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"A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist pulls back the curtain on the extraordinary inner lives of America's most obsessive sports fans. There are fans, and then there are fanatics. In this wondrously immersive look at American sports fandom, George Dohrmann travels the country to find out what distinguishes an ordinary, everyday enthusiast from that special breed of supporter known as the superfan. In Minnesota, Dohrmann meets newly minted generals of the Viking World Order, a Minnesota Vikings affinity group organized along military lines. In Oregon, he shares a few beers with a determined soccer fan who amassed--almost singlehandedly--a four-thousand-strong cheering section for the fledgling Portland Timbers. In Illinois, he talks with the parents of a five-year-old boy whose intense hatred of Tom Brady went viral on YouTube. Through these and other intimate profiles, Dohrmann shows us the human faces behind the colored face paint, the real people inside the elaborate costumes who prowl the stands and parking lots at stadiums from coast to coast. In addition to the fans themselves, Dohrmann also talks with the experts who study them. He uses the latest thinking in sports psychology--some of it learned during a spirited round of miniature golf with a group of professors at the annual Sports Psychology Forum--to unravel the answers to such burning questions as: How does fandom begin? What are its effects on everyday life? When does it go too far? For everyone who's ever body-painted their torso with the team colors of their alma mater before heading off to a sports bar--or even just screamed at their television during the final minute of an NBA Finals game, Superfans offers an entertaining and insightful exploration of the many ways human beings find meaning in something bigger than themselves. PRAISE FOR GEORGE DOHRMANN'S PLAY THEIR HEARTS OUT Winner of the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Youth Sports "A tour de force of reporting, filled with deft storytelling and vivid character studies."--The Washington Post "Often heartbreaking, always riveting."--The New York Times Book Review "One of the finest sports books of all time."--Harper's Magazine "Amazing stuff. the Friday Night Lights of youth basketball."--Leigh Montville, author of Sting Like a Bee "A landmark achievement in basketball journalism."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Tremendous."--The Plain Dealer "Indispen ...

"Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of presidents including, besides Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women's rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson's crusade to finish the fight against Jim Crow. In each of these dramatic, crucial turning points, the battle to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear, was joined, even as it is today. While the American story has not always been heroic, and the outcome of our battles never certain, in this inspiring book Meacham reassures us,"the good news is that we have come through darkness before"--as, time and again, Lincoln's better angels have found a way to prevail. Advance praise for The Soul of America "This is a brilliant, fascinating, timely, and above all profoundly important book. Jon Meacham explores the extremism and racism that have infected our politics, and he draws enlightening lessons from the knowledge that we've faced such trials before."--Walter Isaacson "Jon Meacham has done it again, this time with a historically rich and gracefully written account of America's long struggle with division in our immigrant nation and the heroic efforts to heal the wounds. It should be in every home and on every student's desk."--Tom Brokaw"--

Machine generated contents note: -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- About the Author -- Introduction -- A History of Respectable Fears -- Estimating the Number of Gangs, Gang Members, and Gang Crimes -- Chapter 1. Early Research and Perspectives -- 18th- and 19th-Century Gangs -- Thrasher: The First Gang Researcher -- Gangs as Delinquent Subcultures -- Differential Opportunity Theory -- Lower-Class Culture and Adolescence -- Gangs as Near-Group -- Group Process and Gang Delinquency -- Roles within Gangs: Keiser and the Vice Lords -- Street Gangs and Street Workers -- Chapter 2. Definitions, Daily Life, Dynamics, and Risk Factors -- Sociological Definitions -- Legal Definitions -- What Gangs Are Not -- A Structured Typology -- Daily Life -- Positive and Negative Aspects -- Interrelated Dynamics -- Membership -- Organization -- Subgroups -- Intensity -- The Causes and Correlates Studies -- Protective Factors -- Chapter 3. Race, Migration, and Immigration -- A Brief Note on Race Relations in American History -- Black Gangs -- The Crips and Bloods -- Latino Gangs -- The People Nation and the Folks Nation -- A Typology of Mexican American Gangs -- Asian and Asian Pacific Islander Gangs -- Chinese Gangs -- Southeast Asian Gangs -- Filipino Gangs -- Native American Gangs -- White Gangs -- Skinheads -- Skinheads as Gangs -- Nazi Low Riders -- Chapter 4. Females -- Early Studies and Stereotypes -- Increases in Female Arrests and Incarceration -- Further Developments in Female Gang Research -- Differences and Similarities between Gang Females and Males -- The Number of Female Gangs and Gang Members -- Different Types of Female Gangs -- Female Gang Violence -- Sexual Victimization -- Identity, Femininity, Sexuality, and Respect -- Pregnancy and Motherhood -- Prosocial Functions and Post-Gang Lives -- Chapter 5. Drug Use and Sales -- Substance Use Patterns -- Alcohol -- Marijuana -- Other Illicit Drugs -- Attitudes about Hard Drug Use -- Drug Addiction -- Drug Selling -- Myths ab --- "Gangs: An Introduction provides a wide-ranging overview ideal for courses on gangs. Opening with a discussion of early research and perspectives from the late 1920s until the early 1970s, the book then moves on to cover sociological and legal definitions of gangs; daily life and risk and protective factors; race and immigration; female gang members; drug use and selling; violence and victimization; the cultural criminology of gangs; theories on gangs and gang behaviors; desistance; suppression, intervention, and prevention; and more. FEATURES * A focus on theories of gangs, rather than on criminological theories * Original contributions to the gang literature * An emphasis on evidence-based practices * Examples of real-life court cases * Interview excerpts from gang members, drawn from the author's research *Media Check! sections in each chapter featuring examples from movies, documentaries, TV shows, and music"--- "This is a textbook for undergraduate majors and non-majors in an introductory Juvenile Delinquency course or course on Gangs"--

"Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian, one of the world's most influential economic thinkers and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of When Markets Collide, has written a roadmap to what lies ahead and the decisions we must make now to stave off the next global economic and financial crisis. Our current economic path is coming to an end. The signposts are all around us: sluggish growth, rising inequality, stubbornly high pockets of unemployment, and jittery financial markets, to name a few. Soon we will reach a fork in the road: One path leads to renewed growth, prosperity, and financial stability, the other to recession and market disorder. In The Only Game in Town, El-Erian casts his gaze toward the future of the global economy and markets, outlining the choices we face both individually and collectively in an era of economic uncertainty and financial insecurity. Beginning with their response to the 2008 global crisis, El-Erian explains how and why our central banks became the critical policy actors--and, most important, why they cannot continue is this role alone. They saved the financial system from collapse in 2008 and a multiyear economic depression, but lack the tools to enable a return to high inclusive growth and durable financial stability. The time has come for a policy handoff, from a prolonged period of monetary policy experimentation to a strategy that better targets what ails economies and distorts the financial sector--before we stumble into another crisis. The future, critically, is not predestined. It is up to us to decide where we will go from here as households, investors, companies, and governments. Using a mix of insights from economics, finance, and behavioral science, this book gives us the tools we need to properly understand this turning point, prepare for it, and come out of it stronger. A comprehensive, controversial look at the realities of our global economy and markets, The Only Game in Town is required reading for investors, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future. Advance praise for The Only Game in Town "Mohamed El-Erian has had an extraordinary career as an investment analyst, investor, and market commentator. His 'new normal' concept was prescient, provocative, and has proven out. Agree or disagree, his go-forward thoughts contained in this bracing book are well worth considering."--Lawrence H. Summers, former secretary of the U.S. Treasury "Achieves the nearly impossible: It takes complex f ...

""Mel Goodman has spent the last few decades telling us what's gone wrong with American intelligence and the American military. he is also telling us how to save ourselves."--Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker "Whistleblower at the CIA offers a fascinating glimpse into the secret, behind-the-scenes world of U.S. intelligence. Melvin A. Goodman's first-person account of the systematic manipulation of intelligence at the CIA underscores why whistleblowing is so important, and why the institutional obstacles to it are so intense. At its core it's an invaluable historical expose, a testimony to integrity and conscience, and a call for the U.S. intelligence community to keep its top leaders in check. Urgent, timely, and deeply recommended."--Daniel Ellsberg "In this fascinating and candid account of his years as a senior CIA analyst, Mel Goodman shows how the worst enemies of high quality intelligence can come from our own midst, and how the politicization of intelligence estimates can cause more damage to American security than its professed enemies. Whistleblower at the CIA is a must-read for anyone interested in the intricate web of intelligence-policymaking relations."--Uri Bar-Joseph, author of The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel Melvin Goodman's long career as a respected intelligence analyst at the CIA, specializing in US/Soviet relations, ended abruptly. In 1990, after twenty-four years of service, Goodman resigned when he could no longer tolerate the corruption he witnessed at the highest levels of the Agency. In 1991 he went public, blowing the whistle on top-level officials and leading the opposition against the appointment of Robert Gates as CIA director. In the widely covered Senate hearings, Goodman charged that Gates and others had subverted "the process and the ethics of intelligence" by deliberately misinforming the White House about major world events and covert operations. In this breathtaking expose, Goodman tells the whole story. Retracing his career with the Central Intelligence Agency, he presents a rare insider's account of the inner workings of America's intelligence community, and the corruption, intimidation, and misinformation that lead to disastrous foreign interventions. An invaluable and historic look into one of the most secretive and influential agencies of US government--and a wake-up call for the need to reform its practices. Melvin A. Goodman served as a senior analyst and Division Chief at the CIA from 1966 to 1990. ...

