10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Plutonia » Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:42 am

Hey slomo!

It's not you!

Disciplined Minds - A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives,

Who are you going to be? That is the question.

In this riveting book about the world of professional work, Jeff Schmidt demonstrates that the workplace is a battleground for the very identity of the individual, as is graduate school, where professionals are trained. He shows that professional work is inherently political, and that professionals are hired to subordinate their own vision and maintain strict “ideological discipline.”

The hidden root of much career dissatisfaction, argues Schmidt, is the professional’s lack of control over the political component of his or her creative work. Many professionals set out to make a contribution to society and add meaning to their lives. Yet our system of professional education and employment abusively inculcates an acceptance of politically subordinate roles in which professionals typically do not make a significant difference, undermining the creative potential of individuals, organizations and even democracy.

Schmidt details the battle one must fight to be an independent thinker and to pursue one’s own social vision in today’s corporate society. He shows how an honest reassessment of what it really means to be a professional employee can be remarkably liberating. After reading this brutally frank book, no one who works for a living will ever think the same way about his or her job.

****

Jeff Schmidt was an editor at Physics Today magazine for 19 years,

until he was fired for writing this provocative book. He has a PhD

in physics from the University of California, Irvine, and has taught

in the United States, Central America and Africa.

http://disciplined-minds.com/
[the British] government always kept a kind of standing army of news writers who without any regard to truth, or to what should be like truth, invented & put into the papers whatever might serve the minister

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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby OneEyeDollar » Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:46 pm

Great list of books here, but I can't believe no one has mentioned the Sinister Forces trilogy, by Peter Lavenda! Quite possibly the best series of books out there on what is going on in the world. http://sinisterforces.info/
"Behind the scenes of life there is something pernicious that makes a nightmare of our world."-Thomas Ligotti
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Belligerent Savant » Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:05 am

.

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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby slomo » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:46 am

Plutonia wrote:Hey slomo!

It's not you!

Disciplined Minds - A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives,

Who are you going to be? That is the question.

In this riveting book about the world of professional work, Jeff Schmidt demonstrates that the workplace is a battleground for the very identity of the individual, as is graduate school, where professionals are trained. He shows that professional work is inherently political, and that professionals are hired to subordinate their own vision and maintain strict “ideological discipline.”

The hidden root of much career dissatisfaction, argues Schmidt, is the professional’s lack of control over the political component of his or her creative work. Many professionals set out to make a contribution to society and add meaning to their lives. Yet our system of professional education and employment abusively inculcates an acceptance of politically subordinate roles in which professionals typically do not make a significant difference, undermining the creative potential of individuals, organizations and even democracy.

Schmidt details the battle one must fight to be an independent thinker and to pursue one’s own social vision in today’s corporate society. He shows how an honest reassessment of what it really means to be a professional employee can be remarkably liberating. After reading this brutally frank book, no one who works for a living will ever think the same way about his or her job.

****

Jeff Schmidt was an editor at Physics Today magazine for 19 years,

until he was fired for writing this provocative book. He has a PhD

in physics from the University of California, Irvine, and has taught

in the United States, Central America and Africa.

http://disciplined-minds.com/

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

I just saw that one via Cryptogon and was going to post it in this thread... you beat me to it! Yes, it speaks very directly to me, and (as Kevin puts it) I'm having trouble maintaining appearances.
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Plutonia » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:13 pm

slomo wrote: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

I just saw that one via Cryptogon and was going to post it in this thread... you beat me to it! Yes, it speaks very directly to me, and (as Kevin puts it) I'm having trouble maintaining appearances.

Then you are on your way to being "voted off the Island!" Congratulations!
:twisted:
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Elihu » Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:06 pm

julie doceanie wrote:Diaries of Victor Klemperer, in three volumes, detailing life in Germany from the '20s thru the '50s, from the point of view of one of the victims of a society experiencing a psychotic break with reality.

His description of his experience being firebombed in Dresden in 1945 was one of the most harrowing things I have ever read.


Diary of a Man in Despair
Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen


A time of inhumanity recounted by a man of humanity., 22 Feb 2000
By George A. Webster (Scotland) - See all my reviews

Ignore Norman Stone's confused and obscure introduction and go directly to this 'lost' masterpiece, available for the first time in its unexpurgated form. The author, Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen, was a minor nobleman of Prussian origins - a man of impeccable korrektheit. Unlike others of his caste, Reck-Malleczewen not only perceived the Nazi's for the guttersnipes they were, but said as much right from the outset. This man saw these vulgarians as a national shame - and sardonically remarked in his diary upon those who encouraged them when their vicious philistinism was manifest. For his opinions, Reck-Malleczewen was denounced several times to the Gestapo; his final internment at Dachau ending with a bullet through the neck just weeks before the end of the war. On a purely literary level, Reck-Malleczewen is a masterful, prejudiced and incisive commentator on the hideous carnival that was Hitler's Third Reich. It is Germany's good fortune that the contemporary observations of diarists such as Reck-Malleczewen and Victor Klemperer have survived. Not only do they bear witness to a modern Dark Age, but they reassure us that throughout it all there existed another Germany - a Germany which younger historians such as Daniel Goldhagen culpably ignore.

