Download or read book To the Brink of Destruction written by Timothy J. Sinclair and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2021-11-15 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the Brink of Destruction exposes how America's rating agencies helped generate the global financial crisis of 2007 and beyond, surviving and thriving in the aftermath. Despite widespread scrutiny, rating agencies continued to operate on the same business model and wield extraordinary power, exerting extensive influence over public policy. Timothy J. Sinclair brings the shadowy corners of this story to life by examining congressional testimony, showing how the wheels of accountability turned—and ultimately failed—during the crisis. He asks how and why the agencies risked their lucrative franchise by aligning so closely with a process of financial innovation that came undone during the crisis. What he finds is that key institutions, including the agencies, changed from being judges to being advocates years before the crisis, eliminating a vital safety valve meant to hinder financial excess. Sinclair's well-researched investigation offers a clear, accessible explanation of structured finance and how it works. To the Brink of Destruction avoids tired accusations, instead providing novel insight into the role rating agencies played in the worst crisis of modern global capitalism.
Download or read book The Eve of Destruction written by David W. Dickey and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2010-11 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As I mingled among my fellow graduates, my view of the future did not extend much beyond the following day, when I would be heading to the beach. College in the fall was too far in the future to contemplate now. The only days that held relevance were the next ninety-nine, which would fashion what I hoped to be my best summer yet. So begins The Eve of Destruction, David Dickey's coming-of-age tale about the summer of 1965, a tranquil time when the country rested unwittingly on the brink of a cultural revolution. Follow eighteen-year-old Dane, Woody, and the crew around their Southern California neighborhoods as they experience the ups and downs of friendship and young love, and wrestle with some of life's basal choices. Join them on misadventures and general teenage mischief as they seek revelry and endure summer jobs. With music, cars, and popular culture of the decade woven into the backdrop, The Eve of Destruction is a nostalgic story about the 1960's and a worthy ode to the Boomer generation.
Download or read book The Brink written by Marc Ambinder and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2019-07-30 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An informative and often enthralling book…in the appealing style of Tom Clancy” (Kirkus Reviews) about the 1983 war game that triggered a tense, brittle period of nuclear brinkmanship between the United States and the former Soviet Union. What happened in 1983 to make the Soviet Union so afraid of a potential nuclear strike from the United States that they sent mobile ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) into the field, placing them on a three-minute alert Marc Ambinder explains the anxious period between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1984, with the “Able Archer ’83” war game at the center of the tension. With astonishing and clarifying new details, he recounts the scary series of the close encounters that tested the limits of ordinary humans and powerful leaders alike. Ambinder provides a comprehensive and chilling account of the nuclear command and control process, from intelligence warnings to the composition of the nuclear codes themselves. And he affords glimpses into the secret world of a preemptive electronic attack that scared the Soviet Union into action. Ambinder’s account reads like a thriller, recounting the spy-versus-spy games that kept both countries—and the world—in check. From geopolitics in Moscow and Washington, to sweat-caked soldiers fighting in the trenches of the Cold War, to high-stakes war games across NATO and the Warsaw Pact, “Ambinder’s account of a serious threat of global annihilation…is spellbinding…a masterpiece of recent history” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). The Brink serves as the definitive intelligence, nuclear, and national security history of one of the most precarious times in recent memory and “shows the consequences of nuclear buildups, sometimes-careless language, and nervous leaders. Now, more than ever, those consequences matter” (USA TODAY).
