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Title: When Oil Peaked

Author: Kenneth S. Deffeyes

Narrator: Kent Cassella

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-28-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

In two earlier books, Hubbert's Peak and Beyond Oil, geologist Kenneth S. Deffeyes laid out his rationale for concluding that world oil production would continue to follow a bell-shaped curve, with the smoothed-out peak somewhere in the middle of the first decade of this millennium---in keeping with the projections of his former colleague, pioneering petroleum geologist M. King Hubbert. Deffeyes sees no reason to deviate from that prediction, despite the ensuing global recession and the extreme volatility in oil prices associated with it. In his view, the continued depletion of existing oil fields, compounded by shortsighted cutbacks in many exploration-and-development projects, virtually assures that the mid-decade peak in global oil production will never be surpassed.

In When Oil Peaked, Deffeyes revisits his original forecasts, examines the arguments that were made both for and against them, adds some new supporting material to his overall case, and applies the same mode of analysis to a number of other finite gifts from the Earth: mineral resources that may be also in shorter supply than "flat-Earth" prognosticators would have us believe.

Members Reviews:

A useful update on the global energy crisis

Having read Dr. Deffeyes' previous titles, Hubbert's Peak and Beyond Oil, I enjoyed this new title but was disappointed by a lack of depth. It carries the story forward to 2010, with updates on new developments like the breakthrough in U.S. shale gas production that occurred around 2004, and the economic tumult that followed the 2008 oil price spike. The author predicted that global oil production would peak in 2005, and figures so far have borne him out.

Dr. Deffeyes gives some intriguing inside information from the oil industry. In the heyday of oil exploration, about 1956, there were about 9,000 exploratory "wildcat" wells around the world; by 2005 the figure was down to 2,500. The author admits that his data come from "an unpublished, unverifiable data set." Welcome to the oil business: there is a veil of obscurity, since oil production and reserves are corporate and national secrets. But there's more evidence: the "majors" of oil production, companies like Exxon, Shell and BP, began shrinking their research budgets after about 1980, and also began buying back their stock rather than investing in exploration. Most of the world's oil reserves lie in the hands of national oil companies in places like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Mexico.

There have been two big new recent finds, both offshore, off the coast of Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico. Huge as the Brazil "subsalt" find is, sizable production is at least a decade away. Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has, er, "gummed up" a bit after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Neither is likely large enough to offset the overall decline in global oil production.

One of this title's most useful additions is a graph on p. 40 that compares U.S. oil costs as a share of GDP from 1950 to 2010. The cost of oil has hovered in the 1-to-2 percent range most of the time, including the "SUV boom" of the 1990's, but around 1980-82 and in 2008 it exceeded 6 percent. Deffeyes claims, validly I think, that our 2008 financial crash and subsequent recession were really byproducts of soaring fuel prices, but fails to back up his case.

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Title: The Coke Machine

Subtitle: The Dirty Truth Behind the World's Favorite Soft Drink

Author: Michael Blanding

Narrator: George K. Wilson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

Ever since its "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" commercials from the 1970s, Coca-Cola has billed itself as the world's beverage, uniting all colors and cultures in a mutual love of its caramel-sweet sugar water. The formula has worked incredibly well, making it one of the most profitable companies on the planet and Coca-Cola the world's second-most-recognized word after hello. However, as the company expands its reach into both domestic and foreign markets, an increasing number of the world's citizens are finding the taste of Coke more bitter than sweet.

Journalist Michael Blanding's The Coke Machine probes shocking accusations about the company's global impact, including:

Critic Reviews:

"Put down your soda, read

The Coke Machine, and join the global movement to rein in unaccountable corporations. (Barbara Ehrenreich, author of

Brightsided)

Members Reviews:

MUST READ THIS!

This book broke my heart-- but like all reality checks must be listened to. Not only does he clearly explain why Coke has had the problems they have, but also gives a great primer into what is wrong with American companies. Should be a must read for students in business, politics, marketing and social science (along with a few others). I may use this in my class.

Say it ain't so

Ive read the anti-Coke reviews of this book and went in with the sneaky suspicion that the author had an agenda and I began reading with that understanding. I believe anyone could pick any company and write a book about them in a similar style.

