Other books that might interest you

• 

  Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks

  Jean de La Fontaine

  • 1
  • 0
  • 0

  Several of La Fontaine's fables, translated into English by W. T. Larned. (Summary by bge1234)

  Show book

• 

  The Accidental American -...

  Rinku Sen, Fekkak Mamdouh

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  With one immigrant’s story, two authors analyze America’s immigration system and suggest better, more human policies.The Accidental American calls for a bold new approach to immigration: a free international flow of labor to match globalization’s free flow of capital. After all, corporations are encouraged to move anywhere in the world they can maximize their earnings. People shouldn’t have to risk exploitation, abuse, and even imprisonment when they try to do the same.Activist, journalist, and immigration expert Rinku Sen and organizer Fekkak Mamdouh examine the consequences of this injustice through Mamdouh’s own story. Born in Morocco, he was a waiter and union leader at Windows on the World, a restaurant in the World Trade Center. In the aftermath of September 11th, facing a rising tide of anti-immigrant bias, Mamdouh and others formed the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) to help their colleagues fight for decent jobs and fair treatment. ROC-NY was able to unite native-born and immigrant workers, helping each group realize they were involved in a common struggle for better working conditions. The organization has since expanded nationwide.Since 9/11, immigrants have increasingly been treated as presumptive criminals. As a counterpoint to these regressive, fundamentally un-American practices, the authors forcefully advocate more humane policies that would ease rather than restrict people’s movements, coupled with proposals for reforming globalization so that both sending and receiving countries can more equitably benefit from a more mobile international labor force.Immigrants enthusiastically contribute much more to our country than their labor. They ought to be welcomed, not marginalized. Citizenship should ultimately be determined by how willing people are to become a part of the social, civic, and political fabric of the country they live in, not by an accident of birth.“The Accidental American gives us the context, story and analysis we need for a just immigration policy. It is a must-read.” —Danny Glover, actor and activist “If you have ever had to struggle as an outsider or a newcomer (and all of us have), this book will touch your heart. It is a poignant story that points the way forward for us all.” —Van Jones, President and Founder, Green for All, and author of The Green Collar Economy “This book vividly highlights a seldom-mentioned side of recent immigrants’ experience: their willingness to struggle for better working conditions for workers of all ethnicities in their adopted nation.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, Bait and Switch, and Dancing in the Streets

  Show book

• 

  Political Choice in a Polarized...

  Joshua N. Zingher

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  What motivates citizens to support one party over the other? Do they carefully weigh all of the relevant issues and assess which party or candidate best matches their own positions? Or do people look at politics as something more akin to a team sport—the specifics do not matter as long as you know what side your team is on? Answering these questions requires us to think about how much the average American knows about politics. Many scholars of public opinion believe that the majority of Americans only pay passing attention to politics. Thus the electorate's apparent lack of political competence presents a direct challenge to normative theories of democracy. How are citizens supposed to exert control over the government if they have no idea what is going on?In Political Choice in a Polarized America, Joshua N. Zingher argues that these fears are overblown. Not only do individuals have core beliefs about what the government should or should not do, but individuals have become more likely to support the party that best matches their policy attitudes by both identifying as a member of that party and voting for that party in elections. However, as Zingher demonstrates, voters' ability to match their attitudes to a party or candidate varies according to signals sent by elites and increases as parties become more polarized.

  Show book

• 

  The Wealth of Nature - Economics...

  John Michael Greer

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The political theorist and author of Decline and Fall proposes a bold new economic paradigm based on the value of sustainability.  The Wealth of Nature proposes a new model of economics based on the integral value of ecology. Building on the foundations of E.F. Schumacher's revolutionary "economics as if people mattered", this book examines the true cost of confusing money with wealth. By analyzing the mistakes of contemporary economics, it shows how an economy centered on natural capital—the raw materials that support human life—can move our society toward a more productive relationship with the planet that sustains us all.The Wealth of Nature suggests public policy initiatives and personal choices that can help alleviate the economic impact of peak oil. These strategies must address not only financial concerns, but the issues of resource depletion and pollution. Profoundly insightful and impeccably argued, this book is required reading for anyone interested in the intersection of the environment and the economy as we enter the twilight of the Age of Abundance.

  Show book

• 

  We Do Know How - A Buyer-Led...

  James T. Riordan

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  An insider with practical experience in development work reveals how understanding market realities can more effectively reduce poverty. 
   
  This book by a practitioner—not an academic, government official, or pundit—has been written for practitioners and offers fresh thinking on how to do international development work. It combines that thinking with practical guidance, in plain English, on what to do—and perhaps just as importantly, what not to do—on the ground. We Do Know How takes buzzwords commonly used in development circles—demand-driven, results-oriented, accountability, and others—and makes them real, spelling out a proven approach for expanding business sales and generating jobs for poor people. 
   
  Although government has a role to play in development, in the end the actions of businesses drive economic growth and expand people’s incomes. We Do Know How shows how to build on the incentives that drive businesses and, in the process, create jobs for the poor. Specifically, it urges development practitioners to support only those business opportunities for which there is market demand, abiding by the maxim “produce what you can sell,” not “sell what you produce.” More than that, it cautions practitioners not to become solutions looking for problems but to search creatively for ways to solve the specific problems that stand most in the way of clients meeting buyers’ requirements. 
   
  We Do Know How challenges much conventional wisdom on how to do development work. At the same time, and in contrast to other books on development, it shows how, by maintaining focus and discipline, development practitioners can deliver demonstrable increases in jobs for those who need them.

  Show book

• 

  A Troubled Peace

  Chae-Jin Lee

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  This “excellent study of foreign policy-making” explores the changing nature of US-Korea relations since 1948 (David Hundt, Political Studies Review). 
   
  In A Troubled Peace, Professor Chae-Jin Lee examines the evolution of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea beginning in the mid-twentieth century, when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He presents an enlightening analysis of the goals the United States has sought for Korea, how these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them. 
   
  Drawing on declassified diplomatic documents; primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese; and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee sheds light on critical factors that have affected U.S. policy: the functions of U.S. security policy in Korea, the role of the United States in South Korean democratization, President Clinton’s policy of constructive engagement toward North Korea, President Bush’s hegemonic policy toward North Korea, and the hexagonal linkages among the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas. 
   
  Discussing the concepts of containment, deterrence, engagement, preemption, and appeasement, Lee’s balanced approach reveals the frustrations of all players in their attempts to arrive at a modicum of coexistence. His objective, comprehensive, and definitive study reveals a dynamic—and incredibly complex—series of relationships underpinning a troubled and tenuous peace.

  Show book