. citizens by birth. The North County Times confirmed his quote and, though the Constitution seems to be clear that anyone born in the country gets citizenship, Hunter said it should take more to be a citizen. And U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, responding to questions about Arizona's new immigration law -- which gives police the mandate to check the residency status of anyone they might suspect of not having proper documents -- said law enforcement can tell if someone is here illegally by the clothes they wear and how they act among many factors.

Note: Both Repug assholes.

Wrap...

And Still More Books On the Way....

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...

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...

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...

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."

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...