Download or read book The Ballad of a Small Player written by Lawrence Osborne and published by Hogarth. This book was released on 2015-01-13 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting tale of risk and obsession set in the alluring world of Macau’s casinos, by the author of the critically acclaimed The Forgiven. As night falls on Macau and the neon signs that line the rain-slick streets come alive, Doyle – “Lord Doyle” to his fellow players – descends into his casino of choice to try his luck at the baccarat tables that are the anchor of his current existence. A corrupt English lawyer who has escaped prosecution by fleeing to the East, Doyle spends his nights drinking and gambling and his days sleeping off his excesses, continually haunted by his past. Taking refuge in a series of louche and dimly lit hotels, he watches his fortune rise and fall as the cards decide his fate. In a moment of crisis he meets Dao-Ming, an enigmatic Chinese woman who appears to be a denizen of the casinos just like himself, and seems to offer him salvation in the form of both money and love. But as Doyle attempts to make a rare and true connection, all that he accepts as reality seems to be slipping from his grasp. Resonant of classics by Dostoevsky and Graham Greene, The Ballad of a Small Player is a timeless tale steeped in eerie suspense and rich atmosphere.
Download or read book Music in the Holocaust written by Shirli Gilbert and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-03-17 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Music in the Holocaust Shirli Gilbert provides the first large-scale, critical account of the role of music amongst communities imprisoned under Nazism. She documents a wide scope of musical activities, ranging from orchestras and chamber groups to choirs, theatres, communal sing-songs, and cabarets, in some of the most important internment centres in Nazi-occupied Europe, including Auschwitz and the Warsaw and Vilna ghettos. Gilbert is also concerned with exploring theways in which music - particularly the many songs that were preserved - contribute to our broader understanding of the Holocaust and the experiences of its victims. Music in the Holocaust is, at its core, a social history, taking as its focus the lives of individuals and communities imprisoned under Nazism.Music opens a unique window on to the internal world of those communities, offering insight into how they understood, interpreted, and responded to their experiences at the time.
Download or read book Crack City Rockers written by John Gentile and published by . This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An oral history in the vein of Please Kill Me Leftöver Crack is a band of drug abusing, dumpster diving, cop-hating, queer positive, pro-choice, crust punks that successfully blend ska-punk, pop, hip-hop and death metal genres. They've been banned from clubs, states and counties and kicked off multiple record labels. They've received teen-idol adoration and death threats from their fans. They've played benefits for a multitude of causes while leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. But, if you dig below the crusty, black metal-patch encased surface, you'll find a contemplative, nuanced band that, quite literally, permanently changed the punk rock community. By combining catchy ska-punk with lyrics that referenced political theorist Michael Parenti, drug usage, and suicide, the band formed a unique mélange that was both provocative and challenging. In fact, the band's hooks were so sharp that after releasing their debut LP, Mediocre Generica, an entire culture of "Crack City Rockers" grew around the band, pushing the youth towards both the positive and negative aspects of extreme punk rock. Of course, being the combustible band that they are, the band has gotten involved in its far share of fiascoes: full-scale riots in Phoenix and NYC, getting punched out by their own fans, showing up to tour Florida with machetes after receiving death threats from the local gang. Architects of Self-Destruction: An Oral History of Leftöver Crack traces the band's entire history by speaking to the band members themselves, fellow musicians, their fans, and of course, those that still hold a grudge against the LoC... FYI, that's a lot of people.
Download or read book Mainstream written by and published by . This book was released on 1954 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Collected Works of William Hazlitt Free thoughts on public affairs Political essays Advertisement etc from The eloquence of the British senate written by William Hazlitt and published by . This book was released on 1902 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Transcending Fear written by Brian Germain and published by Adventure Wisdom LLC. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The product of a lifetime of research and reflection, Transcending Fear is Brian Germain's most important work. The book addresses the most significant challenge of human kind to date: the process of recognizing and moving beyond fear. In an age in which fear has literally brought our world to the brink of destruction, understanding why we contract in fear and how we can go beyond this instinctive reaction is essential for our survival as a species.As a World Champion skydiver, test pilot and psychologist, Brian Germain offers a unique personalized perspective on the phenomenon of fear. Reflecting on his many intense experiences with fear, Brian sorts through the most current psychology research on fear, and presents the ways to de-escalate the emotional response in provocative situations.The fundamental premise of the book is simple: Fear makes us stupid. If we are to transcend the limitations imposed by a contracted perspective, we must develop our ability to remain calm. Specific methods for relaxing in dangerous situations are covered in detail, as well as scientific evidence to support the reasons for this unusual and powerful approach to dealing with fear.
