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By Leslie C. Gates. 2023
Social polarization has roiled neoliberal political establishments but has rarely culminated in electoral victories for anticapitalist outsiders. Instead, outsiders who…
accommodate capitalists often prevail. Capitalist Outsiders revisits celebrated exemplars of Latin American populism in Mexico and Venezuela to shed light on this phenomenon. It reveals how anticorruption campaigns boosted Mexico’s neoliberal-era capitalist outsider by drowning out salacious corporate scandals; how Venezuela’s apparently enlightened capitalist outsiders of the 1940s relied on segregationist, punitive labor relations; and how corporate insiders of Venezuela’s neoliberal political establishment unwittingly validated the anticapitalist Hugo Chávez as the true outsider. It weaves together these case studies to reveal an unlikely common origin for capitalist outsiders in both countries: their sequential insertion into global oil production and Mexico’s early twentieth-century radical oil workers. Capitalist Outsiders moves beyond cataloging “populist” traits and tactics or devising the institutions that might avert their rise. Instead, it specifies the distinct social bases of capitalist vs. anticapitalist outsiders. It exposes how a nation’s earlier incorporation into the capitalist world economy casts a long shadow over neoliberal-era outsider politics.By Douglas A. Irwin and Maurice Obstfeld, editors. 2024
Fifty years ago, in March 1973, the major industrial economies abandoned fixed exchange rates, conclusively ending the post–World War II…
Bretton Woods arrangements. Proponents believed their action would strengthen countries’ ability to reconcile domestic macroeconomic policies with the balance of payments. But opponents feared it would initiate a new era of instability and financial shocks. Since 1973, much of the world has moved away from fixed exchange rates to a variety of regimes based on considerable exchange rate flexibility. But international trade conflicts and unstable capital flows, along with a rise in financial crises around the world, have nonetheless accompanied the global shift away from exchange rate pegs.How has the international monetary system performed over the past half century? What have we learned from the experience of more flexible exchange rates? What has been the impact on macroeconomic and financial stability in the years since? This book derives from papers delivered at a conference that brought together leading economists and policymakers to debate and discuss these questions, as well as to assess the evolution of the international monetary system, the dominance of the US dollar, and the role of exchange rate regimes in shaping the world economy.By Stanley L. Engerman, Jacob Metzer. 2004
By Byron Reese. 2018
&“The Fourth Age not only discusses what the rise of A.I. will mean for us, it also forces readers to…
challenge their preconceptions. And it manages to do all this in a way that is both entertaining and engaging.&” —The New York TimesAs we approach a great turning point in history when technology is poised to redefine what it means to be human, The Fourth Age offers fascinating insight into AI, robotics, and their extraordinary implications for our species.In The Fourth Age, Byron Reese makes the case that technology has reshaped humanity just three times in history: - 100,000 years ago, we harnessed fire, which led to language.- 10,000 years ago, we developed agriculture, which led to cities and warfare.- 5,000 years ago, we invented the wheel and writing, which lead to the nation state.We are now on the doorstep of a fourth change brought about by two technologies: AI and robotics. The Fourth Age provides extraordinary background information on how we got to this point, and how—rather than what—we should think about the topics we&’ll soon all be facing: machine consciousness, automation, employment, creative computers, radical life extension, artificial life, AI ethics, the future of warfare, superintelligence, and the implications of extreme prosperity.By asking questions like &“Are you a machine?&” and &“Could a computer feel anything?&”, Reese leads you through a discussion along the cutting edge in robotics and AI, and, provides a framework by which we can all understand, discuss, and act on the issues of the Fourth Age, and how they&’ll transform humanity.By Eric Bischoff, Jeremy Roberts. 2006
Eric Bischoff has been called pro wrestling's most hated man. He's been booed, reviled, and burned in effigy. Fans have…
