Annual Report 2005-2006( Tabled Paper Number 1971: Fill & Download for Free

I wonder what is the tone of this question. Is it a sincere and innocent request for information? Or some sort of cynical rhetoric suggestion that the answer should be “very little”?I will give credit that it is a sincere “Ask” and answer accordingly. So here is a list of the inventions of just 10% of Great Britain - the Inventions of Scotland. If I included the inventions from the other 90% of Great Britain, I would swamp Quora!Road transport innovationsMacadamised roads (the basis for, but not specifically, tarmac): John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836)[3]The pedal bicycle: Attributed to both Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1813–1878)[2] and Thomas McCall (1834–1904)The pneumatic tyre: Robert William Thomson and John Boyd Dunlop (1822–1873)[9]The overhead valve engine: David Dunbar Buick (1854–1929)[10]Civil engineering innovationsTubular steel: Sir William Fairbairn (1789–1874)[11]The Falkirk wheel: Initial designs by Nicoll Russell Studios, Architects, RMJM, Architects and engineers Binnie Black and Veatch (Opened 2002)[12][13]The patent slip for docking vessels: Thomas Morton (1781–1832)[14][15]The Drummond Light: Thomas Drummond (1797–1840)[16]Canal design: Thomas Telford (1757–1834)[17]Dock design improvements: John Rennie (1761–1821)[18]Crane design improvements: James Bremner (1784–1856)[19]"Trac Rail Transposer", a machine to lay rail track patented in 2005, used by Network Rail in the United Kingdom and the New York Subway in the United States.[20][21][22]Aviation innovationsAircraft design: Frank Barnwell (1910) Establishing the fundamentals of aircraft design at the University of Glasgow.[23]Power innovationsCondensing steam engine improvements: James Watt (1736–1819)[1]Thermodynamic cycle: William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872)[24]Coal-gas lighting: William Murdoch (1754–1839)[25]The Stirling heat engine: Rev. Robert Stirling (1790–1878)[26]Carbon brushes for dynamos: George Forbes (1849–1936)[27]The Clerk cycle gas engine: Sir Dugald Clerk (1854–1932)[28]The wave-powered electricity generator: by South African Engineer Stephen Salter in 1977[29]The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter ("red sea snake" wave energy device): Richard Yemm, 1998[30]Shipbuilding innovationsEurope's first passenger steamboat: Henry Bell (1767–1830)[31]The first iron–hulled steamship: Sir William Fairbairn (1789–1874)[32]The first practical screw propeller: Robert Wilson (1803–1882)[citation needed]Marine engine innovations: James Howden (1832–1913)[33]John Elder & Charles Randolph (Marine Compound expansion engine)[33]Military innovationsLieutenant-General Sir David Henderson two areas: Field intelligence. Argued for the establishment of the Intelligence Corps. Wrote Field Intelligence: Its Principles and Practice (1904) and Reconnaissance (1907) on the tactical intelligence of modern warfare during World War I.[34]Special forces: Founded by Sir David Stirling, the SAS was created in World War II in the North Africa campaign to go behind enemy lines to destroy and disrupt the enemy. Since then it has been regarded as the most famous and influential special forces that has inspired other countries to form their own special forces too.Intelligence: Allan Pinkerton developed the still relevant intelligence techniques of "shadowing" (surveillance) and "assuming a role" (undercover work) in his time as head of the Union Intelligence Service.Heavy industry innovationsCoal mining extraction in the sea on an artificial island by Sir George Bruce of Carnock (1575). Regarded as one of the industrial wonders of the late medieval period.[35]Making cast steel from wrought iron: David Mushet (1772–1847)[36]Wrought iron sash bars for glass houses: John C. Loudon (1783–1865)[37]The hot blast oven: James Beaumont Neilson (1792–1865)[38]The steam hammer: James Nasmyth (1808–1890)[39]Wire rope: Robert Stirling Newall (1812–1889)[40]Steam engine improvements: William Mcnaught (1831–1881)[41]The Fairlie, a narrow gauge, double-bogie railway engine: Robert Francis Fairlie (1831–1885)[42]Cordite - Sir James Dewar, Sir Frederick Abel (1889)[43]Agricultural innovationsThreshing machine improvements: James Meikle (c.1690-c.1780) & Andrew Meikle (1719–1811)[44]Hollow pipe drainage: Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lord Drummore (1700–1753)[45]The Scotch plough: James Anderson of Hermiston (1739–1808)[46]Deanstonisation soil-drainage system: James Smith (1789–1850)[47]The mechanical reaping machine: Rev. Patrick Bell (1799–1869)[48]The Fresno scraper: James Porteous (1848–1922)[49]The Tuley tree shelter: Graham Tuley in 1979[50]Communication innovationsPrint stereotyping: William Ged (1690–1749)[51]Roller printing: Thomas Bell (patented 1783)[52]The adhesive postage stamp and the postmark: claimed by James Chalmers (1782–1853)[53]The Waverley pen nib innovations thereof: Duncan Cameron (1825–1901) The popular "Waverley" was unique in design with a narrow waist and an upturned tip designed to make the ink flow more smoothly on the paper.[54]Universal Standard Time: Sir Sandford Fleming (1827–1915)[55]Light signalling between ships: Admiral Philip H. Colomb (1831–1899)[56]The underlying principles of Radio - James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)[57]The Kinetoscope, a motion picture camera: devised in 1889 by William Kennedy Dickson (1860-1935)[58]The teleprinter: Frederick G. Creed (1871–1957)[59]The British Broadcasting Corporation BBC: John Reith, 1st Baron Reith (1922) its founder, first general manager and Director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation[60]Radar: A significant contribution made by Robert Watson-Watt (1892–1973) alongside Englishman Henry Tizard (1885-1959) and others[61]The automated teller machine and Personal Identification Number system - James Goodfellow (born 1937)[62]Publishing firstsThe first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1768–81)[63]The first English textbook on surgery(1597)[64]The first modern pharmacopaedia, William Cullen (1776). The book became 'Europe's principal text on the classification and treatment of disease'. His ideas survive in the terms nervous energy and neuroses (a word that Cullen coined).[65]The first postcards and picture postcards in the UK[66]The first eBook from a UK administration (March 2012). Scottish Government publishes 'Your Scotland, Your Referendum'.[67][citation needed]The educational foundation of Ophthalmology: Stewart Duke-Elder in his ground breaking work including ‘Textbook of Ophthalmology and fifteen volumes of System of Ophthalmology’[68]Culture and the artsScottish National Portrait Gallery, designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (1889): the world's first purpose-built portrait gallery.[69]Fictional charactersSherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan DoylePeter Pan, by J.M. Barrie, born in Kirriemuir, AngusLong John Silver and Jekyll and Hyde, by Robert Louis StevensonJohn Bull: by John Arbuthnot although seen as a national personification of the United Kingdom in general, and England in particular,[70] the character of John Bull was invented by Arbuthnot in 1712[71]James Bond was given a Scottish background by Ian Fleming, himself of Scottish descent, after he was impressed by Sean Connery's performance.Scientific innovationsLogarithms: John Napier (1550–1617)[72]Modern Economics founded by Adam Smith (1776) 'The father of modern economics'[73] with the publication of The Wealth of Nations.[74][75]Modern Sociology: Adam Ferguson (1767) ‘The Father of Modern Sociology’ with his work An Essay on the History of Civil Society[76]Hypnotism: James Braid (1795–1860) the Father of Hypnotherapy[77]Tropical medicine: Sir Patrick Manson known as the father of Tropical Medicine[78]Modern Geology: James Hutton ‘The Founder of Modern Geology’[79][80][81]The theory of Uniformitarianism: James Hutton (1788): a fundamental principle of Geology the features of the geologic time takes millions of years.[82]The theory of electromagnetism: James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)[83]The discovery of the Composition of Saturn's Rings James Clerk Maxwell (1859): determined the rings of Saturn were composed of numerous small particles, all independently orbiting the planet. At the time it was generally thought the rings were solid. The Maxwell Ringlet and Maxwell Gap were named in his honor.[84]The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution by James Clerk Maxwell (1860): the basis of the kinetic theory of gases, that speeds of molecules in a gas will change at different temperatures. The original theory first hypothesised by Maxwell and confirmed later in conjunction with Ludwig Boltzmann.[85]Popularising the decimal point: John Napier (1550–1617)[86]The first theory of the Higgs boson by English born [87] Peter Higgs particle-physics theorist at the University of Edinburgh (1964)[88]The Gregorian telescope: James Gregory (1638–1675)[89]The discovery of Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to the Sun, by Robert Innes (1861–1933)[90]One of the earliest measurements of distance to the Alpha Centauri star system, the closest such system outside of the Solar System, by Thomas Henderson (1798–1844)[91]The discovery of Centaurus A, a well-known starburst galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus, by James Dunlop (1793–1848)[92]The discovery of the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion, by Williamina Fleming (1857–1911)[93]The world's first oil refinery and a process of extracting paraffin from coal laying the foundations for the modern oil industry: James Young (1811–1883)[94]The identification of the minerals yttrialite, thorogummite, aguilarite and nivenite: by William Niven (1889)[95]The concept of latent heat by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)[96]Discovering the properties of Carbon dioxide by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)The concept of Heat capacity by French-born Joseph Black (1728–1799)The pyroscope, atmometer and aethrioscope scientific instruments: Sir John Leslie (1766–1832)[97]Identifying the nucleus in living cells: Robert Brown (1773–1858)[98]An early form of the Incandescent light bulb: James Bowman Lindsay (1799-1862)[99]Colloid chemistry: Thomas Graham (1805–1869)[100]The kelvin SI unit of temperature by Irishman William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824–1907)[101]Devising the diagramatic system of representing chemical bonds: Alexander Crum Brown (1838–1922)[102]Criminal fingerprinting: Henry Faulds (1843–1930)[103]The noble gases: Sir William Ramsay (1852–1916)[104]The cloud chamber recording of atoms: Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (1869–1959)[105][106]The discovery of the Wave of Translation, leading to the modern general theory of solitons by John Scott Russell (1808-1882)[107]Statistical graphics: William Playfair founder of the first statistical line charts, bar charts, and pie charts in (1786) and (1801) known as a scientific ‘milestone’ in statistical graphs and data visualization[108][109]The Arithmetic mean density of the Earth: Nevil Maskelyne conducted the Schiehallion experiment conducted at the Scottish mountain of Schiehallion, Perthshire 1774[110]The first isolation of methylated sugars, trimethyl and tetramethyl glucose: James Irvine[111][112]Discovery of the Japp–Klingemann reaction: to synthesize hydrazones from β-keto-acids (or β-keto-esters) and aryl diazonium salts 1887[113]Pioneering work on nutrition and poverty: John Boyd Orr (1880–1971)[114]Ferrocene synthetic substances: Peter Ludwig Pauson in 1955[115]The first cloned mammal (Dolly the Sheep): Was conducted in The Roslin Institute research centre in 1996 by English scientists Ian Wilmut (born 1944) and Keith Campbell (1954–2012).[116]The seismometer innovations thereof: James David Forbes[117]Metaflex fabric innovations thereof: University of St. Andrews (2010) application of the first manufacturing fabrics that manipulate light in bending it around a subject. Before this such light manipulating atoms were fixed on flat hard surfaces. The team at St Andrews are the first to develop the concept to fabric.[118]Tractor beam innovations thereof: St. Andrews University (2013) the world's first to succeed in creating a functioning Tractor beam that pulls objects on a microscopic level[119][120]Macaulayite: Dr. Jeff Wilson of the Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen.[121]Discovery of Catacol whitebeam by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (1990s): a rare tree endemic and unique to the Isle of Arran in south west Scotland. The trees were confirmed as a distinct species by DNA testing.[122]The first positive displacement liquid flowmeter, the reciprocating piston meter by Thomas Kennedy Snr.[123]Sports innovationsMain article: Sport in ScotlandScots have been instrumental in the invention and early development of several sports:Australian rules football Scots were prominent with many innovations in the early evolution of the game, including the establishment of the Essendon Football Club by the McCracken family from Ayrshire[124][125][126][127][128]several modern athletics events, i.e. shot put[129] and the hammer throw,[129] derive from Highland Games and earlier 12th century Scotland[129]Curling[130]Gaelic handball The modern game of handball is first recorded in Scotland in 1427, when koKing James I an ardent handball player had his men block up a cellar window in his palace courtyard that was interfering with his game.