Government Contracts: Proposalmanship and Winning Strategies

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The single most comprehensive source of commodity and futures market information available

Since 1939, professional traders, commercial hedgers, portfolio managers, and speculators have come to regard The CRB Commodity Yearbook as the "bible" of the industry. Here is a wealth of authoritative data, gathered from government reports, private industry, and trade and industry associations, all compiled by the Commodity Research Bureau, the organization of record for the entire commodity industry itself.

Absolutely essential for identifying changing trends in supply and demand and for projecting important price movements, the Yearbook gives the investor:

Worldwide supply/demand and production/consumption data for all the basic commodities and futures markets-from A(luminum) to Z(inc), including all the major markets in interest rates, currencies, energy, and stock index futures
Over 900 tables, graphs, and price charts of historical data, many of which show price history dating back to 1900
Concise introductory articles that describe the salient features of each commodity and help put the quantitative information in perspective
Articles by prominent professionals on key markets and important issues concerning the commodity industry. The 2003 Yearbook features articles by prominent professionals, including "Understanding and Analyzing the Sugar Market" by Walter Spilka and "Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression" by national bestselling author, Robert R. Prechter Jr.

For anyone dealing in commodities, The CRB Commodity Yearbook 2003 offers an abundance of valuable information and indispensable guidance for decision-making.

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The CRB Commodity Yearbook 2003
Commodity Research Bureau
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUAA62

Book Description

On Saturday, September 16, 1922, the bodies of Edward Hall, a handsome Episcopal rector, and Eleanor Mills, his choir singer and lover, were found near a lovers' lane in New Jersey. Four years later, the minister's widow and her brothers were tried for the murders and acquitted. Renowned criminal lawyer William M. Kunstler tells the tale.

Customer Reviews:

The verbs "to agree with" and "to respect".............2007-08-12

...have very different meanings. William Kunstler was a hero to me; that's an awful thing for a conservative Republican Nixon supporter to say. I seldom agreed with the causes Kunstler fought for, but I sure respected the way he fought for them...the man had guts, and he had Style, with a capital S. A friend from Church had to try a case against him once...Dave was very glad all the facts were on his side. And at that, Kunstler got his client off with a very light sentence. I bought this book after reading about it in a Nero Wolfe novel ["A Right to Die"]....Wolfe may, or may not, have been real, but the books that Rex Stout had him read were....

On the morning of Saturday September 16, 1922, the Reverend Edward Wheeler Hall and Mrs. Eleanor Mills, the lead singer in his Church choir, were found dead in a field in northern New Jersey after being missing for about 36 hours; they had been shot, and their throats cut. Reverend Hall and Mrs. Mills had been having a rather public affair; Mrs. Mills' husband Jim was a pathetic dunce who probably couldn't see the signs, but Mrs. Hall was far from dull.....After an investigation, the incompetence of which would have made the OJ case look textbook perfect, the police and prosecuters of Middlesex County, where the victims lived, and Somerset County, where the bodies were found, got in a jurisdictional tug-of-war that assured that nothing would be solved.....

Four years passed, and "something had to be done"....Mrs. Hall, her two brothers and her cousin were arrested on little or no evidence. After a circus trial, they were acquitted, and the case joined the ranks of the eternally unsolved.

William Kunstler could not only try a case, he could write...this is an excellent, well written, account of stupidity and futility. There is even comic relief; the pathetic witness "Pig Woman" and Mrs. Hall's eccentric [dimwitted?] brother Willie Stevens provided some humorous moments. But, Kunstler is a good enough writer to let us smile at two pretty sad characters without poking fun at them.

I could have easily given this fine book five stars, but Kunstler messes that up with a final chapter providing a "solution". The KKK did it? Please. No evidence, no names, just speculation about an orginization. A great lawyer should have known better, but he was young at the time. Reverend Hall and Mrs. Mills are dead; God rest their souls. I have no idea who killed them, or why, and Kunstler didn't either. Despite a dud of a last chapter, I can still heartily recommend this book.

DOUBLE HOMICIDE = DOUBLE STORIES!!!.......2006-10-13

I was looking to buy the definitive book on this crime and found, via the "Acute Observer" analytical commentary, that the only way to get the whole story is to buy both the Kuntsler and Tomlinson accounts. That way, whatever one has missed or mixed up, the other has it covered!

However just by reading the massive New York Times' stories and other newspaper accounts of the time, along with modern-day forensics and profiling, I think that I have the answer. Mrs. Hall had the motive, means, and opportunity. Her much-younger "toy-boy" trysting with a tender and lusty "golddigger"? In public, clowning her in front of her peeps? Oh, hell, naw!! She got her possé (2 brothers and a male cousin) together and rode out after her man who was meeting his lover under the crab apple tree 'round midnight.

