Product Description
When Kalinin and Tessa investigate the capture of a suspected terrorist by the Japanese government, they expect the procedure to be routine--but find it's anything but! Then, when Tessa turns to Sousuke for help, a seemingly jilted Kaname only increases the drama quotient. And the threesome's problems grow exponentially when they learn about the existence of a mammoth AS known as Behemoth--with which the terrorists plan on destroying the city... Will it be "sayonara Tokyo"? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I couldn't put this book down!
Once again, Shouji Gatou delivers an excellent reading experience with the second Full Metal Panic novel."FMP: One Night Stand" maintains the refreshing mix of high-tech military action, lighthearted comedy, and budding romance the series is known for.And although this chapter isn't quite as intense as the first book there's still plenty of action to go around.

This volume features quite a bit of character development, especially for Tessa, who had a relatively small role in the previous book.The author really fleshes out Tessa by placing her at the center of much of the drama, and a good bit of the humor as well.By the end of the book you'll have a much better understanding of her and what she's all about.The same is true for Kaname, Sousuke, and even Kalinin, though to a lesser extent.

As far as action goes this volume has a ton of it packed within its pages.Anyone who has seen the television series will notice that the TV show really toned down some of the violence, and cut out some scenes altogether.This novel is certainly worth reading to discover all the tidbits that the TV show left out.Of course there are plenty of other reasons as well.

If you enjoyed the first novel it would be safe to bet that you'll have fun reading this one too.

The Plot Thickens
Once again ADV brings to the reader a well-mixed blend of action, comedy, and romance. FMP book 2 has it all. Unlike the first book, instead of introducing the reader to the characters, it starts to focus the reader onto the plot of the story. Action starts to happen and the ministories that we saw in book 1 are gone. Now it's all-out war, the plot has thickened.

Sagara Souseke is on a field trip when he and his classmates are suddenly attacked by an enemy of his past, who looks to kidnap none other than Kaname Chidori. Will Sagara be able to save Kaname before they utilize her for their demonic purposes? And what is so special about her anyways?

In addition to an action development Love Hina fans will be happy to know that we see a romance one as well. Again Gatou is able to dazzle the reader with such a special love relationship that even those with the strongest of hearts will falter.

The plot? Awesome. The translation? Spectacular. The drawing? Impeccable. May the stars shine in the sky. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Shipko presents his medical specialist knowledge ofpanic disorder in a format understandable to the non-medical researcher. This book provides sound, proactive adviceto assist in self-help and enable patients to work most effectively with theirphysicians. Surviving Panic Disorder: What You Need to Know provides vital information for anyone whomay have panic disorder. Among the key topics discussed: Is this really panic disorder? Key features in diagnosis What medical evaluation do I need? General and specific considerations. What is the role of gastroesophageal reflux in panic disorder? Reflux related heartburn and sinusitis are commonly a part of panic disorder. Should I use medications? If so, which are the best ones? Is this inherited? What if I get pregnant? What is the cause of panic disorder? It is a chemical imbalance? Surviving Panic Disorder: What You Need to Know is aguide to this information most important to those who may have panic disorder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Surprisingly Middle-of-the Road-Reconsidered
Asa person that suffers from panic disorder, I was very excited about the excellent reviews for this book and bought a copy immediately from Amazon.There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet on panic disorder and so an authoritative guide would be most welcome.On the positive side, the book is more than double spaced, with large type and can be read in a couple hours-at most-and it covers most of symptoms the panic disorder suffer might encounter.On the neutral side, it proposes unproven-observational-theories by the author about the relationship to GERD, etc.The most controversial idea from a conventional wisdom point of view is that Xanax (alprazolam) should be the first-line drug treatment, not SSRI's, although he infers talk therapy only would be a better choice..

Shipko states (and I am of the same opinion) that the "benzos" have been given a bad name in the medical community to promote the SSRI antidepressants, some of which are much more expensive and not available generically.The problem is that the panic sufferer doesn't need something to make him/her more anxious, and most SSRI's do just that.Rather like going to the doctor with severe pain and being given something that causes more pain.To the extent that Dr. Shipko has convinced even a few docs of the therapeutic value of the benzodiazepine family (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin) and the intense suffering of panic disorder, he has done the community a great service.

The reason for three stars is that the book offers little else, other than several interesting, if not proven opinions.While a minor point, on p.113, there is a glaring error: "Of the three BDZs mentioned [Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin; my insert] Ativan is the only one ever approved by the FDA for the treatment of panic disorder."That's 100% wrong-the only FDA-approved benzodiazepine for panic disorder is Xanax (feel free to look it up on your favorite search engine).While it is easy to understand the"mistake", it is so crucial to his argument that I have questions as to how carefully the manuscript was read.

In summary, it is an interesting book that is a quick read and has some interesting ideas, but is not worth buying-borrowing from the library, yes, purchasing, no.

Update August 28, 2010
Having read Dr. Shipko's book two additional times, I've come to the conclusion that some of my criticisms were misplaced.There are invaluable "gems" hidden in the text that I missed upon first reading-but in my defense, Dr. Shipko often does not elaborate; example, p.141, "The Internet information on BDZ withdrawal is extreme and seems most appropriate for BZD-addicted people..."-this is HUGE point, deserving, to my way of thinking, a bit more explanation.Such an explanation might warn the reader not to be fearful of what one reads about Xanax withdrawal on the Internet, because the majority of the information is for Xanax-loving addicts, not benzo-hating panic disorder patients. Another important seldom-mentioned insight casually passed over is the psychological aspect of withdrawal-if you are very scared of withdrawing, you will generate physical symptoms that will not allow you to continue to taper...I found that point very helpful in a recent withdrawal; you have to be in a relative calm place to withdraw and attempting to withdraw while still quite ill is doomed to failure.

If one searches for the "gems"-and recognizes them when they are found, the book becomes an extremely valuable addition to the panic disorder literature, worthy of five stars.

It's as if he KNOWS what I'm thinking
I'm not even through with the book yet, but upon completing about 10 chapters in a day and a half I am in awe of how amazing of a Doctor he is. He specifically studied cases of panic attacks and everything I read hits the nail right on the head. Things that I have problems explaining, he says in there and I realize what's happening to me EXACTLY. I'm really glad I bought this book. He is a dedicated Doctor and I would see him as a regular patient if I could. He's seen it all and it helps me feel that my panic attacks are so normal because he's dealt with so many people with the exact same symptoms. He doesn't sugar coat it either.It's not concluded in a mean, and belittling way, but rather a way that he understands, and that you are FAR from being alone.He also doesn't blab on about meaningless symptoms. He literally takes the words right out of my mouth and sums them up. Definitely worth every penny and I WILL be passing this on to other friends I know who suffer from panic disorders. Thank You Dr. Shipko!

Excellent
An easy to read, no nonsense book about Panic Disorder.Written in clear laymans' terms, double spaced text and short chapters, this book moves along quickly and is filled with information that is easily absorbed.With good advice and a keen understanding of Panic Disorder, the author writes about treating real people and shares their experiences.The treatment advice and coping mechanisms are right on. One of the best I've read on the subject.