[131]Cycling, invention of the pedal-cycle[132]Golf (see Golf in Scotland)Ice Hockey, invented by the Scots regiments in Atlantic Canada by playing Shinty on frozen lakes.Shinty The history of Shinty as a non-standardised sport pre-dates Scotland the Nation. The rules were standardised in the 19th century by Archibald Chisholm[133]Rugby sevens: Ned Haig and David Sanderson (1883)[134]The Dugout was invented by Aberdeen FC Coach Donald Colmanin the 1920sThe world's first Robot Olympics which took place in Glasgow in 1990.Medical innovationsPioneering the use of surgical anaesthesia with Chloroform: Firstly in 1842 by Robert Mortimer Glover then extended for use on humans by Sir James Young Simpson (1811–1870)[135] Initial use of chloroform in dentistry by Francis Brodie ImlachThe saline drip by Dr Thomas Latta of Leith in 1831/32The hypodermic syringe: Alexander Wood (1817–1884)[136]Transplant rejection: Professor Thomas Gibson (1940s) the first medical doctor to understand the relationship between donor graft tissue and host tissue rejection and tissue transplantation by his work on aviation burns victims during World War II.[137]First diagnostic applications of an ultrasound scanner: Ian Donald (1910–1987)[138]Discovery of hypnotism (November 1841): James Braid (1795–1860)[139]Identifying the mosquito as the carrier of malaria: Sir Ronald Ross (1857–1932)[140]Identifying the cause of brucellosis: Sir David Bruce (1855–1931)[141]Discovering the vaccine for typhoid fever: Sir William B. Leishman (1865–1926)[142]Discovery of Staphylococcus: Sir Alexander Ogston (1880)[143]Discovering the Human papillomavirus vaccine Ian Frazer (2006): the second cancer preventing vaccine, and the world's first vaccine designed to prevent a cancer[144]Discovering insulin: John J R Macleod (1876–1935) with others[8] The discovery led him to be awarded the 1923 Nobel prize in Medicine.[145]Penicillin: Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)[7]General anaesthetic - Pioneered by Scotsman James Young Simpson and Englishman John Snow[146]The establishment of standardized Ophthalmology University College London: Stewart Duke-Elder a pioneering Ophthalmologist[68]The first hospital Radiation therapy unit John Macintyre (1902): to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illness at Glasgow Royal Infirmary[147]Pioneering of X-ray cinematography by John Macintyre (1896): the first moving real time X-ray image and the first KUB X-ray diagnostic image of a kidney stone in situ[147][148][149]The Haldane effect a property of hemoglobin first described by John Scott Haldane (1907)[150]Oxygen Therapy John Scott Haldane (1922): with the publication of ‘The Theraputic Administration of Oxygen Therapy’ beginning the modern era of Oxygen therapy[151]Ambulight PDT: light-emitting sticking plaster used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treating non-melanoma skin cancer. Developed by Ambicare Dundee's Ninewells Hospital and St Andrews University. (2010)[152]Discovering an effective tuberculosis treatment: Sir John Crofton in the 1950s[153]Primary creator of the artificial kidney (Professor Kenneth Lowe - Later Queen's physician in Scotland)[154]Developing the first beta-blocker drugs: Sir James W. Black in 1964[155] The discovery revolutionized the medical management of angina[156] and is considered to be one of the most important contributions to clinical medicine and pharmacology of the 20th century.[157] In 1988 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.Developing modern asthma therapy based both on bronchodilation (salbutamol) and anti-inflammatory steroids (beclomethasone dipropionate) : Sir David Jack in 1972Glasgow coma scale: Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett (1974)[158]Glasgow Outcome Scale Bryan J. Jennett & Sir Michael Bond (1975): is a scale so that patients with brain injuries, such as cerebral traumas[159]Glasgow Anxiety Scale J.Mindham and C.A Espie (2003)[160]Glasgow Depression Scale Fiona Cuthill (2003): the first accurate self-report scale to measure the levels of depression in people with learning disabilities[161]ECG [Electrocardiography]: Alexander Muirhead. First recording of a human ECG (1869)[162][163]The first Decompression tables John Scott Haldane (1908): to calculate the safe return of deep-sea divers to surface atmospheric pressure[164]Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS): Strathclyde University (2014) A laser and nanoparticle test to detect Meningitis or multiple pathogenic agents at the same time.[165]Household innovationsThe television: John Logie Baird (1923)The refrigerator: William Cullen (1748)[166]The first electric bread toaster: Alan MacMasters (1893)The flush toilet: Alexander Cumming (1775)[167]The vacuum flask: Sir James Dewar (1847–1932)[168]The first distiller to triple distill Irish whiskey:[169]John Jameson (Whisky distiller)The piano footpedal: John Broadwood (1732–1812)[170]The first automated can-filling machine John West (1809–1888)[171]The waterproof macintosh: Charles Macintosh (1766–1843)[172]The kaleidoscope: Sir David Brewster (1781–1868)[173]Keiller's marmalade Janet Keiller (1797) - The first recipe of rind suspended marmalade or Dundee marmalade produced in Dundee.The modern lawnmower: Alexander Shanks (1801–1845)[174]The Lucifer friction match: Sir Isaac Holden (1807–1897)[175]The self filling pen: Robert Thomson (1822–1873)[176]Cotton-reel thread: J & J Clark of Paisley[177]Lime cordial: Lauchlan Rose in 1867Bovril beef extract: John Lawson Johnston in 1874[178]The electric clock: Alexander Bain (1840)[179]Chemical Telegraph (Automatic Telegraphy) Alexander Bain (1846) In England Bain's telegraph was used on the wires of the Electric Telegraph Company to a limited extent, and in 1850 it was used in America.[180]Barr's Irn Bru, refreshing soft drink produced by Barr's in Cumbernauld Scotland and exported to all around the world, The drink is so widely popular that in Scotland outsells both American colas Coca-Cola and Pepsi. And ranks 3rd most popular drink in the UK with Coca-Cola and Pepsi taking the first two spots.[181]Weapons innovationsThe carronade cannon: Robert Melville (1723–1809)[182]The Ferguson rifle: Patrick Ferguson in 1770 or 1776[183]The Lee bolt system as used in the Lee–Metford and Lee–Enfield series rifles: James Paris Lee[184]The Ghillie suit[185]The percussion cap: invented by Scottish Presbyterian clergyman Alexander Forsyth[186]Miscellaneous innovationsBoys' Brigade[187]Bank of England devised by William PatersonBank of France devised by John LawThe industrialisation and modernisation of Japan by Thomas Blake Glover[188]Colour photography: the first known permanent colour photograph was taken by James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)[189]Buick Motor Company by David Dunbar Buick[190]New York Herald newspaper by James Gordon Bennett, Sr.[190]Pinkerton National Detective Agency by Allan Pinkerton[190]Forbes magazine by B. C. Forbes[190]The establishment of a standardized botanical institute: Isaac Bayley Balfour major reform, development of botanical science, the concept of garden infrastructure therein improving scientific facilities[191]London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: founded by Sir Patrick Manson in 1899[78]SERIES-B by JAC Vapour - first UK designed and engineered electronic cigarette[192]See alsoList of British innovations and discoveriesList of domesticated Scottish breedsHomecoming Scotland 2009References"BBC - History - James Watt". Retrieved 2008-12-31."BBC - History - Kirkpatrick Macmillan". Retrieved 2008-12-31."Encyclopædia Britannica: John Loudon Mcadam (British inventor)". Retrieved 2010-06-13."Scottish Science Hall of Fame - Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)". Retrieved 2010-02-20."BBC - History - John Logie Baird". Retrieved 2008-12-31.The World's First High Definition Colour Television System. McLean, p. 196."Nobelprize.org: Sir Alexander Fleming - Biography". 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This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.When an extraordinarily talented boy is born, is robbed of his childhood, abused physically and emotionally by his overbearing and sadistic father, and given 750m- 1 billion dollars, Michael Jackson happens!!!!It is actually quite simple. Michael Jackson spent more money than he had. He lived beyond his means for many years. The King of pop lived indeed in a very kingly fashion. He was thus in a financial free fall. In 2005, he was was bringing in 10–20 million $ but he spent 30–40 million $ a year, twice or thrice his income, which kept adding layer upon layer of debt and that put him on cash poor position.No doubt Michael Jackson had a spectacular and larger than life lifestyle. He could spend 6 million dollars in one day, no object was unattainable for him. Anything he liked he bought it without a second thought!!! He spent millions of dollars on his mind blowing homes, out of this world vacation, exotic animals. He spent more money on security than any other pop star, he literally could not get out of his house without being mobbed by fans, he even had his own body double, Navi, whose full time job was to make people think he was Michael Jackson, for which he willingly went under the knife. Michael Jackson would either fly on private jets or on a concord, with the finest leather seats, Rolls Royce engines and its very own wine cellar (on a 12000 $ ticket).Jackson only stayed in the finest hotels, his posh hotel suites when he vacationed in the Bahamas cost a staggering 25.000 dollars per night!!!In 2002, Michael Jackson spent 62000 $ on a 5 day holiday in Paris. At Disneyland in L.A. Michael Jackson booked 3 floors all to himself!!! Michael Jackson ‘s personal chef Larry D. Banares at Eurodisney cost him an additional 2000 $ per day as he was on call 24/7!!! In Eurodisney he always stayed at the luxurious Sleeping beauty suite, cost several thousands $ per night.Also, he often booked an entire restaurant for himself, when others need to work a year to book a table!!! In 2001, Michael Jackson spent 500.000 dollars to have Tavern on the Green, one of the most profitable restaurants in New York, to himself and his 100 closest friends, for his post concert party to celebrate his 30th anniversary as a solo artist , after which he allegedly collapsed exhausted into his handlers’ arms.By 2005 however, Jackson had not released a new studio album since 2001, had not toured since 1997 and he kept spending like it was 1988 ( he made 125 million $ in 1988 alone ) !!! As a result, he could not pay his elecricity bills in Neverland in 2005 as he confessed to Ron Burkle, a billionaire friend of his , at Johnnie Cochran’s funeral. By 2000 his annual expenses totaled at least 20 million dollars, including 5 million dollars on security and Neverland maintenance, 5 million dollars on legal and professional fees, 7.5 million on personal expenses, 2.5 million dollars in miscellaneous costs and on top of that 11 million in interest on his massive loans!!!He spent thousands of dollars on mountains of toys and extraordinary jewellery. He could drop just 80.000 $ in just a few hours on toys. He spent 2 million $ on a diamond encrusted code of arms in 2003. Most of the time he never even asked how much something cost before buying it. When he went shopping the department stores closed down for him!!! He didn’t use shopping bags for his purchases, trucks showed up at the store the next day and picked up everything he bought. At some point he spent an outstanding 6 million dollars on jewellery, antiques, artwork in Las Vegas in only one day!!!Even though he owned ridiculously luxurious homes he often rented other places too. In 1999, he rented a 75.000 $ a month for nearly 2 years ( 2 million dollars) a 7 story, 12000 square foot, New York town house, with 6 bedrooms, a huge living room and a private elevator and just a few blocks away he kept a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel.He also wanted to buy a 1700 acres private village in Sicily, Italy for 31 million dollars!!! He never bought it but he had his eye on it!!!A forensic accountant , who testified in the 2005 trial, said that Jackson spent 15–20 million dollars per year more than he made. What did he spend it on? Artwork, antiques, jewellery, shopping sprees, utilities, legal fees, security, travel and charity. Michael Jackson supported 39 charities , more than any other celebrity , for which he was awarded with the World Record Guinness.He visited an orphanage and a children’s hospital in every city he toured, he made gigantic donations and often paid for sick kids’ medical expenses for years. Throughout his life he gave about 300 million dollars to charity, if not more. He donated 1,5 million dollars he got from Pepsi after he sustained 2nd and 3rd burn injuries during a pyrotechnic accident while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984 to the hospital he was treated for his burn injuries for a burn center which was named after him and he donated all the money he made from his Victory tour in 1984, 4 to 6 million dollars , to charity, upon controversy for the expensive tickets. During the Victory tour Jackson traveled on a rental jet cost 1.3 million dollars. In 1984, the Jackson 5 signed a 5 million dollar endorsement deal with Pepsi. He gave his royalties from his single The Man in the Mirror from his Bad album in 1987 to charity. His Heal the World Project also helped many children in distress all over the world. In addition, he supported financially many of his family members. By the late 90’s his personal spending was estimated at 750.000 $ per month.The major problem was his extravagance, not the lack of income. He was still asset rich when he died but he had a cash crisis. He owed a lot of money, up to 400 million dollars. He borrowed 200 million dollars in December 1998 and an additional 70 million dollars in 1999 from Bank of America. The reason he took multi million dollar loans was firstly to pay off previous debts and to support his lavish lifestyle. Those loans defaulted in 2005 and were thus sold to Fortress, which charged him with double digit interest rates. In other words he paid at least 11 milion dollars per year only on loan interests!!!By the time he died in 2009 Jackson had not worked in a decade. His last World Tour was in 1997 and it only made a 10% cut of the profit because of the money he spent during the HIStory Tour on himself and its production cost. His ill fated comeback tour This is it, a lucrative 50 concert date residency at O2 Arena in