From Secrecy News:
A NEW HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
"The Secret Sentry" by Matthew Aid is a comprehensive new history of the National Security Agency, from its origins in World War II through its Cold War successes, failures and scandals up until the present.
Aid, an independent historian who is also a visiting fellow at the National Security Archive, has synthesized a tremendous amount of research into a narrative that is highly readable and sometimes gripping. All of the familiar stops are there, including the Truman memo of 1952 that established the Agency, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, KAL 007, 9/11 and on to today.
But the book also includes quite a bit of unfamiliar historical material, and almost any reader is likely to discover something new and interesting. I learned, for example, that a few months after seizing the USS Pueblo in 1968, North Korea published a book in French containing the full text of many captured NSA documents, some of which, Mr. Aid says, are still considered to be classified today (p. 142).
What will make The Secret Sentry indispensable to researchers are its nearly one hundred pages of endnotes, which constitute a unique finding aid to the most current archival releases, internal agency histories, and other valuable records. Some of the documents gathered by Mr. Aid in the course of his decades of research later vanished from public stacks at the National Archives, prompting him to realize that some government agencies were silently -- and often improperly -- reclassifying declassified records. Portions of those now inaccessible records have been integrated into this new history.
Inevitably, the book contains some minor errors. Mr. Aid repeats an assertion by the 9/11 Commission that Osama bin Laden was alerted to NSA monitoring of his satellite phone as the result of a 1998 news story that appeared in the Washington Times (p. 383, note 69). But he neglects to note that this assertion has been effectively refuted. (See, e.g., "File the Bin Laden Phone Leak Under 'Urban Myths'" by Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, December 22, 2005.)
The author is generous in his citations to the leading authors in the intelligence field, from David Wise and David Kahn to Seymour Hersh and Jeffrey Richelson and other less celebrated writers -- with one strange and disconcerting exception. There is not a single reference in the entire book to James Bamford, whose 1983 book The Puzzle Palace, among others, blazed the trail that The Secret Sentry follows. Perhaps Mr. Aid felt it was necessary to ignore Mr. Bamford so as not to be constantly agreeing or disagreeing with him, and confirming or disputing his accounts. If that is the case, he ought to have said so.
The Secret Sentry is being published this week by Bloomsbury Press.
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Reports From Intel Science Board...
From Secrecy News:
A FEW INTELLIGENCE SCIENCE BOARD REPORTS
There is "an astonishing number of groups and activities concurrently pursuing the subject" of information sharing, according to a newly disclosed 2004 report (pdf) of the Intelligence Science Board (ISB). But those activities are not well coordinated. "In effect, we aren't even sharing information about information sharing."
The ISB is a little-known advisory panel that addresses intelligence science and technology issues at the direction of the Director of National Intelligence. Almost all of its products are classified, but a few are not.
It's hard to say whether the ISB is influential. But it has performed important and interesting work, most notably on the science of interrogation. Its 2006 report on "Educing Information" (pdf), concluded that there was no scientific evidence to support a belief in the efficacy of coercive interrogation. ("Intelligence Science Board Views Interrogation," Secrecy News, January 15, 2007.)
Now the only other unclassified ISB reports have been released by ODNI under the Freedom of Information Act: "Concept Paper on Trusted Information Sharing" (November 2004) and "What Makes for a Great Analytic Team?: Individual versus Team Approaches to Intelligence Analysis" (February 2005). All of the unclassified ISB reports are available here:
http://www.fas.org:80/irp/dni/isb/index.html
Wrap...
A FEW INTELLIGENCE SCIENCE BOARD REPORTS
There is "an astonishing number of groups and activities concurrently pursuing the subject" of information sharing, according to a newly disclosed 2004 report (pdf) of the Intelligence Science Board (ISB). But those activities are not well coordinated. "In effect, we aren't even sharing information about information sharing."
The ISB is a little-known advisory panel that addresses intelligence science and technology issues at the direction of the Director of National Intelligence. Almost all of its products are classified, but a few are not.
It's hard to say whether the ISB is influential. But it has performed important and interesting work, most notably on the science of interrogation. Its 2006 report on "Educing Information" (pdf), concluded that there was no scientific evidence to support a belief in the efficacy of coercive interrogation. ("Intelligence Science Board Views Interrogation," Secrecy News, January 15, 2007.)
Now the only other unclassified ISB reports have been released by ODNI under the Freedom of Information Act: "Concept Paper on Trusted Information Sharing" (November 2004) and "What Makes for a Great Analytic Team?: Individual versus Team Approaches to Intelligence Analysis" (February 2005). All of the unclassified ISB reports are available here:
http://www.fas.org:80/irp/dni/isb/index.html
Wrap...
A Selection of Books Coming....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION:
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Julia London's THE SECRETS OF HADLEY GREEN, Desperate Housewives set in Regency England featuring love and scandal (and a mysterious narrator) in a small enclave south of London, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a significant deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in fall 2010, fall 2011, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (world).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Giorgio Vasta's TIME ON MY HANDS, about a group of terrorist boys in Italy in the late 70s, to Mitzi Angel at Faber, Lee Brackstone at Faber & Faber, Vincent Raynaud at Gallimard in France, Koen van Gulik at Wereldbiblioteek in the Netherlands, Monica Carmona at Mondadori in Spain, for publication in October 2008, by Lorenza Pieri at minimum fax.
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
Sarah Prineas's THE CROW KING'S DAUGHTER, featuring faerie lore without the urban setting and without drugs, sex, and angst, to Toni Markiet at Harper Children's, in a three-book deal, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (NA).
UK/FICTION:
Ben Kane's SOLDIER OF CARTHAGE, LEGIONARY, and THE FINAL BATTLE, featuring young Roman and Carthaginian protagonists and is set against the background of the fierce rivalry between the two civilizations, to Rosie de Courcy at Preface, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency (World).
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
NPR Morning Edition workplace correspondent, executive coach and Psychology Today blogger Ben Dattner and Darren Dahl's untitled book on credit and blame at work, offering new insight and solutions to the most difficult manifestations of office politics, including historical and evolutionary explanations for why we are so bad at getting praise for the good things we do and avoiding blame for other peoples' mistakes, to Emily Loose at Free Press, by Esmond Harmsworth and Jennifer Gates at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (NA).
COOKING:
Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift's THE SPLENDID TABLE'S HOW TO EAT WEEKENDS, follow-up to THE SPLENDID TABLE'S HOW TO EAT SUPPER - personal favorites, iconic ethnic dishes, classic Americana, with history, stories, and tips for home cooks to slow down and enjoy the pure art of cooking, to Emily Takoudes at Clarkson Potter, for publication in Spring 2011, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
University of North Carolina historian Kathleen Duval's INDEPENDENCE LOST, the story of the American Revolution from the perspective of the outsiders -- including slaves, Indians, women, the Spanish, Acadian immigrants, and Loyalists, to Jonathan Jao at Random House, at auction, by Jill Kneerim at Kneerim & Williams.
rgardner@randomhouse.com
Helen Rappaport's MEMORIAL - The Day Prince Albert Died, countdown of the final two weeks of Queen Victoria's beloved consort Prince Albert, and how his death set the tone for Victorian period by the author of the acclaimed The Last Days of the Romanovs, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, for publication in 2011, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency (NA).
Washington Post foreign correspondent Pamela Constable's sweeping account of modern Pakistan, analyzing the country's social alienation, economic inequality, entrenched corruption and religious strife, to Jonathan Jao at Random House, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
LIFESTYLE:
Barbra Streisand's A PASSION FOR DESIGN, an illustrated book featuring up to 50,00 words of text and photos of her Malibu compound and other residences, called the culmination of a lifelong passion for American architecture and designto Clare Ferraro at Viking Penguin, for publication in fall 2010, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly
MEMOIR:
Suraya Sadeed, with Damien Lewis's DROP BY DROP A RIVER IS FORMED, the true story of Afghan-American Suraya Sadeed, who, moved by the trauma of her husband's unexpected death, set out to rebuild her homeland from a war funded by her American tax dollars; chronicling Sadeed's heartbreaking, nail-biting, and -- at its core -- hopeful journey from Afghanistan to America and back again, to Voice, with Betsy Wilson editing, for publication in Winter 2011, by Jesseca Salky at Russell & Volkening.
UK rights to Little Brown UK, by Felicity Bryan.
Translation: Andrew Nurnberg Associates
TRUE CRIME:
International art dealer and BBC Antiques Road Show regular Philip Mould's SLEUTH: Adventures of an Art Detective, tales of forgery and discovery based on the author's own experiences focusing on six paintings, including a fake Norman Rockwell, a would-be Rembrandt and a Winslow Homer that miraculously surfaced on a trash heap in Ireland -- and the eccentric characters behind their dramatic histories -- to be published in conjunction with a multi-part prime time series of the same name, to Joy de Menil at Viking Penguin, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK.
Translation: Betsy@Curtisbrown.co.uk
Wrap...
FICTION:
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Julia London's THE SECRETS OF HADLEY GREEN, Desperate Housewives set in Regency England featuring love and scandal (and a mysterious narrator) in a small enclave south of London, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a significant deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in fall 2010, fall 2011, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (world).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Giorgio Vasta's TIME ON MY HANDS, about a group of terrorist boys in Italy in the late 70s, to Mitzi Angel at Faber, Lee Brackstone at Faber & Faber, Vincent Raynaud at Gallimard in France, Koen van Gulik at Wereldbiblioteek in the Netherlands, Monica Carmona at Mondadori in Spain, for publication in October 2008, by Lorenza Pieri at minimum fax.
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
Sarah Prineas's THE CROW KING'S DAUGHTER, featuring faerie lore without the urban setting and without drugs, sex, and angst, to Toni Markiet at Harper Children's, in a three-book deal, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (NA).
UK/FICTION:
Ben Kane's SOLDIER OF CARTHAGE, LEGIONARY, and THE FINAL BATTLE, featuring young Roman and Carthaginian protagonists and is set against the background of the fierce rivalry between the two civilizations, to Rosie de Courcy at Preface, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency (World).
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
NPR Morning Edition workplace correspondent, executive coach and Psychology Today blogger Ben Dattner and Darren Dahl's untitled book on credit and blame at work, offering new insight and solutions to the most difficult manifestations of office politics, including historical and evolutionary explanations for why we are so bad at getting praise for the good things we do and avoiding blame for other peoples' mistakes, to Emily Loose at Free Press, by Esmond Harmsworth and Jennifer Gates at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (NA).
COOKING:
Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift's THE SPLENDID TABLE'S HOW TO EAT WEEKENDS, follow-up to THE SPLENDID TABLE'S HOW TO EAT SUPPER - personal favorites, iconic ethnic dishes, classic Americana, with history, stories, and tips for home cooks to slow down and enjoy the pure art of cooking, to Emily Takoudes at Clarkson Potter, for publication in Spring 2011, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
University of North Carolina historian Kathleen Duval's INDEPENDENCE LOST, the story of the American Revolution from the perspective of the outsiders -- including slaves, Indians, women, the Spanish, Acadian immigrants, and Loyalists, to Jonathan Jao at Random House, at auction, by Jill Kneerim at Kneerim & Williams.
rgardner@randomhouse.com
Helen Rappaport's MEMORIAL - The Day Prince Albert Died, countdown of the final two weeks of Queen Victoria's beloved consort Prince Albert, and how his death set the tone for Victorian period by the author of the acclaimed The Last Days of the Romanovs, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, for publication in 2011, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency (NA).
Washington Post foreign correspondent Pamela Constable's sweeping account of modern Pakistan, analyzing the country's social alienation, economic inequality, entrenched corruption and religious strife, to Jonathan Jao at Random House, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
LIFESTYLE:
Barbra Streisand's A PASSION FOR DESIGN, an illustrated book featuring up to 50,00 words of text and photos of her Malibu compound and other residences, called the culmination of a lifelong passion for American architecture and designto Clare Ferraro at Viking Penguin, for publication in fall 2010, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly
MEMOIR:
Suraya Sadeed, with Damien Lewis's DROP BY DROP A RIVER IS FORMED, the true story of Afghan-American Suraya Sadeed, who, moved by the trauma of her husband's unexpected death, set out to rebuild her homeland from a war funded by her American tax dollars; chronicling Sadeed's heartbreaking, nail-biting, and -- at its core -- hopeful journey from Afghanistan to America and back again, to Voice, with Betsy Wilson editing, for publication in Winter 2011, by Jesseca Salky at Russell & Volkening.
UK rights to Little Brown UK, by Felicity Bryan.
Translation: Andrew Nurnberg Associates
TRUE CRIME:
International art dealer and BBC Antiques Road Show regular Philip Mould's SLEUTH: Adventures of an Art Detective, tales of forgery and discovery based on the author's own experiences focusing on six paintings, including a fake Norman Rockwell, a would-be Rembrandt and a Winslow Homer that miraculously surfaced on a trash heap in Ireland -- and the eccentric characters behind their dramatic histories -- to be published in conjunction with a multi-part prime time series of the same name, to Joy de Menil at Viking Penguin, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK.
Translation: Betsy@Curtisbrown.co.uk
Wrap...
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Madder than hell here...
I don't know what's happening elsewhere, but here in San Diego, we're getting ripped off en masse at the grocery stores.
Hadn't gone in one lately, but when I entered Von's a couple of days ago, it took about 3 minutes to send me into a fit. Practically everything they have on their shelves has been minaturized. I mean, they're small. Tiny cans, tiny containers, little slices of cheese...you name it, it's shrunk something fierce but the prices stayed the same.
But hey...the prices didn't. I was in a state of shock when I walked out. So decided to check Keil's. Same thing!!! What the hell is this?
And gas up to $2.79 9/10's a gallon this morning.
Greed reigns, people.
So gonna now check out the farmer's markets. At least those people earn their money the hard way.
Wrap...
Hadn't gone in one lately, but when I entered Von's a couple of days ago, it took about 3 minutes to send me into a fit. Practically everything they have on their shelves has been minaturized. I mean, they're small. Tiny cans, tiny containers, little slices of cheese...you name it, it's shrunk something fierce but the prices stayed the same.
But hey...the prices didn't. I was in a state of shock when I walked out. So decided to check Keil's. Same thing!!! What the hell is this?
And gas up to $2.79 9/10's a gallon this morning.
Greed reigns, people.
So gonna now check out the farmer's markets. At least those people earn their money the hard way.
Wrap...
Monday, June 01, 2009
Republicans blocking Dawn Johnson for OLC...
From Secrecy News:
A PROFILE OF THE OFFICE OF LEGAL COUNSEL
The organization, role and operation of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which produces binding interpretations of the law for the executive branch, are usefully described in the Justice Department's FY 2010 budget request (pdf).
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/olc/fy10-olc.pdf
"OLC’s mission remains highly critical and urgent as the Department enters into a new era of responsibility confronting national security and intelligence challenges, reinvigorating federal civil rights enforcement, and advising the myriad of agencies involved in responding to the economic crisis," the budget request document states. "The Office is operating at a particularly challenging time, when a number of major legal positions of the United States government are under review or in the process of being changed."
Under the Bush Administration, the OLC notoriously issued numerous opinions -- many of which would later be withdrawn under criticism -- authorizing abusive interrogation, warrantless surveillance, and other departures from established legal norms. The President's distinguished nominee to head the Office, Prof. Dawn Johnsen, still awaits Senate confirmation and she reportedly faces opposition from some Senate Republicans.
Wrap...
A PROFILE OF THE OFFICE OF LEGAL COUNSEL
The organization, role and operation of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which produces binding interpretations of the law for the executive branch, are usefully described in the Justice Department's FY 2010 budget request (pdf).
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/olc/fy10-olc.pdf
"OLC’s mission remains highly critical and urgent as the Department enters into a new era of responsibility confronting national security and intelligence challenges, reinvigorating federal civil rights enforcement, and advising the myriad of agencies involved in responding to the economic crisis," the budget request document states. "The Office is operating at a particularly challenging time, when a number of major legal positions of the United States government are under review or in the process of being changed."
Under the Bush Administration, the OLC notoriously issued numerous opinions -- many of which would later be withdrawn under criticism -- authorizing abusive interrogation, warrantless surveillance, and other departures from established legal norms. The President's distinguished nominee to head the Office, Prof. Dawn Johnsen, still awaits Senate confirmation and she reportedly faces opposition from some Senate Republicans.
Wrap...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Big Bunch of Coming Books...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
Rhodes scholar Chaya Bhuvaneswar's JACKSON HEIGHTS, about two Indian-American girls' gritty coming of age journey one summer, as they discover the stark realities of sex trafficking from South Asia into New York's immigrant Indian community and investigate the mysterious death of a girl their age, to Cindy Spiegel at Spiegel & Grau, by Emma Sweeney at Emma Sweeney Agency (NA).
THRILLER:
Former FBI agent Noah Boyd's THE BRICKLAYER, featuring an ex-FBI agent who's brought back in by the Bureau to solve a brilliant and deadly extortion plot -- pitched as reminiscent of John Sandford's and Lee Child's bestsellers, to David Highfill at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, for publication in January 2010, by Esther Newberg at ICM (NA).
UK rights to Wayne Brookes at Harper UK, in a pre-empt, by Jonny Geller.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Jim Powell's THE BREAKING OF EGGS, the tale of a 60-something, left-leaning misanthrope who has made his living publishing a yearly tourist guide to Eastern Europe; after a rapacious American publishing conglomerate offers to buy out his travel guide, he journeys out into the world to discover that many of his conceptions about people and politics may be incorrect and that the story of his family may be very different from what he imagined to Arzu Tahsin at Weidenfeld & Nicolson (world), in a pre-empt, by Conville & Walsh, and to Stephen Morrison at Penguin, in a pre-empt (world).
Foreign rights to Einaudi in Italy and HR Ferdinand in Denmark, by Susan Howe at Orion.
NONFICTION...
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Investigative journalist Misha Glenny's THE WORM, explore the new frontiers of crime and politics in an increasingly networked world, to Dan Frank at Pantheon, in a significant deal; to Will Sulkin at the Bodley Head (UK); and to Sarah Maclachlan at House of Anansi, in a very nice deal (Canada); by Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh.
Israeli rights to Ilai Melzer at Books in the Attic, Dutch rights to Haye Koningsfeld at Ambo Anthos, Brazilian rights to Luis Schwartz at Companhia das Letras, German rights to Julia Hoffman at DVA, and Spanish rights to Ramon Perello at Destino.
HUMOR:
Actor, producer, and standup comic Jay Mohr's humorous stories of modern fatherhood, including his adventures in test-tube baby conception, as waxes poetic about dirty diapers, spins theories on to spank or not to spank, and ponders questions like "why do kids all wake up so damn early? It's as if they are all preparing for life as longshoremen," to David Rosenthal and Kerri Kolen at Simon & Schusterr, for publication in 2010, by Lydia Wills at Paradigm.
LIFESTYLE:
Style writer and children's book author Lesley Blume's first adult book, based on her popular Huffington Post column Let's Bring Back..., offering an amusing and illuminating illustrated encyclopedia of objects, rituals, and ideas from the past that can (and should) be used to better modern life, from fainting couches and courting candles to powder puffs, limericks, and sealing wax, to Emily Haynes at Chronicle, in a very nice deal, for publication in Fall 2010, by Kate Lee at ICM (World English).
MEMOIR:
Barbara Sinatra's MY LIFE WITH FRANK, an honest but loving portrait of life with her late husband, Frank Sinatra, whom she was married to from 1976 until his death in 1998, co-written by Wendy Holden, to Shaye Areheart at Harmony, for publication in 2010, by Alan Nevins at Renaissance (world).