hurled everything from beer bottles to fists at him. Industry critics have spewed a tremendous amount of venom about his spectacular rise and stupendous crash at World Championship Wrestling. But even today, Eric Bischoff's revolutionary influence on the pro wrestling industry can be seen on every television show and at every live event. Bischoff has kept quiet while industry "pundits" and other know-it-alls pontificated about what happened during the infamous Monday Night Wars. Basing their accounts on third- and fourth-hand rumors and innuendo, the so-called experts got many more things wrong than right. Now, in Controversy Creates Cash, Bischoff tells what really happened. Beginning with his days as a salesman for Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association, Bischoff takes readers behind the scenes of wrestling, writing about the inner workings of the business in a way never before revealed. He demonstrates how controversy helped both WCW and WWE. Eric gives the real numbers behind WCW's red ink -- far lower than reported -- and talks about how Turner Broadcasting's merger with Time Warner, and then Time Warner's merger with AOL, devastated not only WCW but many creative and entrepreneurial businesses within the conglomerate. Bischoff has surprisingly kind words for old rivals like Vince McMahon, but pulls no punches with friends and enemies alike. Among his revelations: How teaming with Mickey Mouse turned WCW into a national brand. Why Hulk Hogan came to WCW. Why he fired Jesse Ventura for sleeping on the job. Why Steve Austin didn't deserve another contract at WCW, and how Bischoff's canning him was the best thing that ever happened to Austin. How Ted Turner decided WCW should go head-to-head against Raw on Monday nights. How Nitro revolutionized wrestling. Where the New World Order really began. How corporate politics killed WCW. And how he found his inner heel and learned to love being the guy everyone loves to despise. Bischoff brings a surprisingly personal touch to the story, detailing his rough-and-tumble childhood in Detroit, talking about his family and the things he did to cope with the stress of the high-octane media business. Now a successful entertainment producer as well as a wrestling personality, Bischoff tells how he found contentment after being unceremoniously "sent home" from WCW. Love him or hate him, readers will never look at a pro wrestling show quite the same way after reading Bischoff's story in Controversy Creates Cash.By Alan C. Greenberg, Mark Singer. 2010
Former CEO of Bear Stearns, Alan Greenberg, sheds light on his life as one of Wall Street&’s most respected figures…
in this candid and fascinating account of a storied career and its stunning conclusion. On March 16, 2008, Alan Greenberg, former CEO and current chairman of the executive committee of Bear Stearns, found himself in the company&’s offices on a Sunday. More remarkable by far than the fact that he was in the office on a Sunday is what he was doing: participating in a meeting of the board of directors to discuss selling the company he had worked decades to build for a fraction of what it had been worth as little as ten days earlier. In less than a week the value of Bear Stearns had diminished by tens of billions of dollars.As Greenberg recalls, "our most unassailable assumption—that Bear Stearns, an independent investment firm with a proud eighty-five-year history, would be in business tomorrow—had been extinguished. . . . What was it, exactly, that had happened, and how, and why?" This book provides answers to those questions from one of Wall Street&’s most respected figures, the man most closely identified with Bear Stearns&’ decades of success.The Rise and Fall of Bear Stearns is Alan Greenberg&’s remarkable story of ascending to the top of one of Wall Street&’s venerable powerhouse financial institutions. After joining Bear Stearns in 1949, Greenberg rose to become formally head of the firm in 1978.No one knows the history of Bear Stearns as he does; no one participated in more key decisions, right into the company&’s final days. Greenberg offers an honest, clear-eyed assessment of how the collapse of the company surprised him and other top executives, and he explains who he thinks was responsible.In the bestselling tradition of The Secret, learn how to use the law of attraction for your career to access…
greater financial success and fulfillment in this positive, detailed guide from celebrated life coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Having It All, Christy Whitman.Whether your vision of an ideal career is starting your own business, rising to a different position within your current company, or landing your very first job, Quantum Success will help you make the prosperity and fulfillment of your dreams a reality.Through her accessible, empowering writing, Christy Whitman shares the fundamental principles that she&’s discovered after more than twenty years of studying universal forces—such as polarity, alignment, resonance, momentum, and magnetism—and explains how to harness these forces to optimize your wealth and career. Exemplified by numerous case studies, Christy&’s ten-step plan teaches you how to establish inner relationships with future clients, associates, and employees, work with light and energy to magnetize opportunities and resources, build a culture of value and appreciation that brings out the very best in those around you, and operate at your highest capacity.By mastering this process, you will enable yourself to achieve unimaginable success in your career, however you define it.By Jill Abramson. 2015