Best Book I've Ever Read on This Subject
I feel like I've spent my whole life in search of a book like this.It is by far the best book on panic disorder I have ever read.Reading this book felt like coming home.I have read many, many books on the subject of panic disorder, but this was the ONLY book I ever truly got anything out of.Definitely Five Plus Stars.

Great Insight on many Neglected Issues
Dr. Shipko's book not only provides a great overview of panic disorder, but also addresses topics that are often neglected on the subject. Psychological, psychiatric and medical aspects of this frequently misunderstood condition are clearly addressed. Even as an educated patient, I found myself learning new things beyond the DSM-IV manual. Topics include necessary medical tests, GERD and IBS issues, medication and psychotherapy issues, as well as heredity, pregnancy, birth, children, relationship and marriage issues. I believe that anyone with panic disorder could greatly benefit from this insightful book. ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever found yourself thinking, “If one more friend gets engaged I’m going to scream”?

Do the words taffeta and crinoline make you break into a cold sweat?

Does reading the wedding announcements section in the newspaper induce outright hyperventilation?

If so, congratulations! You’ve hit the Panic Years.

According to author Doree Lewak, the Panic Years mark the point (usually around your twenty-sixth birthday) when your dating agenda fundamentally changes—from dating for a fling to dating for a ring. Suddenly your newly married friends feel more like enemies, weddings become mocking reminders of your own single status, and you contemplate going on a reality TV show to find true love. What’s a girl to do?

In The Panic Years, Lewak delivers a hilarious and helpful road map for conquering the Panic and finding Mr. Right. As Lewak shows, you can win the race to the altar by changing your tactics from Panicked to Proactive—and keeping your sense of humor along the way. You will learn how to:

Cope with Panic by Proxy—pushy friends and parents.
Successfully hunt for PFs (Potential Fiancés).
Project hotness and desirability.
Set—and stick to—dating time lines.
Avoid being bitter at your friends’ weddings—and ruining all their pictures with that scowl on your face.
Get the ring and the proposal and seal the deal!

Packed with true-life stories from the Panic trenches as well as indispensable advice, The Panic Years is the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to survive her single years (with sanity intact), snag her perfect guy, and remain fabulous throughout it all.

You know you’re in the Panic Years when:

Your mom slips you the number of her tennis partner’s son … for the fifth time.
You’ve walked down the aisle dozens of times—just not as a bride.
Your “concerned friends” chip in for a subscription to Match.com for your birthday.
It’s down to you and the five-year-old flower girl at the bouquet toss.
Upon hearing “Guess what? I’m engaged!” for the second time in one week, you disconnect your phone.
You actively scheme to win back your ex—even though he’s already engaged to someone else. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Witty but disappointing with a misleading title
I really was hoping this would be more a book about celebrating being single despite the fact that your friends are all getting married.Instead, I felt like the title of this book should've been Man-Trap.This is nothing about 'surviving' being single, it's about how to join the marriage club using every trick in the book.I HATE giving books a bad review, and I rarely ever do but I was extremely disappointed.It basically tells women to stop being so picky, which to some extent I can understand but then the entire second half of the book is about getting your boyfriend to propose with tactics...maybe I'm naive, but really?You have to use tactics?What kind of guy are you marrying then anyway?The only reason I gave this book two stars is because I think the author is a good writer, very funny, and witty but everything she wrote about is exactly what I don't want to hear.I don't want to stop being so picky, I want to celebrate the fact that I'm strong enough to have high standards and enjoy my independence and if a man fits into that picture then that's great, but if not, that's okay too.I thought this book would be more empowering and basically tell me it's okay to be single even though it feels horrible as everyone around you is getting married but it actually only made me more depressed that this is what dating and marriage has come to.If this is the type of book you're looking for, one that tells you how to snag a guy and get him to propose, then maybe you'll enjoy this book, although if that's the case, I think you're better off reading "The Rules."

Sharp, witty and something so easy to relate to...
I picked up a copy of the Panic Years for my 26 year old cousin who is in the midst of her own panic over the countless weddings she's attended solo over the last few years. Before buying the book for her, I skimmed through it and couldnt stop reading until I myself had devoured the book in 2 days! The book is laugh out loud funny, sharp, witty and so true to life, you will recognize yourself, your family members and your annoying girlfriends who make an olympic sport out of competing with you. While reading the book I felt like I was having a conversation with a close and very funny friend who understands the plight of a single girl but can offer objective and no pressure advice while cracking you up with laughter on your bus ride in to work! I highly recommend this book for singles, marrieds and anyone in between!

Fantastic book, I needed it three years ago
Although it took my a few days..I read this book all the way through and thought, this is "the" book for single women. I know how I felt, exactly as the author describes, right at 27 and realizing I wasn't meeting men "automatically" anymore and that the number of women my age sporting rings and showing pregnancy bumps was getting higher. Also the strategies Ms Lewak includes in the book for Closing the Deal were great. The chapters are so spot-on about our lives it's not funny.

A MUST READ!!!
I started this book Sat morning and finished it the next day...I could not put it down!It was written in a tactful manner sending across a great message that myself and many of my friends could relate too. At the same time it was entetaining and I enjoyed the anecdotes!...Bravo to Ms. Lewak!

Buy this Book and Read it All the Way Through
I love the Author's wit, and her unmatched ability to crack up a humorous anecdote at pretty much every "panic" topic presented in this book.Yet Lewak's comic no-nonsense attitude surpasses the (very!) entertaining jokes, forming itself as your friendly vehicle that soberly communicates a serious message.
Despite the fact that a growing number of women today wake up from their sweet dreams to a reality that will not have them married by 25, many of these young ladies do in fact lapse into a socio-romantic state of panic, unable to see themselves and the world beyond their imaginary ring-like finish line. "The Panic Years" invites you to look at yourself and your aspirations beyond that - and beyond the superficial, materialistic aspirations all too prevalent at certain dating circles - so as to realize what's truly worth panicking about. ... Read more

Product Description
Ray Comfort uses his firsthand experience to provide these practical principles that unlock chains and immoveable doors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

As real as it gets
Ray is not a physician, but someone who has been there in the worst of ways. This book has great tips, pretty much everything I ever learned from many visits to psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors and yes, the hospital emergency room. He talks about panic attacks from a Christian perspective.

Very informative book
This little book was so informative and as someone who suffers from anxiety , it gave me alot of insite into my own situation. This book has a Christian spin of the topic of anxiety that I thinks is superb!!! It was really really helpful for me and I am so glad that I brought it!

It hit the mark!
Through this book I came to believe that others can relate to my experiences of irrational fear and panic. Ray gave helpful, practical advice to utilize at the moment of the attacks. Which bred hope. Most importantly, he shared the truth about God's sovereignty and goodness, even in the midst of suffering, which gives eternal hope.

Somewhat scary to a panic disorder sufferer
I like what Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron are doing with The Way of the Master, however this book scared me.I never got through it completely because it was causing me panic attacks.I am willing to go find it and try to finish it to give it a proper review.However, I thought it was a bit harsh for someone who was dealing with this disorder.