Real Simple marketing executive Sarah Ellis and guitarist for the rock band Antigone Rising Kristen Henderson's TIMES TWO, the sweet, humorous, inspiring story of two women in love who want to have a family together, try for years to get pregnant, and then finally do -- both of them, at the exact same time -- revealing the human side of the gay marriage controversy and the changing face of modern families, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in Spring 2011, by Larry Weissman of Larry Weissman Literary (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Andrew Blackwell's VISIT SUNNY CHERNOBYL (and Other Adventures in the World's Worst Environments), an adventurous, thought-provoking romp through the world's most polluted places; equal parts travelogue, expose, environmental meditation, and faux-guidebook, careening through a rogue's gallery of environmental disaster areas in search of the worst the world has to offer -- and our part in it, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by Michelle Tessler at Tessler Literary Agency (NA).
SPORTS:
NYT columnist Harvey Araton's WHEN THE GARDEN WAS PARADISE, a Boys of Summer-like account of the New York Knicks championship teams of the early 70's which featured Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and Earl Monroe and how they presaged the future of the NBA, to David Hirshey at Harper, by Andrew Blauner of the Blauner Books Literary Agency.
Wrap...
FICTION/DEBUT:
Rhodes scholar Chaya Bhuvaneswar's JACKSON HEIGHTS, about two Indian-American girls' gritty coming of age journey one summer, as they discover the stark realities of sex trafficking from South Asia into New York's immigrant Indian community and investigate the mysterious death of a girl their age, to Cindy Spiegel at Spiegel & Grau, by Emma Sweeney at Emma Sweeney Agency (NA).
THRILLER:
Former FBI agent Noah Boyd's THE BRICKLAYER, featuring an ex-FBI agent who's brought back in by the Bureau to solve a brilliant and deadly extortion plot -- pitched as reminiscent of John Sandford's and Lee Child's bestsellers, to David Highfill at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, for publication in January 2010, by Esther Newberg at ICM (NA).
UK rights to Wayne Brookes at Harper UK, in a pre-empt, by Jonny Geller.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Jim Powell's THE BREAKING OF EGGS, the tale of a 60-something, left-leaning misanthrope who has made his living publishing a yearly tourist guide to Eastern Europe; after a rapacious American publishing conglomerate offers to buy out his travel guide, he journeys out into the world to discover that many of his conceptions about people and politics may be incorrect and that the story of his family may be very different from what he imagined to Arzu Tahsin at Weidenfeld & Nicolson (world), in a pre-empt, by Conville & Walsh, and to Stephen Morrison at Penguin, in a pre-empt (world).
Foreign rights to Einaudi in Italy and HR Ferdinand in Denmark, by Susan Howe at Orion.
NONFICTION...
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Investigative journalist Misha Glenny's THE WORM, explore the new frontiers of crime and politics in an increasingly networked world, to Dan Frank at Pantheon, in a significant deal; to Will Sulkin at the Bodley Head (UK); and to Sarah Maclachlan at House of Anansi, in a very nice deal (Canada); by Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh.
Israeli rights to Ilai Melzer at Books in the Attic, Dutch rights to Haye Koningsfeld at Ambo Anthos, Brazilian rights to Luis Schwartz at Companhia das Letras, German rights to Julia Hoffman at DVA, and Spanish rights to Ramon Perello at Destino.
HUMOR:
Actor, producer, and standup comic Jay Mohr's humorous stories of modern fatherhood, including his adventures in test-tube baby conception, as waxes poetic about dirty diapers, spins theories on to spank or not to spank, and ponders questions like "why do kids all wake up so damn early? It's as if they are all preparing for life as longshoremen," to David Rosenthal and Kerri Kolen at Simon & Schusterr, for publication in 2010, by Lydia Wills at Paradigm.
LIFESTYLE:
Style writer and children's book author Lesley Blume's first adult book, based on her popular Huffington Post column Let's Bring Back..., offering an amusing and illuminating illustrated encyclopedia of objects, rituals, and ideas from the past that can (and should) be used to better modern life, from fainting couches and courting candles to powder puffs, limericks, and sealing wax, to Emily Haynes at Chronicle, in a very nice deal, for publication in Fall 2010, by Kate Lee at ICM (World English).
MEMOIR:
Barbara Sinatra's MY LIFE WITH FRANK, an honest but loving portrait of life with her late husband, Frank Sinatra, whom she was married to from 1976 until his death in 1998, co-written by Wendy Holden, to Shaye Areheart at Harmony, for publication in 2010, by Alan Nevins at Renaissance (world).
Real Simple marketing executive Sarah Ellis and guitarist for the rock band Antigone Rising Kristen Henderson's TIMES TWO, the sweet, humorous, inspiring story of two women in love who want to have a family together, try for years to get pregnant, and then finally do -- both of them, at the exact same time -- revealing the human side of the gay marriage controversy and the changing face of modern families, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in Spring 2011, by Larry Weissman of Larry Weissman Literary (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Andrew Blackwell's VISIT SUNNY CHERNOBYL (and Other Adventures in the World's Worst Environments), an adventurous, thought-provoking romp through the world's most polluted places; equal parts travelogue, expose, environmental meditation, and faux-guidebook, careening through a rogue's gallery of environmental disaster areas in search of the worst the world has to offer -- and our part in it, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by Michelle Tessler at Tessler Literary Agency (NA).
SPORTS:
NYT columnist Harvey Araton's WHEN THE GARDEN WAS PARADISE, a Boys of Summer-like account of the New York Knicks championship teams of the early 70's which featured Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and Earl Monroe and how they presaged the future of the NBA, to David Hirshey at Harper, by Andrew Blauner of the Blauner Books Literary Agency.
Wrap...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
And Now It's Memorial Day 2009....
From Phil N. Jurus:
MEMORIAL DAY 2007
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
The crackle of rifles punctuated the air followed by the metallic sound of the weapons being unloaded and reloaded by the men in uniform.
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
Again a unison volley as the triggers were pulled and the rifles discharged followed by the cartridges being ejected and the guns reloaded.
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
Once more, there was the crack of gunfire and the click and swish of spent cartridges being dislodged from their chamber.
“ATTENNNN HUT!” was the next command.
There was a pause where the sound of muted sobs was all that could be heard. Then the painful sound of Taps being played by the bugler filled the air.
My friend and I, aged 6 or 7 at the time, were standing by the cemetery fence a couple hundred yards behind our homes. We watched until the hearse and all the cars filled with mourners drove away and the grave diggers filled the grave, took down the tent and laid the flowers on the fresh mound of dirt. Then we walked to the place where the small American flag had been planted in the earth.
We scoured the grass looking for the shiny brass shell casings, scooped them up and went back to one of our yards to play.
We didn’t understand much more than that a soldier who had gone to war and been killed was now buried in that place and we had some souvenirs of that event.
Soon there would be a star by the name of that person on the Honor Roll of those who served that had been erected in the front of our elementary school.
More than six decades later, men and women are fighting in a war in Iraq. More than Three Thousand Four Hundred have been killed and those graveside rituals are occurring somewhere almost every day.
My grade school playmate is dead. I no longer live near a cemetery. I no longer hear the sound of the rifle’s salute or the orders barked by the commanding officer, or the sound of taps, or the sobs of the mourners. I gather no spent shell casings from the graves. I see no Honor Roll in school yards that list the names of those who served and the names with stars beside them of those who died.
But I see their names, their ages, 19, 21, 26, 32, 39, 45, 53, and the thumbnail obituaries in the newspaper that tell how they died, the unit in which they served, and where they were based.
I see the photographs, “in silence and as they become available”, on the Evening News Hour on PBS. I see the faces, faces I never saw before and faces that no one will ever see again. In the pictures they are usually smiling. I am crying, inwardly and outwardly for the loss of all these lives.
I understand they died fighting in a war.
I don’t understand why they have had to die in “this” war.
I don’t understand why there is “this” war.
Its purpose is as empty as a shell casing.
The tears are my souvenirs.
Wrap...
MEMORIAL DAY 2007
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
The crackle of rifles punctuated the air followed by the metallic sound of the weapons being unloaded and reloaded by the men in uniform.
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
Again a unison volley as the triggers were pulled and the rifles discharged followed by the cartridges being ejected and the guns reloaded.
“READY! AIM! FIRE!”
Once more, there was the crack of gunfire and the click and swish of spent cartridges being dislodged from their chamber.
“ATTENNNN HUT!” was the next command.
There was a pause where the sound of muted sobs was all that could be heard. Then the painful sound of Taps being played by the bugler filled the air.
My friend and I, aged 6 or 7 at the time, were standing by the cemetery fence a couple hundred yards behind our homes. We watched until the hearse and all the cars filled with mourners drove away and the grave diggers filled the grave, took down the tent and laid the flowers on the fresh mound of dirt. Then we walked to the place where the small American flag had been planted in the earth.
We scoured the grass looking for the shiny brass shell casings, scooped them up and went back to one of our yards to play.
We didn’t understand much more than that a soldier who had gone to war and been killed was now buried in that place and we had some souvenirs of that event.
Soon there would be a star by the name of that person on the Honor Roll of those who served that had been erected in the front of our elementary school.
More than six decades later, men and women are fighting in a war in Iraq. More than Three Thousand Four Hundred have been killed and those graveside rituals are occurring somewhere almost every day.
My grade school playmate is dead. I no longer live near a cemetery. I no longer hear the sound of the rifle’s salute or the orders barked by the commanding officer, or the sound of taps, or the sobs of the mourners. I gather no spent shell casings from the graves. I see no Honor Roll in school yards that list the names of those who served and the names with stars beside them of those who died.
But I see their names, their ages, 19, 21, 26, 32, 39, 45, 53, and the thumbnail obituaries in the newspaper that tell how they died, the unit in which they served, and where they were based.
I see the photographs, “in silence and as they become available”, on the Evening News Hour on PBS. I see the faces, faces I never saw before and faces that no one will ever see again. In the pictures they are usually smiling. I am crying, inwardly and outwardly for the loss of all these lives.
I understand they died fighting in a war.
I don’t understand why they have had to die in “this” war.
I don’t understand why there is “this” war.
Its purpose is as empty as a shell casing.
The tears are my souvenirs.
Wrap...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Blogger interviews TwitterWit editor.....
The Groucho Marx of Twitter
by
Simon Owens:
"I got a chance today to interview and profile the editor of the book, Nick Douglas, about the new literary genre that he sees bubbling up from Twitter and his attempts to capture it:"
If brevity is the soul of wit, then it isn’t inconceivable that a major book publisher would seek to package witticisms in 140-character morsels. Nick Douglas, a former Gawker writer, formulated the idea of collecting funny tweets back in 2007, when the micro-blogging service was a mere twinkle in the eyes of venture capitalists. As one of its early adopters, Douglas observed the rise of a new form of literary humor that relied on a turn of phrase, a twist delivered deftly at the tail end of a tiny sentence that in just a few words quickly built a mode of tension to be subsequently released with a simple syllable. Perhaps before he even realized that he one day wanted to collect these tweets into a book, he began favoriting them, creating his own tiny feed of one-liners and quotable quotes.
A year later he was approached by a literary agent who had read Douglas’ tweets and his writing elsewhere. The agent asked if the writer had any book ideas in mind, a question that eventually led to communication with an editor at HarperCollins. By early this year it had been announced that Douglas, who had been paid a reported five figures, would be editing a book for the publisher, titled Twitter Wit, due out this fall.
http://bloggasm.com/the-groucho-marx-of-twitter
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
by
Simon Owens:
"I got a chance today to interview and profile the editor of the book, Nick Douglas, about the new literary genre that he sees bubbling up from Twitter and his attempts to capture it:"
If brevity is the soul of wit, then it isn’t inconceivable that a major book publisher would seek to package witticisms in 140-character morsels. Nick Douglas, a former Gawker writer, formulated the idea of collecting funny tweets back in 2007, when the micro-blogging service was a mere twinkle in the eyes of venture capitalists. As one of its early adopters, Douglas observed the rise of a new form of literary humor that relied on a turn of phrase, a twist delivered deftly at the tail end of a tiny sentence that in just a few words quickly built a mode of tension to be subsequently released with a simple syllable. Perhaps before he even realized that he one day wanted to collect these tweets into a book, he began favoriting them, creating his own tiny feed of one-liners and quotable quotes.
A year later he was approached by a literary agent who had read Douglas’ tweets and his writing elsewhere. The agent asked if the writer had any book ideas in mind, a question that eventually led to communication with an editor at HarperCollins. By early this year it had been announced that Douglas, who had been paid a reported five figures, would be editing a book for the publisher, titled Twitter Wit, due out this fall.
http://bloggasm.com/the-groucho-marx-of-twitter
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
More books on the way...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
Mark Keating's THE PIRATE DEVLIN, a swashbuckling historical naval adventure set in the 18th century, to Les Pockell at Grand Central, by by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, on behalf of Jim Gill of United Agents (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid's PURELAND, set in Pakistan and the West, exploring the unmaking of identity - personal, national, sexual, spiritual - at a moment of global seismic shift, following Rebecca Saletan to Riverhead, by Jay Mandel at the William Morris Agency (NA).
LA Times reporter and author of SNITCH JACKET Chris Goffard's YOU WILL SEE FIRE, about an American priest in Kenya who takes on the country's brutal dictatorship as well as the Catholic church while fighting social injustice, only to die under mysterious circumstances, to Alane Mason at Norton, by Lydia Wills at Paradigm and Seth Jaret at Jaret Entertainment (NA).
UK/Translation: Philip Patterson at Marjacq Scripts
NONFICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Former Guggenheim fellow and author of FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, Christopher Bram's EMINENT OUTLAWS, a group biography of the gay American writers who changed the culture, to Jonathan Karp at Twelve, by Edward Hibbert at Donadio & Olson (NA and translation).
Director of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" Jeff Feuerzeig and journalist Paul Cullum's DEVIL TOWN, a biography of Daniel Johnston, the singer-songwriter and artist whose songs have inspired and been covered by several generations of indie-rock royalty and whose life - complete with running away to join the carnival, extraordinary art world accomplishment, and persistent and unshakeable madness - has the outsized elements of a fable, to David Patterson at Holt, in a pre-empt, by Nathaniel Jacks at Inkwell Management (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author and VF contributing editor William Prochnau and aviation journalist Laura Parker, working in collaboration with many of the passengers on USAir flight 1549, to tell MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON, a minute-by-minute in the survivors' own words of the flight that landed in the Hudson River, to Luke Dempsey at Ballantine, for publication on November 3, by Jennifer Joel at ICM (NA).
NYT bestselling author and Salon political commentator Glenn Greenwald's untitled book, about the death of the rule of law in America, and THE INVISIBLE SPECTRUM, which uses the career of Noam Chomsky to examine the relationship between our media and our political discourse, to Sara Bershtel of Metropolitan, by Dan Conaway of Writers House.
MEMOIR:
Star of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Alison Arngrim's CONFESSIONS OF A PRAIRIE BITCH, a comic memoir of growing up as one of television's most memorable characters -- the devious Nellie Oleson -- with behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from her bohemian upbringing in West Hollywood and her headline-making advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and abused children, to Kate Hamill at It Books, at auction, by Kent Wolf at Global Literary Management (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Horsemen of the Esophagus author Jason Fagone's THE DREAM SHOT, a narrative account of maverick scientist Stephen Hoffman's crusade to eradicate malaria, offering an intimate look at the grim effects of the disease, the process of scientific invention, the unseen rituals of billion-dollar philanthropy, and the David vs. Goliath battle between a small startup and Big Pharma to come up with a vaccine that will save a million lives each year, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Wrap...
FICTION/DEBUT:
Mark Keating's THE PIRATE DEVLIN, a swashbuckling historical naval adventure set in the 18th century, to Les Pockell at Grand Central, by by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, on behalf of Jim Gill of United Agents (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid's PURELAND, set in Pakistan and the West, exploring the unmaking of identity - personal, national, sexual, spiritual - at a moment of global seismic shift, following Rebecca Saletan to Riverhead, by Jay Mandel at the William Morris Agency (NA).
LA Times reporter and author of SNITCH JACKET Chris Goffard's YOU WILL SEE FIRE, about an American priest in Kenya who takes on the country's brutal dictatorship as well as the Catholic church while fighting social injustice, only to die under mysterious circumstances, to Alane Mason at Norton, by Lydia Wills at Paradigm and Seth Jaret at Jaret Entertainment (NA).
UK/Translation: Philip Patterson at Marjacq Scripts
NONFICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Former Guggenheim fellow and author of FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN, Christopher Bram's EMINENT OUTLAWS, a group biography of the gay American writers who changed the culture, to Jonathan Karp at Twelve, by Edward Hibbert at Donadio & Olson (NA and translation).
Director of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" Jeff Feuerzeig and journalist Paul Cullum's DEVIL TOWN, a biography of Daniel Johnston, the singer-songwriter and artist whose songs have inspired and been covered by several generations of indie-rock royalty and whose life - complete with running away to join the carnival, extraordinary art world accomplishment, and persistent and unshakeable madness - has the outsized elements of a fable, to David Patterson at Holt, in a pre-empt, by Nathaniel Jacks at Inkwell Management (NA).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author and VF contributing editor William Prochnau and aviation journalist Laura Parker, working in collaboration with many of the passengers on USAir flight 1549, to tell MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON, a minute-by-minute in the survivors' own words of the flight that landed in the Hudson River, to Luke Dempsey at Ballantine, for publication on November 3, by Jennifer Joel at ICM (NA).
NYT bestselling author and Salon political commentator Glenn Greenwald's untitled book, about the death of the rule of law in America, and THE INVISIBLE SPECTRUM, which uses the career of Noam Chomsky to examine the relationship between our media and our political discourse, to Sara Bershtel of Metropolitan, by Dan Conaway of Writers House.
MEMOIR:
Star of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Alison Arngrim's CONFESSIONS OF A PRAIRIE BITCH, a comic memoir of growing up as one of television's most memorable characters -- the devious Nellie Oleson -- with behind-the-scenes stories from the set, as well as tales from her bohemian upbringing in West Hollywood and her headline-making advocacy work on behalf of HIV awareness and abused children, to Kate Hamill at It Books, at auction, by Kent Wolf at Global Literary Management (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Horsemen of the Esophagus author Jason Fagone's THE DREAM SHOT, a narrative account of maverick scientist Stephen Hoffman's crusade to eradicate malaria, offering an intimate look at the grim effects of the disease, the process of scientific invention, the unseen rituals of billion-dollar philanthropy, and the David vs. Goliath battle between a small startup and Big Pharma to come up with a vaccine that will save a million lives each year, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Wrap...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
He's been waterboarded and he says....
From Bill M.:
There's an excellent compilation on Wikipedia under "water-boarding." Don't see that I could add much to the topic except to add that the S.E.R.E. program training used to be taught to us to show us that ALL are breakable. The trick is to know that and be fortified on how to handle the pieces). Somehow the Bush administration twisted that to mean that because some others outside the law might use these techniques it is okay for us to use them when it suits us. Flaying someone alive has been used for the same purpose. To Cheney, I suppose it's okay for us to do that too.
