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The Fifth Risk Undoing Democracy by M...
Brief Summary FROM
What are the consequences if the people given control over our government have no idea how it works?
"The election happened," remembers Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, then deputy secretary of the Department of Energy. "And then there was radio silence." Across all departments, similar stories were playing out: Trump appointees were few and far between; those that did show up were shockingly uninformed about the functions of their new workplace. Some even threw away the briefing books that had been prepared for them.
Michael Lewis’s brilliant narrative takes us into the engine rooms of a government under attack by its own leaders. In Agriculture the funding of vital programs like food stamps and school lunches is being slashed. The Commerce Department may not have enough staff to conduct the 2020 Census properly. Over at Energy, where international nuclear risk is managed, it’s not clear there will be enough inspectors to track and locate black market uranium before terrorists do.
Willful ignorance plays a role in these looming disasters. If your ambition is to maximize short-term gains without regard to the long-term cost, you are better off not knowing those costs. If you want to preserve your personal immunity to the hard problems, it’s better never to really understand those problems. There is upside to ignorance, and downside to knowledge. Knowledge makes life messier. It makes it a bit more difficult for a person who wishes to shrink the world to a worldview.
If there are dangerous fools in this book, there are also heroes, unsung, of course. They are the linchpins of the system?those public servants whose knowledge, dedication, and proactivity keep the machinery running. Michael Lewis finds them, and he asks them what keeps them up at night.
ISBN:9781324002642
Author:Michael Lewis
Happiness in This Life by Pope Francis
Brief Summary FROM
Happiness in This Life: A Passionate Meditation on Earthly Existence
A collection of homilies, speeches, and "messages of the day” that brings together Pope Francis’s wisdom on finding happiness in the here and now
For Pope Francis, the appreciation of our everyday lives is a spiritual undertaking. Joy is a divine attribute, and creating joy around us an essential part of faith. Every homily and speech in this book delivers, in warm, engaging language accessible to believers and nonbelievers alike, a key lesson, instructing readers on finding love and happiness in a chaotic world.
Along the way, Pope Francis discusses the sanctity of women’s rights, talks about how the love of sports can bring out our best qualities, and explains why fighting discrimination is the essence of loving thy neighbor. He shares personal stories and anecdotes from his life, provides comforting messages of hope, and discusses the ways flawed families can make you a better person. The core ideas of Francis’s papacy—mercy, support for marginalized people, and diplomacy—shine through.
ISBN:9780525510970
Author:Pope Francis
The Finance Curse How global finance ...
Brief Summary
Global finance is a system that works for the few and against the many.
We need finance – but when finance grows too big it becomes a curse. The City of London is the single biggest drain on our resources; it sucks talent out of every sphere, it siphons wealth and hoovers up government time. Yet to be ‘competitive’, we’re told we must turn a blind eye to money-laundering and appease big business with tax cuts. We are told global finance is about wealth creation; the reality is wealth extraction.
Tracing the curse back through economic history, Shaxson uncovers how we got to this point. He exposes offshore tax havens; the uncontrolled growth of monopolies; the myths around the Celtic Tiger and its low corporate tax rate; the bizarre industry of wealth management; the destructive horrors of private equity; and the sinister ‘Competitiveness Agenda’.
Nicholas Shaxson revealed the dark heart of tax havens long before the Panama and Paradise Papers. Now he tells the explosive story of how finance established a stranglehold on society and points us towards a way out.
This is a book that none of us can afford to ignore.
ISBN:9781847925381
Author:Nicholas Shaxson
Shaping The Future of The Fourth Indu...
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing everything – from the way we relate to each other, to the work we do, the way our economies work, and what it means to be human. We cannot let the brave new world that technology is currently creating simply emerge. All of us need to help shape the future we want to live in. But what do we need to know and do to achieve this?
World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab's 2016 book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, revealed the extent of change tearing through our world. We live at a momentous time in history, one where it is up to us, today, to make sure our technologically-enriched future is safe, ethical, inclusive and sustainable.
This book, shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, builds on these ideas to demonstrate how people from all backgrounds and sectors can influence the way that technology transforms our world. It draws on contributions by more than 200 of the world's leading technology, economic and sociological experts to present a practical guide for citizens, business leaders, social influencers and policy-makers. Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution outlines the most important dynamics of the technology revolution, highlights important stakeholders that are often overlooked in our discussion of the latest scientific breakthroughs, and explores 12 different technology areas central to the future of humanity.