Mrs. Hall didn't pull the trigger but she sure as hell cut out the young woman's tongue and covered her husband's face after he took one to the head. Text book behavioral traits of a passion killing. Add in the overkill (3 shots to drop Girlfriend), along with the inability to look at the face of your lover. Then the final posing of the bodies was the coup de grâce. In spite of the police failing to secure the integrity of the crime scene, a prosecutor today could have still made a good circumstantial case and won a Murder 2 conviction against all charged. (Yes, we know it was with malice aforethought, but many a case is lost when the defendant is overcharged.) But, this is now and that was then - a whole different way of looking at society crimes existed then. Who could ever imagine the delicate (although very unattractive and dowdy) wife of a clergyman conspiring and carrying out such a premeditated and gruesome act? And, of course, the others were wealthy "gentlemen" of good breeding who would never compromise their values and integrity by involving themselves in such a low deed, even to avenge their sister's honor. That kind of behavior was reserved for the poor and low-born - people of quality would never get their kid gloves dirty - it just wasn't done!!! But WE know that the player-hating rich wife did the dastardly deed. She, nor her brothers, were going to allow the cheating preacher-man to get his hands on their hard-stolen money and then spend it on the lovely and trim Mrs. Mills, who cared nothing of her reputation and was straight dissin' her hubby. (Where was he anyway? Cavorting with the downstairs maid?) Mrs. Mills obviously had an agenda here. I ain't saying she's a golddigger......

Anyway, thanks to many of these excellent reviews and analyses here, I'm going to buy BOTH books to get the real down-low on the preacher-playa and wicked singin' woman! I must know more about Mrs. Jane "The Pig Woman" Gibson, her claim of gunshots, and allegedly hearing a woman exclaim the phrase "Oh, Henry!" in the vicinity of the now infamous crab apple tree. Was it the name of Mrs. Hall's brother, Henry (a retired marksman) who allegedly accompanied his sister to the scene or was someone enjoying the newly-introduced chocolate, nuts and nougat candy bar by the same name? Was the poor doomed Mrs. Mills calling out because she was shocked to see "Ol' Henry" with the .32 caliber pistol that the other brother, Willie, was known to own? (Willie, who was said to have been a "wild & crazy guy" had to have the firing mechanism on his gat filed down so that he wouldn't hurt himself - later, at trial, that screwed up the ballistics tests on the weapon. How convenient!)

With this cast of characters, two books has definitely got to be better than one!

Please, just the facts!.......2004-10-25

Kunstler wildly speculative conclusion: the Klan committed the murders. No evidence for this at all, but he doesn't want that to get in the way of blaming the vast right wing conspiracy. It all comes off as a very ideologically driven for Kintsler. Pretty bizarre.

BUT its a decent read (even if his writing style is strained and melodramatic). The case has an intrinsic interest to it. Kuntsler does provide lots of good details.

Read one of the other books on the case -- it was the wife's brother.

The Reason Why.......2003-02-14

What was the cause of those murders? Why did it occur then, when the affair was going on for years? I have a suggested solution.

It happened a few days after the Halls came back from their New England vacation in the mountains. I think something happened there, where Mrs Hall had a narrow escape from a fatal accident while with the Reverend. She thought about it, and realized that if she had an accident, Reverend Ed would inherit her fortune, and be free to seek another rich wife. Eleanor would be dropped like yesterday's newspaper. Mrs Hall discussed this with her brothers, and they decided to confront the Reverend while he was with Eleanor, so he could not deny the affair, and would be forced to end it. The emotional interaction escalated beyond reason, and the deaths occurred. The best laid plans of mice and men still go astray.

The case was not solved so justice would triumph over the law. The Reverend Ed messed up his own marriage, and destroyed the Mills' marriage. Alive, he would break up another marriage. It was all for the best. When someone poor falls in love with a rich person, the poor person often comes to an unhappy ending. The rich have many resources to accomplish their ends. This is the moral of "Love Story", that love does not triumph over material facts. No matter how hard you wish it were different. Love conquers all? Forget about it!

The Minister and the Choir Singer.......2002-10-08

This well-written book lacks an index, but lists the people involved. Part I tells about the events of 1922. After the murders no indictments occurred! Part II tells of the events in 1926. A divorce action against the former Hall's maid alleged a pay-off to keep quiet. The NY Daily Mirror publicized this, and NJ Governor Moore ordered a new investigation. Four indictments followed. Part III tells of the five weeks of trial; all were found not guilty. The murders were never solved. In Part IV Kunstler fantasizes about it being a Klan killing. No proof is given, he only argues by analogy. No group of men were seen there. I wonder if this is part of a whitewash? There is no mention of public opinion from these times.