Awsome!!
This is great! It's been so helpful that I've bought more copies of this book for others that needed the help. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Good if you know nothing
Good book if you've never seen or read a self help book on the subject.Good coverage of drug choices to use when consulting doctors.

Review from a "Bipole"
This is a fabulous resource. I've had depression, mania and anxiety (as well as panic attacks) for the past at least four years, and I've read A LOT of books that aim to help you understand your diagnosis, symptoms, and struggles, and many have been very helpful. This one takes the cake. While not all of the information was new to me, a lot of it was, and the format was perfect for truly helping me understand. The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of 5 is because I wish there were a newer edition that could update some of the information on medications.

Very Basic
I was disappointed with this one.Everyone else liked it.I just thought it was very plain, and became bored with it quickly.If you suffer from anxiety check out "Embracing the Fear"...

easy to read and understand
I found the book to be very useful in understanding some of the problems my Grandmother faces on a day to day basis and how I might be able to help her.

Finally a Doctor who talks to us and not AT us!
As a businessman doing business in the always hostile Russian Far East, I am constantly put into severe situations of a dangerous and stressful nature.In seeking advice on handling the anxiety and stress that comewith such situations, it was such a refreshing change to read a book thatis written from a perspective of understanding andcompassion. No"down talking" lectures, but straight talking help for everyonedealing with anxiety, depression or stress.Many of the businesspartners and friends I have in Russia suffer from severe depression due tothe heavy use of alcohol and their living environment. Understandingtheir needs and situation will certainly help in my work and friendships.Having a Medical Doctor affirm the status of gay and lesbians and thedepression that often effects our lives is also a great help to us all! Thank You Dr. Gardner! ... Read more

Product Description
a simple, straightforward guide that helps readers understand the overwhelming feelings associated with anxiety disorders, simple phobias, panic disorders, and agoraphobia ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Best helping book on the matter
I have read several books on the matter looking for a solution and this is the one who helped me the most (and several people I recommended it!). This book is centered on cognitive therapy and is very concise and straight to the point. Very easy to read and easy to search for a specific point when in need (even when you are having a bad moment). It is also written by people who suffered anxiety, so it is a gentle book, not making you feel guilty or weak for having anxiety. A little gem.

My Review
This book is good for learning how to use positive "B" talk. It is written by two authors which I think can sometimes get a little confusing. I seem to like Judith Bemis "The power of Acceptance" better. That book is longer and explains alot more detail of dealing with your anxiety.

Comforting
this book is being read by my partner, who deals with anxiety on a daily basis.She has found this book a great comfort offering insights and great coping tools.I'd it is a must for anyone needing relief from daily Anxiety and panic disorder.

As a side note: Most people who live with or work with people who deal with panic d/o;anxiety, don't realize just how painful this disorder can be for the person experiencing it.The best comfort seems to come from within making any practical coping tool a salvation.

This book is a life saver!
This book is probably the best one I have read on fear and anxeity outside of the Bible.I was diagnosed with GAD in 2003.I found this book to be straight forward and extremey practical. I have employed many of the suggestions in this book to success. I especially enjoyed the testimonials at the end of each chapter throughout the book and the examples on how to cope with certain phobias/situations at the end of the book. This helps you realize you are not alone.It is important to note that the road to recovery is a long one.However, the Bible says in Isaiah 41:10 "Do not be afraid for I am with you.Do not be discouraged for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you.I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." God is and will be with you on this journey.I highly recommend this book to anyone facing fear and anxiety issues.

Get this book. It will Change and Save your life!!!!!!!!
My mind was filled with so much worry, so much doubt. I begun avoiding people and certain situations. I had lost touch with reality and really didn't care for living anymore because I felt hopeless. But the techniques in this book saved my life and gave me hope. It took a little while but I eventually started feeling better which made me want to read and practice the techniques even more. If you are suffering from anxiety, get this book, which teaches you to lower your expectations, embrace your fears and not fight the feeling but to allow it to occur, and to learn how to go with the feeling. I don't know where I would be if it weren't for this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Art aficionados beware - when Kaname's class gets a lesson on painting, Sosuke threatens to crush any high-brow ideas with a thorough lesson on the art of war! Not to be outdone by her gun-crazy bodyguard, Kaname attempts the improbable as she moves to domesticate Sosuke in the kitchen. When Christmas comes, the gift-giving gets competitive, especially when the struggle is for Sosuke's affections. All Kaname can wish for is that her social nightmare turns into a sweet dream, as the crazy gunplay continues in Full Metal Panic! Volume 6. ... Read more

Product Description
Now sufferers can attack panic-before it attacks them. This seven-step, drug-free program-written jointly by a physician and a recovered sufferer-explains what goes on in the body when panic disorder strikes, and how it can be controlled. With behavioral techniques, fitness and nutrition plans, and inspiring, encouraging true stories, this book brings new hope to people with panic disorder, agoraphobia, and other anxiety-related conditions.

Praise for The Panic Attack Recovery Book:

"Takes the panicker out of narrow fixation and into a broader sense of life's possibilities." -Boston Globe

"An excellent book. I'd recommend it to anyone suffering from panic attacks."-Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., author of Connect and coauthor of Driven to Distraction ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

OUT OF PANIC
As someone who has suffered from and anxiety and panic attacks badly over several months this book that I ordered came as a huge relief when they dropped through the letterbox because not only the information and suggestions in them about ways to get over your attackes but more importatly in the 'Fight or Flight'response, to read about others suffering exactly the same
symptoms and thereby proving that sufferers were not 'losing their minds' as they were beginning to believe but that panic attacks are simply your mind giving the body false signals and thereby setting off a range of frightening physical reactions.
Handy explains in great detail the physical reasons for why we feel the way we do during an attack and a good portion of the book is given over to relaxation, visualization and meditation techniques to use not only during times of attacks but also as a preventative measure.
If you are suffering and finding answers hard to come by, get this book today, it is well written, informative and if nothing else it will give you the knowledge that you are not alone and that many millions throughout the world are going through this with you every day. This can be cured and this book is a very good start.

Scanned and seems incomplete
All adults suffer from some level of anxiety that stems from their childhood and relationhips with parents.I lost both mine and was adopted, which resulted in a lifetime of anxiety disorder that crippled many good relationships.
Although this book addresses some of that, it tends to gloss over the importance of facing the truth about our parents, how we percieve their approval, and the devastating impact those emotions can have on our adult personality.
I recommend "Hiding From Love" by Townsend, if you find yourself withdrawing from others because of unexplained anxiety.That is a classic for revealing how childhood trauma (real or percieved) and disconnects from our parents can lead to defense behavior that becomes a trap in adulthood.If you are like me and struggled with panic when around others, please don't settle for a life removed from friends and the world - there is a reason why you feel panic in public situations, and it's rooted in your youth!Look deeper than this book, even if some of it's advice is useful (like exercise to help with anxiety - but nutrition?? c'mon, be real) !!