I have to say as a marketing researcher myself, I found the history of the company extremely compelling and appreciate their marketing and branding from their earliest days. I found it clever the way they thought to get people to drink more Coke. . . bigger bottles. Seems so simple now but back then it was an innovation and now look at the sizes of the sodas we drink today--Big Gulps, Super Big Gulps, etc. It is reminiscent of how toothpaste manufactures got people to use more toothpaste. Think about it, how do you do that? Bigger holes in the tubes! Marketing genius.

So while I enjoyed all of that, I have to say Iwith relief, ultimately agree with my fellow Goodreaders and can sum this up by saying, Mamas dont let your babies grow up to be Coke (or any soda for that matter) drinkers for which there are many reasons. The first being health. I still cannot believe that researchers cannot definitively prove there is nothing more than correlation (not causation) between high fructose corn syrup and obesity and/or diabetes. In my mind, the stuff is poison and it is in everything.

Second, I now feel they abuse marketing and show little ethics in this regard. Research shows that infants begin to recognize brands between 6 and 18 months of age. By age 3, children begin requesting brands. Coke manipulates this to their advantage through such marketing campaigns as the cute polar bears and Santa. For the 12 and under cohort, they target such shows as Spongebob Squarepants and for the teen group, they use product placement on shows such as American Idol as well as targeted advertising. While believing in capitalism and the goal of being an industry leader, you must do it responsibly. I dont think that Coke does this.

Then there are the Coke wars in Mexico and Colombia.

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Title: Capitalism 4.0

Subtitle: The Birth of a New Economy in the Aftermath of Crisis

Author: Anatole Kaletsky

Narrator: Scott Peterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-10

Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

Capitalism was not destroyed by the crisis, but it was irrevocably changed. This provocative audiobook shows how the forces that precipitated the financial meltdown of 2007-2009 are now creating a new and stronger version of the global capitalist system. This system will continue to be led and shaped by the U.S. if its businesses and politicians play their cards well.

The crisis that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers marked the fourth systemic transformation of capitalism since the late 18th century. The first of these great transitions launched the century of classical capitalism from the Napoleonic Wars to the Great Depression. The second version of capitalism emerged in the 1930s with the New Deal and government-led Keynesian economics, but blew up in the great inflation of the 1970s. That crisis launched the third age of capitalism starting with the elections of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in 1979-1980. This business-led period culminated in the market fundamentalist excesses of George W. Bush, Alan Greenspan, and Henry Paulson.

Market fundamentalism collapsed in 2008, but the crash has brought into play capitalisms unerring instinct for self-preservation. As a result, the next version of the capitalist system is now evolving: Capitalism 4.0. But as the global economy is reinvented, will American-led democratic capitalism or Chinese-style state capitalism prevail?

In this wide-ranging and controversial audiobook, Anatole Kaletsky puts the upheavals of 2007-2009 in historical and ideological perspective. He describes the emerging features of the new capitalist model, explains how it will differ from previous versions, and suggests how the rise of Capitalism 4.0 could change politics, finance, international relations, and economic thinking in the coming decades.

Critic Reviews:

This brilliant book will add greatly to our understanding of the future of the world economy. (George Soros)

"Hugely ambitious. The overall impression is startlingly original. Kaletsky offers a genuinely new take on the credit crunch." (Literary Review)

"His book is a major contribution to the debate on the nature of the market economy that needs to follow the practical failures of market fundamentalism." (Financial Times)

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Title: The Frugal Superpower

Subtitle: America's Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era

Author: Michael Mandelbaum

Narrator: Christopher Hurt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-03-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

In this incisive new book, Michael Mandelbaum argues that the era marked by an expansive American foreign policy is coming to an end. During the seven decades from the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941 to the present, economic constraints rarely limited what the United States did in the world. Now that will change. The country's soaring deficits, fueled by the huge costs of the financial crash and of its entitlement programs - Social Security and Medicare - will compel a more modest American international presence.

In assessing the consequences of this new, less expensive foreign policy, Mandelbaum, one of America's leading foreign policy experts, describes the policies the United States will have to discontinue; assesses the potential threats from China, Russia, and Iran; and recommends a new policy, centered on a reduction in the nation's dependence on foreign oil, which can do for America and the world in the 21st century what the containment of the Soviet Union did in the 20th.

Members Reviews:

Two years and how much has changed

Dr. Mandelbaum examines the U.S. role in foreign affairs after the financial crisis of 2008. He clearly outlines that the effect of the aging U.S. population and the growth of domestic entitlements will impact our foreign policy. He expects that the growth of our debt and entitlement programs will inhibit the vigor of our foreign policy. In support of this, he cites a speech by President Obama at West Point on December 1, 2009, that cited economic constraints limiting U.S. military involvement abroad.