London, would have secured him a 100 million dollar profit. The AEG tour promoter stalked him for a tour since 2007 but Jackson always refused. Though HIStory Tour was his highest in attendance tour ever it hardly broke even.He only made 10 - 20 million dollars on the History Tour ( 10% cut of the profit istead of 30%) , which grossed 165 million dollars , petty cash for Jackson, as Neverland’s annual maintenance cost alone was 5–6, sometimes even 10 million dollars , as at times Neverland staff ballooned up to 150 people. Why didn’t the History tour make Jackson more money, if it was so successful? Because he paid himself production costs the tour promoters didn’t approve of worth several thousands dollars, like a stunt with a working jet pack, cost 10.000 $ a pophe chartered private jets for him and his entourage to fly around the world, he rented an entire floor of luxurious suites , cost several thousands$ per night ( 12.500 $ per night a suite ). The landing fees at military fields, as the planes he flew in were too big to land at many civilian airports, cost Jackson 200.000 $!!!! He also paid lodging fees for security guards, publicists and managers!!! By 1999, according to Frank Cascio, Jackson’s assistant then, Jackson paid for the mobile phone bills of 500 people who worked for his companies he had never even met!!! By then his financial advisors varied from sketchy ( Dieter Weisner) to random ( Al Malnick, a Florida real Estate Mogul , alleged mobster) . In 1992, Sony asked Jackson to add 6.4 million dollars himself on a series of music videos. He also seemed uninterested in dealing with money issues. He seemed disengaged.His last studio album Invincible released in 2001 was considered a flop, though it was the top selling album of the year. The problem was that Jackson kept spending based on the peak of his cash flow, which had by then dramatically diminished, and kept borrowing against his asset base, thus placed a severe strain on his finances.Invincible only sold 10–13 million albums worldwide, thus, the sales were very disappointing compared to his previous albums. Invincible was a comeback album for Michael Jackson, who hadn’t released any new material since 1997, and he was hoping it would be his most successful album ever. The production cost were up to 40 million dollars. Michael Jackson was haunted by Thriller’s success , which he could never repeat again. He blamed Sony for not promoting Invincible and accused Mottola, whom he called a racist and the devil, of deliberately sabotaging his album and thus his finances so he would have to sell his 50% atv catalog for petty cash. In 2005, he was very vocal that Sony was behind the allegations of child molestation, which led to a multi million dollar, highly publicized trial. Truth be told Sony was always after his atv catalog, worth now at least 1–2 billion dollars ( as of 2016, Branca sold the catalog to Sony for 750 million $), because indeed Bashir whose infamous interview triggered the 2005 trial released an album under the record label of Sony in 2010 and Branca was fired in 2003 for working for Sony behind Michael’s back. There was thus a conflict of interest. However, his main conflict with Sony started before Invincible as Sony would not rever to him the masters of his songs licenses until many years later, which he used to get out of his contract.Ironically enough, it was Jackson who supported Mottola over Walter Yetnikoff ( the Jewish, recovering alcoholic, with the foul mouth President of CBS). He fired Frank Dileo in 1989, his manager since 1984, urged by David Geffen ( the billionaire movie and music mogul, Yetnikoff’s biggest enemy ) and hired Allan Grubman, Bert Fields and Sandy Gallin ( David Geffen’s and Tommy Mottola’s people). In 1990, Jackson fired John Branca only to rehire him in 1993. It was Branca who negotiated Jackson’s 50% sale of the atv catalog to Sony for 115 million, which at first offered Jackson only 75 million dollars for the entire catalogue, but Branca demanded he was given as a fee in addition 5 % of the catalog. Jackson , who was sued for millions by his Dangerous Tour promoters for breach of contract, as he cancelled his concert dates, woefully agreed. In 2006, Branca would oppose to a multi million dollar loan Jackson was trying to secure from Sony that would have allowed him to remain solvent and thus avoid involuntary bankruptcy based on this 5% of the catalog Jackson gave him in 1993. Jackson then second mortgaged Neverland to buy out Branca’s share and never saw Branca again , who along with MacClain emerged as co executors of his Estate, but only 9 days before he died on 25 June 2009. By February 2008 Neverland Ranch was facing foreclosure for 24 million dollars.Jackson refinanced his loan through Colony Capital, which led to his ill fated This is it comeback tour, as the Colony Capital Ceo Thomas Barrack ( good friends with AEG owner Philip Anschutz) would not buy his 24 million $ loan unless Jackson produced a revenue. Michael Jackson was introduced to real Estate billionaire Thomas Barrack by dr Tohme Tohme, a con man who used to be married to Randy Philips’ sister, worked for Colony Capital and later worked as Jackson’s manager and took complete control over Jackson’s life. Jackson was terrified of dr Tohme Tohme ( whom he met through his brother Jermaine) and fired him in May 2009. According to Frank Dileo Michael Jackson trusted the wrong people a lot of times in life. I believe dr Tohme Tohme injected Michael Jackson with the lethal shot that killed him. Michael Jackson’s bodyguard Whitfield said that Michael told him about his This is it comeback tour : ‘'You're going to see the vultures come down. Everyone's going to want a piece." He clearly feared for his life.Again, Jackson woefully agreed to THIS IS IT , even though the last thing he wanted to do was perform live and even though he had essentially abandoned Neverland ( as he felt it was contaminated by evil after it was raided by law enforcement) since 2005, when he was unanimously acquitted of child molestation, accusations which emerged from the Arvizo family, who during the 4 month public jury trial, were exposed for the perjurers, profiteers, serial false accusers and liars they were. Jackson helped Gavin Arvizo and his family financially , he gave them a laptop, a van , they charged thousands of dollars on the Neverland account on spa treatments , dental work, shopping sprees, he bought cancer patient Gavin an expensive watch, he had his Neverland employees donate blood for Gavin , without knowing that the Arvizos were con artists , who hustled celebrities for money, the mother Janet was a psychopath , who coached her kids to lie and prior to Jackson she falsely accused two other men of guess what: sex abuse. Michael Jackson was extremely naive at times and many took his kindness for weakness.The media circus trial, a waste of both Jackson’s and taxpayers’ hard earned money, took its toll on Jackson who could not eat or sleep, lost a lot of weight and was literally a dead man walking. The 3 million dollar bail was returned to him upon his acquittal ( it was 3 times higher than what the USA give to a murderer and it would have been 400.000 dollars for anyone else, allegedly paid by Al Malnick) but the large legal fees were an additional burden on Jackson , who was by then 300 million dollars in debt due to overspending and financial mismanagement.His lawyer Tom Meseareau was owed money (a 6 figure amount) for years (thanks to Jackson’s publicist Raymone Baine, who even had the nerve to sue Michael for 44 million $ alleging breach of contract in May 2009, a lawsuit that was eventually dismissed) and Mesereau was finally paid by the Estate after Jackson died in 2009. John Landis and Ola Ray, his Thriller video director and co star ,who also sued Jackson for unpaid royalties in 2009, were also paid by his Estate after Jackson died.Upon his acquittal in 2005 Jackson self exiled to Bahrein as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah of Bahrain ( he was introduced to the Sheikh by his brother Jermaine), who bankrolled Jackson's costs if he recorded the sheikh's own compositions. But the deal came to nothing. Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa sued Jackson for Dhs 5.7million ( 7 million $) in November 2008. In his lawsuit, Al Khalifa claimed he gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances, cut an album, write an autobiography and subsidize his lifestyle — including more than $300,000 for a "motivational guru." The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, allegedly 5–7 million $. Neither the album nor book was ever produced. Michael Jackson and his children were understood to have been planning to fly in to Luton Airport by private jet and were reportedly booked into the Dorchester Hotel with his permanent detail of five bodyguards at around 7000 pounds!!!! a night, had the case not been settled out of court.However, after a time as a guest at the palace, Jackson bought a house formerly owned by a Bahraini MP. He moved into a mansion in Sanad, about 10km south of Manama, after reportedly paying 8 million $ !!! for the property, even though at the time he was on the brink of bankruptcy. He left Bahrein for good in June 2006 and he never came back. He then moved to Ireland and he returned to the USA in 2007, but not in Neverland , which he considered tainted after it was raided by 70 police officers on 18 November 2003, when 13 year old cancer survivor Gavin , who appeared in Bashir’s interview and Jackson helped battle cancer, accused him of molestation, when his family were referred to the same civil attorney Larry Feldman, who got the 15 million dollars settlement for the Chandlers’ in 1993, charges on which Jackson was cleared on 13 June 2005. California state labour officials urged Jackson to close the Neverland Ranch and fined him 169.000 $ for failure to provide employment insurance in 2006.Michael Jackson bought his atv catalog for 47.5 million dollars in 1985, an investment that generated a steady stream of multi million dollar income per year. He sold half of it to Sony for 115 million dollars in 1995. He used his catalogue, his own music’s rights and his Neverland ranch as leverage for the loans he took in 1998–99 from Bank of America. Michael Jackson bought his Neverland Ranch in 1988, a 3000 acres ranch with a 1000 foot square Tudor mansion in Santa Ynez Valley, for 19.5 million dollar cash. Until then he lived in Hayvenhurst, where the Jacksons moved in 1971, half of which he bought from his father, who was having financial problems, for 500.000 dollars in 1981. He owned 75% of Hayvenhurst Jackson house in Encino, California and his mother Katherine co owned the remaining 25% . By 2009, this property was also mortgaged and facing foreclosure.Jackson renovated Hayvenhurst to his liking and thus spent thousands of dollars on it. Hayvenhurst was in fact a smaller version of Neverland. By 1980 Jackson’s net worth was 37 million dollars, as his Off the Wall album sold over 20 million copies. However, it was Thriller , released in 1982, that launched Jackson to a financial nirvana. By 1985 Jackson was worth at least 1oo million dollars and by August 1985 he owned one of the best music catalogues, including the Beatles’ songs.Hayvenhurst was a Tudor style mansion with a three tiered white fountain, with peacocks, deer, llamas, a boa constrictor and even a giraffe lived on the site, while swans swam in attractive ponds. An enormous swimming pool featured fountainheads carved to resemble bearded Neptune”, and the house itself boasted a 32-seat movie theater, a trophy room lined with gold and platinum albums, and a private Jacuzzi exclusively for Jackson’s use.Not bad for Jackson who started from a two bedroom house in Gary, Indiana , his father Joe Jackson worked at US Steel as a crane operator and his mother Katherine worked part time at Sears struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for their 9 kids. In 1968, he made half a penny a record as a member of the Jackson 5. In 1983 he made 43 million $ on Thriller and an additional 91 million $ in 1984. His Bad album and tour in 1988 netted him a staggering 125 million dollars. Since 1983, his annual earnings would all be at least double digit numbers. The spending however was twice or thrice as much. His Bad, Dangerous and HIStory albums all debuted at #1 and grossed 150 million dollars combined. Also, he owned the rights of his songs, most of which he wrote, composed and produced himself!!! His endorsement with Pepsi earned him 12 million dollars!!! Michael Jackson made money as easily and as fast as he spent it and vice versa. Hence, his cash flow was an issue in the 90’s and the ‘00’s.Jackson at 25 ( 1983) was already a multi millionaire and a veteran in show bizz. Jackson made 16 million dollars on Captain EO in 1986 , a space 3D opera that featured at Disney theme parks, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas, sold over 50 million albums of Thriller, 22 millions albums of Bad and his Bad tour had a record breaking profit of 125 million dollars!!! His cut on the Bad tour, attended by 4,5 million people, was 70 million dollars!!! In 1988, he released his autobiography Moonwalk, which immediately became a best seller. The 80’s was his golden era. Everything he touched in the ‘80’s turned into gold. In 1990, his fortune was estimated at least at 300 million dollars. After 1997 Jackson stopped touring and his album sales began to fall dramatically, however.He gifted his attorney John Branca , who negotiated the terms of the purchase of the Sycamore Valley Ranch in 1988, which he renamed to Neverland, with a Rolls Royce. He also gifted him with a Rolls Royce when Branca helped Jackson buy his atv catalog in 1985, arguably his best investment ever. Jackson was the best man in Branca’s wedding in 1987, where he appeared with his pet chimp Bubbles dressed in similar outfits. Bubbles the chimp, which Michael Jackson bought in 1984, was dressed in designer clothes and slept in a crib in Michael’s room. He also bought his mother Katherine a Rolls Royce