To all my fellow panic sufferers
I was a sufferer of anxiety attacks. After reading shirley's book it taught me how to control myself physically and mentally when I have attacks. I also enlisted her over the counseling and have learned a great deal about panic and anxiety attacks and knowledge is have the battle. I can't put into words how thankful I am, I feel released from a long dark torment. Thanks Shirley.

Not a solution for everyone
I got the book and read it hoping that I might be able to glean something I hadn't already tried, and found out I was already doing everything the book recommended, and have been for a long time and I STILL have a major panic disorder with severe panic attacks. I've been a perfectionist about diet and exercise and trying to practice positive thinking, and while they may help people who have nothing else going on in their lives but unexplained anxiety with some minor physical reactions, it didn't even begin to touch on the problems that I'm faced with, not just because of the severity of my physical reactions, but because of the complexity of the circumstances in my life. This is really for the people who can manage their panic on their own, without the help of a qualified therapist. If you have severe panic problems, I would recommend a qualified therapist over reading this book. And by qualified, I mean someone who specializes in panic attacks, because the average therapist (and I've been to too many of those) doesn't even begin to know how to manage someone with panic attacks. It takes someone who can be very gentle, and patient, and non-condemning to work with people who suffer from severe panic attack disorders.

This Book Saved My Life!
I can't say enough great things about this book. I suffered from severe panic and anxiety through my sophomore year of college and just when I thought I would never get better I found this book and really began to feel a change within myself. This book is written in very clear, easy to understand, comforting language. Yet it is not condescending in any way. It offers practical, simple mind/body/soul solutions to overcoming panic attacks and anxiety.

Even after I began to get better I carried it around with me everywhere I went, almost like a little "good luck charm." It was that valuable to me!

I strongly recommend this book to anyone suffering from panic attacks or anxiety. ... Read more

Product Description
Packed with new examples and material, this second edition provides a fully up-to-date exploration of the genesis, dynamics, and demise of moral panics and their impacts on the societies in which they take place.

• Packed with updated and recent examples including terrorism, the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers, school shootings, flag burning, and the early-2000s resurgence of the “sex slave” scare
• Includes a new chapter on the media, currently regarded as a major component of the moral panic
• Devotes a chapter to addressing criticisms of the first edition as well as the moral panics concept itself
• Written by long-established experts in the field
• Designed to fit both self-contained courses on moral panics and wider courses on deviance

Product Description
Moral Panics is sure to become a classic in the literature of deviance and criminology. It reviews in a critical and informative manner the core concepts of the discipline taking an international focus. It ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent overview of moral panic theory
Goode and Ben Yehuda did an excellent job of taking Cohen's case study in Folk Devils and Moral Panics, and transforming it into a general resource for moral panic theory.The book is well organized and provides ample insight into the inner workings of the theory and is invaluable to anyone interested in how the media, the public, the criminal justice system, and the political system interact and influence each other.This book not only provides the basics on moral panic theory, but also provides good general examples of different moral panics throughout human history.While I had originally written off the theory, further research, including reading this book, has changed my mind.Anyone interested in this theory needs to read this and Cohen's work at a minimum.

Did Nancy Reagan cause a moral panic?
"Moral panics" as a defined concept has been around since 1972 when the British sociologist Steven Cohen was attempting to explain the peculiar hysteria surrounding a small, but violent incident between British youths at a seaside resort. The incident took place in 1964 between two youth groups who became known as the Mods and the Rockers.

What fascinated Cohen was how an incident seemingly so trivial as that between the Mods and Rockers, could have been taken by the news media, parents groups, and politicians to such hyperbolic heights. Due to Cohen's amazement and his search for a thesis topic, the beginning of a theory explaining the rise and fall of hysteria on a mass scale began. "Moral Panics" is an excellent introductory text to the concept of moral panic theory, besides Cohen's own study - "Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers" (1972).

The correlation of moral panic theory and the wide-scale phenomenon during the 1980s of a growing irrational perception that all drug users were dangerous miscreants, that if drug users are not eradicated the state of America would quickly deteriorate, &c. may not be explicitly evident at first. However, when a false dichotomy between what is really the case and what is thought to be case is exposed and the difference which caused an over-reaction is recognized, then the notion of a moral panic becomes more tenable as an explanation. Not necessarily in the pejorative sense, but naturally, groups of people can be easily led to believe something that is simply not true. Oftentimes, this is because the only perceived source(s) of information are the official mainstream news programs which have from time to time (maybe many, many times) shared in disinformation and/or sensationalism.

This book is dedicated to defining moral panics, how they occur, how they are sustained, and, finally, how they decline in the context of what sociologists call Cultural Constructionism. As was mentioned in Erich Goode's book "Strange Bedfellows: Ideology, Politics, and the Drug Legalization Debate in Between Politics and Reason," constructionism is a member of the group of competing notions that either support, study, or oppose drug policy, both nationally and internationally. I would suggest that this entire text be read in order to not only understand drug policy studies in the context of radical (cultural Constructionism) but to understand how moral panics can be created to support any regime's agenda.

Chapter 12, for instance, discusses the "crack baby" myth that was taken by the media, politicians, and parents to a height of misinformation and paranoia similar, perhaps, to "reefer madness" back in the 1930s; the crack baby hysteria is discussed in detail, it demonstrates just how easy it is to cause a "panic" about something when relevant information is not either not available or withheld and only rumour, hyperbole, and political rhetoric are the sources of information.

It is a good idea to know about moral panics in general, even though I'm writing this review from the perspective of a person interested in the dynamics of US drug policy. Knowing that what a politician or talking head is saying could very well be nothing but disinformation can at least encourage a healthy skepticism in all matters of public affair.

I encourage you to read this, however it may be beneficial to read Cohen's study first. ... Read more

Product Description
The boy of Kaname's dreams, a former upperclassman, makes a sudden appearance, and Kaname is convinced he will ask her out. But are his intentions honorable? Sosuke will attempt to find out, as this all-too-familiar high school love story suddenly takes a turn. By going undercover, sporting a Bonta-kun costume, he ends up saving the day, or at least Kaname.

Aside from the high school dreamboat, Kaname still has her eye on Sosuke, and she is finally ready to come clean... but why is Tessa stepping out of Sosuke's shower?!

Full Metal Panic! picks up more momentum, and more action, knife-wielding terrorists, a handful of hostages, and just one man to save the day! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Correction
I should point out that the review and description given are for the 4th volume of the -manga-, not the novels.This volume is the source material for more or less the first half of the FMP: The Second Raid anime version.

FUMOFFU ASSAULT
Sosuke, while not admitting any romantic feelings for Chidori, finds himself disconcerted when Kawa, an old flame of hers from junior high shows up on the scene. Sosuke decides to follow them on a date to an entertainment park to see if Kawa is on the level or just an enemy terrorist trying to get close to Chidori. Things get more dramatic when Capt. Tessa appears at Sosuke's apartment with a prisoner in tow, on the run from A-21, a terrorist organization that has acquired an Arm Slave and needs the prisoner because he can activate the "Lambda Driver". Did I also mention that the prisoner is slightly psychotic due to mind-altering drugs administered during his training?