The Reverend Hall married Frances Stevens, 37 years old, a few years before she inherited millions (with her brothers). Around this time Mrs. Eleanor Mills became active in church affairs. Married at 17, perhaps to escape an unhappy home life, she soon had two children. She sought the mirage of happiness in closeness to her minister. But this minister married for money; love was a secondary concern. Their meetings were not secret from their close associates.

On Thursday September 14, 1922 Mrs. Mills read an article justifying divorce for a minister. She cut it out and called Reverend Hall for a meeting; he soon left to meet her. Mrs. Mills boarded a trolley then walked to De Russey's Lane. Reverend Hall left his house by 7:30PM and was seen walking to this location. They were never seen alive again. Saturday morning 9-16-1922 a young couple went for a walk down De Russey's Lane and turned into a grassy path. They found two bodies near a crabapple tree, then ran to Easton Ave to call the police. The missing couple was found.

Four people who lived nearby heard shots or screams around midnight Thursday (p.31). The affair between the minister and the choir singer became public knowledge. Next month they learned of the testimony of the "Pig Woman". While riding a mule to follow a suspected thief, she saw two men and two women arguing near a crabapple tree. There was a shot, and someone fell to the ground. She heard a woman scream, then more shots (p.70). She had tried to tell her story earlier, but was put off (p.72). Detectives accompanied her reconstruction; it checked out.

Book Description

The defiance, anger, passion and optimism of America's "most celebrated and most detested" radical lawyer, William Kunstler, ring throughout this selection of his unpublished speeches. The consequence of Kunstler's outspoken opposition to war, racism and political repression was an extensive FBI file, which included secretly recorded transcripts of many of his public speeches, some of which are published here.

The introduction by Michael Ratner, President of the New York Center for Constitutional Rights and attorney for the Camp X-Ray prisoners from Afghanistan, points out Kunstler's words are even more prescient today than in his time.

Customer Reviews:

Should Be Required Reading Before Graduating College!.......2007-03-31

William Kunstler is one of the bravest men I have ever met in my entire life! The Emerging Police State will give you a good idea what it really means to be courageous, especially since most progressive/liberal thinking people don't do much more than think and yak about changing the world. Here's a wonderful example of what a single person can accomplish when you get off your behind and put your body and soul on the front lines, year in, and year out!

While Mr. Kunstler is no longer with us, he left an important legacy behind - the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCC) in New York City. They were literally the first group of lawyers to attempt defending those languishing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I know Mr. Kunstler would very proud, indeed!

Inspiring.......2005-12-04

This is a collection of Kunstler's most moving speeches and is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in human rights.

Brace yourself for self important dribble.......2005-10-21

The only thing I can imagine that would be worse than actually listening to Bill speak would be reading his speeches. This guy is an offensive, overbearing, radical fear monger. The ramblings of his last work (My life as a radical lawyer) still make me wince at the amount of time I wasted reading them. Bill isn't some idealistic, fantastic lawyer defending the rights of the disadvantaged. He's just some schmuck who happened to be at the right place at the right time.
This book promises to offer erroneous advice, misguided musings, and tiresome rants. Buyers beware.

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Advocacy and History
Totally Inspiring.

My Life As a Radical Lawyer
William M. Kunstler , and Sheila Isenberg
Manufacturer: Carol Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Judges | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Politics on Trial

ASIN: 0806517557

Customer Reviews:

Advocacy and History.......2002-07-30

This book should be required reading for two sets of readers: All trial lawyers facing monstrous odds and all readers interested in the history of the United States from about 1956 to the present. The first time I read this book (five years ago, while in law school) I picked up very specific lessons regarding the practice of criminal defense law. The second time through (2002), I picked up very specific historical lessons about turbulent times in our nation's history (civil rights litigation in the 1960s, the counter-culture of the late 1960s, and the American Indian Movement).

Of particular interest is the section on Mr. Kunstler's representation of a defendant in the 1993 WTC attacks.

Totally Inspiring........1999-12-24

I have read many autobiographies of lawyers and am a collector of books relating to real life court drama. Mr. Kunstler's (affectionally also known as Bill)autobiography is one of the best I've read. As a lawyer myself, I truly felt inspired by his actions in court. I can only wish in my lifetime as an advocate that I can be at least half of a court room lawyer he was. I highly recommend this book to all advocates and aspiring trial lawyers. This book is as good as Louis Nizer's "My Life In Court".