It's amazing how much rhetoric is stirred up regarding water-boarding, torture and whether the U. S. should condon the use of torture for interrogation. The bottom line is, while generations of people since before the crusades recognized water-boarding as torture and almost all countries have signed the Geneva Conventions (the U.S. not among them), that if the United States approves water-boarding's use even under any special circumstances it thereby acknowledges the right of any other country, organization or group to use water-boarding against any U.S. soldier or citizen that it considers, or has even been suspected of being, one who has broken their laws, in "legal" combat or otherwise. What we are saying is that there are no "Rules of War" and anything goes if one thinks it will work. The alternative to "Rules of War" is the loosening of "The Dogs of War". God help us all if that profound lack of distinction is considered permissible. Civilization regressed.
Wrap...
There's an excellent compilation on Wikipedia under "water-boarding." Don't see that I could add much to the topic except to add that the S.E.R.E. program training used to be taught to us to show us that ALL are breakable. The trick is to know that and be fortified on how to handle the pieces). Somehow the Bush administration twisted that to mean that because some others outside the law might use these techniques it is okay for us to use them when it suits us. Flaying someone alive has been used for the same purpose. To Cheney, I suppose it's okay for us to do that too.
It's amazing how much rhetoric is stirred up regarding water-boarding, torture and whether the U. S. should condon the use of torture for interrogation. The bottom line is, while generations of people since before the crusades recognized water-boarding as torture and almost all countries have signed the Geneva Conventions (the U.S. not among them), that if the United States approves water-boarding's use even under any special circumstances it thereby acknowledges the right of any other country, organization or group to use water-boarding against any U.S. soldier or citizen that it considers, or has even been suspected of being, one who has broken their laws, in "legal" combat or otherwise. What we are saying is that there are no "Rules of War" and anything goes if one thinks it will work. The alternative to "Rules of War" is the loosening of "The Dogs of War". God help us all if that profound lack of distinction is considered permissible. Civilization regressed.
Wrap...
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Sitting Ducks for Getting Taxed....
From The Christian Science Monitor:
Opinion
The tyranny of taxing 'sin'
Scrambling for revenue, politicians are pursuing higher taxes on junk food, alcohol, and tobacco – a clear threat to individual liberty.
By Patrick Fleenor
from the May 14, 2009 edition
Washington - Sin is big, at least in the minds of federal and state lawmakers. The US Senate is currently considering a soda tax to help pay for healthcare reform. In New York, Gov. David Paterson (D) wants a sin tax on non-diet sodas, and West Virginia Delegate Margaret Staggers (D) supports "a heckuva junk food tax." Nationwide, Democrats and Republicans have proposed higher taxes on alcohol and especially tobacco.
Such politicians are often called "nanny-staters" because they think the proper role of the state is to scold the people in the same way a nanny scolds children. Don't touch that chocolate!
But it's probably not politicians' love of scolding that keeps these tax hikes coming – it's their love of money. They want to spend more, and they'll take whoever's money is easiest to grab.
Sin taxes are easy to get enacted for several reasons, but the biggest is that each allegedly sinful product is consumed by a minority of the public. So it's the classic danger of democracy that Alexis de Tocqueville warned about two centuries ago: the tyranny of the majority.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0514/p09s02-coop.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap....
Opinion
The tyranny of taxing 'sin'
Scrambling for revenue, politicians are pursuing higher taxes on junk food, alcohol, and tobacco – a clear threat to individual liberty.
By Patrick Fleenor
from the May 14, 2009 edition
Washington - Sin is big, at least in the minds of federal and state lawmakers. The US Senate is currently considering a soda tax to help pay for healthcare reform. In New York, Gov. David Paterson (D) wants a sin tax on non-diet sodas, and West Virginia Delegate Margaret Staggers (D) supports "a heckuva junk food tax." Nationwide, Democrats and Republicans have proposed higher taxes on alcohol and especially tobacco.
Such politicians are often called "nanny-staters" because they think the proper role of the state is to scold the people in the same way a nanny scolds children. Don't touch that chocolate!
But it's probably not politicians' love of scolding that keeps these tax hikes coming – it's their love of money. They want to spend more, and they'll take whoever's money is easiest to grab.
Sin taxes are easy to get enacted for several reasons, but the biggest is that each allegedly sinful product is consumed by a minority of the public. So it's the classic danger of democracy that Alexis de Tocqueville warned about two centuries ago: the tyranny of the majority.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0514/p09s02-coop.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap....
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Keep That Water Flowing...
From News 8 San Diego:
Last Hurdle For Largest Desalination Plant In West
San Diego's water board has given Poseidon Resources final approval to begin constructing the largest desalination plant in the Western hemisphere
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10358348&Call=Email&Format=HTML
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Last Hurdle For Largest Desalination Plant In West
San Diego's water board has given Poseidon Resources final approval to begin constructing the largest desalination plant in the Western hemisphere
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=10358348&Call=Email&Format=HTML
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Some Most Unusual Books....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
New York Social Diary contributing editor, CEO of wealth management firm
Lebenthal & Company, and active figure on the NY social scene, Alexandra
Lebenthal's debut novel, telling the story of four Manhattan socialites
whose perfect Upper East Side lives get turned upside down when the
economic collapse wreaks havoc on their pampered existences, to Karen
Kosztolnyik at Grand Central, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis
Associates (World).
Sandi Tan's THE BLACK ISLE, a "ghost history" of Singapore, in which an
elederly psychic recounts her amazing role in the growth of the city
state from a backward island haunted by countless spirits to a sleek
center of world finance, to Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, in a very
nice deal, by Barbara Braun at Barbara Braun Associates (world).
Poet Jillian Weise's THE COLONY, the story of a 25 year-old who starts
up a relationship with a swashbuckling, suicidal cowboy and develops a
friendship with Charles Darwin, all at the Cold Spring Harbor Colony,
where her missing leg will be re-grown, to Anne Horowitz at Soft Skull,
in a nice deal, by Julia Kenny at the Elaine Markson Agency (NA).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Swedish crime writer (with over 3 million copies sold in Sweden, and
translated into 25 languages) Camilla Lackberg's debut THE ICE PRINCESS,
set in the coastal town of Fjallbacka, where a young writer tries to
solve the murder of her childhood friend, to Jessica Case at Pegasus, in
a two-book deal, on behalf of Tara Hiatt and Harper UK.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Thrity Umrigar's THE CLARIFYING PRINCIPLE, the story of four 50-year-old
Indian women and what happens when one of them, now married and living
in America, learns she is dying and comes to feel deeply how much she
missed by leaving behind her three best women friends from college, and
their decision to travel from India to be with her one last time, to
Claire Wachtel at Harper, by Marly Rusoff of Marly
Rusoff & Associates (world, excl. Germany).
Soldiers of Salamis author Javier Cercas's THE ANATOMY OF A MOMENT,
telling what lay behind the attempted coup in the Spanish Parliament on
23 February 1981 by exploring the moment when Lieutenant-Colonel Tejero
and the Guardia Civil burst into the Cortes and fired their weapons, and
were, unbeknownst to them, captured on tv cameras, to Bill Swainson at
Bloomsbury UK, with Anton Mueller, at Bloomsbury, by Gloria Masdeu at
the Carmen Balcells Agencia Literaria.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Journalist and CEO Margaret Heffernan's WILLFUL BLINDNESS, exploring the
psychological, social and organizational mechanism whereby critical
faculties are impaired and disabled in individuals and groups, even
nations and societies; arguing that the tendency to deliberately blind
ourselves to the obvious, to refuse to face facts and look the other way
is at the root of human behavior; drawing on examples from business and
finance, science, psychology, sociology and history, to George Gibson at
Bloomsbury, at auction, by Joelle Delbourgo at Joelle Delbourgo
Associates.
Canadian rights to Kristin Cochrane at Doubleday Canada, in a pre-empt.
Foreign: Natasha Fairweather at AP Watt
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
HE NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FILM author David Thomson's LET THERE
BE LIGHT: FILMING THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, the story of the past hundred
years through the movies and how motion pictures and their makers were
shaped by the era's cultural, political, and aesthetic movements, and
how movies both reflected and influenced the very century that saw the
birth of its defining -- and most popular -- art form, to Jonathan
Galassi of Farrar, Straus, by Steve Wasserman at Kneerim & Williams
(world English).
MEMOIR:
Actress Stefanie Powers's ONE FROM THE HART, with NYT bestselling author
Richard Buskin, covering the author's career that commenced during the
last days of the star-studded studio system; her extensive, ongoing
involvement with wildlife conservation; and her close relationship with
the talented but troubled Oscar-winning actor, William Holden, to
Mitchell Ivers at Pocket, by Frank Weimann at The Literary Group (world).
Musician John Forté's memoir about his life and career, including his
journey from Brownsville, Brooklyn to Phillips Exeter to The Fugees,
followed by over seven years in prison for drug trafficking before
having his sentence commuted by President Bush last November, to David
Rosenthal at Simon & Schuster, with Sarah Hochman editing, for
publication in spring 2010, by Ed Victor at Ed Victor Ltd. (world
English).
NARRATIVE:
Popular Science editor Seth Fletcher's BOTTLED LIGHTNING, a narrative
account of the advent of the lithium-ion battery and the technological
and cultural transformations it has enabled -- including the rapid
miniaturization of consumer electronics, culminating in the cellphone,
laptop and the iPhone; the resurrection of the electric car, starting
with GM's moon-shot, the Chevy Volt; and the impending clean-energy
revolution -- along with the resource struggles and geopolitical drama
that could accompany the rise of the lithium economy, to Joseph
Wisnovsky at Farrar, Straus, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman
Literary (world English).
National Outdoor Book Award winner Lou Ureneck's CABIN: Two Brothers, a
Dream and Five Acres in Maine, in which the author, through chronicling
the building of a small cabin in the Maine woods with his brother, tells
a deeper story about home, family, the knockdowns and disappointments
that middle age bring, and the healing power of nature, to Paul Slovak
at Viking Penguin, for publication in 2011, by Jill Kneerim at Kneerim &
Williams (world).
Wrap...
FICTION/DEBUT:
New York Social Diary contributing editor, CEO of wealth management firm
Lebenthal & Company, and active figure on the NY social scene, Alexandra
Lebenthal's debut novel, telling the story of four Manhattan socialites
whose perfect Upper East Side lives get turned upside down when the
economic collapse wreaks havoc on their pampered existences, to Karen
Kosztolnyik at Grand Central, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis
Associates (World).
Sandi Tan's THE BLACK ISLE, a "ghost history" of Singapore, in which an
elederly psychic recounts her amazing role in the growth of the city
state from a backward island haunted by countless spirits to a sleek
center of world finance, to Mitch Hoffman at Grand Central, in a very
nice deal, by Barbara Braun at Barbara Braun Associates (world).
Poet Jillian Weise's THE COLONY, the story of a 25 year-old who starts
up a relationship with a swashbuckling, suicidal cowboy and develops a
friendship with Charles Darwin, all at the Cold Spring Harbor Colony,
where her missing leg will be re-grown, to Anne Horowitz at Soft Skull,
in a nice deal, by Julia Kenny at the Elaine Markson Agency (NA).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Swedish crime writer (with over 3 million copies sold in Sweden, and
translated into 25 languages) Camilla Lackberg's debut THE ICE PRINCESS,
set in the coastal town of Fjallbacka, where a young writer tries to
solve the murder of her childhood friend, to Jessica Case at Pegasus, in
a two-book deal, on behalf of Tara Hiatt and Harper UK.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Thrity Umrigar's THE CLARIFYING PRINCIPLE, the story of four 50-year-old
Indian women and what happens when one of them, now married and living
in America, learns she is dying and comes to feel deeply how much she
missed by leaving behind her three best women friends from college, and
their decision to travel from India to be with her one last time, to
Claire Wachtel at Harper, by Marly Rusoff of Marly
Rusoff & Associates (world, excl. Germany).
Soldiers of Salamis author Javier Cercas's THE ANATOMY OF A MOMENT,
telling what lay behind the attempted coup in the Spanish Parliament on
23 February 1981 by exploring the moment when Lieutenant-Colonel Tejero
and the Guardia Civil burst into the Cortes and fired their weapons, and
were, unbeknownst to them, captured on tv cameras, to Bill Swainson at
Bloomsbury UK, with Anton Mueller, at Bloomsbury, by Gloria Masdeu at
the Carmen Balcells Agencia Literaria.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Journalist and CEO Margaret Heffernan's WILLFUL BLINDNESS, exploring the
psychological, social and organizational mechanism whereby critical
faculties are impaired and disabled in individuals and groups, even
nations and societies; arguing that the tendency to deliberately blind
ourselves to the obvious, to refuse to face facts and look the other way
is at the root of human behavior; drawing on examples from business and
finance, science, psychology, sociology and history, to George Gibson at
Bloomsbury, at auction, by Joelle Delbourgo at Joelle Delbourgo
Associates.
Canadian rights to Kristin Cochrane at Doubleday Canada, in a pre-empt.
Foreign: Natasha Fairweather at AP Watt
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
HE NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FILM author David Thomson's LET THERE
BE LIGHT: FILMING THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, the story of the past hundred
years through the movies and how motion pictures and their makers were
shaped by the era's cultural, political, and aesthetic movements, and
how movies both reflected and influenced the very century that saw the
birth of its defining -- and most popular -- art form, to Jonathan
Galassi of Farrar, Straus, by Steve Wasserman at Kneerim & Williams
(world English).
MEMOIR:
Actress Stefanie Powers's ONE FROM THE HART, with NYT bestselling author
Richard Buskin, covering the author's career that commenced during the
last days of the star-studded studio system; her extensive, ongoing
involvement with wildlife conservation; and her close relationship with
the talented but troubled Oscar-winning actor, William Holden, to
Mitchell Ivers at Pocket, by Frank Weimann at The Literary Group (world).
Musician John Forté's memoir about his life and career, including his
journey from Brownsville, Brooklyn to Phillips Exeter to The Fugees,
followed by over seven years in prison for drug trafficking before
having his sentence commuted by President Bush last November, to David
Rosenthal at Simon & Schuster, with Sarah Hochman editing, for
publication in spring 2010, by Ed Victor at Ed Victor Ltd. (world
English).
NARRATIVE:
Popular Science editor Seth Fletcher's BOTTLED LIGHTNING, a narrative
account of the advent of the lithium-ion battery and the technological
and cultural transformations it has enabled -- including the rapid
miniaturization of consumer electronics, culminating in the cellphone,
laptop and the iPhone; the resurrection of the electric car, starting
with GM's moon-shot, the Chevy Volt; and the impending clean-energy
revolution -- along with the resource struggles and geopolitical drama
that could accompany the rise of the lithium economy, to Joseph
Wisnovsky at Farrar, Straus, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman
Literary (world English).
National Outdoor Book Award winner Lou Ureneck's CABIN: Two Brothers, a
Dream and Five Acres in Maine, in which the author, through chronicling
the building of a small cabin in the Maine woods with his brother, tells
a deeper story about home, family, the knockdowns and disappointments
that middle age bring, and the healing power of nature, to Paul Slovak
at Viking Penguin, for publication in 2011, by Jill Kneerim at Kneerim &
Williams (world).
Wrap...
Monday, May 11, 2009
FBI Censors Book Manuscript....
From Secrecy News:
COURT REBUFFS FBI CENSORSHIP OF MANUSCRIPT
A federal court last week rejected most of the objections raised by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to publication of a 500-page manuscript critical of the FBI counterterrorism program that was written by retired FBI Special Agent Robert G. Wright. The manuscript had been submitted for pre-publication review in October 2001.
"This is a sad and discouraging tale," wrote Judge Gladys Kessler in a May 6 order (pdf), referring to the FBI's handling of the manuscript.
"In its efforts to suppress this information, the FBI repeatedly changed its position, presented formalistic objections to release of various portions of the documents in question, admitted finally that much of the material it sought to suppress was in fact in the public domain and had been all along, and now concedes that several of the reasons it originally offered for censorship no longer have any validity," Judge Kessler observed.
The 41-page, partially redacted court ruling reviewed the facts of the pre-publication review dispute as well as the legal standards for official censorship of such materials, and dismissed all but one government objection to the manuscript. The court also dismissed other government objections to release of written answers to interview questions submitted by then-New York Times reporter Judith Miller.
Wrap...
COURT REBUFFS FBI CENSORSHIP OF MANUSCRIPT
A federal court last week rejected most of the objections raised by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to publication of a 500-page manuscript critical of the FBI counterterrorism program that was written by retired FBI Special Agent Robert G. Wright. The manuscript had been submitted for pre-publication review in October 2001.
"This is a sad and discouraging tale," wrote Judge Gladys Kessler in a May 6 order (pdf), referring to the FBI's handling of the manuscript.
"In its efforts to suppress this information, the FBI repeatedly changed its position, presented formalistic objections to release of various portions of the documents in question, admitted finally that much of the material it sought to suppress was in fact in the public domain and had been all along, and now concedes that several of the reasons it originally offered for censorship no longer have any validity," Judge Kessler observed.
The 41-page, partially redacted court ruling reviewed the facts of the pre-publication review dispute as well as the legal standards for official censorship of such materials, and dismissed all but one government objection to the manuscript. The court also dismissed other government objections to release of written answers to interview questions submitted by then-New York Times reporter Judith Miller.
Wrap...
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Some Fascinating Books On the Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
Neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd's AFTER THE FALL, which follows the origin and fallout of an unexpected affair as told through the eyes of two young, seemingly perfect married couples, to Jackie Montalvo at Doubleday, at auction, by Stephanie Abou at Foundry Literary + Media, on behalf of Curtis Brown Australia (NA).
Foreign: pippa@curtisbrown.com.au
Ernessa Carter's 32 CANDLES, a fairytale of how the town's ugly duckling escapes Mississippi, reinvents herself as a beautiful lounge singer in LA, where, several years later, she runs into her high school crush; unaware of her true identity, he finds himself as in love with her as she once was with him, to Dawn Davis at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Sarah Jane Freymann at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency (World English).
THRILLER:
Authors of SHOOTER and KILL ZONE Jack Coughlin and Donald Davis's fourth book in the NYT bestselling Sniper novel series, in which hero Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson is imprisoned and made to look like the perpetrator of a civilian massacre in Pakistan, and must escape, find the engineers of his capture, and recover his honor, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, for publication in 2011, by Jim Hornfischer at Hornfischer Literary Management (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Priya Parmar's debut THE ORANGE GIRL, with a unique take on the life of Eleanor Gwynn, and her relationship with King Charles II, to Danielle Friedman at Touchstone Fireside, by Tamar Ellman Rydzinski at Laura Dail Literary Agency (North America).
Author of the NYT bestseller OBEDIENCE Will Lavender's DOMINANCE, in which a renowned literature professor -- and convicted murderer -- teaches a controversial night class from his prison cell, and years later aids a former student in her desperate attempt to solve the next generation of murders as the students from the infamous night class are picked off one by one, to Sarah Knight at Shaye Areheart Books, by Laney Katz Becker of Folio Literary Management (World).
CHILDREN'S/PICTURE BOOK:
NYT bestseller and Newbery Medal winner for GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES!, Laura Amy Schlitz's PRINCESS CORA AND THE CROCODILE, the story of a mischievous princess whose pet crocodile, a gift from her fairy godmother, causes much havoc at the royal place, to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick, by Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary + Media (world English).
Foreign: Stephanie Abou
UK:
Pseudonymous Swede Lars Kepler's crime novel THE HYPNOTIST, to Patrick Janson-Smith at Blue Door, at auction, for two books, for likely publication in 2010, by Susanne Widen at Bonnier.