This volume of Full Metal Panic was a complete success because it melded comedy and action together effortlessly. The scenes where Sosuke fights some yakuza harrassing Chidori is especially funny as he takes them on wearing a giant hamster costume to hide his identity! There was also a little more romance instead of the usual hitting Sosuke over the head bits. The art is great. Just don't expect any profound character development here.

Check out the original Full Metal Panic anime and its sequel Fumoffu for more adventures and comedy. ... Read more

Product Description
DEMON-FIGHTING RIVALS
 
Mitsuki and Kakeru are childhood friends—and rivals! When Mitsuki is attacked by a demon, she and Kakeru discover that they have magical powers. An ancient scroll decrees that they must work together to save the world from a demon invasion. And so begins a demon-filled adventure. . . .
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great potential

Panic X Panic
The back blurb only tells part of the story.To quote
"Mitsuki and Kakeruare childhood friends-and rivals!When Mitsuki is attacked by a demon, she and kaeru discover that they have magical powers.An ancient scroll decrees that they must work together to save the world from a demon invasion.And so begins a demon-filled adventure..."
The rest of the story is pretty good.While the book includes the standard school girl/school boy crush/jealousy storylines, I was intrigued by the 99 generation old temple and home church that just happened to be across the street twist.The fact that a Christian church is central to the demon battling pair, lends me to believe that this particular manga series will diverge to somewhat different paths.There is plenty of spiritual content in addition to the battle, with the whole school seeing demons, and the adults in the book, able to as well.If there is one technical point that diminishes the battle, it is that ONLY Kakeru can team up with Mitsuki to banish the demons.In truth, any believer has the power.
Besides that, the art is just okay.It is not extraordinary,nor is it substandard.May this book rise above the masses and live up to the standard it can.As a side note, the stars of David on the front cover are not used on the inside, rather the cross of Christ.Picky, I know, but that is my job!
Tim Lasiuta


... Read more

Product Description
Panic attacks be gone! Finally, a first-hand guide to overcoming panic attacks, agoraphobia, and anxiety disorder from someone who has lived through it and conquered it. Rafe R. Martin shares his own personal experiences with panic attacks and agoraphobia and takes us through his journey from fear to freedom in his new book, Your Life is Waiting. Panic attack and anxiety sufferers who want a step-by-step plan for eliminating panic attacks, taking control of their lives and overcoming this paralyzing condition will love the way Rafe shares his own personal story of overcoming panic attacks once and for all, and then helps the reader develop his own plan for recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Medication Free Success of Anxiety, Panic, and Agoraphobia
For a Fairly small book it is "huge" with information, sincerity and punch.The author made this read easy, packed with the account of his affliction with "panic attacks, anxiety and agoraphobia".It's the first book Ive read that has made my battle with the same afflictions a doable goal "without medications".The purpose of the author's story is written with sincerity and the hope of helping other people to overcome obstacles of debillitating disorders. I liked it so much that I sent it to my sister who is also a sufferer (of many years).I used his suggested guides to recovery before I even finished the book.I have hope, thank you thank you, thank you!
Vicky Day
Las Vegas

It was okay
The book was very easy to read. The thing is is what works for one person isn't a cure all for everyone else. If it helps some people great. But if your anxiety problems are really complex this book alone won't help or may not help at all.

Real Help
This book gives the reader a vivid description of the life-stealing realities of panic attacks and agoraphobia.Rafe doesn't stop there, though.He outlines his own journey to take back control over his life.Instead of turning to medication, he used simple, yet effective strategies to recover.As a counselor, I recognized many of the strategies that Rafe successfully used.I will definitely recommend this book to anyone I work with who is struggling with high anxiety, panic attacks or agoraphobia.

Great buy!
This book does a wonderful job of describing what it's like to go through a panic attack.It also gives many strategies for how to overcome them without using medication.I used a combination of medication and the suggestions from the book since my specific case was medically caused.I'm happy to say that I am now not using the meds and only using the strategies suggested!I also shared this book with my family members that didn't understand what I was going through.After reading the first section, they had a much clearer understanding of panic attacks and were much more sympathetic towards me!

Panic attacks are getting better
This is a great book for me because I can relate to the author. Some of the things he describes are exactly what I'm feeling. I'm using the approach he describes when fighting off a panic attack. It's getting easier to deal with panic attacks now. I'm looking forward to the day when panic attacks will be gone forever. Thanks for sharing your story. ... Read more

Product Description
Map-III is a systematic cognitive-behavioral program, which uses behavioral self-monitoring to increase awareness of circumstances that trigger panic symptoms.Clients learn specific intervention skills, including how to slow down physiological reactivity through breathing retraining and muscle relaxing training; how to de-catastrophise through actual prediction testing; and how to lessen fearfulness through exposure to feared sensations in safe settings. The Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic - Third Edition (MAP-III) program updates, extends, and improves on the previous program in numerous ways.The material is presented in such a way that the client can understand the appropriate information in a clear and understandable manner. This edition also contains new and better-informed rationales guided not only by new scientific developments but also by the extensive experience of practitioners who have used the MAP treatment program with thousands of clients around the world. In addition, all of the monitoring forms assigned to clients have been substantially redesigned to provide greater ease of use and more relevant information.Finally, the MAP-3 client workbooks have been completely rewritten at a more accessible reading level to make the material easier for all clients to understand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

MAP really works
Having read every other book on anxiety and book on the market, I was reluctant to pick up yet another.Much to my surprise, the MAP book was totally different and -- best of all -- by working through it with a therapist I was able to rid myself of panic attacks and reduce my anxiety level substantially.We didn't delve into my past; the focus was entirely on handling the physical and cognitive manifestations of panic.

The premise of the MAP treatment is three-pronged:to desensitize yourself to the physical symptoms commonly attached to panic attacks by deliberately bringing them on (one at a time!) in a controlled manner, to make relaxation techniques immediately accessible during an 'attack', and to work with the thoughts that often accompany panic disorder, whether or not you are aware of them.

For example, if dizziness is one of your key symptoms, then one MAP exercise is to spin around in a chair in a safe place and manner that you control to induce dizziness, then practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing right there and then.

I thought I knew all about relaxation techniques, but I was wrong.What I have learned about doing progressive relaxation, abdominal breathing, and visualizations made an immense difference.

I can say the same about the cognitive training.The trick of asking myself "what are the odds?" of a catastrophic event happening has stopped many a panic attack before it began.

In short, if you are looking for a different way to handle panic disorder and anxiety, give MAP a try.

It works
The recommendations for anxiety attacks given in this book works. If you follow what they suggest, you will re-program your mind to relax and take control of those things, thoughts or events that trigger anxiety attacks. I used this book several months ago, and I feel that at last I have a process that works for me.

Get the correct MAP-3 book
MAP works and it is more reputable than the so many popular books on panic and anxiety. BUT then you must get the correct MAP books and it seems that ISBN numbers is your only help: for the therapist isbn 0195187008; for anxiety and panic client isbn 0-19-518697-4; for agoraphobia client isbn 0-19-518696-6. All books are from Oxford. Hope this helps the detectives amongst readers to find an extremely good resource for those suffering from panic and anxiety.

