Book Description
The 2000 presidential election meltdown and the more recent controversy about computer voting machines did not come out of the blue. Steal This Vote tells the fraught but very colorful history of electoral malfeasance in the United States. It is a tale of votes bought, stolen, suppressed, lost, cast more than once, assigned to dead people and pets, miscounted, thrown into rivers, and litigated all the way to the Supreme Court. (No wonder America has the lowest voter participation rate of any Western democracy!)
Andrew Gumbel—whose work on the new electronic voting fraud has been praised by Gore Vidal and Paul Krugman, and has won a Project Censored Award—shows that, for all the idealism about American democracy, free and fair elections have been the exception, not the rule. In fact, Gumbel suggests that Tammany Hall, shrouded as it is in moral odium, might have been a fairer system than we have today, because ostensibly positive developments like the secret ballot have been used to squash voting rights ever since.
Customer Reviews:
A much needed book, but not as great as it could be.......2007-06-03
Steal This Vote is a fascinating book whose interesting premise is unfortunately marred by a boring and choppy writing style. Gumbel's accusations, arguments and images are stirring and rather frightening; the fact that elections have been stolen for the last two hundred years isn't exactly encouraging to those supporting election reform. He paints a very clear picture of each point in election-stealing history, from the early days of the Republic to Chicago's Daley machine to the 2000 and 2004 debacles. Each shocking detail comes out fast and harsh, which is alarming (as it should be) for the first few chapters, but then soon becomes repetitive and tiring. That doesn't keep the whole story from enlightening the reader, however. Even if I struggled to get through this book, I learned the history of elections in this country and how they are taken for granted and are almost never clean. And though I am constantly distressed by the American population's election habits, Gumbel's suggestions for reform are reasonable goals for which I will fight to the end. With some more editing, perhaps a new edition of this book could be more easily read, and I think it should be read. This population is too ignorant of its system's workings; if the people knew that their perfect democracy is not so perfect, there would be hell to pay, and then there may at last be change.
To cry, or to cry out? And about what?.......2006-04-08
The election travesties of 2000 and 2004 left me angry and disgusted. I'm still angry and disgusted about those events and their conduct, but after reading Gumbel's book, I've softened my impressions a bit and redirected the focus of my ire and disgust. It's clear to me now that no American political party has ever seriously objected to election theft as long as the result was victory. Since achieving honest elections has never been an honest goal (except temporarily for the losers), a party in power has never had genuine interest in realizing honest results! So, here we are.
I shouldn't be surprised at all that, but Gumbel's detail, clarity and focus make me wonder why I'm so late coming to the full realization table.
Gumbel provides clear insight. Nevertheless, the reader is left to judge for himself what all this says about the alleged state of democracy in the U.S.A., past and present.
Reform long overdue?.......2006-03-06
One would have thought that of all the boring topics that an author could select, the mechanics and history of the secret ballot in the world's pre-eminent democracy should have been close to the top. But far from it, Mr Gumbel has documented and told a quite extraordinary and at times amazing tale. Whether he is right in every detail I have no idea but either way it ought to have every US citizen asking some very tough questions. Politics can be a venal game but surely the actual electoral process itself ought to be above question. Sadly it seems in the USA it's not.
A fascinating historical survey.......2005-12-30
Gumbel has run over the history of American electoral fraud, starting as early as 1788 and running through extensive discussions of the 2000 and 2004 elections.
On the way we learn about a number of fascinating scandals of the past, now largely forgotten, along with some that haven't been, such as the famous Tammany Hall gang that dominated New York City for a decade. Gumbel shows that, while big-city corruption got the publicity, elections in many rural areas were equally dirty. He also show how periodic concerns over ballot box stuffing have resulted in a numbr of reforms that, by making voting harder, have effectively lowered participation, which was once at around 80% of eligible voters, and now is sometimes below 50%. For instance, the secret ballot, by replacing earlier party-distributed ballots that had shown, by color and logos, which party they represented, had the quite intentional effect of disenfranchising many illiterate immigrants and former slaves. The practice of denying the vote to convicted felons even after completion of their sentence was invented entirely to prevent former slaves from voting, and is used to disenfranchise blacks to this day, as notably happened in Florida 2000.
