History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France

Average customer rating:

Tough book to get through, but worth it
A very interesting book
An informative read for Renaissance history buffs
Great and precise account of a decisive woman
REVIEW OF LEONIE FRIEDA'S CATHERINE DE MEDICI BY JOHN CHUCKMAN

Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France
Leonie Frieda
Manufacturer: Fourth Estate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060744928
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Customer Reviews:

Tough book to get through, but worth it.......2007-10-07

I found this book tough going, and it glossed over whole stretches of time in order, no doubt, to cover Catherine's life in less than a thousand pages. Overall, though, I enjoyed sections, and I'm interested to read more about this fascinating Queen.

A very interesting book.......2007-04-05

Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de' Medici was born in Italy in 1519, and in 1533 was married to King Henry II of France. When Henry died in 1552, Catherine moved from the shadows to become the all-powerful Queen-Mother, the ruler of France in all but name only. However, in an era of schemes and machinations, Catherine gained a reputation as the ultimate schemer, a woman without scruples or bounds. This is the story of Catherine de Medici from birth to death.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting book. The author wanted to humanize Catherine, and to show her as an able power-politics player in an age when it was played by the best. In a way, she succeeded ably. Catherine is shown not to have been "the Maggot from Italy's Tomb" (as Jules Michelet termed her), but rather a mother seeking to help and protect her children in a very dangerous world. But, she only had so much to work with.

In fact, the author shows that Catherine was unable to give affection to her children, something they had to go to their father for, and while she might have been forced into the role of schemer, she embraced the role without scruple. Was she "La Nouvelle Jezebel?" Reading this book, I think so.

Yes, this is a very interesting book, one that goes a long way towards bringing Catherine to life, and making her understandable to the modern reader. I enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it!

An informative read for Renaissance history buffs.......2006-12-19

I highly recommend this book to people who want to know more about the Medici family and its illustrious member who became the Queen of France.

Catherine de Medici had 10 children: three became French kings, one became Queen of Spain (as wife of Philip II). Her youngest son was a serious candidate to wed England's Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen Mother was a lavish spender who insisted on mounting extravagant "magnificences" in total disregard for France's precarious financial state. She would even impose taxes on the ever-suffering populace to finance her exercises of excess. She formed her own company of scantily clad dancing girls ("the flying squadron") which proved quite popular.

Catherine was not a hardcore religious type (like Spain's Philip II) but attended Mass regularly. She was not threatened by the rise of Protestantism and sought to meet their demands by peaceful means. She was superstitious: when a seer predicted the death of her husband King Henry II at a tournament, she begged him not to compete (he did anyway and was killed in an accident).

She presided over eight Wars of Religion: civil wars between Protestants fighting for their right to worship freely, and Catholics trying to keep the country from splitting apart. The author discusses Catherine's many diplomatic efforts to resolve the difficulties peacefully. But treacherous behavior among hardcore Huguenots eventually hardened her attitude, culminating in the disastrous Massacre of St Bartholomew of 1572, which killed as many as 30,000 men, women, and children all over France.

Catherine loved architecture, ate heartily (she was fat), and was an enthusiastic horseback rider. She adored her husband Henry II even though he preferred to spend his time with a mistress. She worshipped her son King Henri III, a transvestite who frequently ignored his royal duties to spend time with his young male companions ("mignons").

Catherine was not what contemporary thinkers would call a "good mother." While she worshipped Henri, she ignored her other children. At the outset of the Massacre of 1572, she put her daughter Margot in mortal danger by allowing her to stay at the Louvre, even though the building was about to be overrun by assassins. Years later, Catherine even proposed "eliminating" Margot in order to allow her husband Henri of Navarre to marry a woman who was more capable of bearing children.

I would not call this a "sympathetic" biography. While the author emphasizes Catherine's diplomatic efforts, the Queen Mother clearly lived up to the Medicis' darker reputation by approving numerous political assassinations.

This book is full of interesting information, and also contains several full-color illustrations.

