CIAO DATE: 01/2011
Volume: 5, Issue: 4
Winter 2010-2011
Craig Biddle
Craig Biddle
Essay Contest Winner--Capitalism: The Forgotten American Dream
Deborah B. Sloan
When Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, he knew that he had created something of enormous value with the power to raise everyone’s standard of living. What a spectacle it would have been if, upon completing his magnificent invention, Mr. Edison had sheepishly and halfheartedly offered it on the market with little explanation as to exactly what it was or why anyone would want to use it, even as he bent over backward not to challenge the merits of the old, reliable methods of illumination, such as candles and torches.
India in Focus: "India's Commonwealth Games: A National Disgrace"
Chak Kakani
Over the past few years, the Indian government spent $8.5 billion to host the Commonwealth Games (CWG), a multisport event akin to the Olympics, which were held in New Delhi from October 3 through 14, 2010.1 The official purpose of the CWG was to generate “national prestige” for India.2 But the Games did no such thing. In fact, the CWG were a national disgrace. The games showcased a contradiction embraced by Indians that threatens to destroy the economic and political progress they have achieved over the past two decades.
The Republicans' Opportunity to Restore America . . . and Their Obstacle
Craig Biddle
Considers the Republicans’ alternatives following their victories in the 2010 midterm elections, and identifies a moral conflict, which, if unresolved, will preclude them from saving the land of liberty
The Educational Bonanza in Privatizing Government Schools
Andrew Bernstein
Surveys the ills of government-run schools, shows the general superiority of private schools, zeros in on the reason for the difference, and proposes a radical change from which everyone would benefit
An Interview with Andrew Schiff about Fishing Nets, Hut Gluts, and other Economic Matters
Andrew Schiff
The author and investor discusses his book, the state of economy, the cause of America’s financial problems, and investment possibilities under the circumstances
Andrew Carnegie: The Richest Man in the World
Scott Holleran
Andrew Carnegie was the quintessential American, the archetypal self-made man. A poor immigrant boy, Carnegie rose to become a titan, advancing key theories of integration in business, producing more steel than all of England,1 creating the first billion-dollar corporation,2 and leaving an indelible legacy of colleges, arts, and libraries. His was an exceptional life and, in his time, he became the world’s richest man.
Craig Biddle
Includes the book's final, summarizing chapter along with an afterword on terrorism and an appendix on emergency situations.
Waiting for "Superman," directed by Davis Guggenheim
Sean Saulsbury
The documentary Waiting for “Superman” examines America’s failing public education system and calls on Americans to do something about it. Writer/director Davis Guggenheim takes viewers through the entrails of our public schools, showing the horrifying experiences of students across the country (mostly fifth and eighth graders), exposing the policies that led to those experiences, and providing statistics that measure the extent to which our public school system has failed. As part of the exposé, the movie includes several compelling interviews with educators, addressing issues such as the failure of the No Child Left Behind program, the purpose and effects of teachers’ unions, the incredibly high dropout rates among public school students, and the impact of failing schools on our economy and society.
Burzynski: The Movie, directed by Eric Merola
C. A. Wolski
“Kafkaesque” is a word that has lost much of its potency due to overuse: These days any bizarre situation is likely to be described this way. But if any story today deserves to be likened to the bewildering fiction of Franz Kafka, it is the nonfiction tale of Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, PhD, a Texas-based doctor who has been waging a single-handed battle with his home state’s medical board, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and federal prosecutors. What makes Dr. Burzynski’s story particularly bewildering is that he is being persecuted not because he is a terrible doctor, but because he may have made one of the most important medical discoveries in history: a treatment for cancer that is safer and more effective than either chemotherapy or radiation.
How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty, by John R. Bolton
Daniel Wahl
Small books can pack a big punch—as proven by John Bolton’s latest, How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty. In fewer than fifty pages, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations shows that American sovereignty is under siege and indicates what concerned Americans must do to save it.
The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns, by Mohnish Pabrai
Daniel Wahl
“From a standing start as refugees with virtually no capital, a person with the last name Patel today owns one out of every five motels in the United States” (p. 132). According to hedge fund investor Mohnish Pabrai, one word identifies how these Indian immigrants have achieved this extraordinary success in a little more than thirty years: Dhandho.
Jules Klapper
Granted, the subtitle of Appetite For America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West is hyperbolic, but author Stephen Fried’s narrative makes a strong case for Fred Harvey’s immense contributions to America’s westward expansion. Fried tells how Harvey and the two generations of Harveys that succeeded him pioneered and developed many business and marketing concepts still in use today
Daniel Wahl
It may seem unimaginable now, but someday you will look back and be thankful for whatever is angering you or making you anxious today—if, that is, such problems, in conjunction with this book review, inspire you to a study of Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think. In their book, Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky teach skills that enable you to understand your emotions and make fundamental changes in your moods, behaviors, and relationships.
Daniel Wahl
I’m sometimes puzzled at people, some of my good friends among them, who never give a serious thought to rereading a book, even a classic. Yet these same people would surely not pass up a trip to Paris because they’ve already been there or refuse to listen to a CD of Beethoven’s Ninth because they’ve already heard it. (p. 41)