Gumbel's discussion of the Florida crisis is useful, although I thought a little too hard on Gore. His discussion of Ohio 2004, which he feels was clearly a legitimate victory, although he does show the strong evidence of illegitimate means used to suppress the Kerry vote, is obviously unconvincing for many of his readers here. (It's interesting to note that, although the book really works not to be a partisan tract, the reviewers on Amazon seem to be overwhelmingly Democrats.)
The extensive discussion in this book of touch screen voting shows clearly how flawed the technology is in current form. He also adds a fascinating historical perspective by showing how past changes, earlier voting machines and punch card ballots, were promoted in their time as technological wonders which would eliminate corruption and make voting easier.
One thing that is very convincing indeed in this section is the discussion of how professional election administrators have repeatedly ignored, downplayed, or just flat lied about the flaws in technology they have committed taxpayer money to, both with e-voting and with previous technologies. I used to think that the professionals who explained how my fears of touch screen voting were groundless probably knew what they were talking about, since they worked with the systems so closely. I won't ever trust those quotes again after reading this book.
Gumbel's discussion of touch screen voting in other countries is also interesting, both for how he shows that such advanced nations as Venezuela do far better than the US at holding clean and reliable elections, as well as some anecdotes showing that American voting equipment companies have just as doubtful a record overseas as they do at home. This section will give you the mild relief of knowing that the way they're screwing up our elections is (probably) more a matter of corporate greed and incompetence than a deep conspiracy to install permanent right-wing government by fixing elections.
Flat out Best Book on this subject.......2005-11-26
I was really impressed with this book. This is an incredibly important topic, and the author is so immensely knowledgeable, and his handling of the material is so comprehensive and fair, that by the end, I felt closer to grasping what's been going on with American politics than ever before. It turned my perception of the whole voting process in America completely around (I really never suspected it was THIS bad). If you have any interest at all in politics (and if you don't, well, you might be past saving), you should read this, and pass it along, and talk about it. It's an eye-opener. And so entertaining! I laughed out loud several times, and throughout, I felt that the author was presenting really substantial, weighty information in an appealing, witty style. (It's a fun book to cart around, too -- about 15 people stopped me and asked me about the book after glimpsing the title.)
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Washington Monthly, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2323 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Early and often: how to avoid butterfly ballots, long lines, and pregnant chads.(Steal This Vote: Dirty Elections and the Rotten History of Democracy in America)(Book Review)
Author: Phil Keisling
Publication:
Washington Monthly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37
Issue: 10-11
Page: 48(4)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Chicken Central.......2007-08-24
I gave this 4 stars because I don't think calling it the Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens is accurate. It is very informative, but certainly not complete. It does cover the basics & does offer detail but not in depth. It's a hard cover book with full color glossy pages. The photos are very good & it is a very attractive book to have. It will not answer all you questions regarding chickens though. You will need to purchase another book for that. Storey's guide to Chickens is very good. But if you just want a little reading material & an attractive book to boot, then this is a book worth buying.
Picture Perfect Poultry ("> Great introduction to chickens!.......2006-01-10
The Encyclopedia of Chickens (Hardbound Version) is a quality book through and through. The photography is the best I've seen in a chicken book.
The breeds are well presented visually, often as chicks, poults and adults. Which takes the mystery out of wondering what they should look like young or what they will look like when mature.
The write ups are very helpful and go into often neglected details such as individual breed mannerisms and behavior traits. Though each chicken is individual in temperment, breeds are pre-disposed and this book reveals that expertly.
Get this book while you can, I'm unhappy that they are not going to re-print such an obviously wonderful and important book which should be shared by every chicken nut.
I can't say enough about it, I just love it.
FredsFineFowl
A Great Value!.......2005-11-08
Wow - I wish every chicken book had so much information for so little money! I have long looked for a book that has identifying photos of various breeds, and this one is great! (Except they didn't mention my beloved Dominiques!). While it should not be your ONLY poultry book, it should absolutely be ONE of them! Don't forget to hug your chickens today!
does what is promises.......2005-01-16
This is one of the better chicken books I have seen. Informative and succinct. Beautifully illustrated.
Average customer rating:
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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds of the Americas (Illustrated Encyclopedia)
David alderton
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
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ASIN: 0754813738 |
Book Description
A rich information source for over 450 birds, clearly and beautifully illustrated with photographs and artworks.
Customer Reviews:
kentucky fried.......2007-06-26
As an artist I was hoping for a bird reference showing not only varied anatomy and birds from various angles but instead I get pieces of a bird without a complete picture. Not real helpful..
