Drafted by a committee of 19 (but sufficiently well edited to read as if it were written by a single author) this book provides a well-argued, detailed and wide-ranging analysis of the consequences of economic globalization (the term corporate globalization is also extensively used in the book) and an examination of alternatives and the action required to move towards those alternatives. It has succeeded brilliantly, and deserves very close study, whether or not you agree with the drafting committee's views.

This is no extremist anti-corporate, anti-capitalist text, although it does clearly come to the conclusion that the vector of economic globalisation that we are on is neither inevitable, desirable nor sustainable. It is notable for arguing at the level of underlying principles and their practical consequences - it makes explicit the assumptions underlying corporate globalisation and questions them. This, in itself, is a valuable service as so much of the 'debate' in the media proceeds on the basis of bald assertion of essentially fallacious economic dogma.

The report starts with a critique of 'corporate globalization'. The term itself is useful, because the term 'globalization' has become something of a 'Humpty-Dumpty' word ('when I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean, neither more nor less'). 'Corporate globalization' describes a process driven and promoted by the large global corporations which, whatever its other consequences, gives primacy to the benefits that will flow to global business.

The critique identifies eight key features of corporate globalization:

1. 'Promotion of hypergrowth and unrestricted exploitation of environmental resources to fuel that growth
2. Privatization and commodification of public services and of remaining aspects of the global and community commons
3. Global cultural and economic homogenization and the intense promotion of consumerism
4. Integration and conversion of national economies, including some that were largely self-reliant, to environmentally and socially harmful export oriented production
5. Corporate deregulation and unrestricted movement of capital across borders
6. Dramatically increased corporate concentration
7. Dismantling of public health, social, and environmental programs already in place
8. Replacement of traditional powers of democratic nation-states and local communities by global corporate bureaucracies.'

It demonstrates each of these propositions and explores who are the beneficiaries of application of these policies. One of the complexities of trying to follow the arguments of the pro- and anti- globalisers is that both use statistics, both from apparently authoritative sources, that directly contradict each other. It is almost as if the two sides inhabit parallel universes that operate in different ways. Suffice it to say that the report puts forward convincing arguments in support of its case.

The critique proceeds to a devastating analysis of the impact of the World Bank, The IMF and the WTO, the three pillars of corporate globalisation, over the last four or five decades.

The report then argues ten principles for sustainable societies, as a basis for identifying ways of realising these principles in the subsequent chapters of the report. It argues that these principles 'seem to be the mirror opposites of the principles that drive the institutions of the corporate global economy.'.

One of the minor problems in the debate is that, whereas 'globalization' rolls easily off the tongue, 'the principle of subsidiarity' is neither easy to say nor obvious in its meaning. The report contains a chapter on the case for subsidiarity, and it is a strong one. The counter argument is almost entirely concerned with power. While there are many elements of conflict between corporate globalisation and the principle of subsidiarity - local control - they are not entirely antithetical. But the reach of the large corporates would unquestionably be reduced.

You may or may not agree with the arguments in this report, but they deserve serious attention. They are well and carefully argued, they represent (in fairly sophisticated terms) the views of a growing number of people around the world who believe that current beliefs and institutions serve them poorly, and they show those who wish to promote change a path for doing so.

This book is excellent for all those who think we can do better-that small farmers needn't be driven from the land, our water needn't be polluted, people need not go hungry while others are overfed genetically engineered chemically altered junk food, etc. It has great thinkers presenting clear, well thought out ideas about what's wrong and what we can do about it. It helps when getting in that classic argument of keynesianism/communism v. neoliberalism because it outlines the thrid alternative very well. I am a grad student and I used it for a paper i wrote recently refuting neoliberalism and it was very helpful. I highly recommend it! Also, look into Maria Mies. She is the anti-capitalist-patriarchy bomb, yo.

