Political correctness if one of the primary enemies of freedom of thought in higher education today, undermining our ability to acquire, transmit, and process knowledge. Political correctness limits the variation of ideas by an ideologically driven concern for hue rather than view. This volume is not simply another rant; there are good data here, along with well-crafted, hard-to-ignore logical interpretations and arguments. It is the sort of work that those who adhere to idea-limiting notions of the university will try to trivialize. That alone should make it important reading. --Michael Schwartz, president emeritus, Kent State University and Cleveland State University

"Always a better way" was WD Farr's motto. As a Colorado rancher, banker, cattle feeder, and expert in irrigation, Farr (1910-2007) had a unique talent for building consensus and instigating change in an industry known for its conservatism. With his persistent optimism and gregarious personality, Farr's influence extended from next-door neighbors and business colleagues to U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries. In this biography, Daniel Tyler chronicles Farr's singular life and career. At the same time, he tells a broader story of sweeping changes in agricultural production and irrigated agriculture in Colorado and across the West during the twentieth century.

WD was a third-generation descendant of western farming pioneers, who specialized in sheep feeding. While learning all he could from his father and grandfather, WD developed a new vision: to make cattle profitable. He sought out experienced livestock experts to help him devise ways to produce beef year-round. When World War II ended, and the troops came home tired of wartime mutton, the beef industry took off. With his new innovations in place, WD was ready.

Tyler also reveals WD's influence in securing water supplies for farmers and ranchers and in establishing water conservation policies. Early in his career, WD helped sell the Colorado-Big Thompson Project to skeptical, debt-ridden farmers. In 1955, he became a board member for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, a post he held for forty years.

Tyler bases his portrait of WD Farr on extensive archival research and dozens of interviews with people who knew him personally or by reputation. In the end, Tyler shows that although not everybody agreed, or will agree, with Farr's stands on particular issues, this "cowboy in the boardroom" led by his own example. By embracing change and seeking consensus rather than forcing his will on others, his greatest legacy--as revealed in this book--may be the model of leadership he provided.

The Bank of Credit and Commerce International remains today, 30 years after its founding, a byword for corruption, influence peddling, bribery, crony capitalism, phony audits, and money laundering. Here, in the full documentary splendor of the Congressional report of 1992, we see the "bankster" ethos at work and the total failure of the same roster of government agencies caught napping in the panic of 2008. This is the final draft of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee report. Co-author Sen. Hank Brown, reportedly acting at the behest of Henry Kissinger, pressed for the deletion of a few passages. As a result, the report as released originally by the Government Printing Office is less complete than the version you now hold in your hands. Long out of print and available only electronically, this document is here presented in a new edition designed for readability and easy reference. In a world of never-ending banking scandals, this remains a layman's guide to how the "banksters" do what they do.