Emerging technologies are not predetermined forces out of our control, nor are they simple tools with known impacts and consequences. The exciting capabilities provided by artificial intelligence, distributed ledger systems and crypto currencies, advanced materials and biotechnologies are already transforming society. The actions we take today – and those we don't – will quickly become embedded in ever-more powerful technologies that surround us and will, very soon, become an integral part of us.
By connecting the dots across a range of often-misunderstood technologies, and by exploring the practical steps that individuals, businesses and governments can take, shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution helps equip readers to shape a truly desirable future at a time of great uncertainty and change.
We Were Eight Years in Power An Ameri...
Brief Summary
"We were eight years in power" was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. Now Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America's "first white president."
But the story of these present-day eight years is not just about presidential politics. This book also examines the new voices, ideas, and movements for justice that emerged over this period--and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nation's old and unreconciled history. Coates powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from his intimate and revealing perspective--the point of view of a young writer who begins the journey in an unemployment office in Harlem and ends it in the Oval Office, interviewing a president.
We Were Eight Years in Power features Coates's iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including Fear of a Black President, The Case for Reparations and The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration, along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coates's own experiences, observations, and intellectual development, capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.
ISBN:9780399590566
Author:Ta Nehisi Coates
Confucius on Leadership by John Adair
Brief Summary
A path to effective leadership using the wisdom of the ancient philosopher
Few things are more important than the quality and credibility of leaders, as they play a vital role in every aspect of our lives, yet strong leadership is a difficult skill to master. Good leaders must learn not only to manage, analyze, and appraise, but also to encourage, improve, and inspire.
Here, a leadership training expert explains how Confucian philosophy can help one become a better leader. He demonstrates how, far from merely being interesting ideas from centuries ago, Confucius's sayings, or Analects, can help readers to develop all aspects of leadership ability—from communication and creativity to motivation and decision-making.
Whether one already has a team or an organization, or has aspirations to build one, this unique combination of ancient and modern wisdom will help build the skills needed to be the best leader possible.
ISBN:9781447218807
Author:John Adair
God Is Not a Christian by Desmond Tutu
Brief Summary
Biographer John Allen collects the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's most profound, controversial, and historic words in this inspiring anthology of speeches, interviews, and sermons that have rocked the world.
An unforgettable look at the South African pastor’s deeply rooted empathy and penetrating wisdom, God Is Not a Christian is perfect for anyone moved by of Martin Luther King Jr "I Have a Dream” speech or Nelson Mandela’s stirring autobiography Conversations with Myself, brilliantly connecting readers with the courageous and much-needed moral vision that continues to change countless lives around the globe.
ISBN:9780061874628
Author:Desmond Tutu
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Gr...
Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves.
We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people.
Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far.
Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defense.
Inside Al Shabaab by Harun Maruf and ...
One of the most powerful Islamic militant groups in Africa, Al-Shabaab exerts Taliban-like rule over millions in Somalia and poses a growing threat to stability in the Horn of Africa. Somalis risk retaliation or death if they oppose or fail to comply with Al-Shabaab-imposed restrictions on aspects of everyday life such as clothing, media, sports, interpersonal relations, and prayer.
Inside Al-Shabaab: The Secret History of Al-Qaeda's Most Powerful Ally recounts the rise, fall, and resurgence of this overlooked terrorist organization and provides an intimate understanding of its connections with Al-Qaeda. Drawing from interviews with former Al-Shabaab militants, including high-ranking officials, military commanders, police, and foot soldiers, authors Harun Maruf and Dan Joseph reveal the motivations of those who commit their lives to the group and its violent jihadist agenda.
A wealth of sources including US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks, letters taken from the Pakistani hideout of Osama bin Laden, case files from the prosecution of American Al-Shabaab members, emails from Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, and Al-Shabaab's own statements and recruiting videos inform Maruf and Joseph's investigation of the United States' campaign against Al-Shabaab and how the 2006 US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia gave the group the popular support it needed to radicalize ordinary citizens and become a powerful movement.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yu...
In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today's most pressing issues.
