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  The Mind of the Minister -...

  Tom Browne

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  Britain's most important relationship, between civil servants and ministers, has reached breaking point. Drawing on interviews with former government ministers and Permanent Secretaries – including Vince Cable, Caroline Flint, Rory Stewart, Philip Rutnam, Simon McDonald and Una O'Brien – The Mind of the Minister provides expert guidance and recommendations for how this vital relationship can improve.
  Centuries of carefully built trust and mutual understanding have been undermined and strained in recent years, not least by mismanagement at the highest level, a scorched-earth approach to constitutional norms and the testing of civil service integrity. This relationship now needs urgent attention.
  Ministers, famously, begin the job with an hour's notice and often know little about the department they've landed in. They bring energy, drive and optimism for change, but over time, these ambitions can be drowned by reality, accountability and crises, as well as the distractions of promotion, demotion or a changing political landscape.
  Civil servants, on the other hand, serve the government of the day and remain in post while ministers come and go. They must be ready to adjust and impartially support a minister of any political persuasion or personality.
  How does this partnership really work in practice? How do both sides adjust to the different chapters in a ministerial lifespan? What happens if rule makers become rule breakers without repercussions? This compelling book lifts the curtain on the minister–civil servant partnership, highlighting that this crucial relationship must improve – for the sake of our democracy.

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  The Art of the Pharaohs -...

  Omar Khalil

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  Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most iconic and influential art forms in history. Spanning over three millennia, it provides a deep insight into the culture, religion, and beliefs of ancient Egyptian society. The art of Egypt is characterized by its symbolic use of colors, the strict adherence to formal rules of representation, and its focus on the afterlife. It was primarily created for religious, funerary, and commemorative purposes, serving as a medium to honor the gods and pharaohs, as well as to ensure a successful passage into the afterlife for the deceased. 
  The origins of Egyptian art can be traced back to the early dynastic periods, where it evolved in response to both religious needs and political structures. As the power of the pharaohs grew, so did the complexity and grandeur of Egyptian art. The early works were heavily influenced by the religious beliefs that governed life and death. Art was not seen as a form of personal expression but rather as a tool to serve divine and societal purposes. The rigid style and symbolic representations seen in Egyptian art reflect the culture's focus on order, permanence, and the divine, rather than individualism or naturalism. 
  Key materials used in Egyptian art included stone, wood, and metals, often adorned with vibrant pigments. The Egyptians were skilled in creating sculptures, jewelry, and paintings that survived for thousands of years due to their mastery of preservation techniques. The most recognizable aspects of Egyptian art include the distinctive posture and proportions in their sculptures, as well as the use of vibrant, symbolic colors in their paintings. These works were often intended for tombs, temples, and other sacred spaces, ensuring the continued favor of the gods and providing a connection to the divine realm.

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  In Search of the Romanovs - A...

  Peter Sarandinaki

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  In 1918 a famed general of the Russian White Army battled through the Red Army to save Emperor Nicholas II—but he arrived too late. The Romanovs had already been murdered. 
   
   
   
  In this thrilling true-life detective story, we follow Anna, the general's courageous young daughter, who fled across the continent and boarded a ship with her husband to escape the bloodshed. Beneath her bunk was a box, and in this box lay grisly evidence of what had become of Russia's royal family, the Romanovs. Generations later, Anna's grandson Peter Sarandinaki set out to finish his great-grandfather's mission to find the Romanovs' remains, enlisting searchers and scientists to finally piece together the answers to some of history's most perplexing questions: What really happened to Tsar Nicholas, Empress Alexandra, and their children? And what about the tsar's brother, Mikhail, who simply disappeared? 
   
   
   
  A riveting and deeply personal story, In Search of the Romanovs reveals hidden truths in the legends about the murder and disappearance of Russia's most famous royal family.

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  The Last Commander - The Once...

  Sami Sadat

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  The compelling inside story of how America abandoned Afghanistan. 
   
   
   
  When America retreated from Kabul amid chaos in 2021, Lieutenant General Sami Sadat, the last commander of the army of the Afghan republic, was still fighting to the end. In this firsthand account, he reveals how his troops were starved of ammunition for two years before the final pullout, while America was glad-handing the Taliban. Although Sadat spent his early career fighting alongside the CIA to track down al-Qaeda in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, it was in conventional combat—leading from the front—that he made his name. In The Last Commander, he contends that Afghanistan could have won the war if support had continued. President Biden may have ended America's longest war, but the story does not end there. Now Sadat's birth country is plunged into barbarism, where women are beaten for showing their face and his former comrades are hunted down and killed. But Sadat is planning to fight back. It will not be easy, but this riveting personal account of combat shows that if anyone can do it, he can. 
   
   
   
  Sadat's story was told in the Emmy Award–winning documentary Retrograde. Now he tells it for himself.

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  Denmark Vesey's Bible - The...

  Jeremy Schipper

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  On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey, a formerly enslaved man, was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina. He was convicted of plotting what might have been the largest insurrection against slaveholders in US history. Witnesses claimed that Vesey appealed to numerous biblical texts to promote and justify the revolt. While sentencing Vesey to death, Lionel Henry Kennedy, a magistrate at the trial, accused Vesey not only of treason but also of "attempting to pervert the sacred words of God into a sanction for crimes of the blackest hue." Denmark Vesey's Bible tells the story of this momentous trial, examining the role of scriptural interpretation in the deadly struggle against American white supremacy and its brutal enforcement. 
   
   
   
  Jeremy Schipper brings the trial and its aftermath vividly to life, drawing on court documents, personal letters, sermons, speeches, and editorials. He shows how Vesey compared people of African descent with enslaved Israelites in the Bible, while his accusers portrayed plantation owners as benevolent biblical patriarchs responsible for providing religious instruction to the enslaved. What emerges is an explosive portrait of an antebellum city in the grips of racial terror, violence, and contending visions of biblical truth.

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  Cognitive Shortcuts That Mislead...

  William Rands

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  This book consists of two titles, which are: 
  - The Confirmation Bias: Confirmation bias is a cognitive phenomenon that plays a significant role in shaping our beliefs and perceptions. It refers to the tendency of individuals to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms their preexisting beliefs or theories, while disregarding or minimizing evidence that contradicts those beliefs. This bias is not limited to any particular field or context and can influence people in a variety of ways, from politics and religion to personal relationships and health decisions. 
  - The Representativeness Heuristic: At its core, the representativeness heuristic simplifies decision-making by allowing individuals to rely on surface-level similarities rather than delving into deeper, more complex analyses. For example, if someone observes a well-dressed, articulate individual discussing financial markets, they might assume the person is a financial expert, even without any concrete evidence. This judgment stems from the resemblance of the observed traits to the prototype of a financial expert. However, such assumptions often overlook critical information, such as actual expertise or experience. 
   

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