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, eye-opening and agonisingly honest, 3 April 2000
By A Customer

Much has been written about the history of Germany under the Nazi Party, but genuinely honest and critical accounts by Germans themselves have very rarely made it into the English language. This account by Friedrick Reck-Malleczewen, a Prussian noblemen who lived in Bavaria during the Hitler years, is marked by his complete despair with the German people for falling for the tricks and scams of Hitler.

This book is the first I've read by a German which seeks to explain - but not excuse - the way the German nation reacted to Hitler in terms of mass social-psychology, or sickness and disease as metaphors for the collective loss of what the author saw as the virtues of the German nation in more socially secure times. Hitler is referred to as a boil, a virus, an abortion; clearly, he associates Germany's mental collapse with the diminished human status of a satanic Hitler. His perspective as a Prussian aristocrat mourning for the loss of old virtues might, to some readers, diminish his capacity to comment on the willingness of a people to subject itself to tyranny. But I found that this does not get in the way at all with his assessment, progressing from 1936 right up to his arrest in 1944, of why Germany acted as it did.

His assessment of the drifting of the German nation into the hysteria and banality of "mass-man" psychoses is vitriolic and escoriating in its condemnation of all the elements of the - at that time - modern society. His scorn is reserved for the industrialists and petit bourgeousie who he felt had thrown their lot in with Hitler and, in so doing, betrayed the positive characteristics of the German nation. He uses his knowledge of German philosophy to portray how far the Nazi party deviated from the virtues of the old European cultures, to powerful effect. However, I found the most satisfying elements of this account to be his observations of how deeply scarred German society became, how divorced from its former, moral self. For instance, he talks despairingly of innocent young Bavarian farming girls becoming prostitutes to service the SS elite, and of petty criminals reaching the upper echelons of power, previously manned with honour by men of Reck-Walleczewen's social class.

Not so much a diary, more one man's attempt to recalone with Hitler, in a beer cellar, in which the author was armed and had the opportunity to shoot Hitler, but did not, is one of those classic "what if" moments from history. It is powerful stuff, and gives a fantastic insight into just how deeply the virus of nationalism and racism, and amoralism, permeated the characters of average Germans, turning bakers into mass murderers and criminals into Field Marshalls. The vitriol and hatred of the Nazis is unmistable on every page. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to really understand why the German nation acted as it did.

4.0 out of 5 stars The suffering of an antinazy in Germany during WWII, 10 Feb 2001
By filipides@retemail.es (Zaragoza, Spain) - See all my reviews

It is the first time that I read a book in which it is described the fact that there were some Germans who were absolutely against Hitler's regime. In this diary the author shares with the reader his feeling, attitudes and ideas during the Second World War. It was incredibly difficult not to be an ardent nazi during those years in Germany. A wonderful description of Nazi Germany from inside.


5.0 out of 5 stars "Diary of a Man in Despair" by Fritz Reck-Malleczewen, 20 Oct 2010
By VIKTORIA M. RECK-MALLECZEWEN (REAL NAME)

This book was written by my father, whom I witnessed hiding the entries in our orchard from the Nazis. So to me, who is biased, it is the BEST account ever written about this time. He wrote with a passion that even one, who blissfully has not lived in those days, cannot help but being moved by.
Kind regards,
Viktoria REck-Malleczewen

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wonderful book, 9 May 2000
By A Customer

This book is by turns horrifying, very funny, beautiful and poetic. The subject matter is of course fascinating but of even more interest for me was the glimpse into the mind and heart of a true "Nobleman". The beauty and humanity of the man, (despite his very un pc views to today's ears), shines through the degradation and shame he felt on behalf of Germany. Because of this, despite the horror and pessimism, one is left with a vision of hope and comfort and a wish to be a better, (nobler), man.
But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby MinM » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:01 pm

operator kos wrote:Here's the game:

If you were going to teach a class in deep politics/deep history, and you could have your students read ten and only ten books, what would they be? Your goal is to give the next generation as broad and deep an understanding of the true power structure of the world as possible. I don't have my complete list yet, but it would look something like this (in no particular order):

1. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
2. A Terrible Mistake by H.P. Albarelli
3. The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant
4. The War on Truth by Nafeez Ahmed
5. Crossing the Rubicon by Michael Ruppert
6. JFK and the Unspeakable by James Douglass
7. UFOs and the National Security State by Richard Dolan
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???