Great and precise account of a decisive woman.......2006-07-01

When i picked up this book my expectations were not that high but from the moment i started reading i was captivated by the authors way of telling the story.The author does a very good job in describing Catherine and her struggles from an early childhood until she became the Queen of France. The author's style is flawless and goes straight to the point in describing all the plots and treaties that happened in that time and their importance towards Italy,France and Spain.This is a great book that not only highlights Catherine struggles to keep the dinasty afloat but also because she makes us undestand all the main characters and their problems.Excellent work!!

REVIEW OF LEONIE FRIEDA'S CATHERINE DE MEDICI BY JOHN CHUCKMAN.......2006-02-04

This book is an interesting failure. It is well worth reading and contains many interesting passages, but Ms. Frieda fails in her stated aim of creating a more sympathetic understanding of Catherine de Medici and the difficulties under which she labored.

Catherine is widely seen as a talented, scheming and ruthless power-behind-the-throne figure, doing almost anything to promote and protect her children which included two Kings of France. Catherine's era overlaps that of a truly great queen, England's Elizabeth I, so her story includes figures such as Mary Queen of Scots and Philip II of Spain and includes the great waves of violence that crashed across Europe following the Reformation. You just can't come up with better historical material.

Ms. Frieda does a creditable job of telling her story, at times rising to gripping narrative as when she describes events around the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, an orgy of killing in which something on the order of ten to twenty thousand Huguenots were slaughtered, many having their throats cut in their beds.

Ms. Frieda's explanation of Catherine's role in the Massacre is that she only wanted to have a small group of leaders killed while conveniently gathered for the wedding of Henri of Navarre, a Protestant of Valois blood, and Catherine's daughter, Margot. Ms. Frieda's thesis is that what was to be a small "surgical operation" got completely out of hand with Paris mobs taking to killing anyone even suspected of being a Protestant, as though killing a group of guests at a royal wedding, had it gone no further, would have been just fine.

Ms. Frieda is not the first to put the thesis forward, but it fails utterly to soften our view of Catherine. There is little proof supporting Frieda's interpretation, but, in ordinary common law, if you commit a crime that generates a still bigger crime, you are not free of guilt. Beyond that, no one knew better than Catherine, after all her terrible experience with French Catholic-Protestant relations, what a seething place Catholic Paris was. To have Admiral Coligny, a much-admired Huguenot, and other high officials assassinated at that time in that place was criminally stupid, apart from all considerations of ethics and proper statecraft.

She wheedled her mentally-unbalanced son, Charles IX, into agreeing to the vicious plan, in part out of her sick jealousy over Coligny's friendship and influence with the King. When Charles, in one of his maniacal rages, finally roared his infamous "Kill them all" order, shouldn't the supposedly careful and subtle Catherine have understood how the words could be misinterpreted?

One can't avoid seeing Catherine as the classic over-protective, hot-house mother, willing to forgive her bloody awful darlings anything, willing to do almost anything for them. Such people always do a great deal of harm in ordinary life and even more when they are in high places. This sick trait of Catherine was compounded by the fact that there was raging madness in her Valois-de Medici brood. Charles IX, Henri III, and her daughter Margot, who married the future king, Henri of Navarre, were simply mad, unfit to rule even in ordinary times, but these were not ordinary times. There was Catherine working feverishly for their interests, effectively against the interests of France as a whole.

Other unsavory aspects of Catherine's character come through even in this book. Her horrible execution, many years later, of the Count de Montgomery, the man who accidentally killed her husband, Henri II, in a jousting entertainment, is just one. Henri, who had insisted on another joust, had publicly forgiven the man as he lay dying. Catherine waited for many years to take her bloody revenge. Frieda says this is one of the only examples of her taking vengeance, but that statement comes after having dismissed many convenient deaths, widely suspected at the time to have been poisonings.

Read this book and others - it contains an excellent bibliography - to decide for yourself how best to interpret Catherine's work. You will, in any event, be exposed to interesting times, and you will be glad you aren't living in them.

