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  Vexillology - Flags of the...

  Mike Crawford

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  The history of flags is as old as civilization itself, beginning with the use of symbols to identify and distinguish groups, tribes, and nations. These symbols, initially simple and functional, later evolved into the complex designs we recognize today as flags. In their early forms, flags were not necessarily the fabric banners we use now but were often symbols or standards that represented a group or entity. These early markers were used to communicate identity, power, and territorial boundaries. 
  The earliest known use of flags dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese. For example, the ancient Egyptians used flags made of fabric or leather as symbols of authority, carried into battle or displayed in royal courts. These early flags often consisted of simple shapes and symbols, such as the Egyptian ankh or the scarab, representing the gods and the ruling elite. 
  Similarly, ancient Greek and Roman civilizations used banners in both military and civic contexts. In Roman times, military standards called "signa" were carried by soldiers during battles. These standards were often adorned with the images of gods, and the legions were known for their proud display of these banners, which were considered sacred. These military standards were instrumental in maintaining order and morale within the ranks and also served as a form of propaganda, displaying the power and might of the Roman Empire.

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  Great American Socialist The:...

  Eugene Debs

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  Six months ago, I had never heard the name Eugene Debs. Today, I believe he is one of the greatest orators in history, ranking alongside Napoleon, Robespierre, Lincoln, and Cicero. More importantly, he was a genuine hero, a man to believe in and follow into the fires of hell. His legacy has been unrightly ignored by the same powers that imprisoned and harassed him over his life. He should be an icon, but is unremembered, for reasons he himself goes into. However, there is one key difference between Debs and these other orators: every one of the others fought for empire, or glory, or democracy – but Debs fought for the working man’s right to a decent existence.A railroad man from 15, he founded then turned against the unions as they became tools of the owners, and won 3% of the presidential vote in 1920 despite being a) the Socialist candidate and b) in prison for sedition. The two major speeches missing from this volume can be found in the prior collection, being “You Railroad Men”, whose content is covered in other speeches herein, and “Statement to the Court”, which is summarised in part 4 of Scott Nearing’s analysis.

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  Social Democracy 101: Jack...

  Shane Irvine, Alexander Irvine,...

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  In 1906, my great-grandfather Dr. Alexander Fitzgerald Irvine was the secretary of the Socialist Party of Connecticut and a fellow at Yale University where he taught studies in divinity. He sought to shed some light on the subject of social protection. He had first-hand experience as a reverend in the New Haven religious community. He became very aware of parishioner stealing and other forms of skulduggery used to acquire the most prosperous benefactors. He despised the practice of selectively seeking profitable parishioners while ignoring the plight of the downtrodden. He felt that this practice was in conflict with Jesus’ teachings. He thereafter invited Jack London to speak at Yale on the subject of socialism. This book is derivative of my great-grandfather's book, Jack London at Yale. 
  My great-grandfather further believed that, due to this hypocrisy involving the church’s duty to the poor, the government needed to take an active role in offering a hand up to those in need. He strongly advocated that it should not be assumed that the church and pity be the sole final resources for those in need, and the government needed to take an active role in providing social networks. 
  Health, education, and welfare are major barriers to entrepreneurial opportunity. Without forms of social democracy such as universal healthcare and education, the potential for mass enterprise is squandered. People are precluded by these basic economic barriers from reaching their potential. It is these issues that have continued to plague workers worldwide, and people of all persuasions and walks of life are affected by this ongoing class struggle. We need individualism and a free market society, and we also need it to be tamed with a fairness that, along with prosperity, provides protections for the vulnerable and opportunity for all. Health, education, and welfare are just as important as a strong military. All of them are forms of social democracy. 

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  Pandemic Perspectives - A...

  Howard Burton

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  Directly inspired by award-winning author, physician and self-professed “biology watcher” Lewis Thomas, Howard Burton takes us on a thought-provoking tour of a wide range of social and scientific issues which he encountered through the process of making the documentary film, Pandemic Perspectives. Howard provides unique and fresh insights into a wide range of issues ranging from biology to politics to contemporary morality weaving together his interaction with a diverse array of international experts who participated in his film and his personal experiences as a physicist-turned-filmmaker.

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  When Left Moves Right - The...

  Maria Snegovaya

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  Over the past two decades, postcommunist countries have witnessed a sudden shift in the electoral fortunes of their political parties: previously successful center-left parties suffered dramatic electoral defeats and disappeared from the political scene, while right-wing populist parties soared in popularity and came to power. This dynamic echoed similar processes in Western Europe and raises a question: Were these dynamics in any way connected? When Right Moves Left argues that they were. And that the root of the connection between them lies in the pro-market rebranding of the ex-communist left—the key explanatory variable. This book asserts that, though the left's pro-market shift initially led to electoral rewards, it had a less straightforward impact on left-wing parties' electoral fortunes in the long run. 
   
   
   
  The book draws upon different levels of analysis: cross-country observational data, case studies, and individual-level experimental surveys. It argues that scholars should incorporate the economic policy dimension when explaining the demise of the left and the rise of the populist right in the region. It also examines important parallels between the dynamics of Western and postcommunist countries by arguing that the idiosyncrasy of Eastern European politics has been overstated in scholarly literature.

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  The Lion and the Fox - Two Rival...

  Alexander Rose

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  From the New York Times bestselling author of Washington’s Spies, the thrilling story of the Confederate spy who came to Britain to turn the tide of the Civil War—and the Union agent resolved to stop him. 
   
  In 1861, soon after the outbreak of the Civil War, two secret agents—one a Confederate, the other his Union rival—were dispatched to neutral Britain, each entrusted with a vital mission. 
  The South’s James Bulloch, charming and devious, was to acquire a cutting-edge clandestine fleet intended to break President Lincoln’s blockade of Confederate ports, sink Northern merchant vessels, and drown the U.S. Navy’s mightiest ships at sea. The profits from gunrunning and smuggling cotton—Dixie’s notorious “white gold”—would finance the scheme. Opposing him was Thomas Dudley, a resolute Quaker lawyer and abolitionist. He was determined to stop Bulloch by any means necessary in a spy-versus-spy game of move and countermove, gambit and sacrifice, intrigue and betrayal. If Dudley failed, Britain would ally with the South and imperil a Northern victory. The battleground was the Dickensian port of Liverpool, whose dockyards built more ships each year than the rest of the world combined, whose warehouses stored more cotton than anywhere else on earth, and whose merchant princes, said one observer, were “addicted to Southern proclivities, foreign slave trade, and domestic bribery.” 
  From master of historical espionage Alexander Rose, The Lion and the Fox is the astonishing, untold tale of two implacable foes and their twilight struggle for the highest stakes.  
  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

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