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The Secret History of the American Empire / J. Perkin BOOK
OF THE MONTH
Having written the bestseller Confession of an Economic Hit Man back in 1994 in which he exposed the World Bank and IMF's secret agenda for extending the American Empire by deliberately loaning more money than Third World countries could even hope to repay, and in this way "legitimately" taking over their economies and extending what he terms the American Empire. This books is a travelogue in which he visits Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia to see the dreadful social and economic fallout from these practices. Perkins' message to the US is that its wealth is dependant upon Third World slavery. |
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The Corporation / Joel Bakan
This is the book that exposes the true effect of
corporations on our societies and communities. Bakan
reminds us that the bottom line for any corporation
is profit, and we must be ever careful not to fall
for their slick PR campaigns that try to convince us
that they are actually acting in our interest. In fact,
many big corporations will not even obey the law if
they feel that the profits at stake outweigh the cost
of the crime. And most of the larger companies lobby
government so strongly that they are actually eroding
democracy itself. This is an important read for anybody,
and if you can't read the book, see the film! |
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Anti-Capitalism / Editors: Bircham & Charlton
Those of us who have watched those anti-capitalist
protests on television and are wondering whether there
is more to them than merely an expression of anarchy
should read this book. And for those who are already
protesters but would like to consolidate their political
stance should also not pass it by. For this book is
a fantastic introduction to a movement that is gathering
momentum, not only in the world, but in the hearts
and minds of ordinary members of the public. |
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Profit Over People / Noam Chomsky
This book is a popular critique of free market
philosophy, corporate control and socially destructive
organisations such as the International Monetary Fund
and the World Trade organisation. If you want to understand
the central philosophies of business throughout the
world and how they are ripping apart society, then
you can do no better than to read this book. It is
clearly written and researched by an author with an
international reputation for peering underneath the
mass-media gloss and propaganda. |
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Ecological Economics / Herman Daly & Joshua Farley
At last we have an economics book that takes into account the world's ecology, the limits of its resources, and social welfare. Ecological Economics is an introductory-level textbook that is the first wave of a new genre of responsible economics that shows the limitations of many old-world economic practices and how the ideals of never-ending economic growth is not only unachievable but is having dire consequences to the health and happiness of our societies and is encouraging slave labour in Third World countries. The authors argue that sustainability has to be the primary factor in an economies viability. |
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The Ecology of Money / Richard Douthwaite
The author of this small book looks into the history
and function of our current money system, which he
shows has been created more for the profit of the commerical
banks than a medium of exchange to benefit society.
The fact that interest is at the heart of all money
lending means that the system is dependent upon continuous
economic growth in order to survive. Douthwaite present
an alternative non-growth system based on fuel usage. |
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Money / Thomas H. Greco & Vicki
Robin
Greco and Robin have written an excellent book
on the fragility of our current financial system and
suggest actions that individuals, businesses and governments
can take in protecting local economies from the effects
of globalization. Their message is simple: if governments,
by artificially enforcing cash scarcity, are preventing
local communities' ability to create wealth, then it
is up to those communities to build their own financial
system. Greco and Robin show us how. |
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The Silent Takeover / Noreena Hertz
Well written and researched, Hertz describes the
rapid and silent corporate takeover of our lives and
the society in which we live. Corporations are now
so vast that they are able to put considerable pressure
on governments to give them what they want — total
dimination and control. Hertz gives both sides of the
argument, which is unusual with this sort of topic,
and backs up her points with examples and illustrations.
This is a very readable book. |
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No Logo / Naomi Klein
Klein outlines the corporate takeover of society
and the match of brand marketing into every aspect
of our lives, including our schools. She describes
the the massive corporate mergers that are placing
more and more power in the business sector, and how
that power is being used to lower wages and set up
sweat shops in Third World countries. Most interesting
about this book is here insight into how corporations
exploit our desire for individuality by giving us the
tags that are supposed to say that we are different. |
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The Future of Money / Bernard Lietaer
Lietaer made his name implementing the convergence
mechanism for the European single currency, and was
named the world's top currency trader in 1989. He argues
that we are largely ignorant of our current money system,
which is now becoming increasingly unstable. Lietaer
suggests solutions to this instability. |
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Corporate Predators / Mokhiber and Weissman
Large corporations have now infiltrated almost
every area of society — from government to education
and the media. We live in a world where the drive for
profit rather than social concern is now the dominant
concern of both national and local government. In this
factually-rich and insightful book, Mokhiber and Weissman
outline the terrible cost of the "free" market
and laissez-faire politics that are increasingly impoverishing
and enslaving the majority of people on this planet
— sapping the life-blood from society. |
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Captive State / George Monbiot
If you want to understand how big business and
corrupt colluding governments can destroy a country
in just two decades, then read this book. Monbiot shows
us a world in which the corporate sector has been given
carte blanche to invade every aspect of a country,
in this case the United Kingdom, and shows how the
fallout of this accelerating process is the erosion
of democracy and the destruction of a nation. |
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The Best Democracy Money Can Buy /
Greg Palast
This book, described by John Pilger as an information "hand
grenade", reveals how Bush stole the Presidency,
how New Labour can so easily be bought by big business,
and how decisions are being made in favour of international
capitalism and not human beings. This is a book that
questions whether free market capitalism really is
compatible with democracy (one of the dogmas of Milton
Friedman), and how globalization has led to the suffering
of countless of the majority of people in both developed
and undeveloped countries. This book is radical yet
well documented. |
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Confessions of an
Economic Hit Man / John Perkins
Have you wondered why so many developing countries
are in huge debt and end up having to give up their
resources and economy to Western (mostly US) control?
Is this just irresponsible borrowing, or is there something
else going on here? The answer lies in this remarkable
book by John Perkins, an American who describes himself
as a former economic hit man — a member of the
international banking community who deliberately hard-sold
massive loans to developing countries using false economic
projections to ensure their default and the subsequent
theft of entire Third World economies. This book is
an absolute eye-opener for those wondering how the
US become a global empire. |
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The Real Meaning of Money / Dorothy
Rowe
Money is much more than just an economic system:
it has shaped almost every aspect of society and the
psychology of all of us who have grown up in those
societies. Rowe presents an insightful psychologist's
perspective of the money system and how it colours
our psychology, both individually and collectively.
This aspect of money is not usually addressed and it
is a please reading a book that does it so well. |
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Gangster Capitalism / Michael Woodiwiss
We all mistakenly believe that organized crime is perpetrated by gangsters wearing Armani suits and speaking with Italian accents. Nothing could be further from the truth as Woodiwiss shows in this eye-opening book which details how the vast majority of business crime is perpetrated by employees of multinational companies, politicians and bureaucrats. These are the big players who rake in billions for their efforts, and in the process are destroying the very fabric of society. For example, the organisation which makes the most out of illegal drugs is actually the US law enforcement agencies. |
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