The White Queen?(Book Review): An article from: New Criterion

Average customer rating:

The White Queen?(Book Review): An article from: New Criterion
Allen Brooke
Manufacturer: Foundation for Cultural Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on February 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2855 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: The White Queen?(Book Review)
Author: Allen Brooke
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2005
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Page: 71(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Entry of Henri II into Paris: 16 June 1549 (Renaissance Triumphs and Magnificences, New Ser., V. 2)

Average customer rating:

Entry of Henri II into Paris: 16 June 1549 (Renaissance Triumphs and Magnificences, New Ser., V. 2)

Manufacturer: Mrts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Medieval | World | History | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

The USS Enterprise and Pearl Harbor.......2001-06-18

June 18, 2001

Dear Sirs:

The first paragraph of the review I submitted on June 17, 2001 should end like this:

....it is an excellent source document for military historians with much important new information about the military action of this carrier during and immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Ralph Peterson

The USS Enterprise and Pearl Harbor.......2001-06-17

As this book contains recently declassiifed information regarding the US aircraft carrier USS Enterprise from the ship's logbooks, as well as diaries of the pilots who flew her planes, it is an excellent source document for military historians with much important new information on the role and military actions of this carrier during World War II.

And all readers should find interesting the little-known story of an unexpected gale which developed some 300 miles west of Hawaii on December 5, 1941 as the Enterprise was returning to port at Pearl Harbor from a training exercise and which probably saved this carrier.

This unexpected storm caused Admiral Halsey to cut the speed of this 13-ship task force in half, delaying their scheduled arrival back at Pearl Harbor for 24 hours until Sunday afternoon of December 7th (after the Japanese attack had occurred at dawn that morning).

Many WWII history buffs will appreciate the fact that if the Enterprise had been in port that Sunday morning as scheduled (and as the Japanese expected) , it would almost certainly have been sunk with all of the US battleships there. And the Japanese Admirals would have probably been emboldened enough to dare make a second strike against the fuel storage tanks and other important military targets on the island.

Since the US only had three carriers in the Pacific at that time (and the Japanese had eight) , the situation for the American fleet would have extremely serious and could have put the entire Southeast Pacific area (including Australia) at grave risk of occupation by Japanese forces.

The documented story of the miraculous gale which probably saved the Enterprise (and which has not been widely disseminated before) in itself makes this book well worth buying.

The USS Enterprise and Pearl Harbor.......2001-06-17

The documented story of the miraculous gale which probably saved the Enterprise (and which has not been widely disseminated before) in itself makes this book well worth buying.

Average customer rating:

After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism)

helps to understand the backend geo-political trends

Some problems with facts and logic

self-congratulatory ex chathedra pronouncemnts

A hegemon in trouble

After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism)
Emmanuel Todd
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Imperialism & Independence | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)

Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (American Empire Project)

Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (American Empire Project)

The Histories (Oxford World's Classics)

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops

ASIN: 0231131038

Book Description

Widely reviewed and critically praised, Emmanuel Todd's After the Empire predicts that the United States is forfeiting its superpower status as it moves away from traditional democratic values of egalitarianism and universalism, lives far beyond its means economically, and continues to anger foreign allies and enemies alike with its military and ideological policies. As America's global dominance evaporates, Todd foresees the emergence of a Eurasian alliance bringing together Europe, Russia, Japan, and the Arab-Islamic world.

Todd calmly and straightforwardly takes stock of many negative trends, including America's weakened commitment to the socio-economic integration of African Americans, a bulimic economy that increasingly relies on smoke and mirrors and the goodwill of foreign investors, and a foreign policy that squanders the country's reserves of "soft power" while its militaristic arsonist-fireman behavior is met with increasing resistance. Written by a demographer and historian who foresaw the collapse of the Soviet Union, this original and daring book cannot be ignored.

Customer Reviews:

After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism).......2007-09-24

In 1976 Emmanuel Todd, predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union, in his book "The Final Fall: An Essay on the Decomposition of the Soviet Sphere"

Todd now turns his gaze to the U.S. in "After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order". In this second book Todd's demographic arguments are weak, but his economic and historical analysis seems trenchant, and he predicts that in the relatively near term America's financial indiscipline and runaway consumption habits will result in a crash leading to a necessary 15 to 20 percent reduction in American living standards. (Note the 2007 US Subprime mortgage financial crisis).