In Dr. Mandelbaum's first chapter, he examines the effect of U.S. debt, entitlement spending and inflation on foreign policy. He then looks at our demographics where we have an aging population holding beliefs in their rights to entitlement with almost religious fervor, my words, not his. The U.S. looks really sad until he looks at Japan, Europe, Russia and, soon, even China. Two short years after the book's publication and even Japanese companies are beginning to relocate much of their businesses out of the home islands; Europe's experiment with a common currency is running headlong into the costs imposed by its socialist framework, Russia is having governmental legitimacy problems created by an all-female band and China seems to be having serious internal political disputes among factions of its ruling elites. So, once again, the U.S. may have the best-looking house in a run-down neighborhood.

Dr. Mandelbaum argues that our economic constraints may be useful in that it will discourage profligate use of American power. He offers examples of unwise use of such power by the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

If you are not familiar with the history of the growth of American power, this is a good review. He makes the argument that most other countries do not actively oppose the use of American power since in many respects other countries benefit from the use of such power. Keeping the sea lanes open, reducing the likelihood of major military conflict in Europe and East Asia, and generally trying to keep order works to the benefit of most countries.

China may challenge the U.S. throughout much of the globe. But China has its own serious internal limitations arising from a large and impoverished portion of its populace.

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Title: The Postcatastrophe Economy

Subtitle: Rebuilding America and Avoiding the Next Bubble

Author: Eric Janszen

Narrator: John Pruden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-02-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

How bad will the current economy get? According to Eric Janszen, we could be facing an unemployment rate of over 10 percent; half of all retail stores boarded up; skeletons of unfinished buildings in our cities; and tax revenues down by 30 percent, leading to big cuts in government services. Meanwhile, inflation will keep rising as the Fed is forced to devalue the dollar because foreign countries won't lend to us anymore.

Sounds grim, but the good news is that this crisis will open the door to a saner economic future if we recognize the opportunity to correct decades of bad policy. America can wean itself from the debt-financed growth of the past 30 years and restructure to grow, based on old-fashioned savings and investment. Janszen shows that the key is not more big government but deploying our unique capacity for innovation through private-public partnerships.

He calls for a modern New Deal that develops 21st century industries, such as biotechnology, alternative energy, and nanotechnology. And he shows how our financial markets can adapt to make it happen. This is an essential book for everyone who is struggling to understand our current predicament.

Critic Reviews:

"Unlike the many 'told you so' books of the past year, Eric Janszen takes a hard look at the foundations of the Great Recession of 2009, explaining why gold prices rose, why the U.S. dollar is safer than we think, and why houses make terrible investments. And rather than suggesting another round of post-hoc regulation, Janszen points the way towards a sustainable future in infrastructure investment. Janszen has the goods." (Scott Reynolds Nelson, Legum Professor of History, College of William & Mary, author of Crash: An Uncommon History of America's Financial Disasters)

Members Reviews:

Very informative.

If you could sum up The Postcatastrophe Economy in three words, what would they be?

Informative, insightful and breaks down our fake system legal/government that is high jacked by the banks.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Postcatastrophe Economy?

The manipulation of currency and printing of money that is not backed to anything and that the world is aware of our pathetic sorry strategy and they are onto us. TICK TOC....It's only a matter of time we wake up and our money is not worth anything.

Have you listened to any of John Prudens other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was aware of all the issues he address I just never new how to verbalize it due to the complexities involved.

Any additional comments?

Good Book.

Eric is very clear and concise, easy to understand

Would you consider the audio edition of The Postcatastrophe Economy to be better than the print version?

I believe reading the book yourself is almost always better. You exercise your mind and functions by doing so.

What other book might you compare The Postcatastrophe Economy to and why?

End The Fed by Ron Paul

Which character as performed by John Pruden was your favorite?

You get an earful and find yourself nodding in agreement, as well as shaking your head in disgust.

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Title: The Death of Capital

Subtitle: How New Policy Can Restore Stability

Author: Michael E. Lewitt

Narrator: Erik Synnestvedt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-15-10

Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

While some semblance of stability has returned to the financial markets, the economies on which these markets must ultimately depend remain structurally weak, and the path toward sustained growth will be difficult. In order to set the economy on a sounder path, we need to understand the sources of instability that caused the failure of the financial system, rethink established ideas, and challenge the intellectual and moral authority of the institutions that control the world's capital.