Rights to Claudia Muller at Lubbe in Germany, for one book; to Marjolein Schurink at De Bezige Bij in Holland; to Johannes Riis at Gyldendal in Denmark, for two books; to Marianne Fugelsø Nilssen at Cappelen Damm in Norway, for two books; to Jorge Oakim at Intrinseca in Brazil, for two books; and to Forlagid in Iceland, for one book. Bonnier reports pending offers in eight more territories.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Jeffrey Meyers's JOHN HUSTON, a biography of the acclaimed and charismatic director of "The Maltese Falcon," "The Treasure of Sierra Madre," and the "The Misfits" among others, detailing his colorful, Hemingway-esque life, to Charlie Conrad at Broadway, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group.
COOKING:
Clara Cannucciari with Chris Cannucciari's CLARA'S KITCHEN: Wisdom, Memories and Recipes from the Great Depression, words of wisdom to buck up America's spirits and recipes to keep the wolf from the door by a 93-year-old great-grandmother who has become a YouTube sensation and swept national media with "Great Depression Cooking with Clara," a YouTube cooking show shot by her filmmaker grandson Chris, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, at auction, for publication in October 2009, by Sharon Bowers at The Miller Agency (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
NYT reporter and WP op-ed columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr.'s THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT, covering the entire span of American history, to Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury, by Gail Ross at Gail Ross Literary Agency.
MEMOIR:
Josh Sundquist's EVERY BIT OF GRACE, the story of how when he was 9 years old, Ewing's Sarcoma, a virulent strain of cancer, claimed his left leg; his amazing journey takes him from his religious up-bringing in a small Southern town, and culminates with him skiing in the Paralympics in Turin, to Josh Kendall at Viking Penguin, for publication in February 2010, by Paul Cirone at Friedrich Agency (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Former federal agent Robert Mazur's THE INFILTRATOR: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel, a true story of global money laundering, an international drug empire, and justice served, to Junie Dahn at Little, Brown, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic. Film rights optioned to 2929 Productions.
SCIENCE:
38-year-old biologist and "virus hunter," named to Popular Science's Brilliant 10 in 2005 and to Rolling Stone's Top 100 Agents of Change for 2009, Nathan Wolfe's THE VIRAL STORM, trying to "tie together some of the most important events in the history of our species," showing how viruses and humans have evolved side-by-side, but also how viruses have often had the upper hand, arguing that outbreaks like the current swine flu pandemic are due as much to humans invading the world of viruses as the inverse, and discussing how we can fight back, to Robin Dennis at Times Books, reportedly in a six-figure deal, for publication in early 2012, by Max Brockman at Brockman (NA).
Wrap....
FICTION/DEBUT:
Neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd's AFTER THE FALL, which follows the origin and fallout of an unexpected affair as told through the eyes of two young, seemingly perfect married couples, to Jackie Montalvo at Doubleday, at auction, by Stephanie Abou at Foundry Literary + Media, on behalf of Curtis Brown Australia (NA).
Foreign: pippa@curtisbrown.com.au
Ernessa Carter's 32 CANDLES, a fairytale of how the town's ugly duckling escapes Mississippi, reinvents herself as a beautiful lounge singer in LA, where, several years later, she runs into her high school crush; unaware of her true identity, he finds himself as in love with her as she once was with him, to Dawn Davis at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Sarah Jane Freymann at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency (World English).
THRILLER:
Authors of SHOOTER and KILL ZONE Jack Coughlin and Donald Davis's fourth book in the NYT bestselling Sniper novel series, in which hero Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson is imprisoned and made to look like the perpetrator of a civilian massacre in Pakistan, and must escape, find the engineers of his capture, and recover his honor, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, for publication in 2011, by Jim Hornfischer at Hornfischer Literary Management (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Priya Parmar's debut THE ORANGE GIRL, with a unique take on the life of Eleanor Gwynn, and her relationship with King Charles II, to Danielle Friedman at Touchstone Fireside, by Tamar Ellman Rydzinski at Laura Dail Literary Agency (North America).
Author of the NYT bestseller OBEDIENCE Will Lavender's DOMINANCE, in which a renowned literature professor -- and convicted murderer -- teaches a controversial night class from his prison cell, and years later aids a former student in her desperate attempt to solve the next generation of murders as the students from the infamous night class are picked off one by one, to Sarah Knight at Shaye Areheart Books, by Laney Katz Becker of Folio Literary Management (World).
CHILDREN'S/PICTURE BOOK:
NYT bestseller and Newbery Medal winner for GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES!, Laura Amy Schlitz's PRINCESS CORA AND THE CROCODILE, the story of a mischievous princess whose pet crocodile, a gift from her fairy godmother, causes much havoc at the royal place, to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick, by Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary + Media (world English).
Foreign: Stephanie Abou
UK:
Pseudonymous Swede Lars Kepler's crime novel THE HYPNOTIST, to Patrick Janson-Smith at Blue Door, at auction, for two books, for likely publication in 2010, by Susanne Widen at Bonnier.
Rights to Claudia Muller at Lubbe in Germany, for one book; to Marjolein Schurink at De Bezige Bij in Holland; to Johannes Riis at Gyldendal in Denmark, for two books; to Marianne Fugelsø Nilssen at Cappelen Damm in Norway, for two books; to Jorge Oakim at Intrinseca in Brazil, for two books; and to Forlagid in Iceland, for one book. Bonnier reports pending offers in eight more territories.
NON-FICTION/BIOGRAPHY:
Jeffrey Meyers's JOHN HUSTON, a biography of the acclaimed and charismatic director of "The Maltese Falcon," "The Treasure of Sierra Madre," and the "The Misfits" among others, detailing his colorful, Hemingway-esque life, to Charlie Conrad at Broadway, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group.
COOKING:
Clara Cannucciari with Chris Cannucciari's CLARA'S KITCHEN: Wisdom, Memories and Recipes from the Great Depression, words of wisdom to buck up America's spirits and recipes to keep the wolf from the door by a 93-year-old great-grandmother who has become a YouTube sensation and swept national media with "Great Depression Cooking with Clara," a YouTube cooking show shot by her filmmaker grandson Chris, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, at auction, for publication in October 2009, by Sharon Bowers at The Miller Agency (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
NYT reporter and WP op-ed columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr.'s THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT, covering the entire span of American history, to Anton Mueller at Bloomsbury, by Gail Ross at Gail Ross Literary Agency.
MEMOIR:
Josh Sundquist's EVERY BIT OF GRACE, the story of how when he was 9 years old, Ewing's Sarcoma, a virulent strain of cancer, claimed his left leg; his amazing journey takes him from his religious up-bringing in a small Southern town, and culminates with him skiing in the Paralympics in Turin, to Josh Kendall at Viking Penguin, for publication in February 2010, by Paul Cirone at Friedrich Agency (NA).
NARRATIVE:
Former federal agent Robert Mazur's THE INFILTRATOR: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel, a true story of global money laundering, an international drug empire, and justice served, to Junie Dahn at Little, Brown, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic. Film rights optioned to 2929 Productions.
SCIENCE:
38-year-old biologist and "virus hunter," named to Popular Science's Brilliant 10 in 2005 and to Rolling Stone's Top 100 Agents of Change for 2009, Nathan Wolfe's THE VIRAL STORM, trying to "tie together some of the most important events in the history of our species," showing how viruses and humans have evolved side-by-side, but also how viruses have often had the upper hand, arguing that outbreaks like the current swine flu pandemic are due as much to humans invading the world of viruses as the inverse, and discussing how we can fight back, to Robin Dennis at Times Books, reportedly in a six-figure deal, for publication in early 2012, by Max Brockman at Brockman (NA).
Wrap....
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
On the matter of Intelligence....
From Keith Taylor:
The Bush administration justified its invasion of a country which posed no threat to us because “everybody” believed the intelligence. Not everybody. Navy Times published this early in the current Gulf War. KRT
CRYSTAL BALLS AND VOODOO ESPIONAGE
by
Keith Taylor
I always figured that the most important part of intelligence would be intelligence. Now it shares top billing with loyalty. Both have been taken to new levels. Loyalty has been taken a level up, intelligence a level down.
I have a bit of an insight into this intelligence business because I was once a spy, sort of. The Navy designated me a cryptologist as a young lad of 18 and I worked in that field for 22 years, nine months and 11 days. Although it sounds impressive and I brag about it a bit, cryptologist is not much more than a highfalutin word. Mostly I was a specialist in radio things. We listened to radio signals not meant for us.
Other guys were supposed to figure out what those signals meant regardless of whether it was good news -- or, more importantly, unexpected news. Intelligence is often not conclusive. Folks have to infer things from bits and snips of data collected from here and there. Still the information should be based on what is most likely to be true.
But things don’t always work the way they’re supposed to work. One thing I learned was that no matter how important the job or how many brains it took to do it, the guys who crank out intelligence are humans just like us regular guys. Even people with high IQs share our very human trait of wanting recognition, even praise, for their work. Few things bring praise faster than telling the boss what he wants to hear. And it’s there for the taking. Like looking into a crystal ball, a zealous analyst can infer all sorts of things from nebulous information.
Is there any other way to receive lavish praise from a superior than to tell him what he wants to know? Better yet is there any way to be considered loyal. Our new CIA director, Porter Goss is the one who promoted loyalty to a new level. He is even said to have told the CIA to purge those considered disloyal in favor of those who support the Bush policy in a war – a war that’s gone awry because of poor intelligence by the way.
Looking at the changes being made in our top spy outfit I fear that poor intelligence will soon give way to no intelligence. Sure Goss claimed his spooks would be pure “We provide the intelligence as we see it, and let the facts alone speak to the policy maker.”
Sounds great but he also said “We do not identify with, support or champion opposition to the administration or its policies.”
What would a trained analyst would infer from that bit of information?
I was always told that the best immediate use of intelligence was to win battles. The Battle of Midway is often used as an example of the value of knowing what the enemy was going to do. Information gleaned from radio intercepts indicated Japan would attack Midway in early 1942.
Other information, much of it suggested by Japanese actions, indicated the attack would be on the Aleutians. Admiral Chester Nimitz had to make a choice. He couldn’t defend both because his fleet was decimated after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was under pressure from Washington to defend the Alaskan islands.
If he guessed wrong his career would be over. He made a choice based on the reliability and honesty of his top cryptologist, Commander Joseph Rochfort. Nimitz defended Midway and surprised the Japanese fleet which was trying to surprise us. We won the battle and probably shortened the war by a couple years.
What if he had felt his loyalty would have been to skew the intelligence to agree with his bosses?
I would offer some advice to those who crank out intelligence and those who provide guidance to them. It was the best I ever received. In 1947 an old boatswain’s mate, apparently cut from a different cloth than most nabobs, told me, “Let’s stop this damned beating around the bush and you tell me the *$%^(^$ truth! This is getting serious!”
So is this boats. I wonder there is anybody in the spooky world of espionage today like the old boatswain’s mate? My crystal ball is ominously murky on the subject.
*************************
//Keith Taylor is retired from the Navy after 23 years as an enlisted man and as an officer in the field of cryptology. He can be reached at krtaylorxyz@aol.com //
Wrap...
The Bush administration justified its invasion of a country which posed no threat to us because “everybody” believed the intelligence. Not everybody. Navy Times published this early in the current Gulf War. KRT
CRYSTAL BALLS AND VOODOO ESPIONAGE
by
Keith Taylor
I always figured that the most important part of intelligence would be intelligence. Now it shares top billing with loyalty. Both have been taken to new levels. Loyalty has been taken a level up, intelligence a level down.
I have a bit of an insight into this intelligence business because I was once a spy, sort of. The Navy designated me a cryptologist as a young lad of 18 and I worked in that field for 22 years, nine months and 11 days. Although it sounds impressive and I brag about it a bit, cryptologist is not much more than a highfalutin word. Mostly I was a specialist in radio things. We listened to radio signals not meant for us.
Other guys were supposed to figure out what those signals meant regardless of whether it was good news -- or, more importantly, unexpected news. Intelligence is often not conclusive. Folks have to infer things from bits and snips of data collected from here and there. Still the information should be based on what is most likely to be true.
But things don’t always work the way they’re supposed to work. One thing I learned was that no matter how important the job or how many brains it took to do it, the guys who crank out intelligence are humans just like us regular guys. Even people with high IQs share our very human trait of wanting recognition, even praise, for their work. Few things bring praise faster than telling the boss what he wants to hear. And it’s there for the taking. Like looking into a crystal ball, a zealous analyst can infer all sorts of things from nebulous information.
Is there any other way to receive lavish praise from a superior than to tell him what he wants to know? Better yet is there any way to be considered loyal. Our new CIA director, Porter Goss is the one who promoted loyalty to a new level. He is even said to have told the CIA to purge those considered disloyal in favor of those who support the Bush policy in a war – a war that’s gone awry because of poor intelligence by the way.
Looking at the changes being made in our top spy outfit I fear that poor intelligence will soon give way to no intelligence. Sure Goss claimed his spooks would be pure “We provide the intelligence as we see it, and let the facts alone speak to the policy maker.”
Sounds great but he also said “We do not identify with, support or champion opposition to the administration or its policies.”
What would a trained analyst would infer from that bit of information?
I was always told that the best immediate use of intelligence was to win battles. The Battle of Midway is often used as an example of the value of knowing what the enemy was going to do. Information gleaned from radio intercepts indicated Japan would attack Midway in early 1942.
Other information, much of it suggested by Japanese actions, indicated the attack would be on the Aleutians. Admiral Chester Nimitz had to make a choice. He couldn’t defend both because his fleet was decimated after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was under pressure from Washington to defend the Alaskan islands.
If he guessed wrong his career would be over. He made a choice based on the reliability and honesty of his top cryptologist, Commander Joseph Rochfort. Nimitz defended Midway and surprised the Japanese fleet which was trying to surprise us. We won the battle and probably shortened the war by a couple years.
What if he had felt his loyalty would have been to skew the intelligence to agree with his bosses?
I would offer some advice to those who crank out intelligence and those who provide guidance to them. It was the best I ever received. In 1947 an old boatswain’s mate, apparently cut from a different cloth than most nabobs, told me, “Let’s stop this damned beating around the bush and you tell me the *$%^(^$ truth! This is getting serious!”
So is this boats. I wonder there is anybody in the spooky world of espionage today like the old boatswain’s mate? My crystal ball is ominously murky on the subject.
*************************
//Keith Taylor is retired from the Navy after 23 years as an enlisted man and as an officer in the field of cryptology. He can be reached at krtaylorxyz@aol.com //
Wrap...
Monday, May 04, 2009
US Troops doing the forbidden....
From Al Jazeera:
US soldiers have been encouraged to spread the message of their Christian faith among Afghanistan's predominantly Muslim population, video footage obtained by Al Jazeera appears to show.
Military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram were also filmed with bibles printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.
In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, is seen telling soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him".
[Use link below to continue reading]
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/05/200953201315854832.html
Wrap...
US soldiers have been encouraged to spread the message of their Christian faith among Afghanistan's predominantly Muslim population, video footage obtained by Al Jazeera appears to show.
Military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram were also filmed with bibles printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.
In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, is seen telling soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him".
[Use link below to continue reading]
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/05/200953201315854832.html
Wrap...
Friday, May 01, 2009
These Settlements Are Bad News...
From Secrecy News:
A "SECRET" DATABASE OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
Last January 30, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz disclosed a secret Israeli government database on settlements in the occupied West Bank, and posted the Hebrew text (pdf) of the database on their website. Last month, the ODNI Open Source Center completed an English translation of the 200-page document. Secrecy News obtained a copy of the translation (pdf) which we are publishing today.
The database provides a concise description of each of the dozens of settlements, including their location, legal status, population, and even the origins of their names, which are often Biblically-inspired. Crucially, the database makes clear that unauthorized and illegal construction activity has taken place in most of the settlements.
"An analysis of the data reveals that, in the vast majority of the settlements - about 75 percent - construction, sometimes on a large scale, has been carried out without the appropriate permits or contrary to the permits that were issued," according to the Haaretz account. "The database also shows that, in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure (roads, schools, synagogues, yeshivas and even police stations) has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents."
A copy of the database had been requested by Israeli citizens groups under that country's freedom of information law, but release was denied by the Defense Ministry. Haaretz obtained a copy independently and, notwithstanding Israel's military censorship apparatus, proceeded to publish it. See "Secret Israeli Database Reveals Full Extent of Illegal Settlement" by Uri Blau, Haaretz, February 1, 2009.
The English translation of the settlement database prepared by the ODNI Open Source Center is now available here. A copy of the Hebrew original is here.
Wrap...
A "SECRET" DATABASE OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
Last January 30, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz disclosed a secret Israeli government database on settlements in the occupied West Bank, and posted the Hebrew text (pdf) of the database on their website. Last month, the ODNI Open Source Center completed an English translation of the 200-page document. Secrecy News obtained a copy of the translation (pdf) which we are publishing today.
The database provides a concise description of each of the dozens of settlements, including their location, legal status, population, and even the origins of their names, which are often Biblically-inspired. Crucially, the database makes clear that unauthorized and illegal construction activity has taken place in most of the settlements.
"An analysis of the data reveals that, in the vast majority of the settlements - about 75 percent - construction, sometimes on a large scale, has been carried out without the appropriate permits or contrary to the permits that were issued," according to the Haaretz account. "The database also shows that, in more than 30 settlements, extensive construction of buildings and infrastructure (roads, schools, synagogues, yeshivas and even police stations) has been carried out on private lands belonging to Palestinian West Bank residents."
A copy of the database had been requested by Israeli citizens groups under that country's freedom of information law, but release was denied by the Defense Ministry. Haaretz obtained a copy independently and, notwithstanding Israel's military censorship apparatus, proceeded to publish it. See "Secret Israeli Database Reveals Full Extent of Illegal Settlement" by Uri Blau, Haaretz, February 1, 2009.
The English translation of the settlement database prepared by the ODNI Open Source Center is now available here. A copy of the Hebrew original is here.
Wrap...
San Diego Does Not Exist....
There's a situation that is just driving me nuts: Take a look at Calitics post on the Field Poll. Like too many others to count, it completely omits San Diego. We're the 8th largest city in the United States, but it's as though we simply do not exist. And that totally torques me. Is there anyone out there who has an explanation for this continual omitting? If so, I'd sure like to hear what the hell it is.
http://calitics.com/diary/8728/field-poll-reveals-shocking-data-on-approval-numbers
{Here is the poll. Take a look.}
Wrap....
http://calitics.com/diary/8728/field-poll-reveals-shocking-data-on-approval-numbers
{Here is the poll. Take a look.}
Wrap....
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
What A Mix of Coming Books!!!
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Author of CALAMITY AND OTHER STORIES Daphne Kalotay's RUSSIAN WINTER, set in present day Boston and in Moscow after WWII, telling the story of one of the Soviet Union's greatest ballerinas prior to her defection in 1952 in the face of a terrible betrayal -- who decides to auction her famed jewelry collection, including the rare amber suite that may hold the key to a long-held secret, an event that sets into motion a contemporary academic mystery, and a historical tale charting her rise to stardom and the slow erosion of her closest friendships and her greatest love under the repression of the Stalinist regime, to Jonathan Burnham and Claire Wachtel at Harper, and Iris Tupholme at Harper Canada, at auction, by Dorian Karchmar at the William Morris Agency (NA).
Pushcart Prize nominee Tatjana Soli's THE LOTUS EATERS, following an American combat photographer covering the Vietnam War as she captures the chaos of the conflict on film, breaks into the "man's world" of war photojournalism, and finds herself torn between the love of two men, to Hilary Rubin Teeman at St. Martin's, at auction, by Nat Sobel and Sobel Weber Associates (NA).