A friend of mine who is involved with Rabbi Michael Lerner's Tikkun Community movement recently gave me a copy of Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible. I'm not an expert in this field at all, but I found the book worthwhile and very accessible. (So accessible that I read the entire thing in a week!) The writers include Jerry Mander, David Korten, Lori Wallach, and many people working around the world in the anti-globalization movement.

What makes the book really important is the positive solutions and alternatives offered. The authors offer real ways to put into practice the Tikkun Community's first and second core principles (interdependence and ecological sanity, and a new bottom line in economic and social institutions).

I think other Tikkun readers, progressive-Democrats, Green party members, and thoughtful people everywhere---who want to see the world change from how it is now to how it could be---would want to read a book outlining specifics of how to create sustainable energy, transportation and food systems. And Alternatives to Economic Globalization does just that. I can't recommend this book enough (in fact I've already bought several copies to give to some of my friends).

The timing of this latest Em Hansen mystery makes the novel already dated but no less enjoyable for that. When a moderate 5.2 earthquake hits Salt Lake City weeks before this year's Winter Olympic Games, the local geologists, including Hansen, get excited. But when the Utah State geologist is murdered, the FBI recruits Hansen to look into the geological state of things. Coping with chronic underemployment and a rocky romance with her Mormon cop boyfriend, Hansen jumps at the chance.

Reviewing maps and tramping the terrain, Hansen discovers that her newly adopted city is riddled with faults, which the city fathers have virtually ignored. Between complacency and corruption, numerous public venues - from housing developments and malls to the spanking new stadium where the Olympics' opening ceremonies are scheduled - sit precariously on fault lines.

The murder investigation parallels Andrews' dire exploration of earthquake inevitability and its devastating effects on an unprepared populace. Greed, politics and religion wrestle with science in a story as much exposé as mystery. An engaging and forthright protagonist, Hansen's narration is interspersed with other viewpoints - a corporate villain, his trained construction geologist and an ambitious newspaper reporter among others - which heightens the suspense and the novel's scope.

What's more exciting than an earthquake that shakes you out of bed first thing in the morning? Sarah Andrews' newest Em Hanson mystery - Fault Line - which kept me up until 2am this morning! Fault Line finds Em Hanson, out-of-work petroleum geologist and fledgling forensic geologist, living in Salt Lake City, sorting out her life. A 5.2 M earthquake on a branch of the Wasatch Fault wakes everybody up and the death of the head of the Utah Geological Survey really gets things rolling. Earthquakes aren't Em's specialty, so we join her as she learns more about the fault lines that run under Salt Lake City and through relationships and families. Cracks appear in the brand new stadium that is to be featured in the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and in Em's relationship with her boyfriend Ray, Salt Lake City cop and devout Mormon. Shaky ground is found at the site of a brand new shopping mall and in the relationship of Faye, Em's best friend, and Tom Latimer, Zen FBI agent and Em's mentor in detecting. As always, Em the geologist teases out the big picture from a mess of details. Be prepared to learn a lot about seismology and engineering geology. Trips to the ski slopes in Alta, the [Flying] Pie Pizzeria, and the [beautiful] retrofitted City and County Building fill out the local color. In my opinion, this is the best Em Hanson mystery yet. On the Modified Mercalli Scale of Earthquake Intensity, XII means total destruction. On the open-ended [Gutenberg]-Richter Scale of Earthquake Magnitude, a 9.5 is the largest earthquake ever recorded. I can only give Fault Line by Sarah Andrews 5 stars, but if I could give it more, I would!

Everyone expects earthquakes to hit the California coastline, but no one was ready for the 5.2 quake to hit Salt Lake City just weeks before the Olympic Games commence. The Utah State geologist Dr. Sidney Smeeth provides an interview that warns of damage to key structures, but the local TV stations without explanation cut off her talk.

Not long afterward, Sidney is found dead apparently a victim of a fall from the patio of her home. Though a local police matter, FBI agent Tom Latimer wants to insure that the death was not murder to cover up a geological problem that could endanger the upcoming visitors. He asks his friend Em Hansen, perhaps the only current unemployed geologist in the Salt Lake area, to evaluate and give an opinion on several Smeeth reports. However, he does not want this amateur to get involved in the actual investigation. Still Em cannot help but find the political FAULT LINES that shake the core of the city and state leaving her at the epicenter of the inquiry.