Todd argues that the U.S., despite its military prowess, simply lacks the power to enforce its hegemony everywhere it wishes and that its increasingly fragile, debt-dependent, Free trade economy cannot sustain for long such an overreaching imperial policy.

Todd describes the U.S. as a "superpower living hand to mouth," led by a "rudderless and clueless" ruling class who is incapable of achieving its global aims through repeated applications of "theatrical micromilitarism."

Todd argues that the disintegration of American hegemony is already in full swing, and he predicts that the Bush American Administration and its neocon theorists "will go down in history as the gravediggers of the American empire."

Todd's compelling argument / formula for great empires decline and collapse is that Great powers (such as the French, Spanish, British, Japanese, Soviet, and now America) get in the habit of using military force to protect what they view as their broad economic interests, but in doing so, they divert investment from productive social and economic purposes into nonproductive military ends. (The US has already spent close to $500 billion on the war in Iraq, the ultimate cost could reach $1 trillion or more).

Inevitably, Counties with more dynamic, productive economies position themselves to replace the aging great power when its military overspending inexorably leads to its relative economic and social decline, whether gradual or sudden.

The more the U.S. seeks to assert its will through unilateral military force, the more it ensures that the other major players will find it increasingly in their best interests to collaborate more closely with one another to deflect and frustrate the American imperialism.

* Note the increasing collaboration between rising Asian giants China and India. Newly published data shows that China has replaced the U.S. as Japan's major trading partner.

* Note the deepening commercial relationships between China and Europe.

* Note the rapidly increasing economic and political collaboration between China and Saudi Arabia.

* Note the accelerating drift away from the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. In the past week the dollar fell to historical lows against the euro.

* Note the robust military collaboration between China and Russia.

* Note the recent decision by China and Japan to establish a military "hot line." China will hold military exercises with several ASEAN states in the coming year.

* Note the increasing disinclination of Europeans, notably the Germans, French, Spanish, and Italians, to support--much less finance--American imperial misadventures, such as the rapidly imploding debacle in Iraq.

* Note the disinclination of the Europeans to continue to tolerate the tenure of American neocon ideologue Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank.

The collapse of the American Empire is not over the horizon-- WE ARE ALREADY IN THE VERY MIDST OF IT. It is like a staged train wreck unfolding frame-by-frame as we reflect in head-shaking disbelief on each day's news and on each new blunder by the Bush Administration.

When and where will the Bush Administration and US Congress blunder too far? Perhaps that blunder will turn out to be the invasion and failed occupation of IRAQ.

Or perhaps the ultimate catalytic blunder will occur in IRAN, which remains a target for destabilization, intervention, "liberation," and regime change.

The US quixotically and unstoppable strive for sole global hegemony will unavoidably lead to further military misadventures and debilitating financial and economic crises the central cause being corrupt, clueless, inept, and rigid leadership, as was in the Soviet Union collapse?