Ellen Bryson's HUNGRY, about the lives and unexpected romances of the human Prodigies -- including the Living Skeleton and the Bearded Lady -- at PT Barnum's American Museum in the New York of 1865, to Helen Atsma at Holt, at auction, for publication in Summer 2010, by Mollie Glick at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Sarah Graves' STRANGLEHOLD and DEADSPACE, books 14 and 15 in the Home Repair Is Homicide mystery series, placing home repair newbie Jacobia 'Jake' Tiptree in even more precarious situations in the dark spaces and hiding places of rural Maine -- with nuanced home repair tidbits, naturally -- again to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Christina Hogrebe at Jane Rotrosen Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Kieran Kramer's THE IMPOSSIBLE BACHELORS series, focusing on four Regency-era bachelors commanded by the Prince Regent to participate in a bet to see who among them will remain unwed another year, to Jennifer Enderlin at St. Martin's, in a four-book deal, for publication in spring 2010, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (world).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Anjali Banerjee's novel of magical realism, HAUNTING JASMINE in which a recently divorced Indo-American woman travels to a Pacific Northwest island to run her eccentric great aunt's mysterious bookstore, where she discovers a latent ability to communicate with the spirits of dead authors that inhabit the shop; spirits that help her make the bookstore prosperous, mend family relationships, and learn the many turns love can take, to Wendy McCurdy at Berkley, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world English).
Screenwriter and author of the original screenplay for BLADE RUNNER Hampton Fancher's untitled story collection for publication in Spring 2011, and a memoir to follow, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, by Steve Fisher at APA (world).
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Jenny Woolf's THE MYSTERY OF LEWIS CARROLL, a new look at the life of the creator of the Alice books using family letters and documents heretofore unseen, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2010 to coincide with the release of Tim Burton's all-star production of "Alice In Wonderland," by Andrew Lownie at the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency (NA).
NYU Stern School of Business professor William Silber's PAUL VOLCKER, CENTRAL BANKER, based on exclusive interviews with Volcker and access to thousands of documents from his career, the definitive professional biography of the former Fed Chairman and an inside account of many defining moments in the economic history of the last half-century, including those unfolding in our current day, to Peter Ginna at Bloomsbury Press, by Eric Lupfer at the William Morris Agency (world English).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
J.C. Carleson's CIA MBA: Business Tips from the Clandestine World, by an author who left the corporate world to become an undercover CIA officer, about developing the skills used by operatives to gather intelligence, and applying them in a corporate setting (without breaking the law), to David Moldawer at Portfolio, by Jessica Regel at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
The Prince of Wales's HARMONY, an analysis of how we view the world today, arguing that in our relentless pursuit of economic growth and technological progress we have become dangerously disconnected from nature, encouraging us to restore the lost balance between man and nature and to follow a more philosophical path which reconnects humankind with ancient wisdom and intuition, to Jonathan Burnham and Lisa Sharkey at Harper, with Matt Harper in the US and Myles Archibald in UK editing, with Patrick Janson-Smith publishing through Blue Door in the UK, on an exclusive submission, for publication in 2010, and a picture book version for publication in 2011, to Katherine Tegen, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly (world).
Lieutenant Colonel (USAR) Anthony Shaffer's account, written with Washington Post writer Jacqui Salmon, of his Jack Bauer-like black ops work in Afghanistan, offering raw, on-the-ground story-telling and compelling evidence as to how to win in that country, arguing that the way to victory does not include sending in more ground troops, to Thomas Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, by Deborah Grosvenor at Kneerim & Williams (World).
MEMOIR:
King Abdullah II of Jordan's THE LAST BEST CHANCE: An Intimate Account of the Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril, promising "a full and frank reckoning with the most explosive issues he faces," writing from "a conviction that a window of opportunity now exists for peace in the region, coupled with a fear that this window is closing rapidly," to Clare Ferraro at Viking Penguin, with Joy de Menil editing, for publication in May 2010, by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency (world English).
Arizona Cardinals quarterback and 2008 NFL Man of the Year Kurt Warner and Brenda Warner's FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Rules of Being a Warner, an intimate, no-holds-barred look at life inside the Warner household, their marriage, and the fun and challenges of raising seven kids, focusing on the family values of family, faith, and giving to others, to Carol Traver at Tyndale, for publication in June 2009, by Scott Waxman and Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency, in association with Rob Lefko at Priority Sports & Entertainment (NA).
SCIENCE:
Physicist and author of FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM Amir Aczel's C.E.R.N.: The World's Greatest Experiment, a firsthand account of how the most powerful particle accelerator ever built is discovering the as yet unresolved mysteries of the atom, to John Glusman at Harmony, in a good deal, by Al Zuckerman at Writers House (world).
Wrap...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Author of CALAMITY AND OTHER STORIES Daphne Kalotay's RUSSIAN WINTER, set in present day Boston and in Moscow after WWII, telling the story of one of the Soviet Union's greatest ballerinas prior to her defection in 1952 in the face of a terrible betrayal -- who decides to auction her famed jewelry collection, including the rare amber suite that may hold the key to a long-held secret, an event that sets into motion a contemporary academic mystery, and a historical tale charting her rise to stardom and the slow erosion of her closest friendships and her greatest love under the repression of the Stalinist regime, to Jonathan Burnham and Claire Wachtel at Harper, and Iris Tupholme at Harper Canada, at auction, by Dorian Karchmar at the William Morris Agency (NA).
Pushcart Prize nominee Tatjana Soli's THE LOTUS EATERS, following an American combat photographer covering the Vietnam War as she captures the chaos of the conflict on film, breaks into the "man's world" of war photojournalism, and finds herself torn between the love of two men, to Hilary Rubin Teeman at St. Martin's, at auction, by Nat Sobel and Sobel Weber Associates (NA).
Ellen Bryson's HUNGRY, about the lives and unexpected romances of the human Prodigies -- including the Living Skeleton and the Bearded Lady -- at PT Barnum's American Museum in the New York of 1865, to Helen Atsma at Holt, at auction, for publication in Summer 2010, by Mollie Glick at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Sarah Graves' STRANGLEHOLD and DEADSPACE, books 14 and 15 in the Home Repair Is Homicide mystery series, placing home repair newbie Jacobia 'Jake' Tiptree in even more precarious situations in the dark spaces and hiding places of rural Maine -- with nuanced home repair tidbits, naturally -- again to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Christina Hogrebe at Jane Rotrosen Agency (NA).
WOMEN'S/ROMANCE:
Kieran Kramer's THE IMPOSSIBLE BACHELORS series, focusing on four Regency-era bachelors commanded by the Prince Regent to participate in a bet to see who among them will remain unwed another year, to Jennifer Enderlin at St. Martin's, in a four-book deal, for publication in spring 2010, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (world).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Anjali Banerjee's novel of magical realism, HAUNTING JASMINE in which a recently divorced Indo-American woman travels to a Pacific Northwest island to run her eccentric great aunt's mysterious bookstore, where she discovers a latent ability to communicate with the spirits of dead authors that inhabit the shop; spirits that help her make the bookstore prosperous, mend family relationships, and learn the many turns love can take, to Wendy McCurdy at Berkley, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world English).
Screenwriter and author of the original screenplay for BLADE RUNNER Hampton Fancher's untitled story collection for publication in Spring 2011, and a memoir to follow, to Sarah Hochman at Simon & Schuster, by Steve Fisher at APA (world).
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Jenny Woolf's THE MYSTERY OF LEWIS CARROLL, a new look at the life of the creator of the Alice books using family letters and documents heretofore unseen, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2010 to coincide with the release of Tim Burton's all-star production of "Alice In Wonderland," by Andrew Lownie at the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency (NA).
NYU Stern School of Business professor William Silber's PAUL VOLCKER, CENTRAL BANKER, based on exclusive interviews with Volcker and access to thousands of documents from his career, the definitive professional biography of the former Fed Chairman and an inside account of many defining moments in the economic history of the last half-century, including those unfolding in our current day, to Peter Ginna at Bloomsbury Press, by Eric Lupfer at the William Morris Agency (world English).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
J.C. Carleson's CIA MBA: Business Tips from the Clandestine World, by an author who left the corporate world to become an undercover CIA officer, about developing the skills used by operatives to gather intelligence, and applying them in a corporate setting (without breaking the law), to David Moldawer at Portfolio, by Jessica Regel at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
The Prince of Wales's HARMONY, an analysis of how we view the world today, arguing that in our relentless pursuit of economic growth and technological progress we have become dangerously disconnected from nature, encouraging us to restore the lost balance between man and nature and to follow a more philosophical path which reconnects humankind with ancient wisdom and intuition, to Jonathan Burnham and Lisa Sharkey at Harper, with Matt Harper in the US and Myles Archibald in UK editing, with Patrick Janson-Smith publishing through Blue Door in the UK, on an exclusive submission, for publication in 2010, and a picture book version for publication in 2011, to Katherine Tegen, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly (world).
Lieutenant Colonel (USAR) Anthony Shaffer's account, written with Washington Post writer Jacqui Salmon, of his Jack Bauer-like black ops work in Afghanistan, offering raw, on-the-ground story-telling and compelling evidence as to how to win in that country, arguing that the way to victory does not include sending in more ground troops, to Thomas Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, by Deborah Grosvenor at Kneerim & Williams (World).
MEMOIR:
King Abdullah II of Jordan's THE LAST BEST CHANCE: An Intimate Account of the Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril, promising "a full and frank reckoning with the most explosive issues he faces," writing from "a conviction that a window of opportunity now exists for peace in the region, coupled with a fear that this window is closing rapidly," to Clare Ferraro at Viking Penguin, with Joy de Menil editing, for publication in May 2010, by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency (world English).
Arizona Cardinals quarterback and 2008 NFL Man of the Year Kurt Warner and Brenda Warner's FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Rules of Being a Warner, an intimate, no-holds-barred look at life inside the Warner household, their marriage, and the fun and challenges of raising seven kids, focusing on the family values of family, faith, and giving to others, to Carol Traver at Tyndale, for publication in June 2009, by Scott Waxman and Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency, in association with Rob Lefko at Priority Sports & Entertainment (NA).
SCIENCE:
Physicist and author of FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM Amir Aczel's C.E.R.N.: The World's Greatest Experiment, a firsthand account of how the most powerful particle accelerator ever built is discovering the as yet unresolved mysteries of the atom, to John Glusman at Harmony, in a good deal, by Al Zuckerman at Writers House (world).
Wrap...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Where writers live...
From the NY Times:
Irish Cottage Becomes Authors’ Home
By LIZA FOREMAN
Published: April 28, 2009
DALKEY, Ireland
It is a half-hour train ride from Dublin to Dalkey, a wind-swept seaside village favored by many of Ireland’s elite, including the best-selling novelist Maeve Binchy.
Mrs. Binchy, 68, and her husband, the children’s book writer Gordon Snell, 76, live in a brick cottage built in 1847, on a winding road near the train station, several trendy restaurants and a traditional Irish pub that is often more convenient for meals than their diminutive kitchen. “If we are in the hallway next to the front door, I will often say to Gordon, ‘Come on, let’s go to the pub. It’s closer,’ ” Mrs. Binchy said.
When the couple bought the house, called Pollyvilla, in 1980, it was a one-story, red-brick cottage with four small rooms and a narrow kitchen and bathroom. They were living in London and intended to use the house on weekends and, eventually, to retire there. The choice of location was an easy decision: Mrs. Binchy was born in Dalkey and much of her family still lives here.
“We were complete eejits when we found the home,” she said, using Irish slang for idiot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/greathomesanddestinations/29gh-ireland.html?hpw
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Irish Cottage Becomes Authors’ Home
By LIZA FOREMAN
Published: April 28, 2009
DALKEY, Ireland
It is a half-hour train ride from Dublin to Dalkey, a wind-swept seaside village favored by many of Ireland’s elite, including the best-selling novelist Maeve Binchy.
Mrs. Binchy, 68, and her husband, the children’s book writer Gordon Snell, 76, live in a brick cottage built in 1847, on a winding road near the train station, several trendy restaurants and a traditional Irish pub that is often more convenient for meals than their diminutive kitchen. “If we are in the hallway next to the front door, I will often say to Gordon, ‘Come on, let’s go to the pub. It’s closer,’ ” Mrs. Binchy said.
When the couple bought the house, called Pollyvilla, in 1980, it was a one-story, red-brick cottage with four small rooms and a narrow kitchen and bathroom. They were living in London and intended to use the house on weekends and, eventually, to retire there. The choice of location was an easy decision: Mrs. Binchy was born in Dalkey and much of her family still lives here.
“We were complete eejits when we found the home,” she said, using Irish slang for idiot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/greathomesanddestinations/29gh-ireland.html?hpw
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Monday, April 27, 2009
From Secrecy News:
PIRACY, ORGANIZED CRIME, AND MORE FROM CRS
At the direction of Congress, the Congressional Research Service does not make its products directly available to the public. Recent CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf).
"Legal Analysis of Religious Exemptions for Photo Identification Requirements," April 13, 2009.
"Federal Advisory Committees: An Overview," April 16, 2009.
"Piracy Off the Horn of Africa," April 21, 2009.
"FY2009 Spring Supplemental Appropriations for Overseas Contingency Operations," April 17, 2009.
"Organized Crime in the United States: Trends and Issues for Congress," April 16, 2009.
"Disconnected Youth: A Look at 16- to 24-Year Olds Who Are Not Working or In School," April 22, 2009.
Wrap...
PIRACY, ORGANIZED CRIME, AND MORE FROM CRS
At the direction of Congress, the Congressional Research Service does not make its products directly available to the public. Recent CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf).
"Legal Analysis of Religious Exemptions for Photo Identification Requirements," April 13, 2009.
"Federal Advisory Committees: An Overview," April 16, 2009.
"Piracy Off the Horn of Africa," April 21, 2009.
"FY2009 Spring Supplemental Appropriations for Overseas Contingency Operations," April 17, 2009.
"Organized Crime in the United States: Trends and Issues for Congress," April 16, 2009.
"Disconnected Youth: A Look at 16- to 24-Year Olds Who Are Not Working or In School," April 22, 2009.
Wrap...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Docs in Mexico City dying from Swine Flu....
From BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm
I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City
*************
Note: This is just one of many comments in the BBC article. To read more, go to the link above.
Wrap...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm
I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City
*************
Note: This is just one of many comments in the BBC article. To read more, go to the link above.
Wrap...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
GOP...Not American anymore....
From c.j. :
I've come to the conlculsion that Republicans aren't Americans any more; they're just Republicans with an agenda that involves one basic idea: Power. This explains why conservatives can root for the failure of Obama's bailout plans, instead of offering a reasonable alternative. That explains why the Republican members of congress can vote blindly against any Democratic legislation .
They aren't Americans any more and we all have to recognize that we have an alien group posing as the "loyal opposition." The GOP [Greedy Old Party} is no longer loyal to anything but themselves. They are willing to lie about anything to accomplish their one end; return to power. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court is a party to all this, and if you don't believe that, remember who put George Bush in power. I find it very interesting, and telling, that a major contributor to Bush's campaign was Ken Lay, [the Enron criminal] who gave him $250,000.
Wrap...
I've come to the conlculsion that Republicans aren't Americans any more; they're just Republicans with an agenda that involves one basic idea: Power. This explains why conservatives can root for the failure of Obama's bailout plans, instead of offering a reasonable alternative. That explains why the Republican members of congress can vote blindly against any Democratic legislation .
They aren't Americans any more and we all have to recognize that we have an alien group posing as the "loyal opposition." The GOP [Greedy Old Party} is no longer loyal to anything but themselves. They are willing to lie about anything to accomplish their one end; return to power. The conservative majority on the Supreme Court is a party to all this, and if you don't believe that, remember who put George Bush in power. I find it very interesting, and telling, that a major contributor to Bush's campaign was Ken Lay, [the Enron criminal] who gave him $250,000.
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A JJ Book Review....
From Review by JJ (MsRewrite.com)
“The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” from Hyperion, June 2009
This June, readers who love being plunked down in places of long ago are in for a treat. Katherine Howe’s “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” is like a walk in another time. Set part in present day, and part in the Salem of olde, this story wraps the reader in history and transports the imagination to days when the world and women were misunderstood and magic ruled, to a time when smart women were vilified and destroyed out of fear. While closing her mother’s house over a summer and working on her doctoral dissertation, main character Connie Goodwin discovers a key which unlocks powerful Salem secrets, long buried but restless still. As the story unfolded in my mind’s eye, I was transported back to a world of lamplight and superstition where shadows lurk in dark corners. Although I read beneath a bright halogen bulb, the places I saw were lit by the glow of oil lamps or flickering fireplace flames. Characters faded in and out, disappearing into the gloom or appearing suddenly as if conjured wickedly from whole cloth. I envy anyone reading this book for the first time but it’s best done in the quiet of an evening for you won’t want to be disturbed. Katherine Howe’s debut book is one not to be missed.
Wrap...
“The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” from Hyperion, June 2009
This June, readers who love being plunked down in places of long ago are in for a treat. Katherine Howe’s “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” is like a walk in another time. Set part in present day, and part in the Salem of olde, this story wraps the reader in history and transports the imagination to days when the world and women were misunderstood and magic ruled, to a time when smart women were vilified and destroyed out of fear. While closing her mother’s house over a summer and working on her doctoral dissertation, main character Connie Goodwin discovers a key which unlocks powerful Salem secrets, long buried but restless still. As the story unfolded in my mind’s eye, I was transported back to a world of lamplight and superstition where shadows lurk in dark corners. Although I read beneath a bright halogen bulb, the places I saw were lit by the glow of oil lamps or flickering fireplace flames. Characters faded in and out, disappearing into the gloom or appearing suddenly as if conjured wickedly from whole cloth. I envy anyone reading this book for the first time but it’s best done in the quiet of an evening for you won’t want to be disturbed. Katherine Howe’s debut book is one not to be missed.
Wrap...
An Interesting mess of books...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Imogen Robertson's INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS, featuring a reclusive anatomist and a sea captain's wife cum country estate mistress, who combine efforts to discover the truth behind a series of brutal murders all linked to the mysterious Thornleigh Hall, to Pamela Dorman at Pamela Dorman Books, in a two-book deal, by Headline Publishing Group (US).
Jane Morpeth at Review acquired world rights.
Translation: Joanna Kaliszewska at Headline
29-year-old Emma Rathbone's debut novel THE PATTERNS OF PAPER MONSTERS, about an anguished yet observant 17-year-old boy trapped in a juvenile detention center, to Oliver Haslegrave at Reagan Arthur Books, for publication in 2010, by Jim Rutman at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Tiphanie Yanique's HOW TO ESCAPE FROM A LEPER COLONY, a short story collection set mostly in the US Virgin Islands, part oral history, part postcolonial narrative, a loving portrait of a wholly unique place, to Fiona McCrae at Graywolf, for publication in March 2010, by Elise Capron at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Dieter Schlesak's CAPESIUS: the Chemist of Auschwitz, about the personal encounter between victims and perpetrator that used to be next-door neighbors, based on a true story, blending narrative, documentation and flashbacks based on interviews, letters and recordings, to Jonathan Galassi at Farrar, Straus, in a nice deal, by Piergiorgio Nicolazzini at Piergiorgio Nicolazzini Literary Agency (world English).