The latest Em Hansen geological mystery is the best tale to date of a marvelous series that provides the audience with strong sleuthing and interesting geological information intertwined into the story line. The plot engages the audience as Em gets involved in another mystery. The support cast provides a local flavor that enhances the lead protagonist. FAULT LINE is an amateur sleuth tale worth reading while Sarah Andrews' previous novels are worth digging up at the used bookstores.

Harriet Klausner

This is a great book for both the weekend warrior, and those wanting to join a competitive team. Regardless of your skill level it holds something for you. It covers history, game rules and in depth gear and accessories information. The book outlines game tactics, techniques, equipment and how to use bunkers and cover to your advantage. Professional players are interviewed, and their tips to success are revealed.

For the battle hardened players,there are analysis' of guns and air systems, along with advanced strategys and training drills.

I enjoyed this book because it was informative and fun to read when I was a beginner, and I am still learning advanced techniques such as capturing and defending a building/fortress.

Chapters are well sectioned off, so it is easy to dip into or re-read an area of particular interest. Well worth a look for those who enjoy the game.

I would have to say that this book is the best resource forpantball, hands down. Sure big...companies have good websites, but ifyou want in your face interviews with the people who came up with thisgreat game, or if you want detailed tactics and stratagies on how totake out an opponent, this is the book for you.

In the firstchapter, it has information on what the game is about, it's rules,different games you can play, 3 interviews with the pioneers ofpaintball, explanations about all the equipment and what it all doesfor you, common mistakes new players make...it goes on and on...theperfect new player's resource!

If you're a new player or a seasonedvetran, this book will have something for you. For the new playerthere's all of chapter one and much, much more to get a grasp on thebackground and the way the game of paintball is played. For theadvanced player, an explanation of the front, mid a back players in agame, advanced playing tactics, and lots of great drills and otherinformation.

If you are thinking about getting a paintball book,then definately get this one because for $16, you get a whole overviewof paintball, drills, gun information, info on all the equipmentyou'll use, advanced tactics and so, so much more.

I really enjoyedthis book, and I hope you do too!

I've been playing paintball for 4 years and in all my years, I've never seen such a useful product. "The Complete Guide to Paintball" covers drills, tactics, first day tips, gun guide, and history of the game. This is a great book to own and it is one I use for my team!

I enjoyed reading this book although, not being a geologist myself, I found the wealth of details on drilling and the oil industry sometimes slowed it down. The heroine is likable albeit strangely defenseless for a woman who opted for a non-traditional career . The secondary characters are well drawn. All in all, an interesting story.

A hot babe on an oil rig, what more could you want in a mystery novel?

All of the novels in the Em Hansen series refer back to our young heroine's experience on the oil rigs of Central Wyoming. If you are a fan of the series, Tensleep is a must read. I am really surprised that this, Sarah Andrews first (and in some ways best) novel is out of print. The book is great. It is worth the $$$$ you will have to pay for a used copy.

In Tensleep, Em Hansen begins to discover her inner talents as an investigator. With a shiny new degree in geology, Ms. Hansen lands the traditional male job of mudlogger on a drilling rig. While handling all the garbage dished out by the good ole boy network in drilling, our young heroine finds more than she bargained for: The rig she is working is plagued by mysterious deaths and sabotage.

The work is fascinating, as Sarah Andrews describes the politics and processes of drilling for oil.

Sarah Andrews makes excellent use of drilling as a literary device. Em Hansen must solve both the mysteries of the oil company and that of the Tensleep formation. In my humble opinion, Tensleep is one of highlights of the Em Hansen series. I hope the publishers get their act in gear and print up a new edition for Sarah Andrews fans.