Former executive editor of The New York Times and one of our most eminent journalists Jill Abramson provides a &“valuable…
and insightful&” (The Boston Globe) report on the disruption of the news media over the last decade, as shown via two legacy (The New York Times and The Washington Post) and two upstart (BuzzFeed and VICE) companies as they plow through a revolution that pits old vs. new media.&“A marvelous book&” (TheNew York Times Book Review), Merchants of Truth is the groundbreaking and gripping story of the precarious state of the news business.The new digital reality nearly kills two venerable newspapers with an aging readership while creating two media behemoths with a ballooning and fickle audience of millennials. &“Abramson provides this deeply reported insider account of an industry fighting for survival. With a keen eye for detail and a willingness to interrogate her own profession, Abramson takes readers into the newsrooms and boardrooms of the legacy newspapers and the digital upstarts that seek to challenge their dominance&” (Vanity Fair). We get to know the defenders of the legacy presses as well as the outsized characters who are creating the new speed-driven media competitors. The players include Jeff Bezos and Marty Baron (TheWashington Post), Arthur Sulzberger and Dean Baquet (TheNew York Times), Jonah Peretti (BuzzFeed), and Shane Smith (VICE) as well as their reporters and anxious readers.Merchants of Truth raises crucial questions that concern the well-being of our society. We are facing a crisis in trust that threatens the free press. &“One of the best takes yet on journalism&’s changing fortunes&” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Abramson&’s book points us to the future.By Christopher Leonard. 2014
An investigative journalist takes you inside the corporate meat industry—a shocking, in-depth report every American should read.How much do you…
know about the meat on your dinner plate? Journalist Christopher Leonard spent more than a decade covering the country’s biggest meat companies, including four years as the national agribusiness reporter for the Associated Press. Now he delivers the first comprehensive look inside the industrial meat system, exposing how a handful of companies executed an audacious corporate takeover of the nation’s meat supply.Leonard’s revealing account shines a light on the inner workings of Tyson Foods, a pioneer of the industrial system that dominates the market. You’ll learn how the food industry got to where it is today, and how companies like Tyson have escaped the scrutiny they deserve. You’ll discover how these companies are able to raise meat prices for consumers while pushing down the price they pay to farmers. And you’ll even see how big business and politics have derailed efforts to change the system, from a years-long legal fight in Iowa to the Obama administration’s recent failed attempt to pass reforms.Important, timely, and explosive, The Meat Racket is an unvarnished portrait of the food industry that now dominates America’s heartland.By Maryanne O'Brien. 2021
Discover your communication style and elevate consciousness at work to build trust, strengthen collaboration, relieve stress, and improve well-being. Our…
work lives revolve around effective communication. It is essential for cultivating trust and team collaboration, as well as strengthening our motivation and well-being at work. And with teams experiencing more anxiety, stress, and burnout than ever before, strong communication skills have never been more essential.The key to this clear and effective communication begins with understanding our own personal communication styles. Bringing our whole and authentic selves to work improves relationships and teamwork. The better we know what drives us, how we impact others, and how our wellbeing impacts our communication, the faster we can close communication gaps to build healthy, successful, and satisfying work lives and more intentional careers. Drawing on more than a decade of original research on communication tendencies and proven mindfulness and habit-formation techniques, Maryanne O&’Brien has developed a proprietary model of communication styles: Expressive, Reserved, Direct, or Harmonious.In The Elevated Communicator, you will find: -A self-assessment to discover your style -An in-depth style profile to strengthen self-awareness and help you play to your strengths -Strategies to manage your communication style under stress -Practices to improve your wellbeing and reduce conflict -Ways to care for your communication style and improve your wellbeing -Methods to flex toward other styles to communicate more effectively with people -Advice on building healthy, trusted, and productive working relationshipsPerfect for fans of StrengthsFinders 2.0 and Gretchen Rubin&’s The Four Tendencies, The Elevated Communicator is a &“refreshing, insightful, and user-friendly&” (Tara Peyerl, executive coach and success director, Salesforce) approach to develop daily practices to spiral up, raise consciousness, inspire accountability, and discover your full potential at work.By Robert Bellah. 1957