How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children?
Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today's most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive.
In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis?
Harari's unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading.
The Restless Wave by John McCain and ...
Brief Summary
In this candid new political memoir from Senator John McCain, an American hero reflects on his life—and what matters most.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years. Maybe, with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.
So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Always the fighter, McCain attacks the "spurious nationalism” and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bi-partisanship. He tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service, including his work with another giant of the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy. Senator McCain recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trump’s statements and policies. At the same time, he offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency.
The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.
ISBN:9781501178009
Author:John McCain and Mark Salter
Inside Camp David The Private World o...
Brief Summary
The first-ever insider account, timed to the 75th anniversary of Camp David
Never before have the gates of Camp David been opened to the public. Intensely private and completely secluded, the president's personal campground is situated deep in the woods, up miles of unmarked roads that are practically invisible to the untrained eye. Now, for the first time, we are allowed to travel along the mountain route and directly into the fascinating and intimate complex of rustic residential cabins, wildlife trails, and athletic courses that make up the presidential family room.
For seventy-five years, Camp David has served as the president's private retreat. A home away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, this historic site is the ideal place for the First Family to relax, unwind, and, perhaps most important, escape from the incessant gaze of the media and the public. It has hosted decades of family gatherings for thirteen presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama, including holiday celebrations, reunions, and even a wedding.
But more than just a weekend getaway, Camp David has also been the site of private meetings and high-level summits with foreign leaders to foster diplomacy. Former Camp David commander Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione, CEC, USN (Ret.), takes us deep into this enigmatic and revered sanctuary.
Combining fascinating first-person anecdotes of the presidents and their families with storied history and interviews with commanders both past and present, he reveals the intimate connection felt by the First Families with this historic retreat.
ISBN:9780316439916
Author:Michael Giorgione
The Growth Delusion The Wealth and We...
Brief Summary
A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growth
We live in a society in which a priesthood of economists, wielding impenetrable mathematical formulas, set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decide how much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out profligate banks.
The backlash we are currently witnessing suggests that people are turning against the experts and their faulty understanding of our lives. Despite decades of steady economic growth, many citizens feel more pessimistic than ever, and are voting for candidates who voice undisguised contempt for the technocratic elite. For too long, economics has relied on a language which fails to resonate with people's actual experience, and we are now living with the consequences.
In this powerful, incisive book, David Pilling reveals the hidden biases of economic orthodoxy and explores the alternatives to GDP, from measures of wealth, equality, and sustainability to measures of subjective wellbeing. Authoritative, provocative, and eye-opening, The Growth Delusion offers witty and unexpected insights into how our society can respond to the needs of real people instead of pursuing growth at any cost.
ISBN:9780525572503
Author:David Pilling
3 Kings Diddy Dr Dre Jay Z and Hip Ho...
Brief Summary
Tracing the careers of hip-hop's three most dynamic stars, this deeply reported history brilliantly examines the entrepreneurial genius of the first musician tycoons: Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z
Being successful musicians was simply never enough for the three kings of hip-hop. Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z lifted themselves from childhood adversity into tycoon territory, amassing levels of fame and wealth that not only outshone all other contemporary hip-hop artists, but with a combined net worth of well over $2 billion made them the three richest American musicians, period. Yet their fortunes have little to do with selling their own albums: between Diddy's Ciroc vodka, Dre's $3 billion sale of his Beats headphones to Apple, and Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service and other assets, these artists have transcended pop music fame to become lifestyle icons and moguls.
Hip-hop is no longer just a musical genre; it's become a way of life that encompasses fashion, film, food, drink, sports, electronics and more - one that has opened new paths to profit and to critical and commercial acclaim. Thanks in large part to the Three Kings-who all started their own record labels and released classic albums before moving on to become multifaceted businessmen-hip-hop has been transformed from a genre spawned in poverty into a truly global multibillion-dollar industry.
These men are the modern embodiment of the American Dream, but their stories as great thinkers and entrepreneurs have yet to be told in full. Based on a decade of reporting, and interviews with more than 100 sources including hip-hop pioneers Russell Simmons and Fab 5 Freddy; new-breed executives like former Def Jam chief Kevin Liles and venture capitalist Troy Carter; and stars from Swizz Beatz to Shaquille O'Neal, 3 Kings tells the fascinating story of the rise and rise of the three most influential musicians in America.
