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The U.s. Intelligence Community by Jeffrey T. Richelson

wfzimmerman's review: "Extremely well footnoted, indispensable reference source."
Westview Press (2007), Paperback, 592 pages

Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill

wfzimmerman's review: "An important book with lots of good original reporting. It's unfortunate that the author tends to see Christian evangelists as "the enemy." The situation with Blackwater is disturbing enough without any political assumptions."
Nation Books (2007), Hardcover, 464 pages

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin

wfzimmerman's review: "An update on [[THE BRETHREN]]. Discouraging view of politicized, result-driven law."
Doubleday (2007), Hardcover, 384 pages

POTSHOT by Robert B. Parker

Rating: 5
Review of: Potshot by Parker, Robert B., 1932-

Spenser takes on a 40-person-strong mob in the Western town of Potshot. Parker has been very smart about reinvigorating the Spenser series at key moments. This is a must-read if you like Spenser.

A RANDOM WALK DOWN WALL STREET by Burton Malkiel

Rating: 5
Review of: A random walk down Wall Street : the time-tested strategy for successful investing by Malkiel, Burton Gordon

Outstanding because it combines pragmatic insight with the best avaialble peer-reviewed academic knowledge about investing.

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THE EXECUTION CHANNEL by Ken MacLeod — disturbing and almost great

Rating: 5
Review of: The Execution Channel by MacLeod, Ken

Wow, what a disturbing book ... feels so very true almost up until the last ten pages, when it takes a sudden u-turn into Stalinist fantasy. I admire MacLeod for recognizing that *anyone* can win the Great Game, and that American or British victory is by no means preordained, but at some point we need to start doing some sanity-checking about whether a) China is likely to become the global leader with its repressive, untransparent political system and b) whether we actually want that to happen.



There's a tremendous Scottish Renaissance in science fiction and fantasy these days, with MacLeod, Charles Stross, J. K. Rowling among the brightest lights. It's a pity that it seems such a politically parochial Renaissance, driven by fear of American hegemony rather than by a expansive view of a better world.

MARCHING ORDERS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF WORLD WAR II

Rating: 4
Review of: Marching orders : the untold story of World War II by Lee, Bruce

The author makes a puzzling choice and tells this otherwise interesting story entirely in the present tense. An odd choice, since history occurs entirely in the present tense. I am unable to get past the stylistic tic and shelve the book prematurely.

Hyperspectral Data Exploitation: Theory and Applications by Chang Chein-I

wfzimmerman's review: "One of few available texts on an important remote sensing technique."
Wiley-Interscience (2007), Hardcover, 440 pages
tags: first edition, hyperspectral

CONTACTING ALIENS: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO DAVID BRIN’S UPLIFT UNIVERSE

Rating: 4
Review of: Contacting aliens : an illustrated guide to David Brin's uplift universe by Brin, David

Inspired to re-read this because I'm talking about a project with David Brin. Good stuff for Uplift fans. What's bugging me about the Uplift books is simple: is the series finished or not?

I AM A STRANGE LOOP, Douglas R. Hofstadter.

Rating: 4
Review of: I am a strange loop by Hofstadter, Douglas R., 1945-

If you liked GODEL, ESCHER, BACH, you must read page 229, where Hofstadter discusses the sudden death of his wife, Carol, who was 43.



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