Robert N. Bellah's classic study, Tokugawa Religion does for Japan what Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of…
Capitalism did for the West. One of the foremost authorities on Japanese history and culture, Bellah explains how religion in the Tokugawa period (160-1868) established the foundation for Japan's modern industrial economy and dispels two misconceptions about Japanese modernization: that it began with Admiral Perry's arrival in 1868, and that it rapidly developed because of the superb Japanese ability for imitation. In this revealing work, Bellah shows how the native doctrines of Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto encouraged forms of logic and understanding necessary for economic development. Japan's current status as an economic superpower and industrial model for many in the West makes this groundbreaking volume even more important today than when it was first published in 1957. With a new introduction by the author.By Michael Hiltzik. 2011
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal began as a program of short-term emergency relief measures and evolved into a truly transformative concept…
of the federal government’s role in Americans’ lives. More than an economic recovery plan, it was a reordering of the political system that continues to define America to this day. With The New Deal: A Modern History, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Michael Hiltzik offers fresh insights into this inflection point in the American experience. Here is an intimate look at the alchemy that allowed FDR to mold his multifaceted and contentious inner circle into a formidable political team. The New Deal: A Modern History shows how Roosevelt, through the force of his personality, commanded the loyalty of the rock-ribbed fiscal conservative Lewis Douglas and the radical agrarian Rexford Tugwell alike; of Harold Ickes and Harry Hopkins, one a curmudgeonly miser, the other a spendthrift idealist; of Henry Morgenthau, gentleman farmer of upstate New York; and of Frances Perkins, a prim social activist with her roots in Brahmin New England. Yet the same character traits that made him so supple and self-confident a leader would sow the seeds of the New Deal’s end, with a shocking surge of Rooseveltian misjudgments. Understanding the New Deal may be more important today than at any time in the last eight decades. Conceived in response to a devastating financial crisis very similar to America’s most recent downturn—born of excessive speculation, indifferent regulation of banks and investment houses, and disproportionate corporate influence over the White House and Congress—the New Deal remade the country’s economic and political environment in six years of intensive experimentation. FDR had no effective model for fighting the worst economic downturn in his generation’s experience; but the New Deal has provided a model for subsequent presidents who faced challenging economic conditions, right up to the present. Hiltzik tells the story of how the New Deal was made, demonstrating that its precepts did not spring fully conceived from the mind of FDR—before or after he took office. From first to last the New Deal was a work in progress, a patchwork of often contradictory ideas. Far from reflecting solely progressive principles, the New Deal also accommodated such conservative goals as a balanced budget and the suspension of antitrust enforcement. Some programs that became part of the New Deal were borrowed from the Republican administration of Herbert Hoover; indeed, some of its most successful elements were enacted over FDR’s opposition. In this bold reevaluation of a decisive moment in American history, Michael Hiltzik dispels decades of accumulated myths and misconceptions about the New Deal to capture with clarity and immediacy its origins, its legacy, and its genius.A veteran Wall Street Journal editor and authority on branding, marketing and reputation provides the 18 crucial rules for companies…
to follow in developing and protecting their reputation, which can be their most valuable asset or their worst nightmare. A must read book for senior executives, consultants, advertising, public relations, and marketing professionals.From Enron and WorldCom to the Catholic Church and Major League Baseball, reputation crises have never been more widespread. Now Ronald J. Alsop, a veteran Wall Street Journal authority on branding and reputation management, explains the dangers—and gives organizations the eighteen crucial laws to follow in developing and protecting their reputations. Consider this example of a simple decision made by a low-ranking employee: When rescue workers at the site of the World Trade Center disaster sought bottled water from a nearby Starbucks outlet, they complained that an employee charged them for it. In a matter of hours, the Internet had picked up the story and Starbucks' carefully cultivated worldwide reputation was quickly besmirched. This is just one instance among many of how the business world, ever more global and competitive, has become increasingly difficult