I thought this was the book it is only the worksheets
Don't make the same mistake I did, I thought I was ordering the book but instead it was only the worksheets to keep track of your axiety, type, symtoms etc. They are good for keeeping track of your anxiety. ... Read more

Product Description
Following the brutal murders of two children in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1954, police, in an attempt to quell public hysteria, arrested 20 men whom the authorities never claimed had anything to do with the crimes. Labeled as sexual psychopaths the men were sentenced to a mental institution until cured. A gripping story of murder and antigay hysteria award-winning journalist Neil Miller's carefully researched account shows how the paranoia of the McCarthy era destroyed the lives of gay men in the American heartland. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Climate of fear, stereotyping . . .and homophobia
In 1954 and 1955, two brutal child murders near Sioux City, Iowa, resulted in the arrest of a rootless drifter who nonetheless had an alibi, then morphed into a media campaign that resulted in two sweeps of over two dozen gay male Sioux Citians and the incarceration of about half of them in a decrepit mental hospital on the other side of the state.

It took a political and social climate that equated merely being homosexual with being a security threat and a pedophile to let this happen.How these atrocities came to be, where the motives lay, the climate of fear exploited by local newspapers and politicians who had something to prove, the political prosecution (or is it persecution?) made possible by broadly worded "scare" laws, and the experience of the men (many quite young) forced to live in an insane asylum, are well and entertainingly researched and recounted by author Neil Miller in his 2009 book, SEX-CRIME SCANDAL.

My only gripes are that the book, despite its healthy three-act structure, might have resonated better had it been a little more detailed. (To be fair, though, Miller seems to have dug about all that could be dug.)Also, an index or at least a names index would have been a big help.While I am grateful to Alyson publishers for making this book available to us, is it possible that the "screamer" pseudo-newspaper cover is driving away more thoughtful historians and GLBT advocates?

At the same time, a region and a half away, the city of Boise, Idaho, was roiled by an even deeper sex scandal centered on an atmosphere of paranoia and a "naming-names" frenzy involving the same scapegoats, the town's gay men and teens.People who enjoyed and appreciated SEX-CRIME PANIC may well enjoy THE BOYS OF BOISE, a 1966 book about the 1955 scandal by John Gerassi, a writer for TIME magazine.

Excellent reporting
Miller has done his research painstakingly and presented a horrifying story of what can happen when a community unites against "the other."Sioux City, Iowa, a town with a wild and wooly past kept hidden under a conventional facade, reacts with vengeance when two children are abducted and murdered.A roundup of homosexual men and their incarceration in a mental hospital is the outcome of political ambition and general hysteria, a reflection of the mood of the entire country following the close of World War II.There was the atom bomb and then the Commies.Now it was people who were "different."This book is a valuable contribution to social history and an example of what good journalism should be.

Remembering Iowa
Miller, Neil. "Sex-Crime Panic: A Journey to the Paranoid Heart of the 1950s", Alyson Books, 2009.

Remembering Iowa

Amos Lassen

In 1955, Jimmy Bremmers, an eight year old boy in Sioux City, Iowa was missing. Later it was discovered that he had been murdered and Ernest Triplett, a simple-minded salesman was arrested and convicted of the crime. Public hysteria followed and the police arrested 20 gay men who were charged as sexual psychopaths even through none of them had anything to do with the murder. These men were incarcerated for long periods of time in a state mental hospital,
This book exposes a sex-crime panic and its aftermath and it is shocking. Sexual hysteria replaced reason and Iowa has really never been the same. It was the shock and outrage over the murder that brought this about and it is very sad.
After being arrested Triplett was administered huge amounts of experimental drugs so that he could better remember the murder and what got him arrested was his love of Liberace. It was the social atmosphere in Sioux City and the age of McCarthy which believed that communism and homosexuality went hand in hand. At the same time there was a scandal in Boise, Idaho. Still none of this ever came together and the lives of many men were ruined. It was a disturbing time for gay people Neil Miller also has a look at Megan's Law which was passed by all 50 states and it requires all sex offenders to register with the local police department and still today, some fifty years later, criminal sexual acts cause panic and hysteria.
In effect what this book does is tell us a cautionary story about how paranoia can go wrong. What is so amazing is that what Miller writes about it is relevant today. It is a well written and documented and the story is related from different perspectives. There was a second child murdered which added to the hysteria and panic. This is a perfect example of how government went out of control. This is what happens when legislation is passed at a time when there is little reason.

Great story of Past Paranoia Gone Wrong
Despite its rather sensational title, "Sex-Crime Panic" tells a cautionary story about paranoia gone wrong during the 1950's,surprisingly relevant today.

Neil Miller has discovered an amazing story of the deaths of two Sioux City children, and the mania that overtook the town to find their killers. Well written, documented, and told from multiple perspectives, you are placed right in the middle of the hysteria for duration of the book.Two children are brutally killed, and in response to the public outcry, Iowa state and local officials attempt to round up "the sexual deviants", which the majority of those being homosexuals.

Caught by sting operations and rattted out by friends, tried and convicted under false pretenses, these men were shipped across state to a "mental ward" to live as "prisoners". The lives of these men were forever altered by the experience, and many lived to shame themselves into forgetting everything.

Because of this secrecy, Neil Miller was forced to rely on whatever information he could muster from some of the men who were still living, and the people associated with the cases. Therefore, information related to the killing of the children, and the subsequent manhunt is extensive. Information relating to what happened to the men inside the mental ward was somewhat lacking. Understandly so, Miller goes on towards the end of the book stating that several men, still living, absolutely refused to talk about what occured. Their shame is something they've carried around with them for their lives; a shame, unjustly given to them.

For anyone today who believes our government is incapable of getting out of control, or anyone who wants to read about an event in gay history few people know about, I heartily recommend this book.

A Cautionary Tale for Our Times
A Journey into the Paranoid Heart of the 1950s, by Neil Miller - This book is a historical account of two sex-related child murders that took place in Sioux City, Iowa, resulting in the passage of a "sexual psychopath law" which lumped homosexuals in with child molesters and murders, and resulted in 20 men (who had nothing to do with the crimes) being arrested and sentenced to a mental hospital deemed "cured."The men were all homosexuals.It's a rather chilling story when you consider the kind of power the state authorities had over these men.What's more curious is the seeming passivity of the men, who accepted their fate and perhaps on some level thought it was what they deserved.The author writes it off to just part of being gay in the 50s.It's a relevant story today, because it shows that when legislation is passed in an atmosphere of fear and hysteria, bad laws get put on the books, and the consequences are visited upon people who become scapegoats for that fear and paranoia. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A must read for any who want to better understand the human psyche on a global scale
Humanity is generally the same, but some cultures handle psychological problems differently. "Culture and Panic Disorder" explores how culture plays a major role in classifying many panic disorders that disparate societies deals with differently. Comparing many cultures and what some cultures view as panic disorder worthy where other cultures do not, "Culture and Panic Disorder" is an intriguing look at how much culture and society matter in the realm of mental health. "Culture and Panic Disorder" is a must read for any who want to better understand the human psyche on a global scale. ... Read more

Product Description
“Whatever it takes”

That was Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s vow as the worst financial panic in more than fifty years gripped the world and he struggled to avoid the once unthinkable: a repeat of the Great Depression. Brilliant but temperamentally cautious, Bernanke researched and wrote about the causes of the Depression during his career as an academic. Then when thrust into a role as one of the most important people in the world, he was compelled to boldness by circumstances he never anticipated.