helps to understand the backend geo-political trends.......2007-08-25

I do actually share most (65%) of Todd's analysis. I am reading this book 5 years after its 1st publication and to me it sounds pretty true. I would have had probably more restrictions if I would have read it in 2002 but it seems that actual facts confirm some of the trends suggested by Todd. I agree when Todd states that Germany and Japan are real economic powers compared to US. It seems US became a country of leisure and consumption and has less and less production capabilities. And regarding Russia, we can see now that it comes back on the international scene, as stated by Todd.
However, I can imagine that this book may irritate some american readers because, even for me, french citizen, it gives sometimes the impression that America is "dying", and that Europe is the "new" light of the world. I do not agree with this vision and I think that America, inspite of current bad choices, still has internal good capabilities to change its current direction. But will it do so? Maybe the author acts like that because he is disappointed (like many others) by the path chosen by the US on the international stage. Seen from outside the US, americans have lived since 2001 under an incredible propaganda orchestrated by the US government. But hopefully people are waking up now.
Regarding the expected "magnificent" future of Europe, I am more pessimistic than the author : there are some difficulties to find our own way which is normal, but I do belive however that we have an interesting potential. Will Europe be able to let it bloom as he says? I hope so but it is not won yet. Regarding France, my own country, we play a role in Europe for sure, more political than economical; regarding economy it's peanuts compared to the great economic health of Germany.The economic power of Europe is mostly the fact of Germany.
And curiously, the author does almost not talk about China. It is likely that China is a more dangereous competitor than Europe, since even in Europe big parts of industry fly to China. There exists a tricky balance in relationships between China and the US and when China has the means to break it at its advantage, no doubt it will do it and for me THIS really will sound the "collapse" of the "American" Empire.
To summarize my opinion on this book, I do share most of the trends explained by Todd (role of Russia, future possible role of Europe); I am more suspicious when he says that islamic countries are converging towards a kind of democracy.
And anyway I think it is worth reading it for having an external point of view on the US and for understanding the main world geostrategic trends which are moving in the backstage.

Some problems with facts and logic.......2007-07-17

This book is not particularly convincing. Emmanuel Todd starts by saying that "after years of being perceived as a problem solver, the United States itself has now become a problem for the rest of the world."

As an example, Todd says that the US is obsessed with Iran, even though Iran is "clearly working toward a more peaceable existence, both internally and internationally."

He's wrong. Iran is doing no such thing. And even though the United States may be a problem to others sometimes, we're nowhere near to being the inherent problem that Todd indicates.

Todd is careful to distinguish his point of view from that of many anti-Americans, among whom he includes Noam Chomsky. According to Todd, those folks regard America is both evil and omnipotent, vastly exaggerating America's power!

Obviously, the United States has some problems, including a big new deficit and some trade imbalances. And we have some foreign relations problems. But any analysis of all this has to be based on reality. Iran, for example, is really posing a problem of its own, no matter what Todd may say.

The author says that there is a "movement away from universalism." That may be true, but once again, Todd is unconvincing. One of his examples is support for Israel. Todd starts by calling such support mysterious and finally ascribing it to "a firmer belief in the inequality of men."

Really?

I am a Zionist, because I do believe in equality of humans. Todd is the one who is acting as a particularist here. And I think he's made a fundamental error in dismissing the possibility that "supporters" of Israel may be universalists. Namely, when you suspect that a large group of people are ignoring (or overriding) facts and logic to reach conclusions, you really ought to find out how strong the evidence for the conclusions happens to be! And here, I'm not talking about the case for supporting Israel per se, but the case for believing that such support is an example of support for human rights in general.

I would think that Todd, as a universalist, ought to be happy about the emancipation of Women in western society and ought to at least say that he hopes it will occur everywhere. But instead we get this: "the Muslim world does not need America's advice when it comes to improving its social customs." Um, wow. Not even our "advice!" That's even more particularism from the author.

Yes, Todd thought hard and he tried hard to come up with a useful book. And he came close to getting a second star from me. But to get that second star, he would have needed to make more sense than this.

self-congratulatory ex chathedra pronouncemnts .......2007-06-16

Aside from stating the obvious that the US can not continue foreign involvement in the face of increasing budget deficits, the book appears to be a series of unsupported gratuitous statements. If this is what passes for scholarship in France, they are in a lot of trouble. As for his claim to fame for predicting the collapse of the USSR, that judgment was first made by a woman economist years before after analyzing public budgets -- as I recall it was published by Princton Univ. My advice is don't waste your time or money on this book.

Upon reflection, my previous review was inaccurate in giving any credence to this book. Todd has the following to say about the U.S.: The menace of evil in the United States is truly everywhere if one thinks of the renunciation of the principle of equality, the rise of an irresponsible plutocracy, the overdrawn credit card existence of millions of consumers and the country as a whole, the inceasing use of the death penalty, and the return with a vengeance of obsession about race." at p. 120. This is one the less grandiose statements he makes.

