The Gypsies
Charles Godfrey Leland
Verlag: Charles River Editors
Beschreibung
The Gypsies is an overview of gypsy people in many countries.
Verlag: Charles River Editors
The Gypsies is an overview of gypsy people in many countries.
World hunger. Climate change. Crumbling infrastructure. It’s clear that in today’s era of fiscal constraints and political gridlock the government alone can no longer tackle these and other towering social problems. What’s required is a new, more collaborative and productive economic system. The Solution Revolution brings hope—revealing a new economy where players from across the spectrum of business, government, philanthropy, and social enterprise converge to solve big problems and create public value.By erasing public-private sector boundaries, the solution economy is unlocking trillions of dollars in social benefit and commercial value. Where tough societal problems persist, new problem solvers are crowdfunding, ridesharing, app-developing, or impact-investing to design innovative new solutions for seemingly intractable problems. Providing low-cost health care, fighting poverty, creating renewable energy, and preventing obesity are just a few of the tough challenges that also represent tremendous opportunities for those at the vanguard of this movement.Government cannot handle alone the huge challenges facing our global society—and it shouldn’t. We need a different economic paradigm that can flexibly draw on resources, combine efforts, and create value, while improving the lives of citizens. The Solution Revolution shows the way.Zum Buch
Since the end of World War II, democracies typically fell apart by coup d'état or through force. Today, however, they are increasingly eroding at the hands of democratically elected incumbents, who seize control by slowly chipping away at democratic institutions. To better understand these developments, this book examines the role of personalist political parties, or parties that exist primarily to further their leader's career as opposed to promote a specific policy platform. Using original data capturing levels of personalism in the parties of democratically elected leaders from 1991 to 2020, The Origins of Elected Strongmen shows that the rise of personalist parties around the globe is facilitating the decline of democracy. Personalist parties lack both the incentive and capacity to push back against a leader's efforts to expand executive power. As such, leaders backed by personalist parties are more likely to succeed in their efforts to dismantle institutional constraints on their rule. Such attacks on state institutions, in turn, reverberate throughout society, deepening political polarization and weakening supporters' commitment to democratic norms of behavior. In these ways, ruling party personalism erodes horizontal and vertical constraints on a leader, ultimately degrading democracy and raising the risk of democratic failure.Zum Buch
Every week, one in eight Americans place a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot. Americans spend more on lottery tickets annually than on video streaming services, concert tickets, books, and movie tickets combined. The story of lotteries in the United States may seem straightforward: tickets are bought predominately by poor people driven by the wishful belief that they will overcome infinitesimal odds and secure lives of luxury. The reality is more complicated. For a Dollar and a Dream shows how, in an era of stagnant upward mobility, millions of Americans turned to the lottery as their only chance at achieving the American Dream. Gamblers were not the only ones who bet on betting. As voters revolted against higher taxes in the late twentieth century, states saw legalized gambling as a panacea, a way of generating revenue without cutting public services or raising taxes. Alongside stories of lottery winners and losers, Jonathan Cohen shows how gamblers have used prayer to help them win a jackpot, how states tried to pay for schools with scratch-off tickets, and how lottery advertising has targeted lower income and nonwhite communities. For a Dollar and a Dream charts the untold history of the nation's lottery system, revealing how players and policymakers alike got hooked on hopes for a gambling windfall.Zum Buch
People have always been fascinated with the hidden, the mysterious, and the unexplained. Every society has its tall tales and ghost stories, its odd legends, and heroes. Also, every society has its stories of strange beasts, dangerous or benign, that live in the twilight world between the everyday and the legendary. Through most of history, people have been closely tied to nature, hunting in forests and having an intimate knowledge of the animals in their regions. So-called “primitive” peoples were walking encyclopedias of the natural world, and yet most believed there were more creatures lurking in those woods than the ones they usually encountered. Even as the world becomes more connected, the belief in strange creatures continues as strong as ever. As a result, in one sense it shouldn’t be surprising that people across the United States have reported seeing weird cryptids, including giant birds, sea serpents, wolfmen, and a creature so bizarre it defies any rational classification. The only thing these monsters have in common is that all have been seen regularly and reported by seemingly sober, rational witnesses in the United States, even as conventional science suggests these monsters cannot exist and that all the sightings are mistakes, misidentifications, or hoaxes. In some cases, this may be true, but in others, it’s harder to accept. For example, one story about a 10-year-old boy being carried off by a giant bird was witnessed by several other people. Likewise, the Gloucester sea serpent seen by hundreds of people and carefully and scientifically investigated, and during one week in 1909, hundreds if not thousands of people reported seeing the Jersey Devil. Sightings of wolf-like creatures walking on two legs have been reported for more than 100 years.Zum Buch
The Zapotecs were an ancient civilization that flourished in present-day Mexico from 500 BC to 1521 AD. In this book, you'll discover the story of the Zapotecs – a complex, sophisticated culture that left behind a rich legacy of art, architecture, and religious artifacts. You'll explore the Zapotec language, religion, and government, learn about their trade networks, and discover their contributions to the arts. You'll also learn about the major events that shaped the Zapotecs and the legacy they left behind. This book is an essential guide for anyone interested in the Ancient Zapotecs. It offers a unique look into the culture, shedding light on the lives and times of this remarkable civilization. From the secrets of their religious practices to their groundbreaking architecture, you'll gain a newfound appreciation of the Zapotecs and their legacy. Don't miss this chance to explore the world of the Zapotecs! – a culture that has left its mark on the world. Get your copy of this book today and discover the story of the Ancient civilization of the Zapotecs.Zum Buch
2024 INTERNATIONAL PULPWOOD QUEENS AND TIMBER GUYS BOOK CLUB READING NATION BONUS BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER 2024 A richly textured saga of a gay everyman moving from self-doubt to pride.—Kirkus Reviews Leo Marble quickens in the womb during a Broadway show, but his life is lived in the Deep South in conservative Mississippi and laid-back New Orleans. He eventually emerges from the closet to become a journalist and advocate for gay rights and visibility. Along the way, he experiences heartache on an international scale, but keeps his indomitable spirit alive with show tune concerts at his spinet, eventually falling in love with a dedicated meteorologist with higher math skills.Zum Buch