Translation: piergiorgio.nicolazzini@pnla.it
Author of Dear American Airlines Jonathan Miles' WANT NOT, a darkly comic novel that traces the lives of three characters, a dumpster-diving freegan, a 9/11 widow recently remarried, and a linguistics expert charged with determining a way to warn future generations about this generation's nuclear waste, as each searches for fulfillment amidst the detritus and excess of everyday life until their worlds collide, to Susan Canavan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in 2011, by Sloan Harris at ICM.
UC Irvine MFA and book editor Brando Skyhorse's novel in stories, AMEXICANS, for publication in June 2010, and a memoir, THINGS MY FATHERS TAUGHT ME, for publication in October 2011, to Amber Qureshi at Free Press, at auction, by Susan Golomb at Susan Golomb Agency.
Lisa Moore's FEBRUARY, about complex love and cauterizing grief, set around the disastrous sinking of an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland, to Elisabeth Schmitz at Grove/Atlantic, for publication in February 2010, by House of Anansi Press (US). All other rights are with Anne McDermid Associates.
THE TEN BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE author Adena Halpern's 29, in which a 75-year old woman gets one day of youth, and brings her family together in surprising and inspiring ways, to Trish Lande Grader at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2010, by Brian DeFiore at DeFiore and Company (NA).
NON-FICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
NYT bestselling author of IMPERIAL HUBRIS and MARCHING TOWARD HELL and former head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden Unit Michael Scheuer's OSAMA BIN LADEN: A biography, showing bin Laden to be a talented and ruthless politician and a formidable enemy the West has seriously underestimated, to Tim Bent at Oxford University Press, by Stuart Krichevsky at the Stuart Krichevsky Agency (World).
Whitbread award-winning historian John Guy's biography of Thomas Becket: once a close friend and advisor to Henry II then fierce opponent and martyred victim, the story of one man's fierce resistance to the overwhelming forces of government still resonates today, to John Flicker at Random House, by Grainne Fox at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Peter Robinson in the UK (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Chairman Emeritus of AOL; owner of many sports teams including the Washington Capitals [NHL]; documentary film producer; philanthropist; and serial entrepreneur Ted Leonsis's THE BUSINESS OF HAPPINESS, which explains the connection between personal happiness and professional success, with contributions from major celebrities (Robert Redford, Bono, Ashley Judd, etc.), to Marji Ross at Regnery, by Laney Katz Becker and Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (NA).
COOKING:
Bon Appetit's THE BON APPETIT DESSERTS COOKBOOK, a comprehensive guide to all things sweet and wonderful, with more than 850 recipes, to Kirsty Melville at Andrews McMeel.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal's book about his life, "lessons I've learned throughout my life," and policy ideas, written with Peter Schweizer, to Regnery, for publication in 2010, by Glen Hartley at Writers' Representatives.
Evan Mandery's THE KILLING COURT, the story of two landmark Supreme Court cases: Furman v Georgia in 1972 that abolished the death penalty and Gregg v Georgia that reinstated it a mere four years later, focusing on the people involved: the justices themselves, the lawyers and the plaintiffs; and, what happened in those four years that made the Court "change its mind," to Christopher Lehmann-Haupt at Delphinium, in a nice deal, for publication in 2011, by Janet Reid at FinePrint Literary Management.
MEMOIR:
THE GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI author Dean Faulkner Wells' THE PILOT'S DAUGHTER: A Memoir of the Faulkners of Mississippi, in which William Faulkner's niece tells the story of growing up as the famous author's surrogate daughter, providing insights into both William and the Faulkner family which have never been published, to John Glusman at Harmony, at auction, by Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (NA). Rights: Celeste Fine at Folio Literary Management.
NARRATIVE:
Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson's THE GREAT TYPO HUNT: Changing The World, One Punctuation Error at a Time, in which two young men set off on a quest to right the wrongs of punctuation, and find more than they'd bargained for (the typos become a window into history, education, racism, and life), until they correct one error and fall onto the wrong side of the law, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, in a pre-empt, by Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (World English).
Translation: Celeste Fine of Folio Literary Management
Judy Dutton's SCIENCE FAIR SEASON, detailing the secret lives of kids competing in the high-stakes world of international science fairs and what it takes to win, to Sarah Landis at Hyperion, in a pre-empt, by Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SPORTS:
New York Magazine's sports columnist and the founder of Deadspin.com Will Leitch's BASEBALL 2.0: Fathers, Sons, and the Great Game in the New Century, assessing various beloved aspects of the game -- from umpires (a disproportionate number of whom apparently live with their mothers) to statistical trends, all the while experiencing, with his dad and his buddy, a contest that will decide each team's season, to Will Balliett at Hyperion, for publication on Father's Day 2010, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company (NA).
Wrap...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Imogen Robertson's INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS, featuring a reclusive anatomist and a sea captain's wife cum country estate mistress, who combine efforts to discover the truth behind a series of brutal murders all linked to the mysterious Thornleigh Hall, to Pamela Dorman at Pamela Dorman Books, in a two-book deal, by Headline Publishing Group (US).
Jane Morpeth at Review acquired world rights.
Translation: Joanna Kaliszewska at Headline
29-year-old Emma Rathbone's debut novel THE PATTERNS OF PAPER MONSTERS, about an anguished yet observant 17-year-old boy trapped in a juvenile detention center, to Oliver Haslegrave at Reagan Arthur Books, for publication in 2010, by Jim Rutman at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Tiphanie Yanique's HOW TO ESCAPE FROM A LEPER COLONY, a short story collection set mostly in the US Virgin Islands, part oral history, part postcolonial narrative, a loving portrait of a wholly unique place, to Fiona McCrae at Graywolf, for publication in March 2010, by Elise Capron at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (World).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Dieter Schlesak's CAPESIUS: the Chemist of Auschwitz, about the personal encounter between victims and perpetrator that used to be next-door neighbors, based on a true story, blending narrative, documentation and flashbacks based on interviews, letters and recordings, to Jonathan Galassi at Farrar, Straus, in a nice deal, by Piergiorgio Nicolazzini at Piergiorgio Nicolazzini Literary Agency (world English).
Translation: piergiorgio.nicolazzini@pnla.it
Author of Dear American Airlines Jonathan Miles' WANT NOT, a darkly comic novel that traces the lives of three characters, a dumpster-diving freegan, a 9/11 widow recently remarried, and a linguistics expert charged with determining a way to warn future generations about this generation's nuclear waste, as each searches for fulfillment amidst the detritus and excess of everyday life until their worlds collide, to Susan Canavan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in 2011, by Sloan Harris at ICM.
UC Irvine MFA and book editor Brando Skyhorse's novel in stories, AMEXICANS, for publication in June 2010, and a memoir, THINGS MY FATHERS TAUGHT ME, for publication in October 2011, to Amber Qureshi at Free Press, at auction, by Susan Golomb at Susan Golomb Agency.
Lisa Moore's FEBRUARY, about complex love and cauterizing grief, set around the disastrous sinking of an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland, to Elisabeth Schmitz at Grove/Atlantic, for publication in February 2010, by House of Anansi Press (US). All other rights are with Anne McDermid Associates.
THE TEN BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE author Adena Halpern's 29, in which a 75-year old woman gets one day of youth, and brings her family together in surprising and inspiring ways, to Trish Lande Grader at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2010, by Brian DeFiore at DeFiore and Company (NA).
NON-FICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
NYT bestselling author of IMPERIAL HUBRIS and MARCHING TOWARD HELL and former head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden Unit Michael Scheuer's OSAMA BIN LADEN: A biography, showing bin Laden to be a talented and ruthless politician and a formidable enemy the West has seriously underestimated, to Tim Bent at Oxford University Press, by Stuart Krichevsky at the Stuart Krichevsky Agency (World).
Whitbread award-winning historian John Guy's biography of Thomas Becket: once a close friend and advisor to Henry II then fierce opponent and martyred victim, the story of one man's fierce resistance to the overwhelming forces of government still resonates today, to John Flicker at Random House, by Grainne Fox at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Peter Robinson in the UK (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Chairman Emeritus of AOL; owner of many sports teams including the Washington Capitals [NHL]; documentary film producer; philanthropist; and serial entrepreneur Ted Leonsis's THE BUSINESS OF HAPPINESS, which explains the connection between personal happiness and professional success, with contributions from major celebrities (Robert Redford, Bono, Ashley Judd, etc.), to Marji Ross at Regnery, by Laney Katz Becker and Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (NA).
COOKING:
Bon Appetit's THE BON APPETIT DESSERTS COOKBOOK, a comprehensive guide to all things sweet and wonderful, with more than 850 recipes, to Kirsty Melville at Andrews McMeel.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal's book about his life, "lessons I've learned throughout my life," and policy ideas, written with Peter Schweizer, to Regnery, for publication in 2010, by Glen Hartley at Writers' Representatives.
Evan Mandery's THE KILLING COURT, the story of two landmark Supreme Court cases: Furman v Georgia in 1972 that abolished the death penalty and Gregg v Georgia that reinstated it a mere four years later, focusing on the people involved: the justices themselves, the lawyers and the plaintiffs; and, what happened in those four years that made the Court "change its mind," to Christopher Lehmann-Haupt at Delphinium, in a nice deal, for publication in 2011, by Janet Reid at FinePrint Literary Management.
MEMOIR:
THE GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI author Dean Faulkner Wells' THE PILOT'S DAUGHTER: A Memoir of the Faulkners of Mississippi, in which William Faulkner's niece tells the story of growing up as the famous author's surrogate daughter, providing insights into both William and the Faulkner family which have never been published, to John Glusman at Harmony, at auction, by Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (NA). Rights: Celeste Fine at Folio Literary Management.
NARRATIVE:
Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson's THE GREAT TYPO HUNT: Changing The World, One Punctuation Error at a Time, in which two young men set off on a quest to right the wrongs of punctuation, and find more than they'd bargained for (the typos become a window into history, education, racism, and life), until they correct one error and fall onto the wrong side of the law, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, in a pre-empt, by Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management (World English).
Translation: Celeste Fine of Folio Literary Management
Judy Dutton's SCIENCE FAIR SEASON, detailing the secret lives of kids competing in the high-stakes world of international science fairs and what it takes to win, to Sarah Landis at Hyperion, in a pre-empt, by Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SPORTS:
New York Magazine's sports columnist and the founder of Deadspin.com Will Leitch's BASEBALL 2.0: Fathers, Sons, and the Great Game in the New Century, assessing various beloved aspects of the game -- from umpires (a disproportionate number of whom apparently live with their mothers) to statistical trends, all the while experiencing, with his dad and his buddy, a contest that will decide each team's season, to Will Balliett at Hyperion, for publication on Father's Day 2010, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company (NA).
Wrap...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Idiots abound...
From Levine Breaking News:
FAT PEOPLE CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING:
The rising number of fat people was yesterday blamed for global warming. Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet. Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage.
**********************
This is damned foolishness. I guess "overweight" people are now the next ones in the barrel for all those righteous assholes out there among us.
And...I'm reading today that CA is about to add 10 cents to the cost of a glass of beer. What about the bottles?
Wrap.....
FAT PEOPLE CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING:
The rising number of fat people was yesterday blamed for global warming. Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet. Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage.
**********************
This is damned foolishness. I guess "overweight" people are now the next ones in the barrel for all those righteous assholes out there among us.
And...I'm reading today that CA is about to add 10 cents to the cost of a glass of beer. What about the bottles?
Wrap.....
Monday, April 20, 2009
San Diego's paper...going Dem or staying Repub?
From Voice of San Diego:
U-T's Editorial Page Waits for Cue from New Owner
Will the paper keep the conservative mark on its opinion pages? Other Black Press dailies support Democrats, but the new owner's CEO gave money to GOP
www.voiceofsandiego.org
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
U-T's Editorial Page Waits for Cue from New Owner
Will the paper keep the conservative mark on its opinion pages? Other Black Press dailies support Democrats, but the new owner's CEO gave money to GOP
www.voiceofsandiego.org
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
So Here Are Our Navy SEALs....
From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
MICHAEL STETZ
No stardom, no glitz, just honor for SEALs
2:00 a.m. April 19, 2009
I half-expected them to appear on “The Today Show.”
Or maybe toss out the first pitch at that new Yankee Stadium. Or show up in grainy video on TMZ.com, grabbing a latte at Starbucks.
I'm conditioned that way. In this age of instant celebrity, I figured the three Navy SEAL snipers who took out three pirates off the coast of Somalia last week would get the full star treatment.
Lady GaGa gets it. David Beckham gets it. Even a sweet Scottish spinster who can belt out Broadway tunes is getting it.
Not these guys. We won't even learn their names. They remain anonymous because they and the Navy want it that way.
The SEALs are true heroes, of course, but they're the old-fashioned kind. They do the amazing and then slip back into the scenery, leaving us to wonder who they were.
They're different. Way, way different. And that's refreshing.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/19/1m19stetz223819-no-stardom-no-glitz-just-honor-sea/
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
MICHAEL STETZ
No stardom, no glitz, just honor for SEALs
2:00 a.m. April 19, 2009
I half-expected them to appear on “The Today Show.”
Or maybe toss out the first pitch at that new Yankee Stadium. Or show up in grainy video on TMZ.com, grabbing a latte at Starbucks.
I'm conditioned that way. In this age of instant celebrity, I figured the three Navy SEAL snipers who took out three pirates off the coast of Somalia last week would get the full star treatment.
Lady GaGa gets it. David Beckham gets it. Even a sweet Scottish spinster who can belt out Broadway tunes is getting it.
Not these guys. We won't even learn their names. They remain anonymous because they and the Navy want it that way.
The SEALs are true heroes, of course, but they're the old-fashioned kind. They do the amazing and then slip back into the scenery, leaving us to wonder who they were.
They're different. Way, way different. And that's refreshing.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/19/1m19stetz223819-no-stardom-no-glitz-just-honor-sea/
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
We Owe?....Here's the List....
From Levine Breaking News:
FIGURES ON U.S. GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND DEBT:
Total public debt subject to limit April 16 11,125,587
Statutory debt limit 12,104,000
Total public debt outstanding April 16 11,183,899
Operating balance April 16 257,351
Interest fiscal year 2009 thru February 148,762
Interest same period 2008 198,518
Deficit fiscal year 2009 thru February 764,525
Deficit same period 2008 264,541
Receipts fiscal year 2009 thru February 860,877
Receipts same period 2008 967,153
Outlays fiscal year 2009 thru February 1,625,402
Outlays same period 2008 1,231,694
Gold assets in March 11,041
Wrap...
FIGURES ON U.S. GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND DEBT:
Total public debt subject to limit April 16 11,125,587
Statutory debt limit 12,104,000
Total public debt outstanding April 16 11,183,899
Operating balance April 16 257,351
Interest fiscal year 2009 thru February 148,762
Interest same period 2008 198,518
Deficit fiscal year 2009 thru February 764,525
Deficit same period 2008 264,541
Receipts fiscal year 2009 thru February 860,877
Receipts same period 2008 967,153
Outlays fiscal year 2009 thru February 1,625,402
Outlays same period 2008 1,231,694
Gold assets in March 11,041
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Future Books On The Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Catherine Hall's DAYS OF GRACE, about an intense war-time friendship, a suppressed passion, a jealous crime and a corrosive secret kept for decades, to Molly Stern at Viking Penguin, with Kendra Harpster editing, in a very nice deal, by David Marshall at Marshall Rights on behalf of Portobello Books (NA).
Translation: arose@granta.com
THRILLER:
Scott Turow's INNOCENT, a sequel to the bestseller Presumed Innocent, as Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto are, once again, pitted against each other in a riveting psychological match after the mysterious death of Rusty's wife, to Deb Futter at Grand Central, for publication in May 2010, by Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Andrew Winer's THE MARRIAGE ARTIST, weaving together the present-day story of a New York art critic investigating the apparent double-suicide of his wife with the artist whose career the critic made, and the story a child prodigy in Nazi-controlled Vienna who creates dazzlingly illuminated Jewish marriage contracts, to Webster Younce at Holt, for publication in 2010, by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh at William Morris Agency (NA).
Nadifa Mohamed's BLACK MAMBA BOY, about a young Somali boy's thousand-mile journey through East Africa in the midst of World War II, based on family stories, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, for publication in Spring 2010, by Ben Mason at Conville & Walsh (US).
Gods of Aberdeen author Micah Nathan's MEMPHIS IS BURNING, about a recent college grad who takes a job as a driver for a mysterious old man who may or may not be a still-living Elvis, and the perilous 900 mile trip they make from Buffalo to Memphis to find the elder's granddaughter, which is also the protagonist's journey to self-discovery, to Brett Valley at Three Rivers Press, by Jud Laghi at LJK Literary Management (NA).
Film/TV: Sarah Self at The Gersh Agency
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Formerly of The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, Erik Calonius's VISION, a contrarian look at how a few business leaders fearlessly set goals for the very long term, executing plans over ten or twenty years resulting in legendary achievements, including the latest neuroscience on visionary thinking, with tips on developing your own vision, to David Moldawer at Portfolio, by Danielle Svetcov and James Levine at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Author of The Rise of the Creative Class Richard Florida's RESET: How the Economic Crisis Will Forever Change Our Economy, Society, and the Way We Live, to Hollis Heimbouch at Harper Business, in a pre-empt, and Anne Collins at Random House Canada, in a pre-empt; by James Levine at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Rights to Caroline Rothmuller at Campus/ Elsevier in Brazil, by International Editors, on behalf of Levine Greenberg.
Former NYT writer and author of WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER, Elizabeth Becker's untitled work examining the thriving seven trillion dollar travel and tourism industry, how it too often wreaks havoc around the globe, and how some are fixing the problem, to Alice Mayhew at Simon & Schuster, by David Halpern at The Robbins Office (NA).
History/Politics/Current Affairs
International Herald Tribune columnist and frequent NYT contributor Anand Giridharadas's INDIA CALLING, a portrait of the paradoxes of India's economic and cultural transformation, told not only as a journalist but also as a young Indian-American seeking to reconcile the India his parents left behind with the globalized and liberalized country it has become, to Paul Golob at Times Books, in a pre-empt, by Steve Wasserman at Kneerim & Williams (world).
Bill Press's TOXIC TALK, an analysis of the causes, effects, and possible antidotes to far right domination of US air waves, to Tom Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, by Ronald Goldfarb at Goldfarb & Associates (World).
HUMOR:
Author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth Graham-Smith's ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Vampire Hunter, a re-imagined biography of the president, if he were a vampire hunter, to Benjamin Greenberg at Grand Central, by Claudia Ballard at William Morris Agency.
MEMOIR:
Death-row attorney and expert on death penalty law at the University of Houston David Dow's THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EXECUTION, an "emotional and memoiristic account" of his work representing death-row inmantes, focused on a case in which he became convinced of his client's innocence, to Jonathan Karp at Twelve, at auction, for publication in February 2010, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House (US).
Former secretary-general and Nobel Prize winner Kofi Annan's memoirs, called "a personal biography of global statecraft, as much memoir as a guide to world order, past, present, and future," drawing on a detailed record of his interaction with major world figures and covering both the highs and lows of his initiatives and tenure, providing a guide for global leadership in the 21st century, to Ann Godoff at Penguin Press, by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency (world English).
NARRATIVE:
Glenn Plaskin's KATIE: Up & Down the Hall, The True Story of How One Dog Turned Four Neighbors into a Family, based upon his Family Circle article "Granny Down the Hall," about his close relationship to an octogenarian neighbor, and the Cocker Spaniel that witnesses how three generations of strangers and a dog create their own little family amidst the pressures, haste and intensity of big-city life, to Harry Helm at Center Street, for publication in September 2010, by Jan Miller of Dupree/Miller (NA).
