Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Polk and the Presidency

  Charles A. McCoy

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  A historical analysis of how James Polk influenced the authority and importance of the role of the U.S. presidency for future incumbents.“Who is James K. Polk?” was a rallying cry of the Whigs during the campaign of 1844. Polk answered that question adequately by winning the election against his Whig opponent, Henry Clay.Today the question might be recast—respectfully, not derisively—“Who was James K. Polk?” Few persons could give more than a perfunctory answer, even though when he left office the United States was half again larger than it was when he became president.Polk, unlike his close friend Andrew Jackson, has been the subject of but few books. Stern and serious-minded, intent upon his work, he never caught the public’s imagination as did some of the more magnetic personalities who filled the office of president. His lack of personal charm, however, should not hide from generations of Americans the great benefit he brought their country and his key role in developing the powers of the presidency.This book assumes that the presidential power-role, though expressed in the Constitution and prescribed by law, is not a static role but a dynamic one, shaped and developed by a president’s personal reaction to the crises and circumstances of the times during which he serves. And Polk faced many crises, among them the Mexican War, the Oregon boundary dispute, the tariff question, Texas’s admission to the Union, and the establishment by the United States of a more stable and respected position in the world of nations.Based on the dynamic power-role theory, the book analyzes its theme of how and why James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, responded to the challenges of his times and thereby increased the authority and importance of the presidential role for future incumbents. Charles McCoy became interested in writing this book after two of his friends, both informed historians, pointed out to him that James K. Polk was a neglected figure in American history. Preliminary research showed this to be true, but without reason—for, as the eminent historian George Bancroft said, “viewed from the standpoint of results, [Polk’s administration] was perhaps the greatest in our national history, certainly one of the greatest.” For his own astute appraisal of the Polk administration, McCoy emphasized the use of firsthand sources of information: the Polk Diary; newspapers of the period; the unpublished papers of Polk, Jackson, Trist, Marcy, and Van Buren; and congressional documents and reports.

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  I Can Barely Take Care of Myself...

  Jen Kirkman

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  "You'll change your mind."That's what everyone says to Jen Kirkman—and countless women like her—when she confesses she doesn't plan to have children. But you know what? It's hard enough to be an adult. You have to dress yourself and pay bills and remember to buy birthday gifts. You have to drive and get annual physicals and tip for good service. Some adults take on the added burden of caring for a tiny human being with no language skills or bladder control. Parenthood can be very rewarding, but let's face it, so are margaritas at the adults-only pool.Jen's stand-up routine includes lots of jokes about not having kids (and some about masturbation and Johnny Depp), after which complete strangers constantly approach her and ask, "But who will take care of you when you're old?" (Servants!) Some insist, "You'd be such a great mom!" (Really? You know me so well!)Whether living rent-free in her childhood bedroom while trying to break into comedy (the best free birth control around, she says), or taking the stage at major clubs and joining a hit TV show—and along the way getting married, divorced, and attending excruciating afternoon birthday parties for her parent friends—Jen is completely happy and fulfilled by her decision not to procreate.I Can Barely Take Care of Myself is a beacon of hilarious hope for anyone whose major life decisions have been questioned by friends, family, and strangers in a comedy club bathroom. And it should satisfy everyone who wonders if Jen will ever know true love without looking into the eyes of her child.

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  A Place in the Sun - A Memoir

  Donald Kennedy

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  An autobiography from an American scientist, President Carter’s Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, and the eighth president of Stanford University.   More than personal memoir, Donald Kennedy's story is not only a chronicle of watershed years in the history of Stanford University, but also a reflection on academia's perennial concerns. The story builds from his childhood and family in New England through mentors at Harvard to reflections on his early years at Stanford. What is the scope of a teacher's responsibilities? What is the proper balance between research and teaching? How far can a professor of literature stretch activism and free speech before losing tenure? How can the University look so rich and feel so poor? While biology department head, Kennedy founded Human Biology, Stanford's first interdisciplinary program. As president, issues of ethnic diversity, student activism, multicultural curricula, patent rights, divestment in South Africa, a student hostage crisis, and a major earthquake colored his pivotal years at Stanford. At the heart of Kennedy's journey has been the belief that one must give back to society as mentor, inspiring his students; as commissioner of the FDA, wrestling with issues of freedom and regulation; as editor of Science, confronting the clash of science and politics. Throughout the book, sidebar recollections from students, friends, and colleagues reflect on his caring encouragement and core humanity, his love of teaching, and a life profoundly committed to science and public service.

