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  Shady Characters - The Secret...

  Keith Houston

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  A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. 
   
   
   
  Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)—which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical verses of the early Bible—or the at sign (@), which languished in obscurity for centuries until rescued by the Internet, Keith Houston draws on myriad sources to chart the life and times of these enigmatic squiggles, both exotic (¶) and everyday (&). 
   
   
   
  From the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs, figures as diverse as Charlemagne, Vladimir Nabokov, and George W. Bush cross paths with marks as obscure as the interrobang (?) and as divisive as the dash (—). Ancient Roman graffiti, Venetian trading shorthand, Cold War double agents, and Madison Avenue round out an ever more diverse set of episodes, characters, and artifacts. 
   
   
   
  Ranging across time, typographies, and countries, Shady Characters will delight and entertain all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life.

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  The Thinkers - The Rise of...

  E.J. Fagan

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  Increasingly, political parties have adopted not only different policies, but different sets of facts. As E. J. Fagan argues, partisan think tanks have helped create these alternate realities in their capacity as de facto formal party organizations. Through the analyses generated by aligned think tanks, political elites on both the left and right frequently offer radically different assessments of a policy's consequences. 
   
   
   
  In The Thinkers, Fagan tells the story of how partisan think tanks displaced non-partisan experts to become the closest policy advisors to the Republican and Democratic Parties. He explores their history, how they influence policymakers, and how their influence impacts the polarization of American politics. More broadly, Fagan shows that the rise of partisan think tanks tracks closely with the increase in political polarization since the 1970s. Because they are funded and staffed by strong ideologues, partisan think tanks seek to move their party's preferences to the left or right of center. When they are successful, parties take more extreme positions than if they had only drawn information from non-partisan sources, which increases polarization. A powerful account of the impact of partisan think tanks on American democracy, The Thinkers will reshape our understanding of the fundamental drivers of the US's polarized political system.

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  The Dung Beetles of Liberia

  Daniel V. Meier Jr.

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  Liberia’s oligarchy: The beginning of the end.2019 Grand Prize Winner - Red City ReviewBased on the remarkable true account of a young American who landed in Liberia in 1961.The story weaves drama, dark comedy, and romance throughout a rich tapestry of narration - The San Francisco Book ReviewKEN VERRIER IS NOT HAPPY, NOR AT PEACE. He is experiencing the turbulence of Ishmael and the guilt of his brother's death. His sudden decision to drop out of college and deal with his demons shocks his family, his friends, and especially his girlfriend, soon to have been his fiancee. His destination: Liberia - The richest country in Africa both in monetary wealth and in natural resources.NOTHING COULD HAVE PREPARED HIM FOR THE EXPERIENCES HE WAS ABOUT TO LIVE THROUGH. Ken quickly realizes that he has arrived in a place where he understands very little of what is considered normal, where the dignity of life has little meaning, and where he can trust no one.Flying into the interior bush as a transport pilot, Ken learns quickly. He witnesses, first-hand, the disparate lives of the Liberian "Country People? and the "Congo People" also known as Americo-Liberians. These descendants of President Monroe's American Colonization Policy that sent freed slaves back to Africa in the 1800's have set up a strict hierarchical society not unlike the antebellum South.Author Dan Meier describes Ken's many escapades, spanning from horrifying to whimsical, with engaging and fast-moving narrative that ultimately describes a society upon which the wealthy are feeding and in which the poor are being buried.It's a novel that will stay with you long after the last word has been read.

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  Henry J Heinz: A short biography...

  5 Minutes, 5 Minute Biographies,...

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  Henry J. Heinz, ketchup king: Life and work in a short biography! Everything you need to know, brief and concise. Infotainment, education and entertainment at its best!

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  The Scientific Approach to...

  Francis Story

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  This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No. 55 by Francis Story (Anāgārika Sugatānanda), The Scientific Approach to Buddhism and The Appeal of Buddhism, two essays narrated by Christa Michel. The print edition can be found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. 2. The eBook of Bodhi Leaves No. 55 can be downloaded from the BPS website. 
  Excerpt from The Scientific Approach to Buddhism: 
  At present it may look as though man has only searched out the secrets of the universe in order to destroy himself with the power he has acquired; and of that there is certainly a danger. But I believe that a change in outlook is beginning to dawn, and that science itself, having destroyed the basis of much wrong thinking, is drawing us ever nearer to the realisation of the truth proclaimed by the Enlightened One. This is what I mean by “the scientific approach to Buddhism;” without being aware of it, the modern scientist and philosopher are being propelled irresistibly in the direction of Buddhism. Their uncertainties and doubts are spiritual “growing pains;” but a time will come quickly when they will realise that, although they have had to reject everything on which their ordinary religious and moral beliefs are founded, there is a higher religion—one based upon systematic investigation and the sincere search for truth—which will restore their lost faith in the universal principles of justice, truth and compassion. Those who now believe that man has come to the end of his tether will then see the opening up of vistas into the future that they only dimly suspect, and will recognise, beyond it all, the final goal of complete emancipation from the fetters of ignorance and delusion.

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  The Beginner's Guide to Karma -...

  Lama Lhanang Rinpoche, Mordy Levine

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  Twenty-six centuries ago, the Buddha fleshed out the universal law of the spiritual realm: karma, which holds that our actions, our words, and even our thoughts inevitably produce effects that return to us in some form — in this lifetime or a future one. In The Beginner’s Guide to Karma, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Mordy Levine encourage readers to forget what they’ve heard about karma and look at the subject afresh. Delving into Buddhist scripture and tradition, the authors give a comprehensive overview that incorporates psychology, ethics, and metaphysics. Using everyday language and real-life examples, they clear away myths, illustrate how karma works in daily life, and offer practices to build positive karma. The Beginner’s Guide to Karma neatly sums up the Buddhist worldview and makes a compelling case for a way of being that nurtures compassion, joy, and inner peace in an uncertain world.

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