Books.

I haven't blogged about books in a while, though there is a long list of good ones I have been reading. Here is a smattering:

Sandman Chronicles: TheGameIAm lent these to me and, well, wow. If you haven't read the Watchmen, start there. But then come here. I don't count myself a comic "fan," but I like the genre. This is far and away better than anything else I have ever seen because of the choice in characters and the sophisticated weave of story-telling. RSC finished it even faster than I did and she never reads comics.

To give you the briefest of backgrounds, the series charts Dream's travels through the realm of Dream and the waking world. Plot lines involve the complex relationships that he has with his siblings, Death, Despair, Destruction, Desire, Destiny, and Delirium, who was once Delight. It is fantastic in every sense of the term.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman: "Hi, I made a lot of money at the top of a very succesful American company helping other American mega-corporations win development contracts in the second and third worlds. Early on, I had a crisis of conscience when I met these poor people in far off countries. I envied their passion for their countries and their dignity and hard work. But i didn't leave my job. No, no. I stayed another 10-15 years, going from country to country, womanizing with 'inspiring' dames, and complaining when my favorite five-star hotels were unavailable on return trips. But, really, I had a crisis of conscience. We are destroying these people's countries. Oh, and the NSA made me do it, after they sanctioned my entering the Peace Corps."

You can thank me. Now you don't have to read John Perkins's tripe. First, the State Department contests his facts without the histrionics or vague pronouncements that might raise eyebrows. Second, Mr. Perkins's lack of skill as a writer (it's ok, he's an economist) is overshadowed by his false indignation. Listen, man. If you really felt for the little guy, you should have stopped doing what you did, particularly if, as you claim, the work you were in charge of was so destructive. To write the "tell-all" (which is not news to any student of IR) after you made your money is, to put it mildly, tacky.