in 1984. He bought his mother Katherine and Elizabeth Taylor diamonds worth million dollars!!! In 1991, Jackson insisted he paid 1.5 million dollars to host Taylor’s 7th wedding in Neverland.She gifted him with an elephant for his menagerie zoo to show her appreciation, which Jackson named Gypsy. After Elizabeth Taylor defended him in the documentary The Michael Jackson Interview: The footage you were never meant to see in 2003 , Jackson bought her a $600,000 necklace as a little thank you.He bought Debbie Rowe, his second wife and biological mother of his two eldest children Prince and Paris a car in the 80’s and he paid for her college tuition. Upon divorce in October 1999, Rowe also got an 8 million $ cash settlement, paid on thousands of dollars on an annual basis by Jackson, based on the prenup they signed before Jackson married 6 month pregnant Rowe in November 1996 in Australia. He also gifted her with a 2 million $ Beverly Hills mansion. Debbie Rowe said about Michael ‘’ He was magnanimus, he truly was’’.Prior to Debbie Rowe Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in the Dominican Republic in May 1994. The marriage was a publicity stunt.His talent manager, Sandy Gallin, talked him into the marriage to quell gay rumors after the 1993 scandal but he was in fact as ridiculed as ever. Nobody bought the marriage which ended in January 1996. Lisa Marie Presley was paid her royalties for the YARNA video, in which they appeared half naked based on Gallin’s idea, and whatever else they agreed. Both Lisa Marie Presley and Sandy Gallin dissed him later out of bitterness and vengeance. Lisa Marie Presley, whose romantic ideations for Jackson were unrequited, because he rejected her and Sandy Gallin because he fired him in 1997. Meanwhile, he spent crazy money on Diana Ross, the love of his life.fake marriage certificateJackson met Rowe through dr Arnold Klein, who diagnosed Jackson with discoid lupus and vitiligo in 1983, as she was his medical assistant since 1981. David Geffen, who obviously had influence on Jackson, introduced him to dermatologist dr Arnold Klein, aka the King of Botox, who like Geffen, was also openly gay and Jewish, and like Jackson, also liked living lavishly. Klein administered Demerol to Jackson since the early 90’s and again in 2009, under several different aliases, which caused his insomnia and thus his addiction to propofol, of which Jackson died in 2009, at the hands of his 150.000 $ per month debt ridden physician dr Conrad Murray. Another addiction of Jackson’s was plastic surgery, on which he allegedly spent 300.000–500.00 dollars, enabled by greedy and unethical doctors. Jackson started seeing dr Arnold Klein again in 2007 after he returned to the USA. Dr Arnold Klein who was broke at the time convinced him to have botox implants and Jackson spent thousands of dollars on Dr Klein per month, paid by his advances from AEG, who filed for bankruptcy after Michael died. In the 2013 AEG wrongful death trial Debbie Rowe tearfully testified how doctors exploited Jackson’s low tolerance to physical pain and thus triggered his painkiller addiction.Jackson spent millions to make the sprawling ranch he called Neverland his dream home. It was certainly inspired from Disneyland, which Jackson visited frequently.Jackson spent tens of millions in renovations to Neverland. Neverland featured a huge floral clock, a faux victorian railway station, an amusement park ( he bought 10 rides from 1990 to 1997, most of which were custom made and especially desinged for Jackson, a second hand ride cost 650.000$, the ferris wheel he bought in 1990 cost 300.000 dollars )., a menagerie zoo with a massive collection of exotic animals (such as chimpanzees, alligators, llamas, elephants, tigers, reptiles, giraffes, an albino python ), cost 1 million dollar a year to maintain,, a 50 seat theater room ( with adjustable hospital beds for sick and bed ridden kids he often invited to the ranch), a games room, a tennis court, a swimming pool, the main house and a guest house.The interior of the 25 room mansion was full with works of art and memorabilia, and featured 18th century floors that had been shipped to the US from a French chateau. As if the railway, amusement park, movie theater and zoo weren’t enough, there were a host of other amenities on-site at Neverland. This included Teepee Village, a mock Indian campground complete with carpeted teepees with underfloor heating and interior sound systems. A bonfire area could be used for roasting marshmallows and storytelling. Neverland even had its own fire department, complete with a small fleet of working engines and full-time firefighters. Occasionally, the firefighters were dispatched to help contain brush fires on neighboring ranches. Close to the kitchen there was a life-size figure of a butler in a swallowtail coat. The kitchen itself was enormous, housing a large dining table, and looked capable of serving a restaurant rather than a private home.The library contained a huge number of leather-bound books. Once Jackson paid 100.000 dollars cash to buy an entire book store as he was an avid reader!!! Neverland had a staff up to 100–120 people on an annual payroll of 1 million $ . Th e petting zoo, the gardening, utility bills, salaries, maintenance cost of Neverland was a staggering 5 million dollars a year!!!! thus it put a strain on Jackson’s finances.Jackson's private Jacuzzi was located in his bedroom and overlooked the ranch. The floor outside Michael Jackson’s bedroom was wired so that whenever anyone came within five feet of the entrance, dingdong noises would sound. Inside, a movie screen dropped down from the ceiling, and Jackson’s pet rat lived in a cage. The room was connected by a secret staircase to a special guest room, the Shirley Temple Room.Jackson, though a shrewd businessman at first, later in life had no grasp of money and had out of control spending habits. He bought anything he liked regardless how much it cost. Michael Jackson was a shopaholic and a spendaholic. He self indulged to his every whim and he spent millions on the 1939 Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1.5 million $) , a 40.000 $ king size miniature castle he imported from Germany,on paintings that depicted him life-sized, elaborately costumed, in heroic poses with cape, sword, ruffed collar, crown,a fortune teller in the games room, which sat in a separate building at the rear of the house. This contained a huge variety of arcade-style video games, pinball machines, a penny press machine and a photo booth. Candy and ice cream were readily available. All of the games featured slots for quarters, but none of them required actual payment. Everything at Neverland was free to enjoy. Jackson didn’t skimp on details. The games room, for example, featured door knobs shaped like miniature basketballs, baseballs and soccer balls. Jackson imported a king size castle from Germany, a gigantic golden chess, bronze statues of children he installed all over Neverland, hebought the scissors from the Tim Burton film Edward scissorhands ( were auctioned at 5300 $) , mannequin children, as well as other gadgets worth million of dollars. He wouldn’t mind spending 750.000$ on two animatronic figures and an antique clock he had taken a liking to, which led his financial handlers to call for a financial intervention, most of whom were vultures, pariahs, yes people, sycophants. In 2005, Jackson discovered that his manager Dieter Weizner embezzled his money.In other words, he bought whatever he liked. His enviroment were indifferent at best, opportunists, self serving, liars at worst . He did not want to face his financial problems. He was clearly in denial. His spending showed no signs of slowing. His compulsive spending was the main problem, he always made millions annually even if he didn’t work because of his publishing rights. Many of his financial advisors could not even reach him.In addition, further disasters followed - flurries of actions against him from former lawyers, managers and advisers over deals gone sour and unpaid invoices. Most of the time he settled out of court for several thousands of dollars. He spent million of dollars on legal fees.Jackson also owned a stretch Rolls Royce, among other luxurious cars ( SUV, Mercedes, Bentley). Starting 1985, Michael Jackson used to travel the 19-mile (31 kilometers) distance from his Encino home to his Los Angeles studio in his Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL. Later, he gave the car to one of his aunts, for her birthday. Jackson was generous to a fault. In 2000, his ex-wife Debbie Rowe confirmed, in the divorce papers, that Michael had a thing for cars. And he would lavishly spend for them.Therefore, he left behind an impressive car armada made up of a total of 75 vehicles!!! Some of them are:Cadillac Escalade. He said the SUVs felt safe and it was even better as his Escalade had tinted windows to keep him sheltered from the flashes of the paparazzi.A 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, with a Palais of Versailles-like interior, all crystal and 24-carat gold, was exclusively designed by Michael Jackson himself ( 500.000 $ worth).A 1990 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II Limousine. The limo was trimmed in contrasting black and white leather and also provided with a full-service bar and dark tinted windows.A 1988 Lincoln Town Car Limousine, with a much more tamed interior for which gray leather and fabric trims were used, together with walnut paneling.A 1993 Ford Econoline E150 van. The pop star’s tastes extended from limousines to vans. His Ford came with a video game player, a TV screen located at the front of the passenger seats and high-end leather upholstery.A 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood. This car also starred in the “Driving Miss Daisy” motion picture. Elvis Presley had an older version of the Fleetwood.A 1988 GCM V Jimmy High Sierra Classic. As strange and unfit it may seem for a king, this is a fire truck Michael Jackson purchased just for fun.By 1993, Jackson was already 24–30 million dollars in debt, mostly because of the money he was pouring into Neverland, cancelled video shootings and million dollar shopping sprees. Hence , he sold 50% of his ATV catalogue to Sony in 1995 for 115 million $. His ATV catalog, purchased in 1985 for 47.5 million dollars and 50% of it sold to Sony in 1995 ( 5% of it given to Branca in 1993) , was his financial lifeline and used it as collateral for multi million dollar loans. His Estate, run by John Branca and John MacClain, sold it to Sony for 750 million $ in 2016.Jackson only gave two sold out concerts in MSG in New York in September 2001, when he celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist. He performed heavily sedated. In 2002, Jackson had a new baby, Blanket, via an anonymous surrogate, who was allegedly paid 25000 $ and whom he lavished with expensive gifts. He took his children’s with Debbie Rowe full custody upon their divorce in 1999, she gladly relinquished her parental rights in 2001 but in 2006 Rowe took Jackson to court to have that decision reversed. Jackson was ordered to make her the payments she was owed 50.000 $ on living expenses and paid her 195.000 $legal fees. She was also given visitation rights. Allegedly, Debbie Rowe, who defended Jackson in 2005, though a witness for the Prosecution, sued Jackson, not for the children, but to get his attention, as she had a crush on him, which Lisa Marie Presley admitted herself.Previously, he gave two charity concerts in Seoul and in Munich in 1999, Michael and Friends. During the Munich concert he got badly injured, which triggered a vicious circle of painkiller addiction. In 1993, Jackson cut short his Dangerous Tour to go to rehab, as he developed an addiction to painkillers and sedatives, with which he was first acquainted in 1984, when his scalp got badly burned during a pepsi commercial. In 1991, Jackson made 31 million dollars on the Dangerous album, which was faster selling than both Thriller and Bad and has sold so far 40 million albums. The cancellation of the remainder of the Dangerous tour was however a huge financial loss. Thus, by 1993 he was 24 million dollars in debt.In August 1993 he faced molestation allegations from Evan Chandler, whose son Jordan Jackson met and befriended in 1992, when his car broke down in Wilshire Boulevard and Jordan’s step father David Schwartz, who ran a car rental agency Rent-a-Wreck, came to his rescue and instead of charging Jackson for his services Schwartz asked him to call his step son Jordy, which sadly he did.Jackson traveled around the world with Jordan’s mother June Chandler Schwartz, a stunning Asian former model, and her two kids, Lilly and Jordan,and gave her expensive jewellery like a Cartier love bracelet.Evan Chandler, Jordan’s father, was a dentist by trade but also an aspiring screenwriter who blackmailed Jackson for money using his 13 year old son Jordan, when Jackson refused to finance his screenplays. Chandler suffered from bipolar disorder, he killed himself in 2009 and nobody attended his funeral , sued Jackson for 30 million dollars in 1993 , who settled the civil lawsuit out of court as the judge violated his rights for a fair criminal trial by not deferring the civil trial and not allowing the criminal trial to go first.It is a myth he paid the settlement ( about 20 million dollars ) by himself . His insurance company Lloyds of London negotiated the terms of the civil settlement and paid for it , in spite of Jackson’s protests, who did not want to settle. Had a civil trial occurred the legal fees would have been twice as much and it could take up to 7 years and would have been paid by Lloyds of London. Hence, his insurance carrier, pressured him to settle, which he later regretted. However, the highly publicized allegations tarnished his image. In 1994, Blanca Francia, a former Neverland employee also accused him of molesting her son Jason because she too wanted to secure an easy payday like the Chandlers did. This time, Jackson did pay her 2.4 million dollars ( chump change for Jackson) and