Written by respected portfolio manager and longtime investment professional Michael Lewitt, The Death of Capital looks at how, in recent years, the U.S. economy has increasingly been dominated by short-term speculation rather than productive investment, debt rather than equity, and short-term thinking rather than long-term planning. These disastrous trends, described here as "financialization," ignore the fact that capital is a highly unstable social process rather than a fixed, historical object or category.

This timely audiobook:

Critic Reviews:

"In an era of books on the financial crisis, this one is a significant standout. Michael demonstrates a keen understanding of the factors that led to the financial abuses of the past decade and equally importantly advances sound ideas for financial reform. A very engaging and worthwhile audio!" (Leon G. Cooperman, Chairman and CEO, Omega Advisors, Inc.)

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Title: The Betrayal of American Prosperity

Author: Clyde Prestowitz

Narrator: Erik Synnestvedt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

Free Market Delusions, Americas Decline, and How We Must Compete in the Post-Dollar Era

Critically acclaimed author Clyde Prestowitz reveals the shocking extent of the deterioration of American economic strength that has put the United States on the brink of irreversibly losing our supremacy on the world stage and our prosperity at home. While the financial crisis has been a devastating blow, he shows that the wreckage of our economic might started much earlier. If we do not make decisive changes fast, he reveals, we will face the daunting challenges of living in a post-dollar world: wielding less and less power over world affairs, vulnerable to rising security threats, and left with a permanently lower standard of living. There is nothing inevitable about this slide, he argues, but fighting back will require recognizing---and reversing---a glaring set of errors made by our business and political leaders due to ideological adherence to deeply flawed doctrines of always-efficient markets and the purely positive effects of globalization.

Providing a masterful history of the rise and decline of the brilliant "American way" of building our prosperity, Prestowitz pinpoints exactly the set of ill-fated steps by which, starting in the 1970s, we turned away from the very strengths that had brought us to world leadership, gutting our capacity to produce truly first-rate, cutting-edge products and going massively into debt. He then lays out the urgent steps we must take to come booming back.

The Betrayal of American Prosperity is an indispensable contribution to the urgent debate about the future of the American economy and our role in the world.

Critic Reviews:

"An important contribution to the political debate, Prestowitz's volume suggests a number of solutions - abolishing the dividend tax, imposing a value-added tax, incentivizing foreign investment in the U.S., and doubling federal support of innovative technologies - all likely to prove controversial on both sides of the political divide. (Publishers Weekly)

Clyde Prestowitz offers an insightful diagnosis of the weakening of the American economy since the 1970s due to the embrace of deeply flawed market fundamentalist arguments. He then presents a persuasive set of steps that could be taken to revitalize the U.S. economy and restore competitiveness. A very worthwhile read. (George Soros, Open Society Institute)

With great insight and clarity, Clyde Prestowitz explains, step by step, how our politicians and business leaders betrayed America at the altar of free trade and unfettered markets. Here's a clear-eyed guide to what went wrong, what needs fixing, and how America can reclaim its place in the global economy. (Robert B. Reich, professor of public policy, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, and former U.S. Secretary of Labor)

Members Reviews:

Free Trade Myths - Exposed by Clyde Prestowitz

I don't like books that are simply political diatribes. The Betrayal of American Prosperity is a well researched, fact based, thoughtful analysis of American trade policy. I highly recommend it.

Far from being a left wing radical or a Smoot- Hawley protectionist, Prestowitz was a trade negotiator during the Reagan administration. So he is traversing territory he knows well.

The book leads you on a historical journey of the history of free trade in the U.S. and Great Britain.

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Title: How to Prosper in the Age of Obamanomics

Subtitle: A Ruff Plan for Hard Times Ahead

Author: Howard J. Ruff

Narrator: Matt Rixx

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-10

Publisher: Authors Digital

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

Howard Ruff has been a fixture in the financial-advice world for more than 34 years. His book, How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years, with 2.6 million copies in print, is still the world champion in the genre. His reknowned newsletter, The Ruff Times, has helped more than 600,000 subscribers navigate the economic ups and downs and learn how to prosper during various cycles.

How to Prosper in the Age of Obamanomics presents some strategies for the everyday American who wants to protect and grow assets and select the investment vehicles that are most appropriate.The book's forward is presented by Howard Ruff himself, and the body of the book is read by narrator Matt Rixx.