Customer Reviews:
Out of Date.......2004-08-18
This book is out of date- just look at some of the pictures- and not a good book for a novice cockatiel owner keeping one bird as a companion. I suppose it is a good book for breeding, but I only want a pet. Many of the much thinner books on cockatiels available in pet stores have superior and more up to date material.
Outdated "encyclopedia" not a good source for avian info.......2004-01-08
The information in this book is out of date and in many cases, harmful to your pet if you practice any of it. This book advocates clipping only one wing to tame a bird which is dangerous in practice- it makes a bird more prone to injury when it takes flight. It also encourages misinformation about bird health; the book asserts that healthy cockatiels look healthy. In reality, sick birds do their best to hide their sicknesses because they are naturally prey animals. Other practices akin to phrenology in this book are simply invalid today. I would not recommend this for a new owner or anyone in need of practical advice for raising or caring for a cockatiel. While some of the information is correct, there is also enough misinformation to make an inexperienced owner a danger to their pets.
At least the pictures are cute, so it's not a total loss.
Informative, clear.......2001-10-15
It was easy to understand and everthing covered in this book was stated mater-of-factly. It had info on colors, maintenance, breeding, basic genetics, problems, courting and mating behaviours, some health issues, babies, and the cockatiel in general. This book was strongest on the subject of breeding but it lacked info on newer, more rare mutations. Over all this book is perfect for novice and experienced breeders as a sorce to refer to when questions arise. It would make a great companion to a cockatiel book that stresses more of the do's and don'ts of first time bird owning for the first time cockatiel owner.
this would be a very short review, ¡IT'S EXELENT!.......1999-04-06
WE LIKED YOUR BOOK A LOT IT IS REALLY VERY HELPFULLWHILE YOU ARE RAISING BABIES COCKATIELS I SPECIALY LIKED THAT YOU TELL AT WHAT TEMPERATURE THE BABIES HAVE TO BE AND YOU TEACHED US HOW TO FEED THEM, BUT IN THE CHAPTER OF COLORS YOU SHOULD USE PHOTOGRAPHS ON COLOR AND PUT MORE COCKATIEL PHOTO THAN OTHER KINDS OF BIRDS BUT THE ALL OTHER PART OF THE BOOK IS REALLY REALLY GREAT AND I THINK IT IS INTERESTING, WELL IS GREAT THAT WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO REVIEW IT ,THANKS I AM RELLY THANKED TO YOU.
Book Description
One of the most comprehensive single-volume reference works on birds ever produced.
With photographs and descriptions of over 1,300 species, plus a full listing of every bird species in the world, this outstanding reference is an up-to-date portrait of the world birds. An international team of ornithologists provides concise descriptions and reveals the latest science in bird evolution, behavior, ecology, classification and identification. Organized by region and habitat rather than species, the book allows for a more instinctive understanding of birds and their relationships with each other and the environment.
The opening section on bird evolution and anatomy explains species classification and identification, showing how DNA research is causing a re-evaluation of the known science.
The directory makes up the bulk of the book. It is divided into six sections on the Earth's zoogeographical regions. Each section is written by a recognized authority and includes a thorough review of species, habitat and threats, and conservation organizations. Along with specially commissioned artwork, each species description includes:
- Scientific and common names
- Physical characteristics, behavior, habitat and distribution
- Conservation status
- Similar species, with cross-references.
This superb reference closes with an up-to-date list of the more than 9,800 species of birds recognized by ornithologists.
Average customer rating:
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Nature's Predators: Life and Survival in the Wild Snakes ¥ Birds or Prey ¥ Crocodiles ¥ Sharks (The Illustrated Wildlife Encyclopedia)
Barbara Taylor ,
Robin Kerrod , and
Michael Bright
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Reference & Nonfiction
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| Business & Money
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ASIN: 1842151886 |
Book Description
An invaluable A-Z Directory of Ornamental Plants looks at the pruning requirements of wide range of species on a plant by plant basis.
Average customer rating:
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Encyclopedia of Lories
Rosemary Low
Manufacturer: Hancock House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Birds
| Animal Care & Pets
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jp-unknown2
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ASIN: 0888394136 |
Customer Reviews:
Encyclopedia of Lories.......2000-03-15
This is a must have for any lory enthusist, from pet owner to breeder. Topics within the book are easily found and have been written in a clear and concise manner. In addition to the text, the clear and colorful pictures are worth the price of the book.
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