this settlement was also signed that it was by no means an admission of guilt or wrongdoing on his behalf. Blanca Francia sold the story to Hard Copy for 20.000 dollars, she never went to the authorities and she was not found credible by the jury when she testified in 2005. How could the jury believe a woman who gave a sworn deposition she never witnessed any wrongdoing, was refuted by Mac Culkin and Wade Robson, by her own admission profiteered from the allegations, only alleged impropriety that took place in 1990 in 1994, after the Chandler scandal, which she never however reported to the Police and her own son Jason, whom Jackson allegedly molested, told the Police in 1993 he was not inappropriately touched? The Francias, the Chandlers and the Arvizos were all money hungry leeches. Among many in Michael Jackson’s life. His own family members included.Why did Jackson pay this money hungry leech Francia who remembered in 1994 her son was molested in 1990 , when word got out the Chandlers got millions by accusing Jackson of molestation? Because he wanted to finish and promote his HIStory album, on which Sony spent 30 million dollars merely for the promotion. He had a bigger fish to fry, in other words. HIStory album sold 20 million copies in spite of the negative publicity and became the biggest selling double disc ever. In addition, had he not settled and gone to court the legal fees would have by far exceeded the cost of the 2.4 million $ he paid Francia. Obviously, he didn’t buy her silence since she gave a paid interview to tabloid tv anchor Diane Dimond for 20000 $, whom Jackson sued for libel and defamation for 100 million dollars. That was a common problem for Jackson with his Neverland employees, who in addition to selling fabricated, salacious stories to the tabloids for money also stole him money and valuable art work, thus Jackson fired them and sued them.Kassim Abdool, Ralph Chacon, Adrian McManus, Sandy Domz and Melanie Bagnall sued Jackson in the 90s alleging wrongful termination. Three of these five people – Abdool, Chacon and McManus – testified for the prosecution at the Jackson’s 2005 trial in support of their “prior bad acts” case. None of these people ever reported or even mentioned what they had allegedly seen at the time that the alleged molestations and improprieties supposedly occurred. These stories first surfaced in the spring of 1994, more than half a year after the Chandler scandal went public. At that civil trial the Neverland 5 and their attorney were sanctioned $66,000 for lying during their depositions and on the stand and for discovery violations (ie. for hiding evidence from Jackson’s lawyers). Judge Zel Canter, who presided over the civil trial, left the bench after stating he was disgusted . The jury rejected the wrongful termination lawsuit against Jackson and ordered the Neverland 5 to pay him damages. The court also imposed attorneys fees and costs of $1.4 million against plaintiffs. Tom Sneddon, a corrupt D.A. who was after Jackson since 1993, helped Dimond get out of the lawsuit and thus Dimond became his closest ally. Dimond’s best source on slandering Jackson was Victor Guituirrez, the Chilean journalist, a pedophile and public advocate for NAMBLA, who was ordered to pay Jackson 2.7 million dollars when he won a slander suit in 1998. Guituirrez filed for bankruptcy, left the USA and never paid Jackson.By early 2000, Jackson’s biggest expenses were no longer private jets and flash cars, but the interest on his enormous borrowings. According to one ‘executive involved in his affairs’, Jackson was making monthly payments of about $4.5 million in 2005 on a debt of $270million. That works out at an annual interest rate of about 20 per cent.By 2005, when Jackson’s financial problems became public during his 2005 trial, he made ridiculous payments on loan interests, at least 4.5 million dollars on loan interests monthly !!! By 2008, he owed 400 million dollars. In July 2008, Julien ‘s auction house organised a sale with his memorabilia in Neverland ranch, on Jackson’s request who desperately needed cash. Nearly 1400 items were selected from his elaborate, over the top belongings, from Jackson’s tour bus to a painting of Michael with Bubbles the chimp, one of his famous handmade gloves covered in Swarovsky crystals even the front gates of Neverland. Michael Jackson , needless to say, did not reveal the reason of his memorabilia sale was his financial problems. By 2007, he defaulted on his 24 million $ loan on Neverland , which was thus facing foreclosure.He clarified that he didn’t want 3 of his Rolls Royces sold , because he wanted to give them to his kids when they got married. However, he stopped the auction the last minute!!! The sale, which would have generated thousands of dollars, was called off and once again Jackson settled out of court with Julien’s House. Instead of making money, he lost money!!!From 2007 and until he died a 27,259-square-foot estate was a sanctuary for Jackson and his three children . Nicknamed the ‘Thriller Villa,’ the home features seven bedrooms, 12 full baths, and a 2,983-square-foot guest house. The king of Pop did not own that house, he rented it for several thousands dollars. He did however want to buy a house in Las Vegas, where he resorted upon his return from Ireland. Neverland still bled money but Jackson would not sell it. In January 2006, Jackson was fined with 169.000 for failing to pay his employees salaries’ and insurance for 2 months, most of whom were laid off soon after. Neverland stood abandoned. His bodyguards were also unpaid for months, though they never blamed him. They said he was mismanaged. Indeed, it was Raymone Bain’s, Jackson’s publicist’s, fault. His credit cards were declined and thus they were evicted from hotels!!!One of the most striking features of the estate is its two-story Medieval-style chapel, with 74 seats and a hand-painted ceiling. Other highlights included an opulent salon with a huge stone fireplace and a Murano glass chandelier, a bell tower, and a large outdoor courtyard for entertaining. The large basement also featured a secret passageway that Jackson used to reach his car without being spotted by the paparazzi.Before he died he rented a 100.000 $ per month mansion at Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, where he took his last breath, paid for by his advance from AEG. His physician dr Conrad Murray and later convicted killer was also paid 150.000$ to knock out Jackson , a chronic insomniac, to sleep. As he missed rehearsals from his This is it Comeback tour , due to his deteriorating health ( he was legally blind, suffered from osteoarthritis, his lungs were collapsing, had Demerol withdrawal symptoms) Randy Philips, the AEG CEO, who was fired shortly after the 2013 wrongful death trial, visited Jackson late at night at his home, reminding him who paid for his house rent, threatening to pull the plug, after which Jackson cried, as his son Prince testified in the 2013 trial.Jackson’s death on 25/06/2009 cleared his finances. He was the best selling artist the year of his death ( he sold 9 million albums, twice what Taylor Swift sold). His debts have all been paid off and his Estate is now worth over 1 billion dollars. His unimaginable wealth is again a magnet for further opportunistic vultures like Wade Robson and James Safechuck who alleged in 2012 they were molested by Jackson and thus sued his Estate for money even though they previously denied several times any wrongdoing on his behalf. Wade Robson testified under oath as an adult twice in Jackson’s defense, once in front of a jury, and in 1993. Their lawsuits were thrown out of court. Brett Barnes, whom they bullied to back up their bogus story, posted this on Twitter.In other words, Barnes called Robson and Safechuck ( whose lawyers dropped him as he was lying and there was no way winning the case ) greedy and liars. Indeed, by Robson’s mother’s admission Robson had financial problems when he made those allegations and Safechuck was also from a poor family ( his father was a garbage collector).Before you judge Michael Jackson please bear in mind that he was a great humanitarian, he gave a lot of money to charity, he left 20% of his Estate to various charities and even on his death bed he talked about building a hospital for children. He was completely innocent of anything they ever accused him of , which is proven by medical evidence, judicial documents and court testimonies. Hundreds of children visited Neverland over the years, only 3–4 made such accusations, coerced by their proven mentally ill parents, motivated only by greed.Michael Jackson was surrounded by leeches all his life, he was non stop ridiculed by the media, he went through an unnecessary trial in 2005, hence he was cleared on all counts, he is the most heavily and unfairly attacked celebrity ever, and mostly the same people , who now successfully run his Estate, based on a void will, allegedly signed on 7 July 2002 in Los Angeles, deliberately ill advised him into a complex web of debt when he was alive. Michael Jackson sells more tickets dead than most artists do alive. He is the biggest selling artist on i tunes, he has sold approximately 50 million albums since he passed away, he was the breadwinner for his family since he was 6 years old. Please bear in mind that John Branca worked for Sony behind Michael’s back, he still does and he sold to Sony the atv catalog for 750 m$ in 2016 even though the Estate was more than solvent. Sony would not have bought it for 750 m$ had it not been worth 3–4 times as much. Had Michael Jackson not died in July 2009 he would have been free of Sony in July 2009.RIP Michael Jackson.sources:Michael Jackson Died Deeply In DebtMichael Jackson’s 10 most extravagant purchasesThe Prosecution’s Witnesses – Ralph Chacon, Kassim Abdool and Adrian McManusDan Glaister on Michael Jackson's divorceThis is What Became of Michael Jackson's Private Neverland Theme ParkMichael Jackson - the man who blew a billion. The mind-boggling spending of the world's wackiest pop star

Q. What is a good military history of the Vietnam War?A. Great books that I am reading: A Better War, Black April, Without Honor, and Westmoreland.Amazon.com: A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam (9780156013093): Lewis Sorley: BooksISBN-13: 978-0156013093ISBN-10: 0156013096Editorial ReviewNeglected by scholars and journalists alike, the years of conflict in Vietnam from 1968 to 1975 offer surprises not only about how the war was fought, but about what was achieved. Drawing on authoritative materials not previously available, including thousands of hours of tape-recorded allied councils of war, award-winning military historian Lewis Sorley has given us what has long been needed-an insightful, factual, and superbly documented history of these important years. Among his findings is that the war was being won on the ground even as it was being lost at the peace table and in the U.S. Congress. The story is a great human drama of purposeful and principled service in the face of an agonizing succession of lost opportunities, told with uncommon understanding and compassion. Sorley documents the dramatic differences in conception, conduct, and-at least for a time-results between the early and the later war. Meticulously researched and movingly told, A Better War is sure to stimulate controversy as it sheds brilliant new light on the war in Vietnam.Amazon Exclusive Essay: "New Vietnam War History" by Lewis Sorley, Author of A Better WarFor a long time most people thought the long years of American involvement in the Vietnam War were just more of the same--with a bad ending. Now we know that during the latter years, when General Creighton Abrams commanded U.S. forces, almost everything changed, and for the better.Abrams understood the nature of the war and devised a more availing approach to the conduct of it. Building up South Vietnam's own armed forces got high priority, whereas before they had been neglected and allowed to go into combat outgunned by the enemy. The covert infrastructure which through terror and coercion kept South Vietnam's rural population under domination was painstakingly rooted out, not ignored as earlier. And combat operations were greatly improved, concentrating on large numbers of patrols and ambushes designed to provide security for the people rather than cumbersome large-unit sweeps through the deep jungle.Some commentators have called the description of these changes "revisionist" history, but actually it is new history. Virtually all the better-known earlier books about the war concentrated heavily on the early years, leaving the later period grossly neglected.New insight came importantly from a collection of hundreds of tape recordings of briefings and staff meetings in General Abrams's headquarters during the four years he commanded in Vietnam. They are filled with human drama, professional debate, successes and frustrations, and ultimately a hard-won triumph, told in the voices of Abrams and his senior associates; such visiting officials as the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and a succession of often brilliant briefing officers.Later, of course, what they had won was thrown away by the United States Congress, but the story of their better war is still a dramatic testament to courage, integrity, devotion, and professional competence.