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  The Fear Bubble

  Ant Middleton

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  The brilliant, inspirational next book by the author of the incredible No. 1 bestseller FIRST MAN IN.								 
  					Without fear, there’s no challenge. Without challenge, there’s no growth. Without growth, there’s no life.								 
  Ant Middleton is no stranger to fear: as a point man in the Special Forces, he confronted fear on a daily basis, never knowing what lay behind the next corner, or the next closed door. In prison, he was thrust into the unknown, cut off from friends and family, isolated with thoughts of failure and dread for his future. And at the top of Everest, in desperate, life-threatening conditions, he was forced to face up to his greatest fear, of leaving his wife and children without a husband and father.				 
  But fear is not his enemy. It is the energy that propels him. Thanks to the revolutionary concept of the Fear Bubble, Ant has learned to harness the power of fear and understands the positive force that it can become. Fear gives Ant his edge, allowing him to seek out life’s challenges, whether that is at home, pushing himself every day to be the best father he can be, or stuck in the death zone on top of the world in a 90mph blizzard.				 
  In his groundbreaking new book, Ant Middleton thrillingly retells the story of his death-defying climb of Everest and reveals the concept of the Fear Bubble, showing how it can be used in our lives to help us break through our limits. Powerful, unflinching and an inspirational call to action, The Fear Bubble is essential reading for anyone who wants to push themselves further, harness their fears and conquer their own personal Everests.				 
  In this bestseller, Ant Middleton, the Sunday Times bestselling author, shares his personal journey of growth and success. His experiences in the military and mountaineering adventures are not just a biography, but a self-help guide that inspires us to harness our fears and use them as a force for good.				 
  For fans of Jason Fox (Life Under Fire), Ollie Ollerton (Break Point), Mark 'Billy' Billingham (The Hard Way), Ross Edgley (The Art of Resilience), and Bear Grylls (Soul Fuel).

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  Short Stories About Survival - A...

  Honoré de Balzac, Leo Tolstoy,...

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  Our ‘fight of flight’ response is something hardwired into the primitive part of our brain.  Our need to survive, to outlive whatever danger poses, that immediate threat to our lives is little short of a marvel.  Everything else is abandoned in order to survive.  Whilst in modern times that ability has been somewhat modified and ‘reasoned’ away to an extent, in past years it’s what usually kept you alive. 
   
  In this volume people struggle valiantly to survive and to exist no matter the extent of the threat they face. In the words of our authors including William Hope Hodgson, Richard Connell, Jack London, Honore de Balzac and a wealth of others, they vividly demonstrate how or whether the participants survive … or fail.  
   
  01 - Short Stories About Survival - An Introduction 
   02 - The White Silence by Jack London 
   03 - A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac 
   04 - The Interlopers by Saki the pseudonym for H H Munro 
   05 - The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte 
   06 - Taman by Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov 
   07 - The Great Slave by Zane Grey 
   08 - The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson 
   09 - The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell 
   10 - The Open Boat by Stephen Crane 
   11 - To Build a Fire by Jack London 
   12 - The Snowstorm - Part 1 by Leo Tolstoy 
   13 - The Snowstorm - Part 2 by Leo Tolstoy

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  William McKinley - The American...

  Kevin Phillips, Arthur M....

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  A bestselling historian and political commentator reconsiders McKinley's overshadowed legacyBy any serious measurement, bestselling historian Kevin Phillips argues, William McKinley was a major American president. It was during his administration that the United States made its diplomatic and military debut as a world power. McKinley was one of eight presidents who, either in the White House or on the battlefield, stood as principals in successful wars, and he was among the six or seven to take office in what became recognized as a major realignment of the U.S. party system. Phillips argues that McKinley's lackluster ratings have been sustained not by unjust biographers but by years of criticism about his personality, indirect methodologies, middle-class demeanor, and tactical inability to inspire the American public. In this powerful and persuasive biography, Phillips musters convincing evidence that McKinley's desire to heal, renew prosperity, and reunite the country qualify him for promotion into the ranks of the best chief executives.

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