William M. Kunstler: The Most Hated Lawyer in America

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the book reads like an Oliver Stone film -- including the title
Smart Enough to be Funny

William M. Kunstler: The Most Hated Lawyer in America
David Langum
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Judges | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0814751504
Release Date: 1999-09-01

Book Description

Alternately vilified as a publicity-seeking egoist and lauded as a rambunctious, fearless advocate, William Kunstler consistently embodied both of these qualities.

Kunstler's unrelenting, radical critique of American racism and the legal system took shape as a result of his efforts to enlist the federal judicial system to support the civil rights movement. In the late 60s and the 70s, Kunstler, refocusing his attention on the Black Power and anti-war movement, garnered considerable public attention as defender of the Chicago Seven, and went on to represent such controversial figures as Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement leader charged with killing an FBI agent, and Jack Ruby, the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald. Later, Kunstler briefly represented Colin Ferguson, the Long Island Railroad mass murderer, outraging fans and detractors alike with his invocation of the infamous "black rage" defense.

Defending those most loathed by mainstream, conventional America, William Kunstler delighted in taking on fiercely political cases, usually representing society's outcasts and pariahs free of charge and often achieving remarkable courtroom results in seemingly hopeless cases. Though Kunstler never gave up his revolutionary underpinnings, he gradually turned from defending clients whose political beliefs he personally supported to taking on apolitical clients, falling back on the broad rationale that his was a general struggle against an oppressive government.

What ideological and tactical motives explain Kunstler's obsessive craving for media attention, his rhetorical flourishes in the courtroom and his instinctive and relentless drive for action? How did Kunstler migrate from a comfortable middle-class background to a life as a staunchly rebellious figure in social and legal history? David Langum's portrait gives depth to the already notorious breadth of William Kunstler's life.

Customer Reviews:

the book reads like an Oliver Stone film -- including the title.......2007-05-28

I don't support many of Kunstler's views, outrageous statements and his representation of many of his criminal clients. The courage of civil rights movement lawyers was beyond powerful and Kunstler got involved with the Freedom Rider's case which ignited his fiery passion to be a radical lawyer . Author David J. Langum is a smart story teller because I was entertained when I wasn't being shocked. I had to laugh when he writes about the amount of mail the Chicago 7 received including a letter with some pot which Kunstler and his clients smoked together. Kunstler had unconventional boundaries with clients and Langum has some interesting theories on why. This book did not turn me into a Kunstler admirer but Langum made me think hard about "conveying a message/education to the public" using "movement law". I live in the East Village and we have been mega dormed to death by NYU and even NY Law with a zone busting mega dorm "with balconies" for law students on 3rd St. and my point is these law students seem to care more about their balcony views than what is going down in the communities that are being gobbled up by their Universities. I would like the zone busting part of NY Law dorm removed and everyone of those students to do volunteer work for the evictions and struggles caused by their Universities and other greedy landlords exploiting our neighborhoods. I doubt the NY Law students would do so and those balconies are more enticing but it would be interesting to hear what Kunstler might have said about all this since Langum mentions that he taught at NY Law and William M. Kunstler, I am guessing, also loved our neighborhood with all the texture and characters (although we are losing both every day). I would like to think he would have tried to help. P342 Langum does write, "Kunstler worried especially about the young people, their materalism and lack of social activism." I would add "institutions of higher learning" like NYU and NY Law with their community crushing mega dorms are encouraging anything but students with passion for social activism.
I am surprised Oliver Stone hasn't made one of his three hours long films from this book but I wouldn't go see the film; the book was enough and "fair" with lots of grey tones that would not make it into the movie version. There are many ironic notes in this book and for me the most ironic is the back cover which says New York University Press.

Smart Enough to be Funny.......2000-05-22

Stand-up comedy is not in the index of this book, but it gets mentioned. Along with a list of Kunstler's film credits is a note that when he tried a comedy routine, he got his biggest laugh for a lawyer joke. I was interested, a long time ago, in what Chapter 6 of this book calls Circus in Chicago. Back when I was contemplating what I might like to do in a career in law, I would have enjoyed the opportunity to generate the number of laughs that are contained in this book. Then I actually found a case that said "Resort to the courts is futile." That was such a change from my expectations that an element of humor creeps into my appreciation of the outrageous nature of that truth. As evidence that the author of this book is aware of the potent nature of that form of humor, picture this: "Kunstler objected. The United States attorney jumped up and argued, 'This is outrageous. This man [Kunstler] is the mouthpiece for these defendants. The Government protests this man's attitude.'" (p. 124) I thought that the best legal point in the book was that Bobby Seale could not be retried on the conspiracy charge after the jury found that the other seven defendants were not guilty of conspiracy. Seale hadn't been charged with anything else, so further proceedings in his case would have been pointless. If there is a fine line between legal logic and the quirks of the system, check this book for the side of the line where the quirks are, and maybe you have already seen bits and pieces of this story on TV. It sure made the newpapers when it was going on.