"A timely, counterintuitive defense of Wall Street and the big banks as the invisible--albeit flawed--engines that power our ideas, and should be made to work better for all of us Maybe you think the banks should be broken up and the bankers should be held accountable for the financial crisis in 2008. Maybe you hate the greed of Wall Street but know that it's important to the proper functioning of the world economy. Maybe you don't really understand Wall Street, and phrases such as "credit default swap" make your eyes glaze over. Maybe you are utterly confused by the fact that after attacking Wall Street mercilessly during his campaign, Donald Trump has surrounded himself with Wall Street veterans. But if you like your smart phone or your widescreen TV, your car or your morning bacon, your pension or your 401(k), then--whether you know it or not--you are a fan of Wall Street. William D. Cohan is no knee-jerk advocate for Wall Street and the big banks. He's one of America's most respected financial journalists and the progressive bestselling author of House of Cards. He has long been critical of the bad behavior that plagued much of Wall Street in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, and because he spent seventeen years as an investment banker on Wall Street, he is an expert on its inner workings as well. But in recent years he's become alarmed by the cheap shots and ceaseless vitriol directed at Wall Street's bankers, traders, and executives--the people whose job it is to provide capital to those who need it, the grease that keeps our economy humming. In this brisk, no-nonsense narrative, Cohan reminds us of the good these institutions do--and the dire consequences for us all if the essential role they play in making our lives better is carelessly curtailed. Praise for William D. Cohan "Cohan writes with an insider's knowledge of the workings of Wall Street, a reporter's investigative instincts and a natural storyteller's narrative command."--The New York Times "[Cohan is] one of our most able financial journalists."--Los Angeles Times "A former Wall Street man and a talented writer, [Cohan] has the rare gift not only of understanding the fiendishly complicated goings-on, but also of being able to explain them in terms the lay reader can grasp." - The Observer (London)

Examining the origins of the First World War has been called "the ultimate who dunnit". In his book, published on the anniversary of the assassination said to have triggered it, John Zametica, focusing on the Habsburg Empire and the Balkans, re-examines the evidence. This leads to a number of radical new interpretations and some remarkable revelations about the events that in 1914 led to the outbreak of the First World War. The centenary of WW1 has spawned many new books on the subject. Utilizing a wide range of Serbo-Croat and German-language sources, the author overturns most of what we have been led to believe about the respective culpability of Austria-Hungary and Serbia for the outbreak of war. He also re-examines the role of Russia and Germany in this. The reader is left to conclude that Britain was drawn reluctantly into the war in defence of two small countries, one on each side of Europe, which had been attacked simultaneously by Austria-Hungary and Germany without provocation. In Folly and Malice John Zametica reveals that: The First World War was kick-started by an ailing Austria-Hungary which believed that waging a successful war was the only way it could remain a Great Power; This empire, with its eleven squabbling nations, and with its statesmen unwilling to contemplate any meaningful internal reform, was the real powder keg of Europe; Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian Heir to the Throne normally portrayed as a likely enlightened reformer of the Empire, was actually seeking to destroy the Dualist political compromise between Austria and Hungary and replace it with his own centralist autocracy; Serious antagonism between Austria-Hungary and Serbia really only began as late as 1906 and had on the whole almost nothing to do with the supposedly crucial 'South Slav' question; Gavrilo Princip, Franz Ferdinand's assassin, was impelled to do his deed by a Yugoslav ideology conceived and propagated from within Habsburg Croatia, not independent Serbia; The notorious Black Hand, the secret Serbian officers' organisation, far from planning to assassinate Franz Ferdinand during his visit to Bosnia, was in May-June 1914 busy plotting to overthrow civilian rule in Serbia and replace it with a military-led dictatorship; The famous Serbian warning to Vienna, intended to thwart Franz Ferdinand's assassination, was the work of Lieutenant-Colonel Apis, the leader of the Black Hand; In July 1914, Vienna also wanted its 'good' war against Serbia so as to dislo ...