Download or read book The Collected Works of William Hazlitt written by William Hazlitt and published by . This book was released on 1902 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book North Korea on the Brink written by Glyn Ford and published by Pluto Press (UK). This book was released on 2008 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores whether North Korea is really a threat to the rest of the world.
Download or read book Back from the Brink written by Peter Andrews and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2014-10-01 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featured on Australian Story, Peter Andrews is a racehorse breeder and farmer credited with remarkable success in converting degraded, salt-ravaged properties into fertile, drought-resistant pastures. His methods are so at odds with conventional scientific wisdom that for 30 years he has been dismissed and ridiculed as a madman. He has faced bankruptcy and family break-up. But now, on the brink of ecological disaster, leading politicians, international scientists and businessmen are beating a path to his door as they grapple with how best to alleviate the affects of drought on the Australian landscape. Described as a man who reads and understands the Australian landscape better than most scientists, supporters of Peter Andrews claim he has done what no scientist ever thought to do - he has restored streams and wetlands to the way they were before European settlement interfered with them. the startling results of his natural sequence farming are said to have been achieved very cheaply, simply and quickly.
Download or read book Back from the Brink written by Alistair Darling and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2012-06-01 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alistair Darling's long-awaited book will be one of the most reviewed, widely discussed, and saleable political memoirs of recent years. In the late summer of 2007, shares of Northern Rock went into free-fall, causing a run on the bank - the first in over 150 years. Northern Rock proved to be only the first. Twelve months later, as the world was engulfed in the worst banking crisis for more than a century, one of its largest banks, RBS, came within hours of collapse. Back from the Brink tells the gripping story of Alistair Darling's one thousand days in Number 11 Downing Street. As Chancellor, he had to avert the collapse of RBS hours before the cash machines would have ceased to function; at the eleventh hour, he stopped Barclays from acquiring Lehman Brothers in order to protect UK taxpayers; he used anti-terror legislation to stop Icelandic banks from withdrawing funds from Britain. From crisis talks in Washington, to dramatic meetings with the titans of international banking, to dealing with the massive political and economic fallout in the UK, Darling places the reader in the rooms where the destinies of millions weighed heavily on the shoulders of a few. His book is also a candid account of life in the Downing Street pressure cooker and his relationship with Gordon Brown during the last years of New Labor. Back from the Brink is a vivid and immediate depiction of the British government's handling of an unprecedented global financial catastrophe. Alistair Darling's knowledge and understanding provide a unique perspective on the events that rocked international capitalism. It is also a vital historical document.
Download or read book Tiger on the Brink written by Bruce Gilley and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1998-10-01 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pathbreaking book is the first full-length study of the rise to power of Jiang Zemin, now the central figure in China's "third generation" of leaders. Tracing Jiang's beginnings as a student in the underground Communist movement in Shanghai through his appointment by Deng Xiaoping as party general secretary and his sudden elevation to central authority in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing, Bruce Gilley offers a fascinating and highly readable look at how Jiang Zemin has secured his position as one of the world's most powerful figures. Gilley follows Jiang's life and career from his early years as the adopted son of a revolutionary martyr, through his training in Western science and engineering, to his emergence as what many believed would be an interim figurehead in the wake of Tiananmen. Gilley shows how Jiang instead persisted as China's key leader following the death of Deng Xiaoping: While he shared the concerns of the last of the Party elders—including their idealistic views of Chinese socialism—he also accommodated the younger generation of economic reformers who have helped China to achieve staggering growth in its domestic economy and foreign trade. Gilley's analysis of the careful and methodical transition of power from Deng to Jiang during the 1990s is a remarkable study in complexity and contrast, clearly illustrating Jiang's ability to either placate his allies and adversaries or ruthlessly exploit their weaknesses. Based on first-hand interviews and primary documents as well as a variety of mainland Chinese and international media sources, Tiger on the Brink is an unprecedented and immensely revealing look into the highest echelons of Chinese politics on the eve of the twenty-first century, and will be of interest to anyone concerned with the world's most populous nation and its newest emerging superpower.