Eric Siblin's THE CELLO SUITES: In Search of Bach's Masterpiece, part biography, part music history, and part literary mystery, weaving together three strands of an evolving story involving Johann Sebastian Bach, Pablo Casals and the search for a missing baroque masterpiece, to Joan Bingham at Grove/Atlantic, for publication in December 2009, by Swanna MacNair at Fletcher & Company (US).
POP CULTURE:
THE SOUNDS OF STAR WARS, featuring an audio module and illustrations, presenting the sounds of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, the Millennium Falcon's hyperspace drive, and Jabba the Hutt's laugh along with stories behind them, produced under license by Lucasfilm, to Chronicle, for publication in fall 2010 release, produced by Becker & Mayer (NA).
SCIENCE:
Primatologist and journalist Andrew Westoll's THIRTEEN CHIMPANZEES, a remarkable group portrait of chimpanzees and the people who care for them at Fauna Sanctuary in Quebec as they recover from the trauma of years of use as laboratory subjects and learn how to trust humans and, more importantly, how to be chimps again, to Lindsey Smith at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in Spring 2011, by Swanna McNair at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Martha Magor at Anne McDermid Associates (US).
Pop!Tech conference curator and futurist Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy's RESILIENCE: The Science of Why Things Bounce Back, introducing the concepts and players in the new field of resilience science, taking readers from groundbreaking ecological expeditions inside the Caribbean coral reefs to research in fields as wide ranging as neuroscience, robotics, primatology and diplomacy, and examining the latest insights from resilience science "hot houses" like the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Resilience Alliance in Sweden, offering readers a tool kit of practical lessons that will enable businesses, institutions and ecosystems to better "bounce back" in the midst of shock and change, to Will Murphy at Random House, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (NA).
German rights to Gerhard Riemann at Random House Verlag, in a pre-empt, by Petra Eggers at Eggers & Landwehr, on behalf of Pagnamenta.
Wrap...
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Catherine Hall's DAYS OF GRACE, about an intense war-time friendship, a suppressed passion, a jealous crime and a corrosive secret kept for decades, to Molly Stern at Viking Penguin, with Kendra Harpster editing, in a very nice deal, by David Marshall at Marshall Rights on behalf of Portobello Books (NA).
Translation: arose@granta.com
THRILLER:
Scott Turow's INNOCENT, a sequel to the bestseller Presumed Innocent, as Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto are, once again, pitted against each other in a riveting psychological match after the mysterious death of Rusty's wife, to Deb Futter at Grand Central, for publication in May 2010, by Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Andrew Winer's THE MARRIAGE ARTIST, weaving together the present-day story of a New York art critic investigating the apparent double-suicide of his wife with the artist whose career the critic made, and the story a child prodigy in Nazi-controlled Vienna who creates dazzlingly illuminated Jewish marriage contracts, to Webster Younce at Holt, for publication in 2010, by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh at William Morris Agency (NA).
Nadifa Mohamed's BLACK MAMBA BOY, about a young Somali boy's thousand-mile journey through East Africa in the midst of World War II, based on family stories, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, for publication in Spring 2010, by Ben Mason at Conville & Walsh (US).
Gods of Aberdeen author Micah Nathan's MEMPHIS IS BURNING, about a recent college grad who takes a job as a driver for a mysterious old man who may or may not be a still-living Elvis, and the perilous 900 mile trip they make from Buffalo to Memphis to find the elder's granddaughter, which is also the protagonist's journey to self-discovery, to Brett Valley at Three Rivers Press, by Jud Laghi at LJK Literary Management (NA).
Film/TV: Sarah Self at The Gersh Agency
NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Formerly of The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, Erik Calonius's VISION, a contrarian look at how a few business leaders fearlessly set goals for the very long term, executing plans over ten or twenty years resulting in legendary achievements, including the latest neuroscience on visionary thinking, with tips on developing your own vision, to David Moldawer at Portfolio, by Danielle Svetcov and James Levine at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Author of The Rise of the Creative Class Richard Florida's RESET: How the Economic Crisis Will Forever Change Our Economy, Society, and the Way We Live, to Hollis Heimbouch at Harper Business, in a pre-empt, and Anne Collins at Random House Canada, in a pre-empt; by James Levine at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Rights to Caroline Rothmuller at Campus/ Elsevier in Brazil, by International Editors, on behalf of Levine Greenberg.
Former NYT writer and author of WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER, Elizabeth Becker's untitled work examining the thriving seven trillion dollar travel and tourism industry, how it too often wreaks havoc around the globe, and how some are fixing the problem, to Alice Mayhew at Simon & Schuster, by David Halpern at The Robbins Office (NA).
History/Politics/Current Affairs
International Herald Tribune columnist and frequent NYT contributor Anand Giridharadas's INDIA CALLING, a portrait of the paradoxes of India's economic and cultural transformation, told not only as a journalist but also as a young Indian-American seeking to reconcile the India his parents left behind with the globalized and liberalized country it has become, to Paul Golob at Times Books, in a pre-empt, by Steve Wasserman at Kneerim & Williams (world).
Bill Press's TOXIC TALK, an analysis of the causes, effects, and possible antidotes to far right domination of US air waves, to Tom Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, by Ronald Goldfarb at Goldfarb & Associates (World).
HUMOR:
Author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth Graham-Smith's ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Vampire Hunter, a re-imagined biography of the president, if he were a vampire hunter, to Benjamin Greenberg at Grand Central, by Claudia Ballard at William Morris Agency.
MEMOIR:
Death-row attorney and expert on death penalty law at the University of Houston David Dow's THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EXECUTION, an "emotional and memoiristic account" of his work representing death-row inmantes, focused on a case in which he became convinced of his client's innocence, to Jonathan Karp at Twelve, at auction, for publication in February 2010, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House (US).
Former secretary-general and Nobel Prize winner Kofi Annan's memoirs, called "a personal biography of global statecraft, as much memoir as a guide to world order, past, present, and future," drawing on a detailed record of his interaction with major world figures and covering both the highs and lows of his initiatives and tenure, providing a guide for global leadership in the 21st century, to Ann Godoff at Penguin Press, by Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency (world English).
NARRATIVE:
Glenn Plaskin's KATIE: Up & Down the Hall, The True Story of How One Dog Turned Four Neighbors into a Family, based upon his Family Circle article "Granny Down the Hall," about his close relationship to an octogenarian neighbor, and the Cocker Spaniel that witnesses how three generations of strangers and a dog create their own little family amidst the pressures, haste and intensity of big-city life, to Harry Helm at Center Street, for publication in September 2010, by Jan Miller of Dupree/Miller (NA).
Eric Siblin's THE CELLO SUITES: In Search of Bach's Masterpiece, part biography, part music history, and part literary mystery, weaving together three strands of an evolving story involving Johann Sebastian Bach, Pablo Casals and the search for a missing baroque masterpiece, to Joan Bingham at Grove/Atlantic, for publication in December 2009, by Swanna MacNair at Fletcher & Company (US).
POP CULTURE:
THE SOUNDS OF STAR WARS, featuring an audio module and illustrations, presenting the sounds of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, the Millennium Falcon's hyperspace drive, and Jabba the Hutt's laugh along with stories behind them, produced under license by Lucasfilm, to Chronicle, for publication in fall 2010 release, produced by Becker & Mayer (NA).
SCIENCE:
Primatologist and journalist Andrew Westoll's THIRTEEN CHIMPANZEES, a remarkable group portrait of chimpanzees and the people who care for them at Fauna Sanctuary in Quebec as they recover from the trauma of years of use as laboratory subjects and learn how to trust humans and, more importantly, how to be chimps again, to Lindsey Smith at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in Spring 2011, by Swanna McNair at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Martha Magor at Anne McDermid Associates (US).
Pop!Tech conference curator and futurist Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy's RESILIENCE: The Science of Why Things Bounce Back, introducing the concepts and players in the new field of resilience science, taking readers from groundbreaking ecological expeditions inside the Caribbean coral reefs to research in fields as wide ranging as neuroscience, robotics, primatology and diplomacy, and examining the latest insights from resilience science "hot houses" like the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Resilience Alliance in Sweden, offering readers a tool kit of practical lessons that will enable businesses, institutions and ecosystems to better "bounce back" in the midst of shock and change, to Will Murphy at Random House, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (NA).
German rights to Gerhard Riemann at Random House Verlag, in a pre-empt, by Petra Eggers at Eggers & Landwehr, on behalf of Pagnamenta.
Wrap...
Space & Solar Power Capture...
From The Christian Science Monitor:
Solar power captured in space, beamed to Earth
Blog: West Coast energy giant PG&E unveiled a plan this week to put solar panels in orbit and wirelessly beam energy down to Earth by 2016.
Read More ...
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/04/14/solar-power-captured-in-space-beamed-to-earth/
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Solar power captured in space, beamed to Earth
Blog: West Coast energy giant PG&E unveiled a plan this week to put solar panels in orbit and wirelessly beam energy down to Earth by 2016.
Read More ...
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/04/14/solar-power-captured-in-space-beamed-to-earth/
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Update on SEAL vs Seal...
The Washington Post wasted no time correcting their headline from Seals to SEALs, and their quick response is very much appreciated.
Had one of the original Green Berets email that the various groups, like the Rangers and the Green Berets, et al, also resent being grouped under the single title of Special Forces. They, too, would like credit for what their own groups do.
The original Green Beret guy, Edward Fitzgerald, also wrote a wonderful book on their training experiences entitled, "Bank's Bandits".
Wrap...
Had one of the original Green Berets email that the various groups, like the Rangers and the Green Berets, et al, also resent being grouped under the single title of Special Forces. They, too, would like credit for what their own groups do.
The original Green Beret guy, Edward Fitzgerald, also wrote a wonderful book on their training experiences entitled, "Bank's Bandits".
Wrap...
SE-a A-ir L-and equals US Navy SEALs...Pay Attention!!!
From Washington Post:
Mombasa, Kenya, April 12 -- An American captain being held by Somali pirates was freed unharmed Sunday in an operation carried out by U.S. Navy Seals, U.S. military officials said. Three of the pirates were killed and the fourth was captured.
************* Good God!!! Blasted reporters and editors STILL don't know that it's NOT Seals..it's SEALs. SEAL is an acronym which stand for the various places from which SEALs can and do attack: SEa Air Land. They are not a stamped wax seal nor are they fish.
And every other newspaper, it seems, even NBC San Diego online. They all screw it up.
Wrap...
Mombasa, Kenya, April 12 -- An American captain being held by Somali pirates was freed unharmed Sunday in an operation carried out by U.S. Navy Seals, U.S. military officials said. Three of the pirates were killed and the fourth was captured.
************* Good God!!! Blasted reporters and editors STILL don't know that it's NOT Seals..it's SEALs. SEAL is an acronym which stand for the various places from which SEALs can and do attack: SEa Air Land. They are not a stamped wax seal nor are they fish.
And every other newspaper, it seems, even NBC San Diego online. They all screw it up.
Wrap...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Navy SEAL: If I catch 'em, I'll kill ''em.....
From The Houston Chronicle:
Survivor of war loses dog to random violence
Beloved pet's killing reopens old wounds for former Navy SEAL
By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
April 9, 2009, 3:15PM
Dasy, a Lab, was shot April 1 at age 4.
All it took was the gunshot fired outside his Walker County home to trigger training ingrained in former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor of a dramatic battle in Afghanistan in 2005.
He did a sweep through the house. Checked on his mother. And bolted out the door, where he found dead his beloved Labrador retriever, Dasy, a dog given to him to help him recover from his own wounds and the loss of his fellow Navy comrades.
“I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell recalled in a phone interview Wednesday. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped into my head was, ‘I’ve got to take these guys out.’ ”
Shrouded in darkness, Luttrell, who’d just been released from the hospital after another round of surgery, crawled under a fence, skirted a ditch and sneaked up on four strangers in a sedan who apparently killed the dog on a whim. Luttrell said they were oblivious as he raised a 9 mm pistol from about 25 yards away and had one of them dead to rights.
But as the car pulled away, he didn’t fire.
Instead, he scrambled back to his pickup and launched what became a wild 40-mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph and crossed three counties.
“I did everything right; I didn’t do anything wrong,” he told the Houston Chronicle of the April 1 incident. “Make sure everyone knows they cold-bloodily murdered.”
Luttrell stayed on the line with a 911 emergency operator as he tried to catch the car, which was just a bit too fast for his four-door truck to overtake.
“I told them, ‘You need to get somebody out here because if I catch them I’m going to kill them,’ ” Luttrell recalled telling the operator.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6365427.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Survivor of war loses dog to random violence
Beloved pet's killing reopens old wounds for former Navy SEAL
By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
April 9, 2009, 3:15PM
Dasy, a Lab, was shot April 1 at age 4.
All it took was the gunshot fired outside his Walker County home to trigger training ingrained in former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor of a dramatic battle in Afghanistan in 2005.
He did a sweep through the house. Checked on his mother. And bolted out the door, where he found dead his beloved Labrador retriever, Dasy, a dog given to him to help him recover from his own wounds and the loss of his fellow Navy comrades.
“I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell recalled in a phone interview Wednesday. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped into my head was, ‘I’ve got to take these guys out.’ ”
Shrouded in darkness, Luttrell, who’d just been released from the hospital after another round of surgery, crawled under a fence, skirted a ditch and sneaked up on four strangers in a sedan who apparently killed the dog on a whim. Luttrell said they were oblivious as he raised a 9 mm pistol from about 25 yards away and had one of them dead to rights.
But as the car pulled away, he didn’t fire.
Instead, he scrambled back to his pickup and launched what became a wild 40-mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph and crossed three counties.
“I did everything right; I didn’t do anything wrong,” he told the Houston Chronicle of the April 1 incident. “Make sure everyone knows they cold-bloodily murdered.”
Luttrell stayed on the line with a 911 emergency operator as he tried to catch the car, which was just a bit too fast for his four-door truck to overtake.
“I told them, ‘You need to get somebody out here because if I catch them I’m going to kill them,’ ” Luttrell recalled telling the operator.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6365427.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Selection of Very Different Books...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Richard Harvell's THE BELLS, the confession of a thief, kidnapper, and unlikely lover, a boy with the voice of an angel whose exquisite sense of hearing became his life's greatest blessing and curse -- he escapes his murderous father and finds refuge in a church choir, only to endure becoming one of the world's most famous castrati -- to Sarah Knight at Shaye Areheart Books, in a pre-empt, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House, for publication in Fall 2010 (world).
Canadian rights to Anne Collins at Random House Canada, at auction, by Daniel Lazar.
Helen Simonson's MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND, set in the English countryside, about a retired British Major and a Pakistani shopkeeper whose shared love for Kipling draws them together, but whose romance scandalizes the small village they live in, to Susan Kamil at Random House, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2010, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary (NA).
Gin Phillips' Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award-winning debut novel THE WELL AND THE MINE, set in a small Alabama coal-mining town during the Depression, exploring the value of community, charity, family, and hope during a time of hardship, to Geoff Kloske at Riverhead, for republication in trade paperback in April 2009, by Hawthorne Books & Literary Arts (world).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Tad Williams's SLEEPING LATE ON JUDGMENT DAY, HAPPY HOUR IN HELL, and ANGELS RUSH IN, a new urban fantasy series about an afterline investigator, who searches for a missing soul and finds himself caught in a battle much larger than he could have imagined, to Betsy Wollheim at Daw, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (NA).
THRILLER:
Author of CITY OF THE SUN and the forthcoming WHERE THE DEAD LAY David Levien's next two thrillers, to Jason Kaufman at Doubleday, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Lola Shoneyin's THE SECRET LIFE OF BABA SEGI'S WIVES, a Nigerian Big Love, about the unexpected consequences that result when a polygamist brings home a fourth wife who is not only younger, but a college graduate, to Carrie Feron at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Ayesha Pande at Collins Literary.
UK: Jessica Woollard at The Marsh Agency
Monica McInerney's AT HOME WITH THE ARKWRIGHTS, following four adult siblings as the compete for their family inheritance, to Laura Ford at Ballantine, in a very nice deal, for publication in 2011, by Grainne Fox at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown UK (US.)
CHILDREN'S/PICTURE BOOK:
NFL stars and brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, along with their father, retired quarterback Archie Manning's FAMILY HUDDLE, about the brothers and their family, to Scholastic, for publication in September 2009.
Peyton and Eli Manning will also serve as the first Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare Ambassadors of Reading, and Scholastic will donate up to one million books in the Manning name to children who might not otherwise have access to quality children's books.
High-school teacher and sister of President Obama, Maya Soetoro-Ng's LADDER TO THE MOON, wonders what her four-year-old daughter might have learned from her grandmother had the two ever met, celebrating her mother's enduring legacy of service, to Karen Lotz at Candlewick, by Jennifer Gates at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency.
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN author John Perkins' PERSPECTIVES OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, an insider's perspective on the events that created the current economic crises and the solutions for the future, to Roger Scholl at Broadway, for publication in Fall 2009, by Paul Fedorko at Trident Media Group (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of STRAPLESS Deborah Davis's BOOKER T. COMES TO WASHINGTON: The Infamous White House Dinner, the Scandal that Followed, and the Unlikely Partnership that Transformed America, using the story of the first time a black man had dinner in the White House as a window into 1901 America, the backstory of blacks who served in the White House (and occasionally penned the White House tell all), and the remarkable rise and partnership of Booker T. Washington and the host President Theodore Roosevelt, to Peter Borland at Atria, in a pre-empt, in a good deal, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
MEMOIR:
Emmy award-winning journalist Rita Cosby's HEROES AMONG US, a deeply personal story of courage, humanity, and history, to Anthony Ziccardi at Pocket, with Abby Ziddle editing, for Spring 2010 publication, by Steve Troha and David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates (NA).
Wrap....
FICTION...
DEBUT:
Richard Harvell's THE BELLS, the confession of a thief, kidnapper, and unlikely lover, a boy with the voice of an angel whose exquisite sense of hearing became his life's greatest blessing and curse -- he escapes his murderous father and finds refuge in a church choir, only to endure becoming one of the world's most famous castrati -- to Sarah Knight at Shaye Areheart Books, in a pre-empt, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House, for publication in Fall 2010 (world).
Canadian rights to Anne Collins at Random House Canada, at auction, by Daniel Lazar.
Helen Simonson's MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND, set in the English countryside, about a retired British Major and a Pakistani shopkeeper whose shared love for Kipling draws them together, but whose romance scandalizes the small village they live in, to Susan Kamil at Random House, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2010, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary (NA).
Gin Phillips' Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award-winning debut novel THE WELL AND THE MINE, set in a small Alabama coal-mining town during the Depression, exploring the value of community, charity, family, and hope during a time of hardship, to Geoff Kloske at Riverhead, for republication in trade paperback in April 2009, by Hawthorne Books & Literary Arts (world).
SCI-FI/FANTASY:
Tad Williams's SLEEPING LATE ON JUDGMENT DAY, HAPPY HOUR IN HELL, and ANGELS RUSH IN, a new urban fantasy series about an afterline investigator, who searches for a missing soul and finds himself caught in a battle much larger than he could have imagined, to Betsy Wollheim at Daw, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (NA).
THRILLER:
Author of CITY OF THE SUN and the forthcoming WHERE THE DEAD LAY David Levien's next two thrillers, to Jason Kaufman at Doubleday, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
GENERAL/OTHER:
Lola Shoneyin's THE SECRET LIFE OF BABA SEGI'S WIVES, a Nigerian Big Love, about the unexpected consequences that result when a polygamist brings home a fourth wife who is not only younger, but a college graduate, to Carrie Feron at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Ayesha Pande at Collins Literary.