to navigate. Studies have demonstrated the powerful impact of reputation on profits and stock prices, and yet less than half of all companies have a formal system for measuring reputation. Clearly, companies in every industry—from Dow Chemical to Disney to DaimlerChrystler—have much more to learn. It is still the rare company that realizes the full value of its reputation: how corporate reputation can enhance business in good times, become a protective halo in turbulent times, and be destroyed in an instant by people at the lowest or highest levels of the corporate ladder. Mr. Alsop provides eighteen thoroughly documented lessons based on years of experience covering every aspect of corporate reputation, with a clear distillation of the complex principles at the heart of a reputation. He explains: • How to protect your reputation when the inevitable crisis hits • How to cope with the many hazards in cyberspace • How to create a reputation for vision and industry leadership • How to establish a culture of ethical behavior • How to measure and monitor your ever-changing public image • How to make employees your reputation champions • How to decide when it's time to change your name The result is a book that is important not only for business executives, consultants, and advertising, public relations, and marketing professionals but also for anyone eager to learn more about the companies they work for, buy from, and invest in.By John P. Kotter. 1997
He was one of the most inspirational role models of all time. Thrown into poverty at age four, Konosuke Matsushita…
(Mat-SOSH-ta) struggled with the early deaths of family members, an apprenticeship which demanded sixteen-hour days at age nine, all the problems associated with starting a business with neither money nor connections, the death of his only son, the Great Depression, the horror of World War II in Japan, and more. Yet John P. Kotter shows in this fascinating and instructive book how, instead of being ground down by these hardships, Matsushita grew to be a fabulously successful entrepreneur and business leader, the founder of Japan's General Electric: the $65 billion a year Matsushita Electric Corporation.His accomplishments as a leader, author, educator, philanthropist, and management innovator are astonishing, and outshine even Soichiro Honda, J.C. Penney, Sam Walton, and Henry Ford. In this immensely readable book, Kotter relates how Matsushita created a large business, invented management practices that are increasingly being used today, helped lead his country's economic miracle after World War II wrote dozens of books in his latter years, founded a graduate school of leadership, created Japan's version of a Nobel Prize, and gave away hundreds of millions to good causes.The Matsushita story expands our notion of the possible, even for a sickly youngster who did not have the benefit of a privileged background, education, good looks, or a charismatic presence. It tells us much about leadership, entrepreneurship, a drive for lifelong learning, and their roots. It demonstrates the power of a longterm outlook, idealistic goals, and humility in the face of great success.Matsushita Leadership is both a biography and a set of lessons for careers and corporations in the 21st century. An inspirational story and a business primer, the implications are powerful, for organizations and for living a meaningful life.By Brian Buffini. 2017
Brian Buffini, an Irish immigrant who went from rags to riches, shares his strategies for anyone who wants to achieve…
the American dream in this New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Brian Buffini embodies the classic rags to riches tale: born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he arrived in San Diego, California at nineteen years old with just ninety-two dollars in his pocket. Since then he has become one of his new nation&’s top real estate moguls and a founder of the largest business training company, Buffini & Co., in North America. And Brian isn&’t alone in his circle of success: while immigrants compose thirteen percent of the American population, they are responsible for creating a quarter of all new businesses. So, what&’s their secret? In The Emigrant Edge, Brian shares seven key characteristics that he and other successful immigrants have in common that can help produce a high level of achievement for anyone—no matter their vocation. He then challenges us to leave the comfort of our current work conditions to apply these secrets and achieve the success of our dreams.With a timely message sure to resonate with anyone who wants to prosper in the business world, The Emigrant Edge is a passionate, deeply personal story bound to inspire.So what are the secrets? In The Emigrant Edge, Brian shares seven characteristics that he and other successful immigrants have in common that can help anyone reach a higher level of achievement, no matter their vocation. He then challenges readers to leave the comfort of their current work conditions to apply these secrets and achieve the success of their dreams.The world's leading expert on the global software industry and coauthor of the bestseller Microsoft Secrets reveals the inner workings…
