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WHISTLE BLOWING

THE REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE ON PROFESSIONAL RESPONBILITY

On January 30 of last year Ralph Nader and some like-minded associates had a blast at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. But before anyone gets the wrong notion, it was a most sober toot — advocates of "whistle blowing" (exposing government or industry activity which conflicts with the public interest) assembled for a one-day Conference on Professional Responsibility. The morning session heard Nader discuss the whistle-blowing ethic (what criteria might an individual use when confronted with the question of loyalty vs. conscience?), then Senator William Proxmire on the federal employee's obligation (a draft of his pending Employee Rights and Accountability Act which would ensure due process for civil servants is appended), Robert (Up the Organization) Townsend on fingering malfeasance in the business community, and finally Prof. Arthur Miller (George Washington Law) on the legal issues (cf. the Ellsberg-Russo case). In the afternoon, nine prominent whistle blowers — Dr. Jacqueline Verrett (FDA, cyclamates), A. Ernest Fitzgerald (formerly Air Force, C-5A cost overruns), Dr. Dale Console (formerly Squibb Co., drug industry exploitation), et al. — talked about their cases, attitudes, and convictions. Most conferees agreed that, while it is unlikely the whistle-blowing process can or should be systematized, general strategies and guidelines are required (codes of ethics, bills of rights, legislation, and the like) — proposals similar to those offered in Peters and Branch's Blowing the Whistle (p. 246). To be citizen first and employee second is one of those wrenching ontological choices; the merit of this latest volume in the Nader Advocacy Library is that it sensitizes the problem and offers pragmatic encouragement.

Pub Date: Sept. 22, 1972

ISBN: 0670762253

Page Count: 324

Publisher: Grossman

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1972

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

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