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Jimmy Stewart is Dead

Subtitle: The Worlds Ongoing Financial Plague with Limited Purpose Banking

Author: Laurence J. Kotlikoff

Narrator: Christian Rummel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-09-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

Discover how the global financial plague is poised to return, and what can be done to stop itThis is not your father's financial system. Jimmy Stewart, the trustworthy, honest banker in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, is dead. And so is his small-town bank, Bailey Savings & Loan. Instead, we're watching It's a Horrible Mess with Wall Street (aka the Vegas Strip) playing ever larger craps with our economy and our tax dollars.

This audiobook, written by one of the world's most respected economist, describes in lively, humorous, simple, but also deadly serious terms the big con underlying the big game-the web of interconnected financial, political, and regulatory malfeasance that culminated in financial meltdown and brought us to our economic knees. But is also proposes a solution - Limited Purpose Banking, a straightforward and easily implemented plan to make Wall Street safe for Main Street.

Members Reviews:

More Limited Purpose Banking, Less Other Fixes

First, I sincerely appreciate Professor Kotlikoff's honesty w/ respect to the incompetent and illusory efforts of the US Govt. For example, on pg 83 he writes:

"Hopefully, the FDIC won't end up w/ a [1980s] S&L-type crisis on top of its current debacle. W/ its new insurance obligations, it's now staring at $6.4 trillion in potential liabilities, yet it holds only $19 billion in reserves. Talk about financial malfeasance! Madoff was short $65 for each dollar he insured. The FDIC is short $337 for each dollar it's insured.

Were the public to digest this fact and withdraw its deposits en masse, Uncle Sam would likely have to print upwards of 24 trillion more dollars. Public knowledge of this action would surely trigger hyperinflation and extract a major loss in purchasing power for anyone who failed to withdraw and spend his or her money immediately.

So right here, right now, we have the basis for a national bank run. The run would not be to secure our money (dollar bills), but to secure our real spending power - the amount of goods and services our dollars can buy.

This concern is not new. We've had the basis for a national bank run ever since FDR introduced FDIC insurance in March 1933. Fortunately, Americans didn't call FDR's bluff by continuing their run on the banks (one-third had already failed). Had they done so, they would have demonstrated that, w/ respect to their real money balances, FDR was insuring the uninsurable."

Rest assured Keynes-inspired snake oil economists such as Paul Krugman & Brad DeLong - stars of the elite mainstream print & broadcast media - will never admit their Govt interventionist panacea is a delusion. The emperor truly has no clothes and fear the day when those bankrolling today's American Dream stop footing the bill. Kotlikoff does an excellent job describing the depth of the hole we're in.

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Title: Too Big to Save?

Subtitle: How to Fix the U.S. Financial System

Author: Robert Pozen

Narrator: Richard Davidson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-26-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

Publisher's Summary:

The recent credit crisis and the resulting bailout program are unprecedented events in the financial industry. While it's important to understand what got us here, it's even more important to consider how we should get out. While there is little question that immediate action was required to stabilize the situation, it is now time to look for a long-term plan to reform the United States financial industry. That is where Bob Pozen comes in.

Perhaps more than anyone in the industry, Pozen commands the respect and attention of the public and private sector. In this timely guide, he outlines his vision for the new financial future and provides actionable advice along the way. To Pozen, there are four high-priority problems that must be addressed, and this book puts them in perspective. The book:

With Too Big to Save, you'll learn the likely future of the finance industry and understand why changes have to be made.

Members Reviews:

Unprepared narrator, poor editing

The narrator read slowly, presumably so everyone could follow along. However, the effect was instead to draw out the long sentences so long that for the listener it's a little like swimming the length of a pool underwater. The inflection was inappropriate, sometimes changing the point of the sentence. The narrator didn't know the meaning of what he was reading. He could hold about four words in his head at a time, and inflected accordingly. Parenthetical remarks were read with gravitas and nouns referenced twice in a sentence were emphasized as if new. These distractions were not edited out, when they easily could have been. The quality of narration is in stark contrast to the pillar that the book is in serving to make sense of the financial collapse. I have seen the book (print edition) reviewed elsewhere as superior to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission's report in its breadth and understanding. I bought this download b/c you learn a lot about something when you see how to fix it. Turned out to be a good strategy.