The president of the United States can respond instantly to a missile attack with America’s military might, but he cannot respond to a financial crisis with real money unless Congress acts. The Fed chairman can. Bernanke did. Under his leadership the Fed spearheaded the biggest government intervention in more than half a century and effectively became the fourth branch of government, with no direct accountability to the nation’s voters.

Believing that the economic catastrophe of the 1930s was largely the fault of a sluggish and wrongheaded Federal Reserve, Bernanke was determined not to repeat that epic mistake. In this penetrating look inside the most powerful economic institution in the world, David Wessel illuminates its opaque and undemocratic inner workings, while revealing how the Bernanke Fed led the desperate effort to prevent the world’s financial engine from grinding to a halt.

In piecing together the fullest, most authoritative, and alarming picture yet of this decisive moment in our nation’s history, In Fed We Trust answers the most critical questions. Among them:

• What did Bernanke and his team at the Fed know–and what took them by surprise? Which of their actions stretched–or even ripped through–the Fed’s legal authority? Which chilling numbers and indicators made them feel they had no choice?

• What were they thinking at pivotal moments during the race to sell Bear Stearns, the unsuccessful quest to save Lehman Brothers, and the virtual nationalization of AIG, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac? What were they saying to one another when, as Bernanke put it to Wessel: “We came very close to Depression 2.0”?

• How well did Bernanke, former treasury secretary Hank Paulson, and then New York Fed president Tim Geithner perform under intense pressure?

• How did the crisis prompt a reappraisal of the once-impregnable reputation of Alan Greenspan?

In Fed We Trust is a breathtaking and singularly perceptive look at a historic episode in American and global economic history.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

Federal Reserve vs. The Great Panic 2007-2010
I enjoyed reading this informative book by two time Pulitzer prize writer David Wessel. It appears to me that Wessel was able to write such a clear and concise book about the Great Panic because of his job of writing for the Wall Street Journal. He was right their in the middle of the financial meltdown both writing about the events and learning from fellow writers about what they knew was also happening on other fronts at the time. The author had a clear understanding of the events that Ben Bernanke, Hank Paulson, and Tim Geithner were forced to navigate through as the financial system teetered off its foundation and near collapse. The book gives the background history of our main characters and explains how each were equipped to deal with the panic that they were caught up in. The book really captures the turmoil as you are taken through the events the Fed was forced to act on from intervening to save Bear Stearns, being unable or unwilling to save Lehman Brothers, AIG almost taking the whole financial system down by defaulting on its credit default swaps that insured the world, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac meltdowns, and the capital infusion to the banks.
At its core this book is about the power the Federal Reserve has acting as a fourth branch of government. How the Fed was forced to use the loophole of unusual circumstances to push its power to the legal limit allowing it to save the financial sector and economy from a second Great Depression or Great Recession. The book is about Bernanke more than anyone else and how he came to be the Federal Reserve Chairman from a Professor who was an expert on the Great Depression. The book more than anything shows in great detail how Bernanke was willing to do "whatever it takes" to avoid another depression, keeping his promise to Milton Friedman that the Fed would not make the same mistakes that they made in 1929 to allow the Great Depression to happen again. As of September 2010 it appears as if we can say "Mission Accomplished". (However we do not know the long term consequences of all the actions on monetary policy, increasing the national debt, expanding the Fed's balance sheet, bailing out banks, buying mortgage backed securities, etc. etc. etc.) This book does a great job taking readers through the Great Panic of 2007-2010 with a play by play of the events through the eyes of the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department. Great book.

A fascinating look at the Great Panic of 2008 (and beyond)
At last a book that uses plain English to explain the financial meltdown of 2008.You don't need a PhD in Economics to understand what happened.Bear Stearns bailout, Lehman Brothers losses, AIG rescue, bank re-caps - this book explains it all so that the average person can understand what happened.If you're looking for a detailed analysis, this isn't the book for you.

What I learned from this book:

**a greater understanding of Ben Bernanke as a person and not just a figurehead.As Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, he's one of the most powerful men in the U.S.Yet, his ego didn't drive his decisions.I really felt that he tried to do what was best for the country.

**the causes of the financial crisis are many and complex.Sure, you can sum it up in a word - greed.But to look beyond that and see the inter-relationship of low interest rates, easy credit and investors looking for higher returns and becoming ever more willing to take risk.We had so many years of prosperity, many think it will last forever.Well, it doesn't.

**studying the past can help with the present.Ben Bernanke is an avid student of the Great Depression.He's one smart guy and his knowledge helped him stay calm during this whole saga.Wall Street has always been a place of excesses.It seems as soon as regulations are put into play, the Wall Streeters come up with new and ever-more complicated financial products to get around the regulations and give investors high returns.

**sometimes all your choices are bad and you must pick the lesser of two evils.Many people are very angry at Wall Street, myself included.I've experienced unemployment and my blood boils when I read about the exorbitant bonuses paid to executives of AIG and the like.I don't like thinking about the companies that the government bailed out with taxpayer dollars.But after reading this book, I can start to understand that the bailout might have been the lesser of two evils.Would the financial markets have crashed?Maybe, maybe not.

I love books that keep me thinking, even long after I've finished reading them.In Fed We Trust is such a book.I'm still pondering the following:

**Did Ben Bernanke succeed or was he a failure?David Wessel presents both sides of this.

**What have we learned from all this?I so wish I was back in business school and could study this full-time.Oh well, I will have to do this on my own.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand better what led up to and what happened during the Great Panic of 2008.Even if you believe that Ben Bernanke and the Fed failed in their roles, you will get something from this book.

A nice start and worth a read....wanted to know more
This is a great book and is much more than just about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's handling of the recent and on going financial mess in the USA. It is about men and women whom we have been led to believe are the best and brightest, being exposed as fools who often know less about money issues than the sane, responsible average American who has never been in debt and has always been wise about money management.

Would have liked to have read more about how connected the men (mostly men) at the Fed and in banking, finance in general are be it friendship or former working relationships which like in any business, will tend to create a comfort zone that may not be healthy for the country and citizens.

And as the subtitle of the book notes it is about how the unelected and certainly un founding fathers like, the Federal Reserve has become as the 4th branch of government. Sad when one considers that way to many Americans cannot name the other 3 legit branches of government.In the book one will read of other unknown entities like the Council of Economic Advisors, and international monetary fund groupsand individuals that if you are alert and interested as you are reading, you may feel your eyes glazing over.