--Lewis SorleyFrom Publishers WeeklyUsing a host of oral interviews, 455 tape recordings made in Vietnam during the years 1968-1972 and numerous other sources, military historian Sorley has produced a first-rate challenge to the conventional wisdom about American military performance in Vietnam. Essentially, this is a close examination of the years during which General Creighton Abrams was in command, having succeeded William Westmoreland. Sorley contends that Abrams completely transformed the war effort and in the process won the war on the battlefield. The North Vietnamese 1968 Tet offensive was bloodily repulsed, he explains, as was a similar offensive in 1969. Together, the 1970 American incursion into Cambodia and a 1971 Laotian operation succeeded in reducing enemy combat effectiveness. Renewed American bombing of the North and Abrams's use of air power to assist ground operations further reduced Hanoi's ability to wage war. Sorley argues that the combination of anti-war protests in America and a complete misunderstanding of the actual combat situation by the diplomats negotiating the 1973 Paris accords wasted American military victories. In spite of drug use and other problems, Sorley maintains, the army in Vietnam performed capably and efficiently, but in vain, for South Vietnam was sold out by the 1973 cease-fire, America's pullout and the failure of Congress to provide further military assistance to the South. Sure to provoke both passionate and reasoned objection, Sorley's book is as important a reexamination of the operational course of the war as Robert McNamara's In Retrospect is of the conflict's moral and political history. Maps and photos not seen by PW.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Top Customer Reviews5.0 out of 5 starsTribute to General AbramsBy Amazon Customer on May 17, 2017The real story of Viet Nam and how we almost won that war. Not the normal un-researched politically correct dribble of media light weights who spent more time in Saigon bars than in the field. Right up there with Bernard Fall.5.0 out of 5 starsProud veteranBy kent Tompkins on May 14, 2017As a Vietnam combat veteran I arrived under General Abram in MACV it was my privilege to be part of such noble and courage purpose to bring freedom and democratic to south Vietnam. One thing I learn ed from this book is how thoroughly devastating the air campaign that was Linebacker I and II was to the enemy . We had won the battle but lost the war not because of the brave American and south Vietnam soldiers but self-serving modifications of President Nixon and Secretary Kissinger.4.0 out of 5 starswe did get a better military effort once Abrams took chargeBy Daniel E Swiger on May 4, 2017It was an interesting read, especially considering it covered the years I was in Vietnam. Having just read "Dereliction of Duty, by McMaster, which chronicles the early years of our intervention, I was prepared for what was to come. McMaster pointed out what I already knew about McNamara, LBJ & Westmoreland. Three words, Arrogance, Incompetence & Deception. On top of that, LBJ's myopia about his domestic agenda conspired to grind up lives and make us weaker. In Sorley's accounts, we did get a better military effort once Abrams took charge. hence the title. But the damage had been done and the Vietnamese were still too dependent on the U.S for money, materiel & air power. On top of that, they didn't seem to have the national will & purpose to meet the NVA head on. While Russia & China were unwavering in their support for their client state, the U.S was fickle and unreliable as an ally. But what bother's me more is that our negotiators in Paris actually seemed to believe what the North promised or committed too, then ultimately did nothing when they started to overrun the South. Then we just turned our backs & plugged our ears to the South's annihilation. I am disgusted, heartbroken & angry. There were so many things done poorly and yet so many opportunities missed. But the most painful part is the 58,000 that never had the opportunity to live a full life.In spite of all this,I am glad to have read both books as it somehow continues the closure. However, I am not likely to want to read more.5.0 out of 5 stars... combat tours in Vietnam and until I read "A Better War" I never fully grasped the ironic tragedy of ...By James Callahan on February 1, 2017I did four combat tours in Vietnam and until I read "A Better War" I never fully grasped the ironic tragedy of America's flawed commitment. The waste of Westmorland's misconceptions, the subsequent successes of the Bunker-Abrams-Colby team, General Giap's repeated ideologically driven strategic failures, and the ultimate triumph of the North Vietnamese handed to them by an American middle class and its political elite who not only betrayed an underrated South Vietnamese ally but in the process our own American heritage. When in 1975 that Soviet T-54 tank of the NVA broke through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, who in American still remembered John F. Kennedy's 1961 pledge that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. A generation that would "bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." To read " A Better War" gives you the answer. No one.5.0 out of 5 starsThe Seventies of the Vietnam War are not likely to ...By Christian Walser on January 2, 2017The Seventies of the Vietnam War are not likely to be told, as the failure became more and more obvious. Still Abrams managed to adapt the military need to the political situation which had changed. A long awaited insight in Abram's achievements.1.0 out of 5 starsThis is a wonderful book; then, why the “one star”?By Daniel Biezad on December 29, 2016This is a wonderful book; then, why the “one star”? Because it misses what, to me, are two essential points—two massive failures, actually— that cost the loss of over two million lives in Indochina.The first failure is the flippant way that Americans viewed the Vietnamese and their culture. From JFK’s appointment, at the start of the war, of the disastrous Westmoreland (based solely on first impressions) to his brother Edward’s legislation, at the end of the war, that disowned further American responsibility and accountability to the South Vietnamese, it was apparent that America never regarded Vietnam as a strategic necessity. The communist Ho Chi Minh, on the other hand, used nationalism to excite intense motivation for victory into the hearts of his people, and his government enjoyed the unending logistic support of communist Russia and China.The second failure was a lack of political will to use the full force of air power to end the conflict quickly and bring the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table willing to accept an independent South Vietnam. Linebacker II—lasting only a short time in December, 1972—was the only example of the inevitable effectiveness of this approach in the entire war. It showed that air power could have been employed with naval power and blockades continuously until the North Vietnamese pulled their forces and released their prisoners.The actions of Gerald Ford and Edward Kennedy at the end of the Vietnam War made me ashamed to be a veteran of that conflict, though I served with many superb individuals and had great respect for the South Vietnamese. Colin Luther Powell and Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. learned Abram’s lessons well, but we seem to be regressing into political morass once again. I thank Lewis Sorley for highlighting both the errors and the accomplishments of the Vietnam era.5.0 out of 5 starsand the poor farmers who gave so much to the NLF were ...By jellolion on October 10, 2016This book explains the period of the Vietnam war after Westmoreland, focusing on the leadership of General Abrams. This is a period of the war that was largely uncovered in Hollywood movies other distortions of the war. The book makes a point to show that Westmoreland largely squandered American popular support for the war, and ignored the ARVN. Abrams came in at at time when everything about the war was shown in a negative light. He turned the ARVN into a highly effective, fighting force able to utilize modern methods. Abrams was winning the war. Under his watch, the Americans were being pulled out, while the ARVN was being ramped up. Nixon's programs of Vietnamization and pacification were actually shown to be working. By 1972, the North Vietnamese were largely defeated, and undertook no new offensives until 1975, after they had time to rebuild their military, and after they realized the Americans would no longer be giving any assistance to the South. This book allows one to fully realize the tragedy. We gave massive amounts of military equipment to the South Vietnamese, then cut off all further support. Most of the equipment sat with no fuel, no ammunition, waiting to be appropriated by the communists.. The ARVN were buying hand grenades out of their own pocket money. By 1973, we could have allowed the South to defend themselves, with a fraction of the investment that was spent in previous years. But by then, Nixon was demonized, and Congress was out to shut him down, at all cost, regardless of the cost to the country, and to our commitments to foreign allies. Although we did not see the bloodbath that the right had threatened would occur, we did see that the communists were far from the freedom fighters the left made them out to be. They were opportunists, and they fully used the victory to line their own pockets, and to take whatever they wanted from South Vietnam. The "workers utopia" that they promised never came close to materializing, and the poor farmers who gave so much to the NLF were never even allowed to participate in the "new" (old) government. The South was taken over and run by Northern war heroes, many of whom had little education. The war veterans were hunted down and executed or put into prison camps to waste away to death, or be released 10-20 years later. The former Viet Cong got nothing more than to be allowed to march as odd rag tag soldiers at the tail end of May Day parades. The suffering in the South after the war was great, leading to hundreds of thousands risking their lives, and losing their lives attempting to escape. The author makes the point that life was generous to Abrams in that he died before seeing what happened to the Vietnam that he worked so hard to save.Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75 Paperback – September 17, 2013by George J Veith (Author)Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75: George J Veith: 9781594037047: Amazon.com: BooksProduct Note:The defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America’s worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame—from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam’s surrender on 30 April 1975—has eluded us.Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants, this book represents one of the largest Vietnamese translation projects ever accomplished, including almost one hundred rarely or never seen before North Vietnamese unit histories, battle studies, and memoirs. Most important, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of South Vietnam’s conquest, the leaders in Hanoi released several compendiums of formerly highly classified cables and memorandum between the Politburo and its military commanders in the south. This treasure trove of primary source materials provides the most complete insight into North Vietnamese decision-making ever complied. While South Vietnamese deliberations remain less clear, enough material exists to provide a decent overview.Ultimately, whatever errors occurred on the American and South Vietnamese side, the simple fact remains that the country was conquered by a North Vietnamese military invasion despite written pledges by Hanoi’s leadership against such action. Hanoi’s momentous choice to destroy the Paris Peace Accords and militarily end the war sent a generation of South Vietnamese into exile, and exacerbated a societal trauma in America over our long Vietnam involvement that reverberates to this day. How that transpired deserves deeper scrutiny.About the AuthorGeorge J Veith: George J. Veith is the author of Code-Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of U.S. POW Rescue Efforts During the Vietnam War, published by The Free Press in December 1997. Code-Name Bright Light was Book of the Month for the Military Book Club in January 1998. Mr. Veith has also published Leave No Man Behind: Bill Bell and the Search for American POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War in March 2004. He has published many symposium papers, various newspaper articles, and a well-received article on the battle for Xuan Loc in April 1975 that appeared in the January 2004 issue of the "Journal of Military History," along with. He presented papers at the following major conferences, including the October 2005 Australian War College symposium "Entangling Alliances: Coalition Warfare in the Twentieth Century," in 2006 to the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA, at the May 2008 conference in Paris on “War, Diplomacy, and Public Opinion: The Paris Peace Talks on Vietnam and the End of the Vietnam War (1968-1975),” and at the 2009 Society for Military History Conference. Most recently, he helped organize a conference held in Washington, DC in April 2010 on “35-Year Retrospective Look on Vietnam.” He has appeared on Fox News and other radio and TV stations, and testified twice on the POW/MIA issue before the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been invited to speak at the American Legion National Conference, the National League of POW/MIA Families and National Alliance of Families annual meetings, and many other venues.BiographyAmazon.com: George J. Veith: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, KindlePeople often ask me how I got involved in writing about Vietnam, since I did not serve there. Here is the short answer to that question.I am a former Armor officer, having served in tank units in Germany and the U.S. I've always been interested in military history, and in particular, historical mysteries. My initial foray into Vietnam was investigating the POW/MIA issue, a natural fit on both counts. One can't understand the POW/MIA issue without learning about the war, which led me to dive deeper into the conflict.I also always wanted to write, and years ago, I found some documents at the Army's Carlisle Barracks on the Joint Personnel Recovery Center (JPRC), the military's top-secret unit to recover American prisoners during the Vietnam War. Realizing that no one had ever written about these guys, I made ten trips to Carlisle going through all their Vietnam materials. Eventually I located about 80% of the JPRC weekly and monthly reports, and