Sara Andrews has written a series of wonderful, human-scale mysteries about a woman geologist who has a habit of running into murders. She is a very approachable character, vulnerable, smart, dedicated, and hopeful-a very nice profile of a professional woman in a "non-traditional" field. In all her dealings with co-workers, family, lovers, and friends, she is entirely believable. A good read and a good series...I've read them all now, except the newest, which I just found had been published.

A mystery long on character and short on plot. The relentlessly self-deprecatory Em Hansen, again between geology jobs, returns for an even more languid run in the oil patch. Not a suspense or puzzle whodunit, these have become novels where I wonder whether Em will ever look up from her indecisions and sorrows to see the villain and dangers encroaching on her, and driving her by circumstance.

Em hardly has a case for the first half of the book, and is conflicted over accepting it from a lecherous former boss (husband to the victim) in order to help the deeply troubled teenager who is his daughter. Entertainingly diverse character elements include skewering unfriendly psychologists, hard-scrabble ranchers, a cold mother, teenage hostility, an unassertive boyfriend, many nasty men, and the clever device of dear-diary revelations. After three successful previous cases in this series, I'd think Em would be more confident and entrepreneureal by now, rather than still obsequiously begging for a job from the smarmy, patriarchal bosses around whom she still orbits.

Andrews is a skillful writer, strong on the emotional atmosphere and physical environment, but ultimately bleak. Never brisk, Andrews' stories linger on Em's exasperating diffidence, spunky whining, fumbles, and frustrating attempts to communicate and connect with opaque, mean, or joyless others. While a romantic author, Andrews never descends to romance novel cliches. After the intriguingly different TENSLEEP and its follow-ups, I found this book too easy to put down. Nevertheless, these Em Hansen novels do remain in mind long after more active stories are forgotten.

The thing I found most intriguing about the Sarah Andrews series is the way the author hooks geologic themes within a mystery. For example, Tensleep centers around the drilling of an oil well, Faultline centers around seismology.

Flesh and Bones is a wonderful story, and has some of Sarah Andrew's best character development. My only disappointment was the lack of the geologic theme.

Flesh and Bones begins with a voyeuristic look into the life of a Mariam Menkin. Mariam was a baby boomer who betrayed both her sex and the sixties to marry a "nice guy." In this work, we find scattered pieces of Mariam's diary and gradually glue together the pieces of how and why she was murdered.

The book brings us on a tour of Wyoming and Colorado as Em Hansen digs up clues in Douglas, Denver and Saratoga Springs. We meet good and bad cattle ranchers and some suspicious activities at oil companies.

If you are reading the Em Hansen series for the geological themes; you can skip this one. Even in the overall development of the Em Hansen character, Only Flesh and Bones plays a less important role than the other works. If you have limited time for reading, I would read all the other novels first.

I like Em Hansen because she is smart. I also enjoyed this book. On the downside, however, some of her behavior in this book does not make human sense -- it seem outright nutty. The author herself makes clear that this is intentional on her part in the last few pages; clearly it is an emerging factor in Em's character. While I'm not sure i believe in it, it does make the books interesting.

Having an interest in paleontology and geology, I was hoping for a mystery that would offer a plot set against a backdrop of scientists actually working in the field on a dinousaur/fossil dig puzzle of some sort. However, most of the emphasis in this book is placed on presenting painstaking details of characters' personal lives, backgrounds and thought processes in terms of how they approach their science scholastically. While the clashes among scientists, Mormons and Creationists were interesting, I kept longing for some real armchair-gripping suspense and action, which didn't make its appearance until the final two chapters of the book. The romance between Em and Ray was strained (not to mention strange) and, in the end, predictable. For me, this was a slow read; however, the story line does raise some provocative philosophical/religious questions and it was interesting to see them presented in a very creative way.

If you like mysteries, pass this by because there's only a little suspense. Although the author tries hard to mislead you it's pretty clear early on who the villain is. Andrews waxes poetical about dinosaurs and rock strata, and personal approaches to religion and science, without bogging down the story-in fact that IS the story here. So if you like geological landscape, discussion of science and religion, spiritual quests, or Mormonism, this is an excellent book. It has some of the clearest direct writing on these topics I've ever seen.

