Gatherings: December 2000 -- Issue4

December 2000 • issue 4

Books of Note

Betrayal of Trust
The Collapse of Global Public Health
by Laurie Garrett, 2000, 754 pages
Hyperion, New York
ISBN: 0-7868-6522-9
Have you been worrying about the outbreak of West African Nile Fever in New York? Or maybe the drug resistant strains of tuberculosis that have shown up in over 100 countries, the United States included? How about the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, has that been on your mind? If so, get yourself a copy of Laurie Garrett's latest book, Betrayal of Trust. She chronicles the collapse of public health systems in India, Africa, Russia and the United States and its repercussions. Without a good public health system the detection of disease organisms can go unchecked until it is too late to effectively stop its spread. Ms. Garrett does a thorough and frightening job of laying out the emerging problems of collapsing global public health. And to finish off the book, she ends with the threat of biowarfare, just in case you weren't worried enough about more ordinary health problems. If you find this book an interesting read, then you will want to read her previous book, The Coming Plague.

No Logo
Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies
By Naomi Klein, 1999, 490 pages
Picador USA, New York
ISBN: 0-312-20343-8

This is a good book for understanding why globalization is not in everyone's best interest. Ms. Klein explains why "branding" is more important to global corporations than actually making the products, and how that affects consumers and workers. If you have been following the antics of the GAGers and its actions around "Buy Nothing Day" then this book will help you understand the emerging strategy of "Cultural Jamming".

Culture Jam
The Uncooling of America™
By Kalle Lasn, 2000, 247 pages
Eagle Brook, William Morrow and Company, Inc.
New York
ISBN: 0-688-15656-8

Kalle Lasn is the founder of Adbusters magazine and his book details what the movement known as "cultural jamming" is all about. The book starts with an explanation of the damage that our over-marketed consumer culture is doing to the ecology of our minds. It ends by describing what the cultural jammers are already doing and outlines the strategy of how to continue the unmarketing of our culture. A great book for the radical activist.

The Cultural Creatives
How 50 Million People are Changing the World
By Paul H. Ray, Ph.D, and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., 2000, 370 pages
Harmony Books, New York
ISBN: 0-609-60467-8

This is the book I mentioned in the article on the Bioneers Conference. I have just started it and can tell it is a valuable book to read for increasing our hope and allowing optimism to flourish. "The book is based on 13 years of survey research studies on more than 100,000 Americans, plus more than 100 focus groups and dozens of in-depth interviews."-- from the cover notes.

issue 4 • december 2000

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		December 2000 • issue 4
Books of Note *Betrayal of Trust* The Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett, 2000, 754 pages Hyperion, New York ISBN: 0-7868-6522-9 Have you been worrying about the outbreak of West African Nile Fever in New York? Or maybe the drug resistant strains of tuberculosis that have shown up in over 100 countries, the United States included? How about the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, has that been on your mind? If so, get yourself a copy of Laurie Garrett's latest book, Betrayal of Trust. She chronicles the collapse of public health systems in India, Africa, Russia and the United States and its repercussions. Without a good public health system the detection of disease organisms can go unchecked until it is too late to effectively stop its spread. Ms. Garrett does a thorough and frightening job of laying out the emerging problems of collapsing global public health. And to finish off the book, she ends with the threat of biowarfare, just in case you weren't worried enough about more ordinary health problems. If you find this book an interesting read, then you will want to read her previous book, The Coming Plague. *No Logo* Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies By Naomi Klein, 1999, 490 pages Picador USA, New York ISBN: 0-312-20343-8 This is a good book for understanding why globalization is not in everyone's best interest. Ms. Klein explains why "branding" is more important to global corporations than actually making the products, and how that affects consumers and workers. If you have been following the antics of the GAGers and its actions around "Buy Nothing Day" then this book will help you understand the emerging strategy of "Cultural Jamming". *Culture Jam* The Uncooling of America™ By Kalle Lasn, 2000, 247 pages Eagle Brook, William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York ISBN: 0-688-15656-8 Kalle Lasn is the founder of Adbusters magazine and his book details what the movement known as "cultural jamming" is all about. The book starts with an explanation of the damage that our over-marketed consumer culture is doing to the ecology of our minds. It ends by describing what the cultural jammers are already doing and outlines the strategy of how to continue the unmarketing of our culture. A great book for the radical activist. *The Cultural Creatives* How 50 Million People are Changing the World By Paul H. Ray, Ph.D, and Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D., 2000, 370 pages Harmony Books, New York ISBN: 0-609-60467-8 This is the book I mentioned in the article on the Bioneers Conference. I have just started it and can tell it is a valuable book to read for increasing our hope and allowing optimism to flourish. "The book is based on 13 years of survey research studies on more than 100,000 Americans, plus more than 100 focus groups and dozens of in-depth interviews."-- from the cover notes.

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