I was off! That research led to "Code-Name Bright Light," my first book.My second book, "Leave No Man Behind," is the memoirs of my friend Bill Bell, who led the USG's POW/MIA field investigation teams after the war. It was published in 2004.In April 2001, my friend and translator, Merle Pribbenow, and I visited MG Le Minh Dao, the last commander of the ARVN 18th Division. We interviewed him about the battle of Xuan Loc, which took place in April 1975. His unit stood their ground in some very heavy combat, and our article on the battle was published in January 2004 in the "Journal of Military History." Dao was so pleased with our efforts that he begged me turn the paper into a book on the final two years of the war. He emphatically told me that the RVNAF had fought well, and they were not the corrupt cowards so often portrayed in the American media. Thus began a ten-year journey of research and writing that finally culminated in "Black April."I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your comments.Top Customer Reviews5.0 out of 5 starsYou feel like you are a fly on the wall in Hanoi ...By Tennessee Craig on August 1, 2014Just finished (8/1/14). This book is loaded with complete details of all the battles, and political maneuvering, large and small that took place in the closing days, weeks, and months of the Vietnam War. I never knew so much was going on. It is being told from ALL SIDES. You feel like you are a fly on the wall in Hanoi and Saigon during the planning. You read all the movements of North and South Vietnam and how the USA dropped off the radar, leaving the South Vietnamese people hanging.....And, there was a Miracle that took place as the North Vietnamese were entering Saigon, which delayed their entry and caused many American Civilians not to be captured - (not giving full details, so the reader will find out for themselves) - .Great translation efforts of North Vietnam documents and letters...For any sincere Vietnam interested person, this is a FIVE STAR read, for sure !!!5.0 out of 5 starsA must-read for any serious student of the Vietnam WarBy Andrew California on April 14, 2013As a little teen-ager growing up in Saigon in the early 1970s, I have always been puzzled and perplexed about how the Vietnam War had ended the way it did in April of 1975. Why was the RVN's final collapse so sudden, so quick, and so chaotic ? How did the Northern Vietnamese Communists achieve final and total victory in such a short time and miraculous way ? Why was there no final deal agreement with the advancing and winning North Vietnamese for a more orderly, organized, transitional type of coalition government ? This book by George Veith have given me all the answers to those questions above, and much more.Very well-researched and written for a mainly Western/US audience, it tries to tell the story of how the Republic of South Vietnam has succumbed to the Northern Vietnamese Communist forces during the last 2 years of its existence. And this poignant story is told from a mainly Vietnamese (both North and South) viewpoints. Unless you were living in Vietnam and had participated in that War, it will be very hard for you to fully understand and grasp all of the details (geography, military, political, cultural, etc.) of the author's account, as well as the heroic fighting spirit of the South Vietnamese Army of that earlier era.Knowing what we know now, some of the insights, explanations and conclusions given by the author are really refreshing and dead-on. All of the unique military, geo-political, and socio-economic realities (and circumstances) that had lead to the Fall of South Vietnam have been revealed and analyzed in detail. (I have some relatives who were in the South Vietnamese Army and Government, and their account of the final 2 years, especially the final months and weeks leading to the Fall of Saigon, corroborates with the author's findings).Given all of the negative press from the liberal Left about the immoral nature of War (and the US involvement in it), the corrupt and incompetent South Vietnamese Government and Army, and its last "despotic" leader (Mr Nguyen Van Thieu), this book will help to rectify some of these falsehood, and help us see a more accurate, complete, and balanced picture of that final period of the Vietnam War, after the US has pulled out.No matter what side you are on (Hawk or Dove), I believe you will find this book very interesting. It is a definite must-read for all serious students of the Vietnam War.Knowing what we know now, some of the insights, explanations and conclusions given by the author are really refreshing and dead-on. All of the unique military, geo-political, and socio-economic realities (and circumstances) that had lead to the Fall of South Vietnam have been revealed and analyzed in detail. (I have some relatives who were in the South Vietnamese Army and Government, and their account of the final 2 years, especially the final months and weeks leading to the Fall of Saigon, corroborates with the author's findings).Given all of the negative press from the liberal Left about the immoral nature of War (and the US involvement in it), the corrupt and incompetent South Vietnamese Government and Army, and its last "despotic" leader (Mr Nguyen Van Thieu), this book will help to rectify some of these falsehood, and help us see a more accurate, complete, and balanced picture of that final period of the Vietnam War, after the US has pulled out.No matter what side you are on (Hawk or Dove), I believe you will find this book very interesting. It is a definite must-read for all serious students of the Vietnam War.5.0 out of 5 starsHighly educational and more..By Sally on May 10, 2017I was born and grew up in the Philippines during the Vietnam war. I was too young to remember it and my family would talked about it in whisper, for fear that Vietnam may invade us being so close to each other. It wasn't until recently that I heard a friend talked about Vietnam war so passionately that I decided to read this book. The book is incredibly detailed. It gave me a vivid pictures of how the war happened, the struggles of the faltering American soldiers, and how Vietnam finally fall under the Communist rule. Reading the book was like being funneled down to a live history documentary where you become a fly on the wall. A great read even if you are not a fan of history.4.0 out of 5 starsVery good picture of the fall of South Vietnam and the takeover by NVABy Chuck Cameron - Marine Mustang PA on February 27, 2014Step by step from north to south it details the moves made by the North Vietnamese and the unwillingness or inability of the ARVN we left well equipped in some respect but lacking will, guts and leadership to withstand the invasion from the north. I think the book is both well written factual. America under pressure from media and self-serving politicians abandoned South Vietnam and left it without air power and support necessary to hold its own against a powerful and determined enemy, therefore all the other weapons and support were not sufficient. Perhaps a lesson that should have been learned by the USA but unfortunately it appears it hasn't as we get involved ad pullout of other places and as our respect dwindles around the world.I enjoyed reading the book as I do most books involving our military in Vietnam.5.0 out of 5 starsNew light on the fighting abilities of the South VietnameseBy Scott Bailey on March 31, 2014Great book covering the fighting after America left. This book shows the South Vietnamese doing what they could to stop the offensive. One particular part I like the most is the Ranger units and certain South Vietnamese fighting to the last. Great book showing that the south did what they could and did not make it easy for the enemy to conquer.4.0 out of 5 starsTactically ExcellentBy Keith on November 18, 2014This is the only book on the Vietnam that gives a clear view of what the many other books overlook, that is the effect of excellent planning and also clear direction. It remains focused on how the plans and deployments could be used without any dispersion towards panic; despite enormous casualties. The role of the U.S. has been fully confessed to by former Defense Chief McNamara, in his long complete apology, itself a must read to fully understand the total picture.5.0 out of 5 starsIndispensable ResourceBy Frank Scotton on August 17, 2014Black April is an indispensable study resource for understanding one of the most prolonged and tumultuous foreign policy misadventures in the history of the United States of America. I believe, as a participant during that 1962-1975 period, that the most admirable aspect of the author's account is the objectivity with which he examines and then describes dynamics and problems of both sides during the final campaign. It is not easy for an American author to portray the extent to which his own country deceived the government in Saigon in order to extricate the United States of America. Veith, in a non-polemical way, describes our promises not kept and the devastating impact on Republic of Viet Nam combat capability relative to the better equipped/supplied and led PAVN.There is a wealth of essential detail. Readers who delve into other accounts will want to keep Black April at hand as a continuing reference. Maneuver/Battle Zone by Maneuver/Battle Zone, the author (benefiting from newly released materials and accurate translations by Merle Pribbenow) provides description of what both sides comprehended or misunderstood, and how they reacted to each other's moves. For those of us already aware of certain leadership deficiencies in Saigon, it is interesting to learn more about tensions on the other side between field commanders and Hanoi. Finally, depiction of the role played by communist agents providing on-time tactical intelligence is revelatory. Were I to move cross-country again, and bring only five or six books about Viet Nam with me, this would be one of them.5.0 out of 5 starsThe truth must be respected. Thank Mr Veith for telling the truth.By Michael Do on June 9, 2014For many years during and after the Vietnam War, the information of the War has been distorted to the American public. The fall of South Vietnam can be avoided if the American people knew what the North Vietnamese Communists's goals were. And if they knew how bravely our Republic of Vietnam soldiers fought in more than 20 years in the fierce war. We failed because we were not as good as our enemies in term of propaganda.Mr. Veith did the right thing in his valuable work. The book should be sent to all libraries in the USA for everyone will have a new look at the sorrowful past of our Vietnam.I myself, a soldier of South Vietnam, am very proud of all RVN Armed Forces servicemen and women.Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia by Arnold R. Isaacs (1998-12-30): Amazon.com: BooksPaperback, 576 pages39 b&w illus.ISBN:9780801861079December 1998 $41.00Supplemental MaterialsA gripping account of one of the century's most harrowing human catastrophes—the fall of South Vietnam— Without Honor captures the tragedy and the irony of the Vietnam War's last days and examines the consequences of the American military and political decisions that had sustained the war effort for a generation only to lead to the worst foreign policy failure in the nation's history. Arnold Isaacs, who spent the final years of the war in Vietnam as a correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, describes his firsthand observations of the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam—from the 1973 Paris peace agreement to the American evacuation of Saigon and its aftermath—with heartbreaking detail, from the devastated battlefields and villages to the boats filled with terrified refugees. He also provides an historical record of unparalleled accuracy and depth about the strategic decisions made during the war's end game and the intelligence failure that led Americans and their Southeast Asian allies to underestimate the strength and perseverance of the enemy. Drawing on previously classified military documents, field reports from American advisors, eyewitness accounts by soldiers and civilians, and North Vietnamese propaganda broadcasts, Isaacs offers a compelling and compassionate portrait of the impact of America's "Vietnamization" of the conflict and a bracing indictment of political and military leaders in the United States and both Vietnams for the massive human suffering that accompanied the end of the war.Arnold R. Isaacs witnessed the final years of the Vietnam War as a war correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, where he also worked as Washington correspondent and editor. He is the author of the acclaimed Vietnam Shadows: The War, Its Ghosts, and Its Legacy, also available from Johns Hopkins, and coauthor of Pawns of War. Since 1984, he has taught courses on Vietnam at Maryland's Towson University.Editorial Reviews"Reportage at its very best, conveying even now a breathtaking kind of immediacy... This is a meaty, fact-rich book, peppered with interpretations, not judgments... Without Honor deserves attention, for it offers vivid recollections of key moments in the war, set down with honesty by a man who saw and felt deeply."— Douglas Pike - New York Times Book Review"Vivid and very passionate... [Isaacs] succeeds so brilliantly that one almost wishes—before our near-universal national forgetfulness and instinct for self-justification take over for good—that all candidates for public office could be required to pass a public examination of its contents."— Gene Lyons - Newsweek"Impassioned... Isaacs's anguished chapter on the collapse of the city of Da Nang, where the first American Marines had landed in 1965, is reason enough to read his fast-paced report."— John Spragens, Jr. - Commonweal"A sound and interesting narrative, which succeeds in combining vivid images of the war with the statistics and analysis that are essential of historical perspective... A good book."