Sarah Andrews takes her geologist sleuth, Em Hansen, in a new direction here. For the first time Em is dealing with biology (dinosaur bones), and must face questions of evolution. Em self-consciously struggles to articulate and resolve religion and her science, while falling in love with the handsome Mormon policeman who suspects her of murdering a notorious paleontologist at a conference in Utah. You have to wade through Em's usual spunky "attitude" and a string of sharply drawn "characters" (suspects) for a few chapters before finding the new Em. In a candid Author's Note Andrews explains the fascinating gestation of this book. It is an exploration of how a life in science differs from an ordinary, particularly religious, life.

I plowed through Bone Hunter in just a few days--uncommon for me. I made time to get to the end because I was so entirely fascinated by the story line, the characters, and the tidbits I was picking up about geology and paleontology. Andrews just seems to get better and better and her Em Hansen more and more interesting as a character. The supporting cast is excellent in this book and they are people you like and want to know about. I highly recommend it for an interesting read that assumes you know a little about a lot of things. Andrews never talks down to her readers but imparts lots of information through her narrative. Looking forward to the next one!

I was intrigued by some of the stories in this book; many had some either very twisted endings or did not really end. Many of the stories, however, flew right over my head, and were not very clear to me as far as the plot of the story. I would possibly recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that don't have traditional endings or usual plots. I would also say that if you frequently have trouble understanding plots, this book may not be for you. I don't think this book was really for me.

I think that this book is simply one of the best books that I've ever read. When I first started reading it I thought the stories were totally "weird". But when I got to the story about "Mr. Potato Head" my thought changed into "unusual". Which is good. I mean, I think reading normal plots and stories and just really boring. This book really got me thinking. For readers who likes unusual surprises, here's a perfect book!

Em Hansen, the protagonist of A Fall in Denver, is a likeable, real person. She has given up life as a field geologist in Wyoming to take on an office job in Denver. On her first day, a body falls past her window to its death. With no real work to do for the company, she undertakes solving the crime. Em is a believable character with anxieties about her prep school friends and cold coworkers, attractions to a suave colleague, inspite of longing feelings for the man she left behind, and hostility to her Boston pureblood grandmother. The mystery thickens when another body falls from the same window. The conclusion is satisfying, leaving me interested in reading more Em Hansen mysteries..

This is the first book I've read by Sarah Andrews, and I'll look for more. She does a great job of creating believable, complex characters, and the plot kept me engaged.

I was very disappointed by this book. I found the writing to be ok but the story was not well structured and this book needed some serious editing it did not receive. I did not find anything about the characters appealing and frankly could not tell the good guys from the bad guys. If you want to read a much better written and interesting book with archaeology as a back drop I would highly recommned Beverly Connor's Airtight Case.

I was not originally going to review this book but disagreed wildly with the other reviews. I thought the mining detail was one of the most interesting facets of the book, not at all hard to follow, and added immensely to my enjoyment of the book. Similarly, i was delighted with the non-formulaic nature of the plot; it is intriguing not to be able to unravel the whole thing on page 10 or so. I also enjoyed the digression into the character of the missing geologist and his relationship with his wife. For me, the most unconvincing and flattest part of the book is Em's relationship with Ray, her ostensible love interest. Maybe he will develop some in later books, but I just could not believe that this woman could have reached the point of thinking about marrying someone who wants her to abandon the intellectual side of her nature. Nor am i convinced by Em's repeated soul-searching and rejection of requests to helf the FBI. This woman could not be this un-self-aware.

I really enjoy the Em Hanson books and would have easily given the other books in the series 5 stars, but this book is far too technical for the average reader. At times, I felt like I was reading a miner's manual. For me, all of the explanations of mining procedures, chemical analysis and mineral analysis did not add to the story. I found myself skipping over many paragraphs then would have to back up and reread. That got very tedious.