of software giants like IBM, Microsoft, and Netscape and shows what it takes to create, develop, and manage a successful company -- in good times and bad -- in the most fiercely competitive business in the world. In the $600 billion software industry it is the business, not the technology, that determines success or failure. This fact -- one that thousands of once glamorous start-ups have unhappily discovered for themselves -- is the well-documented conclusion of this enormously readable and revealing new book by Michael Cusumano, based on nearly twenty years of research and consulting with software producers around the world. Cusumano builds on dozens of personal experiences and case studies to show how issues of strategy and organization are irrevocably linked with those of managing the technology and demonstrates that a thorough understanding of these issues is vital to success. At the heart of the book Cusumano poses seven questions that underpin a three-pronged management framework. He argues that companies must adopt one of three basic business models: become a products company at one end of the strategic spectrum, a services company at the other end, or a hybrid solutions company in between. The author describes the characteristics of the different models, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how each is more or less appropriate for different stages in the evolution of a business as well as in good versus bad economic times. Readers will also find invaluable Cusumano's treatment of software development issues ranging from architecture and teams to project management and testing, as well as two chapters devoted to what it takes to create a successful software start-up. Highlights include eight fundamental guidelines for evaluating potential software winners and Cusumano's probing analysis, based on firsthand knowledge, of ten start-ups that have met with varying degrees of success. The Business of Software is timely essential reading for managers, programmers, entrepreneurs, and others who follow the global software industry.By Paul S. Auerbach. 2002
Life in the emergency room is often like that in the business world. Both are places of activity and excitement,…
unexpected developments, highs and lows, crises, and great intensity. On the treatment table and in the boardroom, problems must be diagnosed correctly and dealt with as effectively and quickly as possible. Now in Management Lessons from the E.R.: Prescriptions for Success in Your Business, Paul S. Auerbach, M.D. -- a doctor of medicine and of companies -- shows exactly how a professional healer's thought processes can be applied to a business. The result is enlightening, occasionally lighthearted advice that goes far beyond other business management tomes, offering readers real and surprising lessons. Applying such medical truisms as "The patient who isn't screaming may be the one in the most trouble" and "Don't count on luck," Dr. Auerbach provides prescriptions for solving all types of managerial emergencies. Using real-life experiences from his many years as an E.R. physician, COO of public and private medical management companies, and venture capitalist, he teaches executives how to prepare for and remain calm in difficult situations. In this unique book, he shows how responsibility, great expectations, and the impact of failure force doctors to be at the top of their game at all times. From assessing the first symptoms of a patient's or company's problem to determining the quickest and most effective means for treatment, Auerbach details the true-to-life pressures, fears, and challenges one faces both in acute care medicine and in the most vital actions of one's career, and does so with humor, style, and grace. The effect of this wisdom: the ability to deal with any business dilemma, whether it be a short-term setback or the beginning of a more serious condition. The prescriptions here are lessons for success in business and, at the same time, for success in life.By Scott W. Ventrella. 2001
One of the most powerful forces in business today is the positive psychology movement -- overcoming self-defeating attitudes and developing…
our talents and positive traits. Much of the new thinking, in fact, stems directly from the concepts in Norman Vincent Peale's great classic bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking, which has been translated into forty-two languages and has sold over 22 million copies. Now, after years of extensive research and field testing, working in cooperation with the Peale Center and major corporations nationwide, Scott Ventrella has adapted those concepts into a systematic program for people in business to achieve greater levels of personal and professional performance. The Power of Positive Thinking in Business provides a practical way for each of us to develop and actually strengthen the ten traits of a positive thinker. Inevitably, our performance rises to new levels when we learn how to overcome negative attitudinal