No Heroes, No Villains: The Story of a Murder Trial (Trial of James Richardson Defended by William M. Kunstler)

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Efficient and Effective Introduction
No Heroes No Villains. Good Book

No Heroes, No Villains: The Story of a Murder Trial (Trial of James Richardson Defended by William M. Kunstler)
Steven Phillips
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Criminal Law | Law | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0394409078

Book Description

On June 28, 1972 in a South Bronx subway station, John Skagen, a white off-duty policeman on his way home, suddenly and without apparent provocation, ordered James Richardson, a black man on his way to work, to get against the wall and put his hands up. Richardson had a gun, and the two exchanged shots. In the melee that followed, Skagen was fatally wounded by a cop who rushed to the scene. In the ensuing trial, William Kunstler handled Richardson's defense and the author of this book, then assistant district attorney, prosecuted the case. Here is a first-hand, behind-the-scenes account of every step of the proceedings.

Customer Reviews:

Efficient and Effective Introduction.......2006-12-19

This book is entertaining, accessible, and rewarding to read. In three or four hours, you may acquire or brush up on the basics of criminal prosecution in 1972 New York City. Although the case is dated, the racial and due process dilemmas that Mr. Phillips (prosecutor in the case) poses endure, so the book remains pertinent. Readers will puzzle along with Mr. Phillips and the jury. Readers may even reach different conclusions from those of the jury and of the prosecution. Mr. Phillips does not flatter defense attorney William Kunstler but does not defame him too much. The intertwined stories are by turns poignant and portentous.

No Heroes No Villains. Good Book.......1999-12-10

I'm in 12th grade and we had to read this book for our Law and Government class. This book was really good. It helped me really understand what our court system is like. Like when Steven Philips discribes everything that he did in his case how the jusry was selected. What the Public Defender was basing the whole case on. What he thinks happend in the shooting of Skeagen. If you want to know more about our court systems. This is the book to read. Very interesting

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?: the Original Trial of Caryl Chessman

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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?: the Original Trial of Caryl Chessman
William M. Kunstler
Manufacturer: WILLIAM MORROW AND COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKMQFS

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The Case For Courage
William M. Kunstler
Manufacturer: William Morrow and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J6DIXQ

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The Case For Courage
William M. Kunstler
Manufacturer: William Morrow and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NTOK90

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The Case For Courage -
William M. Kunstler -
Manufacturer: William Morrow Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P23GGS

Customer Reviews:

Excellent balance on seven agricultural crises.......2000-09-19

Agriculture confronts the new century with challenges as demanding as those that shaped its turbulent course through the Twentieth Century. Today's agricultural interests are converging with those of rural communities and agribusinesses. Stewardship is now a joint enterprise with suburban residents. This book provides an excellent balance of perspeticves on seven crises as well as insights to cooperative solutions.

Excellent reference for current American Agriculture.......2000-03-30

Dr. Hoag has produced an excellent reference handbook on current American Agriculture. Chapters 3 - 7 make the book a useful shelf reference for most scientists, economists, sociologists, and political scientists working in agriculture. There are 56 exhibits (tables, graphs, lists) covering the seven major topics of Ag. Policy, 18 biographical sketches, and chapters on organizations, print resources, glossary and internet sites. These are backed by hundreds of references tracking to the original materials, continually updated government and web sources. It provides the most useful compact shelf reference on American Agricultural Policy that I know up.

Chapter 1 provides an excellent, readable, short (60 pages) introduction to current American Ag. Policy issues. Chapter 2 provides a good 20 page history of American Agriculture. These chapters provide excellent material for a short (2 week) section on agriculture in an advance High School or early college course in economics, political science, or history. The later chapters provide reference for papers on the seven crisis that Dr. Hoag identifies.

One note is a number of typos that should have been picked in the review process. None are significant, and a new reader in the field may not notice any. Since most of the data changes quickly (the book uses data as of 9/97), I hope for a second version within two years.

I also did not see any reference to a co-author, B. McEwan. My copy was obtained from the National Ag. Libary with a 1999 copyright. Perhaps the Amazon.com 2000 edition is a second edition, which incorporates the new NRI and Ag. Census numbers. In that case, change my rating from 4 stars to 5.

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