""At 50, I began to know who I was. It was like waking up to myself." - Maya Angelou We've all seen the ads on TV and in magazines-"50 is the new 30!" or "60 is the new 40!" A nice sentiment to be sure, but Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP and author of Disrupt Aging, disagrees. 50 is 50 and she, for one, likes the look of it. People 50-plus today face distinct challenges and have different goals than people in their 30s and 40s. They're at a different place in their lives and are motivated by different things. They see the world through a lens that is shaped by the ups and downs of life, by the wisdom gained from those experiences, and by the comfort that comes from having a better understanding of who they are as individuals and what they want from life. We are living decades longer than our grandparents-how will we spend those years? Disrupt Aging sets out to change the current conversation about what it means to get older. In it, Jenkins chronicles her own journey, as well as those of others who are making their mark as disrupters, to show readers how we can all be active, financially unburdened, and happy as we get older. It's an engaging narrative that touches on all the important issues facing people 50+ today, from caregiving and mindful living to building age-friendly communities and attaining financial freedom. Jenkins also tackles the new myths about aging, including: We Are All Living Longer: Today's economic and cultural forces benefit some but not all, and we need to change that; The Baby Boomers are a Drag on the Economy: The Boomers are consumers, spending $4.6 trillion annually on goods and services--we just have to learn how to best reach them Aging is a Problem to be Solved: Aging is not a problem any more than living is-it's a part of the human experience, and our job is to get the absolute most out of it. This is a book for all the makers and doers who have a desire to continue exploring their possibilities, to celebrate discovery over decline, and to seek out opportunities to live the best life. Our ability to live longer, healthier lives is one of mankind's greatest accomplishments. It's time we treat it as such, and this book will show readers how. "--

Increase the odds you won't run out of money in retirement - using debt!Conventional wisdom is wrong - being debt free in retirement may actually increase your risk. The Value of Debt in Retirement teaches you how incorporating debt into your retirement strategy may increase your return, lower your taxes and actually lower your risk. You read that right. If handled correctly, debt--that thing we've all been taught to avoid--can play an integral role in your life, especially in retirement. New York Times Best Selling Author and nationally acclaimed financial expert Tom Anderson shows you how to use the time tested strategies of the best companies and the ultra rich to retire comfortably, minimize taxes, buy the things you have always wanted to have and do the things you have always wanted to do.Thought provoking and against the grain, Anderson explains why your risk tolerance doesn't matter, why being debt free may actually increase your risk and why rushing to pay off your mortgage may be a financial disaster. Full of shocking revelations and tricks high- net-worth individuals have used for years, The Value of Debt in Retirement opens the world to a new approach to wealth management in retirement, one that factors in both sides of the balance sheet as an integrated ecosystem.Real-world case studies illustrate how informed debt strategies can lead to a happier, healthier retirement. See how an individual with a net worth of more than $5 million can spend $20,000 per month - after taxes - and pay less than $5,000 per year in taxes, how it is possible to increase your rate of return by 50%, and how a lower risk portfolio with debt could increase the chances you do not run out of money.Specifically written to Baby Boomers, practical guides and checklists show how to use debt strategies to fund primary and secondary properties, refinance credit card debt, and finance hobbies, such as cars and boats and recreational vehicles. Additional guides show how you can help your children, help your parents and leave a bigger legacy for your heirs and favorite charities. Regardless of your net worth, The Value of Debt in Retirement provides tools to use to apply these concepts to your personal situation.There is no free lunch: the book delivers a balanced perspective focusing on the potential risks and benefits of the strategies discussed. A discussion on economic history highlights some of the shocks the economy may face and provides important warnings that you should ...