Earth-704509
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby dbcooper41 » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:29 pm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/allen/cover.html
Only Yesterday:An Informal History of the 1920's
by
Frederick Lewis Allen

this was written in 1930.
when i first read it i was surprised how much like the current times the 1920s were.
then it occured to me that what was allen was describing is the early use of technology and psychology to manipulate public opinion.
i don't think he meant it to be an expose but that's how it struck me.
here's an online edition that is worth spending the few hours it takes to read.
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Handsome B. Wonderful » Tue May 08, 2012 6:08 pm

Time to resurrect a dead thread! Just kidding. Actually I consider myself a thread-killer. Seems any time I post in one, that's all she wrote for that topic. Once again, just kidding. :)

Anyway, I ordered and read Into the Buzzsaw, A Terrible Mistake, War on Truth, Daimonic Reality, UFO's and the National Security State. All great reads, except for War on Truth, I didn't finish reading it, as I found myself getting bored with it. (I wonder what that says about me.) I blazed through A Terrible Mistake. All the time I wondered, 'why did they kill Frank Olson?'.
As a result I also got The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant and Sinister Forces by Peter Levenda. Great stuff.
Born we are the same, within the silence, indifference be Thy name
Torn we walk alone, we sleep in silent shades
The grandeur fades, the meaning never known- 'Born' Nevermore
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Wed May 09, 2012 5:09 pm

Want to know what the model was for the CIA's social control system using corporations?
Want to know why the book-selling website, Amazon.com, was created when it was?

http://www.amazon.com/Thy-Will-Done-Roc ... 0060927232

Image

Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon : Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil

Nelson Rockefeller, who died in 1979, owned vast Latin American real estate and cattle ranching, mining, industrial and financial interests centered in Brazil. To protect his empire and secure Third World assets for exploitation by U.S. capitalism, Rockefeller-a top Latin American adviser to presidents from FDR to Nixon, and Ford's vice-president-played a dominant role in shaping the U.S.'s interventionist policy in Latin America, according to this blistering expose based on 18 years of research. Rockefeller, as President Eisenhower's special assistant for Cold War strategy, oversaw the CIA's covert operations abroad and was privy to assassination plots and mind-control experiments, the authors maintain. Colby (DuPont: Behind the Nylon Curtain) and his wife, Dennett, a freelance journalist, charge that Rockefeller, his banks and their allies, working with the CIA, bolstered repressive regimes in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay. Forcible dislocation of native peoples, hunger, disease, genocide and the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rain forest are the legacy of these policies, in the authors' analysis. Another key player in this massive narrative is ultraconservative William Cameron Townsend (1896-1982), founder of the Protestant missionary organization Wycliffe Bible Translators, which worked in concert with Rockefeller and which the authors accuse of destroying indigenous peoples' cultural values to abet penetration by U.S. businesses.
CIA runs mainstream media since WWII:
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...
Disney is CIA for kidz!
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Simulist » Wed May 09, 2012 5:28 pm

And then of course there's this:

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"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
    — Alan Watts
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Wed May 09, 2012 5:31 pm

WHICH 'MOD' DELETED MY POINTING OUT THAT SIMULIST WAS USING AD HOMINEM?

Fess up. Or I'lll start a thread on it.
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news rooms, movies/TV, publishing
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Disney is CIA for kidz!
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Simulist » Wed May 09, 2012 5:32 pm

No one deleted it, Hugh. I posted that here, after I realized that I'd posted it in another thread in error.

Blame me, not the mods.

(And please, try to relax. It's not always about you...)
"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Wed May 09, 2012 5:34 pm

Simulist wrote:No one deleted it, Hugh. I posted that here, after I realized that I'd posted it in another thread in error.

Blame me, not the mods.

(And please, try to relax. It's not always about you...)


Still just an ad hominem attack.
Puh-leeze use your intelligence for something additive to collective intelligence instead of friction.
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news rooms, movies/TV, publishing
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Disney is CIA for kidz!
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Re: 10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works

Postby Simulist » Wed May 09, 2012 5:46 pm

Hugh Manatee Wins wrote:
Simulist wrote:No one deleted it, Hugh. I posted that here, after I realized that I'd posted it in another thread in error.

Blame me, not the mods.

(And please, try to relax. It's not always about you...)


Still just an ad hominem attack.
Puh-leeze use your intelligence for something additive to collective intelligence instead of friction.

To repeat: "It's not always about you..."

This thread is called "10 Essential Books for Understanding How the World Works." And since both individual and collective delusions are, inarguably, part of that grand equation, it might be a good idea to consider just how that factor impacts the operation of said world.
"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
    — Alan Watts
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