Sadly most Americans will not read this book because they are more interested in sophomoric media stories about do nothing celebrities, and sports figures. The same Americans who have gotten themselves into a deep financial gutter, and are naive enough to thinkthe Fed cares, aside from throwing some crumbs in hopes the citizens will quiet down and continue tobelieve that everything will be alright. Never mind that these same Americans have no idea or don't care that it is China that has kept the USA from going under financially.That the stimulus checks Americans have gotten, came about because of massive China loans to the USA, and in turn many of not the majority of Americans will spend the money on Chinese made goods, and the the Fed will pay huge interest on the borrowed money and in essence China will be a winner multiple times over.

Seems to be more Bernanke's story than an analysis of The Great Panic...
Even though we're still in the middle of it, I've been wanting to read some material on the economic meltdown that started back in 2007.To that end, I took the opportunity to get a copy of In FED We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic by David Wessel from a publicist.To be fair, this is the first book I've read on the topic, and I am by no means an expert on the economics and politics of the Federal Reserve.Yet, while reading In FED We Trust, I felt that I was getting a slanted view on things, one that was probably more pro-Bernanke than what an attempt at a purely objective analysis would be.

Content:
Introduction - Whatever It Takes; Let Ol' Lehman Go; Periodical Financial Debauches; Age of Delusion; There Are Jews in Boston, Too; Pas de Deux; The Four Musketeers - Bernanke's Brain Trust; RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Blue Sky; Running from Behind; Unusual and Exigent; Fannie, Freddie, and "Feddie"; Breaking the Glass; Socialism with American Characteristics; World of ZIRP; Did Bernanke Keep His Promise to Milton Friedman; It Could Have Been Worse; Notes; Glossary; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Index

The book is very much focused on Ben Bernanke and his handling of the Federal Reserve.The author goes into his background, his academic foundations, and his focus and analysis of The Great Depression.That academic style shaped much of Bernanke's work in government, making him more of a consensus-seeker than an authoritarian leader, as well as someone who chose his words carefully instead of being blunt and fully open.He also made most of his decisions with the main goal of avoiding The Great Depression 2.0.

What I appreciated most was the chronological story flow of how the first domino started to wobble, and the debate around letting the financial institution fail as opposed to rescuing it.As each new crisis hit, there were fewer and few options, as the "healthy" institutions had already been tapped out for bailing out the failing banks and financial firms.And even if they had been able to absorb them, the Fed had shown their willingness to step in to do "whatever it takes" to make sure things kept running.As such, there were a few games of "chicken" to see who would blink first when it came to stepping up.

My major takeaway from this book was simply that economics is not a science, and that nobody can predict the cause and effects of financial actions with any degree of certainty.I've heard it said that running the economy is like driving forward while only looking in the rear view mirror.After reading In FED We Trust, I am again reminded of that saying, and I am even more convinced of its validity.

I'm sure other books about the financial crisis will be written, and I'll definitely have to read them to get a better overall view of what happened, as I'm not sure that In FED We Trust is the best overall objective analysis and story of what happened.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Publicist
Payment: Free

Great Book
"In Fed We Trust" takes a look at the causes of the downturn of our present economy.While most people find economics dry and boring, this book is far from it.Not only does this book speak intelligently about the "panic" of September 18th, 2008, it also compares it to the other great panics of United States history, the Great Depression being the major event.

It also gives you the understanding that many of the issues at we now face were born way before Bernanke's time.It doesn't dismiss actions of any party but gives a historical account in order for the reader to make their own decision on the matter.

This book gives you an understanding not only of Ben Bernanke and "where he came from" but an understanding of the pressures he and his staff were under.While slightly biased in its view of Bernanke, the book takes not prisoners.Right or wrong, they did what they could do and what they thought was right.This book cuts past the media's stories and gets to the real meat of the matter.While I don't think it gives earth shattering revelations, it gives the "regular Joe" understanding of the Fed.

If you are looking for an deep economic study, this book is not for you.BUT for anyone who wants a historical account of what started the bottom falling out of the economy, this book is a must read. ... Read more

Product Description

Meg Logan has not been farther than two miles from home in six years. She has agoraphobia, a debilitating anxiety disorder that entraps its sufferers in the fear of leaving safe havens such as home. Paradoxically, while at this safe haven, agoraphobics spend much of their time ruminating over past panic experiences and imagining similar hypothetical situations. In doing so, they create a narrative that both describes their experience and locks them into it.

Constructing Panic offers an unprecedented analysis of one patient's experience of agoraphobia. In this novel interdisciplinary collaboration between a clinical psychologist and a linguist, the authors probe Meg's stories for constructions of emotions, actions, and events. They illustrate how Meg uses grammar and narrative structure to create and recreate emotional experiences that maintain her agoraphobic identity.

In this work Capps and Ochs propose a startling new view of agoraphobia as a communicative disorder. Constructing Panic opens up the largely overlooked potential for linguistic and narrative analysis by revealing the roots of panic and by offering a unique framework for therapeutic intervention. Readers will find in these pages hope for managing panic through careful attention to how we tell the story of our lives.

Product Description
Do you have rushes of fear accompanied by a pounding heart, trembling, dizziness, and feelings of unreality that make you think you're sick, dying, or losing your mind? Do these feelings interfere with your normal daily routine, or prevent you from doing things you would normally do? Do you find yourself seeking medical treatment for symptoms related to your panic? If you are prone to panic attacks and constantly worry about when the next attack may come, you may suffer from panic disorder and/or agoraphobia.

Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic, Workbook for Primary Care Settings outlines a time-limited treatment for dealing with panic disorder and agoraphobia.If you primarily seek treatment from your family doctor, this workbook will be useful. Based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the program described can be delivered by your general practitioner or other health or mental health care provider in the primary care setting in up to six sessions. A modified version of the more intensive 12-session program that currently exists, this treatment represents an introduction of the skills and techniques for overcoming panic disorder that you can easily learn and continue on your own.

This workbook will teach you the importance of record-keeping and monitoring your progress, as well as breathing techniques and thinking skills to reduce your anxiety.You will learn how to face your fear of physical symptoms and anxiety-inducing situations. Self-assessment tools, homework exercises, and interactive forms allow you to become an active participant in your treatment. This program will help you take charge of your panic and allow you the freedom to stop relying on medication and health services for relief of your symptoms.

TreatmentsThatWorkTM represents the gold standard of behavioral healthcare interventions!



·All programs have been rigorously tested in clinical trials and are backed by years of research


· A prestigious scientific advisory board, led by series Editor-In-Chief David H. Barlow, reviews and evaluates each intervention to ensure that it meets the highest standard of evidence so you can be confident that you are using the most effective treatment available to date


·Our books are reliable and effective and make it easy for you to provide your clients with the best care available


·Our corresponding workbooks contain psychoeducational information, forms and worksheets, and homework assignments to keep clients engaged and motivated


·A companion website (www.oup.com/us/ttw) offers downloadable clinical tools and helpful resources


·Continuing Education (CE) Credits are now available on select titles in collaboration with PsychoEducational Resources, Inc. (PER) ... Read more