ISBN:9780316316538
Author:Zack OMalley Greenburg
Vusi Business and Life Lessons from a...
Brief Summary
‘I have learned the truth about the world: that it isn’t as round as a tennis ball, and it isn’t shaped like itself. It is shaped the way we shape it, according to the way we see it, the way we mould it to our ambitions and our destiny. I know the color of who I am. I am a black man, running for my life, for my freedom, for opportunity born from struggle, possibility born from sacrifice.
And I am running too, for my father, who never became what he hoped to be, and who never got to see what his children would one day become.’ Maverick. Leadership genius. Self-made millionaire. Dragon. The rock star of public speaking. Vusi Thembekwayo has been called many things.
Join him in his inspiring journey from the township to the top echelons of South African business, to becoming one of youngest directors of a listed company and CEO of a boutique investment firm. As a 'Dragons' Den' judge and a sought-after public speaker across the globe, Vusi doesn't just talk business – he lives it. Now you can learn the secret of his success and how to shape your own destiny.
"
ISBN:9780624077718
Author:Vusi Thembekwayo
Digital Democracy Analogue Politics H...
From the upheavals of recent national elections to the success of the #MyDressMyChoice feminist movement, digital platforms have already had a dramatic impact on political life in Kenya – one of the most electronically advanced countries in Africa.
While the impact of the Digital Age on Western politics has been extensively debated, there is still little appreciation of how it has been felt in developing countries such as Kenya, where Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other online platforms are increasingly a part of everyday life.
Written by a respected Kenyan activist and researcher at the forefront of political online struggles, this book presents a unique contribution to the debate on digital democracy. For traditionally marginalised groups, particularly women and people with disabilities, digital spaces have allowed Kenyans to build new communities which transcend old ethnic and gender divisions. But the picture is far from wholly positive.
Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics explores the drastic efforts being made by elites to contain online activism, as well as how ‘fake news’, a failed digital vote-counting system and the incumbent president's recruitment of Cambridge Analytica contributed to tensions around the 2017 elections.
Reframing digital democracy from the African perspective, Nyabola’s ground-breaking work opens up new ways of understanding our current global online era.
Rulings on Women From the Quran and t...
Biography of Prophet Muhammad by Imam...
Brief Summary
This book is a masterpiece biography of the beloved Prophet (PBUH). It covers his whole life, starting from the history of the Arabs, to his death.
It won the prize for the best biography of Prophet Muhammad. It is definitely a must-have for every Muslim house.
ISBN:9781507584422
Author:Imam Kathir
This Beloved PBUH Smiling
Brief Summary
The Arabic word "dahika" as attributed to the Prophet (PBUH) constitutes the common denominator of this book. It has been translated with the English infinitive "to smile" and not "to laugh" because the real meaning of dahika "as attributed to the Prophet (PBUH)* can be rendered into English through "to smile" and not "to laugh". In his Fathul-Bari Imam Ibn Hajar has mentioned that one of the qualities of the Prophet (PBUH) is that his dahik (laughing) was the same like tabassum or smiling (of others).
"Your smiling in the face of your
(Muslim) brother is an act of charity " It has also been narrated that Abdullah Ibnul-
Harith Ibn Jaz', may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I have never seen anyone who would smile much more than the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)."
Furthermore, Ibn "Umar, May Allah be pleased with him, was once asked, "Did the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) use to laugh?" He answered, "Yes, but the faith in their hearts was bigger (i.e., superior) than mountains."
ISBN:9789776005310
Author:Dar Al Manarah
Muslim Christian Interactions Past Pr...
Brief Summary
Muslim Christian Interactions (Past, Present, Future) By: Yahya M. A. Ondigo In the Light of the past, with hope for the future, Muslim Christian Interactions: Past, Present & Future addresses a subject that is vital to the 21st century.
it provides as in depth study of Islam and Christianity taking an analytical approach to their respective edicts while comparing and contrasting them, it offers an investigation of religious concepts with respect to logic and scientific knowledge, and considers the true role and mission of religious figures of both faiths, with a past full of oppression from leaders of both faiths, against their respective doctrines and principles,
ISBN:9786035010856
Author:Yahya M . A Ondigo