UK: Jessica Woollard at The Marsh Agency
Monica McInerney's AT HOME WITH THE ARKWRIGHTS, following four adult siblings as the compete for their family inheritance, to Laura Ford at Ballantine, in a very nice deal, for publication in 2011, by Grainne Fox at Fletcher & Company, on behalf of Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown UK (US.)
CHILDREN'S/PICTURE BOOK:
NFL stars and brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, along with their father, retired quarterback Archie Manning's FAMILY HUDDLE, about the brothers and their family, to Scholastic, for publication in September 2009.
Peyton and Eli Manning will also serve as the first Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare Ambassadors of Reading, and Scholastic will donate up to one million books in the Manning name to children who might not otherwise have access to quality children's books.
High-school teacher and sister of President Obama, Maya Soetoro-Ng's LADDER TO THE MOON, wonders what her four-year-old daughter might have learned from her grandmother had the two ever met, celebrating her mother's enduring legacy of service, to Karen Lotz at Candlewick, by Jennifer Gates at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency.
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN author John Perkins' PERSPECTIVES OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN, an insider's perspective on the events that created the current economic crises and the solutions for the future, to Roger Scholl at Broadway, for publication in Fall 2009, by Paul Fedorko at Trident Media Group (World).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Author of STRAPLESS Deborah Davis's BOOKER T. COMES TO WASHINGTON: The Infamous White House Dinner, the Scandal that Followed, and the Unlikely Partnership that Transformed America, using the story of the first time a black man had dinner in the White House as a window into 1901 America, the backstory of blacks who served in the White House (and occasionally penned the White House tell all), and the remarkable rise and partnership of Booker T. Washington and the host President Theodore Roosevelt, to Peter Borland at Atria, in a pre-empt, in a good deal, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.
MEMOIR:
Emmy award-winning journalist Rita Cosby's HEROES AMONG US, a deeply personal story of courage, humanity, and history, to Anthony Ziccardi at Pocket, with Abby Ziddle editing, for Spring 2010 publication, by Steve Troha and David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates (NA).
Wrap....
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
CIA is hidebound....
From Christian Science Monitor:
The CIA's National Clandestine Service urgently needs reform.
By Joseph W. Augustyn
from the April 7, 2009 edition
Fairfax, Va. - A few years ago, as a case officer with what is now called the National Clandestine Service (NCS), I was involved in an operation that had the potential to yield valuable intelligence on a rogue state's financial stability and political intentions toward the United States.
To help me, I needed another Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer with the background and expertise of a sophisticated international banker. Given the nature of the operation and the political and diplomatic risks involved if exposed, I also needed CIA headquarters approval.
I got neither.
Why? Because the type of operation I was proposing had not been done before, and the person I needed to help did not exist on the CIA payroll.
Let me be clear: What the NCS has accomplished post-9/11 has been remarkable. The clandestine service has helped keep America safe and continues to be the envy of every spy service in the world. What makes this achievement even more remarkable, however, is that the NCS has done this with a bureaucracy, an organizational structure, a personnel promotion system, and an approach to operational activity better suited to the 20th century. At some point, the NCS needs to change in the face of 21st-century challenges. That time has come.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0407/p09s02-coop.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
The CIA's National Clandestine Service urgently needs reform.
By Joseph W. Augustyn
from the April 7, 2009 edition
Fairfax, Va. - A few years ago, as a case officer with what is now called the National Clandestine Service (NCS), I was involved in an operation that had the potential to yield valuable intelligence on a rogue state's financial stability and political intentions toward the United States.
To help me, I needed another Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer with the background and expertise of a sophisticated international banker. Given the nature of the operation and the political and diplomatic risks involved if exposed, I also needed CIA headquarters approval.
I got neither.
Why? Because the type of operation I was proposing had not been done before, and the person I needed to help did not exist on the CIA payroll.
Let me be clear: What the NCS has accomplished post-9/11 has been remarkable. The clandestine service has helped keep America safe and continues to be the envy of every spy service in the world. What makes this achievement even more remarkable, however, is that the NCS has done this with a bureaucracy, an organizational structure, a personnel promotion system, and an approach to operational activity better suited to the 20th century. At some point, the NCS needs to change in the face of 21st-century challenges. That time has come.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0407/p09s02-coop.html
[Use link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Monday, April 06, 2009
New Army Field Manual now online...
From Secrecy News:
TACTICS IN COUNTERINSURGENCY AGAIN ONLINE
"Tactics in Counterinsurgency" (large pdf), a new Army Field Manual that was published on the website of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and then removed from public access, is now available on the FAS website.
The new manual, a substantial addition to the literature of counterinsurgency, was reported last week in the Washington Post and Inside the Army. "After The Post raised questions about its contents last week," wrote Walter Pincus of the Post on March 31, "it was taken down" from the Army website, even though the document is marked for unrestricted release.
An email inquiry to the Army inquiring why it had been removed was not answered.
See "Tactics in Counterinsurgency," U.S. Army Field Manual Interim 3-24.2, March 2009 (6.2 MB PDF, 307 pages).
"Setbacks are normal in counterinsurgency, as in every other form of war," the new manual advises (p. C-5). "You will make mistakes, lose people, or occasionally kill or detain the wrong person.... If this happens, don’t lose heart, simply drop back to the previous phase of your game plan and recover your balance."
Wrap...
TACTICS IN COUNTERINSURGENCY AGAIN ONLINE
"Tactics in Counterinsurgency" (large pdf), a new Army Field Manual that was published on the website of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and then removed from public access, is now available on the FAS website.
The new manual, a substantial addition to the literature of counterinsurgency, was reported last week in the Washington Post and Inside the Army. "After The Post raised questions about its contents last week," wrote Walter Pincus of the Post on March 31, "it was taken down" from the Army website, even though the document is marked for unrestricted release.
An email inquiry to the Army inquiring why it had been removed was not answered.
See "Tactics in Counterinsurgency," U.S. Army Field Manual Interim 3-24.2, March 2009 (6.2 MB PDF, 307 pages).
"Setbacks are normal in counterinsurgency, as in every other form of war," the new manual advises (p. C-5). "You will make mistakes, lose people, or occasionally kill or detain the wrong person.... If this happens, don’t lose heart, simply drop back to the previous phase of your game plan and recover your balance."
Wrap...
Sunday, April 05, 2009
From posts to Cheney...
Man, I have been remiss in getting posts up here. That's what happens when time skids past. I've just visited the Indy Weblogs at Newsfare.com and was shocked to see just 4 posts on the 7PM list...by 2 bloggers. Weekends are usually slower than weekdays, but this is beyond the pale when posts usually number around 60 or so in the majority of 4 hour sections. Old posts disappear every 4 hours and new ones come up. Might see 4 posts total at 3AM, but usually there are more than 4 even at that hour.
75 degrees here in San Diego today. Nothing but blue in those skies. Perfect beach weather.
Three of us drove downtown to the Gaslamp Qtr on 5th Ave late yesterday afternoon. Had dinner at Chianti's, a super good Italian restaurant. And they have tiramasu to kill for! Wonder how that fabulous dessert came to be.
About now 16,500 conventioneers are either already up and running or ready to be tomorrow morn at the Convention Center. Yeah, the big one down on Harbor Drive. In a few days, another one of the same size is due in. The restaurants in the Gaslamp love it, as do the nearby hotels.
The topic of the day, of course, is Prez Obama's trip to the G-20 gathering in London, followed by he and Michelle's visits to various other nations on the other side of the pond. They've received great receptions from the citizens wherever they went. I believe people not only like Obama very much but are also so relieved he's not a Bush or Cheney clone they can hardly stand it.
Which leads me to wonder what W's reception will be when he throws out the first ball at the Rangers' opening game. I'll give him this much: He says Obama deserves his silence. He's right. Cheney, of course, can't keep his nasty mouth shut.
Wrap...
75 degrees here in San Diego today. Nothing but blue in those skies. Perfect beach weather.
Three of us drove downtown to the Gaslamp Qtr on 5th Ave late yesterday afternoon. Had dinner at Chianti's, a super good Italian restaurant. And they have tiramasu to kill for! Wonder how that fabulous dessert came to be.
About now 16,500 conventioneers are either already up and running or ready to be tomorrow morn at the Convention Center. Yeah, the big one down on Harbor Drive. In a few days, another one of the same size is due in. The restaurants in the Gaslamp love it, as do the nearby hotels.
The topic of the day, of course, is Prez Obama's trip to the G-20 gathering in London, followed by he and Michelle's visits to various other nations on the other side of the pond. They've received great receptions from the citizens wherever they went. I believe people not only like Obama very much but are also so relieved he's not a Bush or Cheney clone they can hardly stand it.
Which leads me to wonder what W's reception will be when he throws out the first ball at the Rangers' opening game. I'll give him this much: He says Obama deserves his silence. He's right. Cheney, of course, can't keep his nasty mouth shut.
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
An April 1st Selection of Books....No Joke...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION:
DEBUT:
Kelly O'Connor McNees's THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, imagining a romance that could have taken place in summer of 1855, when poverty forced the Alcott family to move to a New Hampshire village where Louisa may have fallen in love and ultimately had to chose between a man she loved and her dream of becoming a writer, to Amy Einhorn of Amy Einhorn Books, in a pre-empt, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Melanie Benjamin's ALICE I HAVE BEEN, in which Alice Liddell at eighty looks back on her entire life, including her years as a child spent with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who would be inspired by Alice to write ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND as Lewis Carroll, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Laura Langlie (world).
Eric Gansworth's EXTRA INDIANS, exploring the ghostly presence of American Indians in contemporary culture, and the attempts to exert their real stories in the national identity, to James Cihlar at Milkweed, for publication in Fall 2010 (World).
Winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Southeast Asia, Christos Tsiolkas's THE SLAP, exploring contemporary multicultural middle class values in suburban Melbourne, through a range of characters' reactions to a singular incident: one man slaps another couple's child at a neighborhood picnic, to Alexis Washam at Penguin, by Wenona Byrne at Allen & Unwin.
NYT bestselling author Sara Poole's POISON, the first of three historical novels set in Renaissance Italy during the reign of the Borgias, featuring the daughter of the official court poisoner, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, by Andrea Cirillo at Jane Rotrosen Agency.
Alice Kaplan's TO LIVE IN FRANCE, the stories of three women who went to live in France as students, Jacqueline Bouvier (1949-1950), Susan Sontag (1957-1958), and Angela Davis (1963-1964) and how each was uniquely and profoundly affected by a year of study in Paris and how that year not only shaped the rest of their lives but the course of American culture and politics, to Alan Thomas of University of Chicago Press, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (World English).
Alice Kaplan's TO LIVE IN FRANCE, the stories of three women who went to live in France as students, Jacqueline Bouvier (1949-1950), Susan Sontag (1957-1958), and Angela Davis (1963-1964) and how each was uniquely and profoundly affected by a year of study in Paris and how that year not only shaped the rest of their lives but the course of American culture and politics, to Alan Thomas of University of Chicago Press, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (World English).
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Author of five NYT bestsellers about the Kennedy family, Edward Klein's TED KENNEDY: The Dream That Never Died, a balanced and ultimately redemptive portrait of the ailing Senator, promising revelations about Kennedy's relations with the Kopechne family; internal Kennedy family friction, and niece Caroline's abrupt withdrawal from consideration for the New York senatorial slot, to Rick Horgan at Crown, for publication in May 2009 (tying in with a Vanity Fair excerpt), by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (world).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Former Secretary of the Treasury and former ceo of Goldman Sachs Henry Paulson, Jr.'s book, including his "personal recollections of key moments and decisions" and "his insights on what has happened since he left office," also "about where I see markets developing and where I think policies should go," with a focus on "my recollection of the events that I was at the center of," to Rick Wolff at Business Plus, on an exclusive submission, for publication in October 2009, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse's ABORTION AND THE COURT: Roe v Wade and the Struggle to Define Abortion Rights, presenting the Supreme Court's various decisions regarding abortion in the context of the roiling times in which the decisions were wrought, dispelling much anachronistic thinking about what rights the Roe v Wade decision actually granted to women, to Don Fehr at Kaplan (world).
Chief political columnist for Politico and NYT bestselling author Roger Simon's untitled book, about presidential stagecraft from FDR to Obama - full of telling anecdotes and previously unheard behind-the-scenes details - that examines how presidents shape and are shaped by their own image-making, and how this can make or break their presidencies, to David Patterson at Holt, by Gail Ross at Gail Ross Literary Agency (NA).
MEMOIR:
Brooke Berman's NO PLACE LIKE HOME, a humorous and touching memoir about the author's quest for artistic success and home in thirty different apartments in New York City, over a span of twenty years; based on the author's award-winning play, HUNTING AND GATHERING, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, in a very nice deal, for publication in Summer 2010, by Swanna MacNair at Fletcher & Company (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Founding editor of Valleywag Nick Douglas's TWITTER WIT: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less, the first authorized Twitter book, a collection of the thousand funniest tweets, with submissions from celebrities and unknown bloggers and a foreword by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, to Kate Hamill at It Books, for publication in fall 2009, by Luke Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (world).
SCIENCE:
Physicist and journalist James Owen Weatherall's SEND PHYSICS, MATH, AND MONEY!, exploring the role of physicists and mathematicians in creating the models that became the basis of an industry - and the source of the current financial meltdown - and tracing the history of "complex financial instruments" such as derivatives, from the Greeks to the early Japanese and Dutch futures markets to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to their ultimate use in global finance, to Amanda Cook at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta of the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (NA).
Wrap...
FICTION:
DEBUT:
Kelly O'Connor McNees's THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, imagining a romance that could have taken place in summer of 1855, when poverty forced the Alcott family to move to a New Hampshire village where Louisa may have fallen in love and ultimately had to chose between a man she loved and her dream of becoming a writer, to Amy Einhorn of Amy Einhorn Books, in a pre-empt, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Melanie Benjamin's ALICE I HAVE BEEN, in which Alice Liddell at eighty looks back on her entire life, including her years as a child spent with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who would be inspired by Alice to write ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND as Lewis Carroll, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Laura Langlie (world).
Eric Gansworth's EXTRA INDIANS, exploring the ghostly presence of American Indians in contemporary culture, and the attempts to exert their real stories in the national identity, to James Cihlar at Milkweed, for publication in Fall 2010 (World).
Winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Southeast Asia, Christos Tsiolkas's THE SLAP, exploring contemporary multicultural middle class values in suburban Melbourne, through a range of characters' reactions to a singular incident: one man slaps another couple's child at a neighborhood picnic, to Alexis Washam at Penguin, by Wenona Byrne at Allen & Unwin.
NYT bestselling author Sara Poole's POISON, the first of three historical novels set in Renaissance Italy during the reign of the Borgias, featuring the daughter of the official court poisoner, to Charles Spicer at St. Martin's, by Andrea Cirillo at Jane Rotrosen Agency.
Alice Kaplan's TO LIVE IN FRANCE, the stories of three women who went to live in France as students, Jacqueline Bouvier (1949-1950), Susan Sontag (1957-1958), and Angela Davis (1963-1964) and how each was uniquely and profoundly affected by a year of study in Paris and how that year not only shaped the rest of their lives but the course of American culture and politics, to Alan Thomas of University of Chicago Press, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (World English).
Alice Kaplan's TO LIVE IN FRANCE, the stories of three women who went to live in France as students, Jacqueline Bouvier (1949-1950), Susan Sontag (1957-1958), and Angela Davis (1963-1964) and how each was uniquely and profoundly affected by a year of study in Paris and how that year not only shaped the rest of their lives but the course of American culture and politics, to Alan Thomas of University of Chicago Press, by Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff & Associates (World English).
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Author of five NYT bestsellers about the Kennedy family, Edward Klein's TED KENNEDY: The Dream That Never Died, a balanced and ultimately redemptive portrait of the ailing Senator, promising revelations about Kennedy's relations with the Kopechne family; internal Kennedy family friction, and niece Caroline's abrupt withdrawal from consideration for the New York senatorial slot, to Rick Horgan at Crown, for publication in May 2009 (tying in with a Vanity Fair excerpt), by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (world).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Former Secretary of the Treasury and former ceo of Goldman Sachs Henry Paulson, Jr.'s book, including his "personal recollections of key moments and decisions" and "his insights on what has happened since he left office," also "about where I see markets developing and where I think policies should go," with a focus on "my recollection of the events that I was at the center of," to Rick Wolff at Business Plus, on an exclusive submission, for publication in October 2009, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse's ABORTION AND THE COURT: Roe v Wade and the Struggle to Define Abortion Rights, presenting the Supreme Court's various decisions regarding abortion in the context of the roiling times in which the decisions were wrought, dispelling much anachronistic thinking about what rights the Roe v Wade decision actually granted to women, to Don Fehr at Kaplan (world).
Chief political columnist for Politico and NYT bestselling author Roger Simon's untitled book, about presidential stagecraft from FDR to Obama - full of telling anecdotes and previously unheard behind-the-scenes details - that examines how presidents shape and are shaped by their own image-making, and how this can make or break their presidencies, to David Patterson at Holt, by Gail Ross at Gail Ross Literary Agency (NA).
MEMOIR:
Brooke Berman's NO PLACE LIKE HOME, a humorous and touching memoir about the author's quest for artistic success and home in thirty different apartments in New York City, over a span of twenty years; based on the author's award-winning play, HUNTING AND GATHERING, to Julia Pastore at Harmony, in a very nice deal, for publication in Summer 2010, by Swanna MacNair at Fletcher & Company (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Founding editor of Valleywag Nick Douglas's TWITTER WIT: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less, the first authorized Twitter book, a collection of the thousand funniest tweets, with submissions from celebrities and unknown bloggers and a foreword by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, to Kate Hamill at It Books, for publication in fall 2009, by Luke Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (world).
SCIENCE:
Physicist and journalist James Owen Weatherall's SEND PHYSICS, MATH, AND MONEY!, exploring the role of physicists and mathematicians in creating the models that became the basis of an industry - and the source of the current financial meltdown - and tracing the history of "complex financial instruments" such as derivatives, from the Greeks to the early Japanese and Dutch futures markets to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to their ultimate use in global finance, to Amanda Cook at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, at auction, by Zoe Pagnamenta of the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency (NA).
Wrap...
Finally, Good News....ACLU saved the day...
From Information Clearing House:
Judge Must Release Woman Sentenced to Jail for Being Poor, ACLU Says in Court Papers:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan asked for an emergency hearing today on behalf of an Escanaba woman sentenced to 30 days in jail because she is too poor to reimburse the court for her son's stay in a juvenile detention facility.
http://aclumich.org/issues/due-process/2009-03/1353
[Use link above to continue reading]
PS: By damn it's excellent to see real justice being done! To have put that poor woman in jail over $104.00 she didn't have the money to pay was absolutely dispicable.
Wrap....
Judge Must Release Woman Sentenced to Jail for Being Poor, ACLU Says in Court Papers:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan asked for an emergency hearing today on behalf of an Escanaba woman sentenced to 30 days in jail because she is too poor to reimburse the court for her son's stay in a juvenile detention facility.
http://aclumich.org/issues/due-process/2009-03/1353
[Use link above to continue reading]
PS: By damn it's excellent to see real justice being done! To have put that poor woman in jail over $104.00 she didn't have the money to pay was absolutely dispicable.
Wrap....
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