— Times Literary Supplement"A wonderful weave of Isaacs' eyeball-reporting and subsequent, intense research. The thud and blood of combat in the wailing of mortally wounded nations are here. So are the softer sounds of negotiations, riffled documents, the sigh of broken agreements, and the tinkle of glass on conference tables."— Paul Dean - Los Angeles Times Book Review" Without Honor is a courageous and honest book about a period of American history which most would rather forget."— Seymour Hersh"The most complete account of the fall of Indochina... A biting indictment of American policy... The immediacy and impact of his book is compelling."— Reviews in American HistoryTop Customer Reviews5.0 out of 5 starsTrust USA, but have a Plan B, in case we change our minds.By Charles A. Krohn on March 12, 2015I served slightly more than two years in Vietnam, and have always been proud of my service. But as an American, reading for the first time the details of our betrayal and hasty departure, I am depressed, perhaps clinically at times, after reading the details of this super-depressing book. Those who think America does little wrong, all things considered, should avoid this work. But those who wonder why many countries harbor suspicions about getting too close to us, based on our behavior in Vietnam in its final hours, will react to this book about the same way I have. I know we tired of the war, after expending blood and treasure. But the way we withdrew in the midst of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's collapse, will be a source of shame for many years.5.0 out of 5 starsbut I feel like I am learning why the so-called "peace with honor" ...By Tom Weiner on July 15, 2015I've not yet finished Mr. Isaacs book, but I feel like I am learning why the so-called "peace with honor" the American public was sold on was a giant fabrication on every page. The book is gripping, terrifically well-written and illuminating. I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about American history and learning another tragic story that has been either neglected or mis-taught.5.0 out of 5 starsWitness to SlaughterBy SFORD on August 4, 2013Fantastic book about little known tragedies of the Vietnam War. Ninety thousand refugees left DaNang for Phu Quoc Island.... and about forty thousand ultimately went ashore. It was ugly... I was there on a Navy ship. Nobody talks about Phu Quoc Island, but I remember it every day.5.0 out of 5By Stephen B. Coleman Jr. on June 22, 2015No one is better qualified to tell the true story.Amazon.com: Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam (9780547518268): Lewis Sorley: BooksEditorial ReviewsAmazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Author Lewis SorleyQ: How can the loss of Vietnam be blamed on Westmoreland?A: He served for four years as U.S. commander there during the crucial period of the buildup of American ground forces, a flood that eventually reached 543,400 due to Westmoreland’s repeated requests for more and more troops. Given a free hand in deciding how to conduct the war within South Vietnam, he chose to pursue an unavailing war of attrition, which failed miserably. Westmoreland thus squandered four years of support by Congress, much of the American people, and even the media.Q: How did a man as limited as Westmoreland achieve such high rank and position?A: Fueled by ambition, Westmoreland drove himself relentlessly. He was of impressive military mien, energetic, effective at self-promotion, and skillful in cultivating influential sponsors. From his earliest days of service he led his contemporaries, was admired and advanced by his seniors, and progressed rapidly upward. Westmoreland’s strengths eventually propelled him to a level beyond his understanding and abilities.Q: What was Westmoreland’s approach as commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam?A: Westmoreland decided to conduct a war of attrition in which the measure of merit would be body count, the number of enemy killed. His premise was that if he killed enough of their soldiers, the enemy would lose heart and cease its aggression against South Vietnam. He went about this primarily through the use of search and destroy tactics, often involving very large operations in the jungles near South Vietnam’s western borders with Laos and Cambodia.Meanwhile he neglected other crucially important tasks, such as strengthening South Vietnam’s military forces and rooting out the covert infrastructure that enabled the enemy to use coercion and terror to dominate South Vietnam’s rural populace. He was successful in killing a large number of enemy troops, but this did not represent the progress he claimed; the communists simply replaced their losses and continued to fight. Westmoreland was on a treadmill.Q: What are the sources for your account of Westmoreland’s life and career?A: Westmoreland himself provided extensive—and revealing—archival material. His papers, on deposit at the University of South Carolina, run to many thousands of pages. I spent four months going through them.I interviewed about 175 people who had known and served with Westmoreland over the years. One of the most important, and most helpful, was General Bruce Palmer Jr., with whom I spoke dozens of times. Having been Westmoreland’s West Point classmate, then having served under him in Vietnam and subsequently as his Vice Chief of Staff, General Palmer was an authoritative, sympathetic, and invaluable source of both factual information and sensitive insights.Q: What do you hope will be the lasting impression of General Westmoreland?A: It is not a happy story, but I believe it is an important, even essential, one. Unless and until we understand William Childs Westmoreland, we will never fully understand what happened to us in Vietnam, or why.In the end, of course, this is the story of an officer whose strengths propelled him to a level of responsibility beyond his capacity. From early days prideful and image-conscious, Westmoreland developed into a man of incredible industry, driving himself to achieve, forever in a rush, with unbounded ambition and no apparent sense of personal limitations—doing it by the book, even though he hadn’t read the book or studied at any of the Army’s great schools. His ultimate failure would have earned him more sympathy, it seems certain, had he not personally been so fundamentally to blame by reason of his relentless self-promotion.Those who have long been Westmoreland admirers and supporters may be offended by an account that, as they will view it, tarnishes his reputation. But many others, I believe, will welcome a factual, detailed, and well-documented explanation of how and why he failed so completely in his most important assignment; what that failure cost us as a nation; and, most important, what it cost the ill-fated South Vietnamese, who risked all and lost all.Review"This is a terrific book, lively and brisk, and surprisingly interesting. How could this deeply flawed, limited man rise so high in the U.S. Army? This will be the definitive book on Westmoreland, and a must read for anyone who tries to understand the Vietnam War."-Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco and The Gamble" Lewis Sorley's brilliant portrait of General Westmoreland helps us understand why our war lasted so long and ended as it did. This is biography at its finest."- Bui Diem, South Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States (1967-1972)"A riveting history of how ambition corrupted soldierly virtues and led to slyness, hubris and national disaster. A scorching indictment of how generals covered up for each other."-Bing West, author of THE WRONG WAR: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan"To understand the Vietnam War in its totality one must logically try to understand General Westmoreland. Dr. Lewis Sorley has made an enormous contribution by revealing General Westmoreland’s complex personality and the role it played in U.S. foreign policy."-Melvin R. Laird, former Secretary of Defense and nine-term Member of Congress"Reaching beyond the surface to penetrate the enigma of General William C. Westmoreland, Lewis Sorley gathers the recollections of Westy’s Army colleagues, the man’s personal papers, and official records to tell the story of a general who has remained opaque despite the many debates over his role in the Vietnam war. Eye-opening and sometimes maddening, Sorley’s Westmoreland is not to be missed."-John Prados, author of Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable WarProduct detailsPublisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (October 11, 2011)ISBN-10: 0547518269ISBN-13: 978-0547518268Top Customer Reviews5.0 out of 5 starsgreat bookBy L. B on April 6, 2017Wonderfully write. As a member of the US Army, active duty 1969-1971, the information and description is right on. The a general,visited the base to which I was assigned. Many days were spent making the location spotless. Much time and energy expended. He swept out of his vehicle, great coat swirling, made a circle around his vehicle, into his vehicle and disappeared in a cloud of dust. That was the time the General provided to those who labored long and hard to please him.5.0 out of 5 starsComprehensive Biography of Gen. Westmoreland.By John M. Cooper on January 21, 2017My father was assigned to ACSI when Gen. Westmoreland was the CSA. Storley's biography brings this time to life for me. When Westmoreland commanded MACV, Dad was first an aide to Gen. Knowlton and later part of the G-2 Section and II Field Force. I had little idea what II Field Force did, and this biography helped me understand somewhat. It also left me very interested about Gen. Weyand, the II Field Force commander who had a complex relationship with Westmoreland.4.0 out of 5 starsGood ReadByJumpmaster173on March 26, 2017I wonder how things would have turned out if Westmoreland had not been in command? Tragic.....5.0 out of 5 starsA Model Soldier Stretched to the Limit - Caught in a Difficult ConflictBy Carl H. Mcnair Jr. on August 28, 2013Book is candid and clear, but incomplete. While it is well researched from the military tactical aspect, it fails to cover the strategic and political intrigue of the "will to win" versus the "resources and strategy to win". Other books have covered that well, but seems to be minimized in this phase of the war. Excellent reading, but not totally balanced in the political/military sense.5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsBy Christian Walser on January 2, 2017You will find out a lot more about the Vietnam war, its backgrounds, reasons, and effects5.0 out of 5 starsA biography of a General which should be read by everyone who cares about how the USA prosecutes COINBy Sgt. Rock on October 19, 2013I rarely read the memoirs of or biographies about General officers simply because there have been so very few that I admire. I did not admire Gen. Westy Westmoreland and I admire him less after having read Lewis Sorley excellent biography of him. This does not mean that I hate him either, Westmoreland was after all a decent man who was well intentioned in his prosecution of the war in vietnam. He was sadly out of his depth especially intellectually. I actually feel sorry for Westy an emotion bordering on near pity for the man he must have gone to his grave realizing that his bungling of the war killed 58.000. Americans and killed millions of Asians. Westy strikes me as being emblematic of too many Generals a man who feigned high intellect and got by because he was politically hooked and because with his matinee like looks he 'looked like a soldier.' While Westy was in charge of MACV from 1964-early 1968 he wasted nearly 4 years pursuing a policy of 'firepower,' trying to kill his way out of it.' A policy that the majority of the other Generals especially the marine corp generals knew was fatally flawed. In short West squandered 4 irreplaceable years, thousands of US lives, wounded, billions of dollars and much of the prescious good will of the American public and media pursuing a failed strategy. In short Westy lost the war! But damn he did it while looking like a soldier.5.0 out of 5 starsWestmoreland: The General Who Lost VietnamBy Daniel J. Blattenbauer on July 1, 2014The book was very interesting and included how the insiders saw the progression of the Vietnam War over time. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in our military.4.0 out of 5 starsSad but TrueBy M. Dawson on July 12, 2012The picture that Lewis Sorley paints in this book is of an intelligent, dedicated and ambitious military career officer but with a few fatal flaws, namely that he was unimaginative and rigid in his thinking. Westmoreland is consistently portrayed as conformist and "by the book" throughout his life. Enamored first of the Boy Scouts and then of the military, he loved living "in the box". It is no wonder that as the book describes and several reviewers have commented, Westmoreland could not think "outside the box". Not a good choice for the commander who was to develop the strategy for and command the forces of an ever-changing insurgency war in a foreign country with a foreign culture. Sorley paints the picture but lets the readers draw their own conclusion, but the conclusion is inescapable, Westy was not up to the job.I felt that Sorley's earlier book "The Better War" did a better job of making the case that Westmoreland did a poor job in Viet Nam. By contrasting Westmoreland's approach with that of Gen. Creighton Abrams, who took over as MACV commander in 1968, it became clear what a flawed approach Westmoreland's strategy of attrition was, and how a different strategy and different tactics could actually make positive progress in Viet Nam. Unfortunately it was too late. The U. S. press and population had turned against the war and the U. S. was on the way out. This book adds color to "The Better War" by going into more detail about the commander who played such a major roll.As an infantry veteran who served in Viet Nam while Westy was commander my thoughts on him have run the gambit over the years. Although I enjoyed reading this excellent short summery of his life I felt a bit sad when I was finished.