barriers such as fear, lack of self-confidence, and low self-esteem, and instead develop the traits that characterize a positive thinker: optimism, enthusiasm, belief, integrity, courage, confidence, determination, patience, calmness, and focus. The Power of Positive Thinking in Business encourages us to concentrate on objective, rational thinking instead of self-limiting beliefs and negative self-talk. The result is an increased ability to deal effectively with tough situations and difficult people, in both business environments and personal lives. Together, rational thinking and the ten traits of a positive thinker can turn defeatist behavior into productive actions that will overcome the toughest of challenges with powerful, positive results. Best of all, these practical yet powerful concepts are applicable to businesspeople at all levels, disciplines, and functions within an organization, and have been adapted to appeal to people of all faiths.Too broke or broken, too old or young, too stressed or busy to make your dreams reality? Join Shaun King…
and walk the transformative path to overcoming adversity and achieving success as he reveals practical steps to a life of unlimited possibility.Have you lost a job that you loved, or never even gotten the chance to start? Are you in a rut of mediocre, status-quo living, too tired and stressed to find a way out? Do you wonder whatever happened to the dreams you once dared to dream? Shaun King has been there, and he wants you to know that it’s not too late. Shaun knows firsthand what it’s like to see your dreams fade away right before your eyes; he’s lived through brutal spinal surgeries, had to survive on food stamps, worked four jobs at once, and he nearly died in a car accident that required over 400 stitches on his face alone. But he’s also emerged stronger and overcome the odds to become a successful businessman, social media pioneer, and humanitarian. Now he wants you to know that you can still take the dreams God has placed in your heart, craft them into goals, and actually make those goals into your reality. In an entertaining and conversational style, Shaun King shares the trials, research, and years of practice that have helped him form practical principles and effective strategies for overcoming adversity and achieving success. He encourages you to grasp the truth that your life has more potential than you understand; you just need to face your weakest points and unlock that potential.By Evan D. Fraser, Andrew Rimas. 2010
We are what we eat: this aphorism contains a profound truth about civilization, one that has played out on the…
world historical stage over many millennia of human endeavor. Using the colorful diaries of a sixteenth-century merchant as a narrative guide, Empires of Food vividly chronicles the fate of people and societies for the past twelve thousand years through the foods they grew, hunted, traded, and ate—and gives us fascinating, and devastating, insights into what to expect in years to come. In energetic prose, agricultural expert Evan D. G. Fraser and journalist Andrew Rimas tell gripping stories that capture the flavor of places as disparate as ancient Mesopotamia and imperial Britain, taking us from the first city in the once-thriving Fertile Crescent to today’s overworked breadbaskets and rice bowls in the United States and China, showing just what food has meant to humanity. Cities, culture, art, government, and religion are founded on the creation and exchange of food surpluses, complex societies built by shipping corn and wheat and rice up rivers and into the stewpots of history’s generations. But eventually, inevitably, the crops fail, the fields erode, or the temperature drops, and the center of power shifts. Cultures descend into dark ages of poverty, famine, and war. It happened at the end of the Roman Empire, when slave plantations overworked Europe’s and Egypt’s soil and drained its vigor. It happened to the Mayans, who abandoned their great cities during centuries of drought. It happened in the fourteenth century, when medieval societies crashed in famine and plague, and again in the nineteenth century, when catastrophic colonial schemes plunged half the world into a poverty from which it has never recovered. And today, even though we live in an age of astounding agricultural productivity and genetically modified crops, our food supplies are once again in peril. Empires of Food brilliantly recounts the history of cyclic consumption, but it is also the story of the future; of, for example, how a shrimp boat hauling up an empty net in the Mekong Delta could spark a riot in the Caribbean. It tells what happens when a culture or nation runs out of food—and shows us the face of the world turned hungry. The authors argue that neither local food movements nor free market economists will stave off the next crash, and they propose their own solutions. A fascinating, fresh history told through the prism of the dining table, Empires of Food offers a grand scope and a provocative analysis of the world today, indispensable in this time of global warming and food crises.