In the words of Ambrose Bierce "The covers of this book are too far apart."

A hegemon in trouble.......2006-07-13

This book is a reaction on Z. Brzezinski's `The Great Chess board'.
As he did for the USSR, E. Todd predicts the fall of the American empire with G.W. Bush and his neocons as its gravediggers.

The author sees ominous signs of the fall on three levels.
The ideological level: the USA doesn't believe anymore that all humans are equal. It is becoming a fundamentally unequal oligarchy dominated by an aggressive clan which tries to control the world's most important commodities.
The economic level: the USA cannot survive without the help of the rest of the world. It needs 1.2 billion dollars every day to fill the gap of its commercial deficit. This deficit constitutes an enormous black hole gobbling up merchandise and capital, but unable to produce in return enough industrial goods or services.
The military level: the USA can only terrorize weak nations (Arabic). Its military and intelligence budget swallows more than half of the US total budget. In order to justify this colossal and inflationary spending spree (and the fabulous benefits for a few corporations and its shareholders), the USA has to spread an endemic (inter)national situation of fear and danger by demonizing `axes of evil' and a spooky horde of terrorists.
By losing its ideological justification and its economic power, the USA can only count on its military force, in other words create a world monopoly of (il)legitimate violence. Nevertheless, no country in history has ever enhanced its force by waging wars.

E. Todd sees also other ominous signs of weakness: a higher child mortality rate than any European country, integration difficulties and continuing black segregation.

For E. Todd, the real forces are demographic and educational. The real power is economic: General Motors, the industrial emblem of the US, is on the brink of bankruptcy, and Microsoft, the technological emblem, is losing its monopoly.

But, as W.E. Clark explains in his magisterial book `Petrodollar Warfare', the real pillar of US dominance is the dollar. As long as oil will be quoted in dollars, the rest of the world has to by dollars and sustain its exchange rate. If OPEC (like Saddam Hussain) asks to be paid in euro, the dollar will fall heavily. The result will be massive inflation, a possible run on the banks, and a collapse of the US financial system, like we saw in Argentina a few years ago. The final fall of the American empire will be the fall of the dollar.

Emmanuel Todd has written a thought provoking book. It is a must read for all those interested in the future of the world.

I also highly recommend the works of W.E. Clark, W.G. Tarpley and W. Engdahl.

Book Description

This book reviews what is known about the behaviour and population ecology of a popular shorebird, from a scientific conservation perspective. The plight of this bird highlights the many conflicts of interest in coastal zones, between human activities such as shellfishing, land reclamation, barrage construction, and industrial pollution, and the needs of wildlife for food and suitable habitats. As well as detailing Oystercatcher natural history - including the well-known specialization in feeding technique shown by individuals - the authors use their field studies of individual variations in behaviour to produce population models. This novel approach provides tools for predicting how populations will respond to the many environmental changes to which the coastal zone is subject. It thus can play a role in coastal management schemes that seek to balance the needs of people and wildlife, and suggests that the same methods can be applied in other situtations. The volume contains fifteen well-integrated chapters by an international team of contributors, and is fully referenced.

THE OYSTERCATCHER--FROM INDIVIDUALS TO POPULATIONS.(Review) (book review): An article from: Wilson Bulletin

Average customer rating:

THE OYSTERCATCHER--FROM INDIVIDUALS TO POPULATIONS.(Review) (book review): An article from: Wilson Bulletin
Brian A. Harrington
Manufacturer: Wilson Ornithological Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Wilson Bulletin, published by Wilson Ornithological Society on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 516 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: THE OYSTERCATCHER--FROM INDIVIDUALS TO POPULATIONS.(Review) (book review)
Author: Brian A. Harrington
Publication: Wilson Bulletin (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Wilson Ornithological Society
Volume: 112 Issue: 2 Page: 297

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Oystercatcher : From Individuals to Populations (Oxford Ornithology Series)

Average customer rating:

The Oystercatcher : From Individuals to Populations (Oxford Ornithology Series)
John D. Goss-Custard
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKWWIE

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books