Download or read book The Eve of Destruction written by Howard Blum and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On October 6, 1973—Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar—the Arab world launched a bold and ingeniously conceived surprise attack against Israel. After three days of intense, bloody combat, an unprepared Israel was fighting for survival, while the Arabs, with massive forces closing in on the Jewish heartland, were poised to redeem the honor lost in three previous wars. Based on declassified Israeli government documents and revealing interviews with soldiers, generals, and intelligence operatives on both sides of the conflict, The Eve of Destruction weaves a suspenseful, eye-opening story of war, politics, and deception. It also tells the moving human tale of the men and women who fought to maintain love and honor as their lives and destinies were swept up in the Yom Kippur War.
Download or read book Secret Corruption written by Scott Wallis and published by Xulon Press. This book was released on 2012-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book will refresh and revive you to the beginning stages of a new revolution!" JEREMY LOPEZ, D.D. Identity Network, Inc., President "I recommend this book to everyone who is concerned about truth and justice being smothered and suppressed within the U.S." MARYAL BOUMANN Pray California, Director DO NOT go to court without FIRST reading this book! Reading it could save you BIG money! Not Reading it will cost you more! Rev. Scott Wallis, a leading pro se litigator, has represented himself in 50+ cases worth $5+ billion dollars before Illinois state and federal courts against top law firms. To date, his largest victory, the reversal of his $500+ million dollars lawsuit against parties that bankrupted USA Baby(R), Inc., America's Leading Specialty Retailer of Infant and Children's Furniture and Accessories(R). Court Street, a Multi-Trillion dollar industry, routinely dispenses injustice in justices' name. The attorney "fraternity" has ordained a black-robed wall of silent perdition, an inseparable barrier preventing what America and Main Street needs most - justice. Why? Money! Court Street is overseeing the greatest redistribution of wealth in mankind's history - from Main Street to Wall Street. Secret Corruption exposes hidden corruption taking place daily behind the walls of Court Street. Court Street's corruption is impacting your life; it is literally bankrupting America. Take a revealing look at our nation's most secretive and corrupt enterprise! Buy this book! "I urge everyone who desires that America returns to its Just Foundation to purchase this book and let your voice be heard!" MARK SILJANDER Member of Congress (ret.), 1977-81 United States Ambassador, 1987-88 Mohandas K. Gandhi Peace Award, 1996 Author, A Deadly Misunderstanding, 2008 "I commend this book to you, if you can keep your blood pressure under control: as you read it, you will share the outrage Scott expresses." GENE REDLIN Business Owner
Download or read book The Conquest of Ruins written by Julia Hell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Roman Empire has been a source of inspiration and a model for imitation for Western empires practically since the moment Rome fell. Yet, as Julia Hell shows in The Conquest of Ruins, what has had the strongest grip on aspiring imperial imaginations isn’t that empire’s glory but its fall—and the haunting monuments left in its wake. Hell examines centuries of European empire-building—from Charles V in the sixteenth century and Napoleon’s campaigns of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries to the atrocities of Mussolini and the Third Reich in the 1930s and ’40s—and sees a similar fascination with recreating the Roman past in the contemporary image. In every case—particularly that of the Nazi regime—the ruins of Rome seem to represent a mystery to be solved: how could an empire so powerful be brought so low? Hell argues that this fascination with the ruins of greatness expresses a need on the part of would-be conquerors to find something to ward off a similar demise for their particular empire.