"From the first slave writings to contemporary hip hop, the canon of African American literature offers a powerful counter-narrative to dominant notions of American culture, history, and politics. Resonant with voices of prophecy and resistance, the African American literary tradition runs deep with emancipatory currents that have had an indelible impact on the United States and the world. Mumia Abu-Jamal has been one of our most important contributors to this canon for decades, writing from the confines of the US prison system to give voice to those most silenced by chronic racism, impoverishment, and injustice. Writing on the Wall is a selection of one hundred previously unpublished essays that crystalize Mumia Abu-Jamal's essential perspectives on community, politics, power, social change, and US history. From discussions of Rosa Parks and Trayvon Martin to John Walker Lindh and Edward Snowden, Abu-Jamal articulates lucid, humorous, and often prescient insight into the past, present, and future of American politics and society. Written as radio commentaries from his prison cell in Death Row, where he was held in solitary confinement for close to thirty years, Mumia's revolutionary perspective brims with hope, encouragement, and profound faith in the possibility of social change and redemption. MUMIA ABU-JAMAL is an award-winning journalist and author of two best-selling books, Live From Death Row and Death Blossoms, which address prison life from a critical and spiritual perspective. In 1981 he was elected president of the Association of Black Journalists (Philadelphia chapter). That same year he was arrested for allegedly killing a white police officer in Philadelphia. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982, in a process that has been described as an epic miscarriage of justice. After spending more than 28 years on death row, in 2011 his death sentence was vacated when the Supreme Court allowed to stand the decisions of four federal judges who had earlier declared his death sentence unconstitutional. He is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. In spite of his three-decade-long imprisonment, most of which was spent in solitary confinement on Death Row, Abu-Jamal has relentlessly fought for his freedom and for his profession. From prison he has written seven books and thousands of radio commentaries. He holds a BA from Goddard College and an MA from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His books have sold more ...

Richard Iley and Mervyn Lewis have written an extremely useful book on the global economy since the Western financial crisis. Well-written, well-informed and easily accessible to non-economists, it offers much good sense about many questions, from the future of the renminbi to that of the United States. They wisely urge that, as China's rise continues, the United States should engage with China rather than resist it. This is a book full of good judgement that deserves a wide readership. Martin Jacques, author, When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order The interplay between the macro-economic imbalances, notably in the relationship between the USA and China, and the more micro-economic shortcomings of the Wests financial systems, particularly the lax regulation, forms the centre-piece of this excellently written book. In the disputes about the relative culpability of China and the USA for current macro-economic problems, they tend to support the Chinese arguments, and give well-considered arguments for so doing. This book provides an excellent, clear, and at times provocative, assessment of the course of the macro-monetary problems of the world since the "great recession" struck. Charles A.E. Goodhart, London School of Economics, UK This thought-provoking book addresses challenging questions raised in light of the aftermath of the global financial crisis that saw an accelerated rise in the economic growth of China and other emerging market economies, while the US, Japan and Europe have laboured under the great recession. The authors examine global post-crisis reordering in a long-run context, identify five fundamental flaws in global bank business models and document the explosion of gross capital flows. They tackle difficult-to-answer lines of enquiry such as: can zero interest rates and quantitative easing lift the advanced world back to growth, or will they be dragged down by the overhang of debt? Might costs on savers, retirees and distortions to the pattern of global financing render zero rates counter-productive? What issues face the BRICs? Could China as number one see the renminbi soon challenge the dollar and the euro as a major international currency? Providing a detailed analysis of the post-crisis world and the issues posed by the rise of China and emerging market economies relative to developed countries, this book will prove a stimulating account for academics, students and researchers in the ...

An introduction to McDonaldization / George Ritzer -- Precursors: bureaucracy and Max Weber's theory of rationality, irrationality, and the iron cage / George Ritzer -- Islands of the living dead: the social geography of McDonaldization / George Ritzer -- On mass distribution: a case study of chain stores in the restaurant industry / Joel I. Nelson -- A sociology of rib joints / P.D. Holley, D.E. Wright, Jr. -- McDonald's as a Disneyized institution / Alan Bryman -- Urgent dreams: climbing, rationalization, and ambivalence / Ian Heywood -- A conversation with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast food nation -- McDonaldization: the major criticism / Bryan S. Turner -- McDonaldization of America's police, courts, and corrections / Matthew B. Robinson -- McDonaldization of the sex industries? The business of sex / Kathryn Hausbeck, Barbara G. Brents -- McDonaldizing men's bodies? Slimming, associated (ir)rationalities and resistances / Lee F. Monaghan -- McDonaldization and the family / Sara Raley -- McSchools for McWorld? Mediating global pressures with a McDonaldizing education policy response / Gary Wilkinson -- The de-McDonaldization of the internet / Nathan Jurgenson -- Multinational retailers in China: proliferating 'McJobs' or developing skills? / Jos Gamble -- Supersizing farms: the McDonaldization of agriculture / Andrew J. Knight -- From burgers to biodiversity: the McDonaldization of on-farm nature conservation in the UK / Carol Morris, Matt Reed -- From creeds to burgers: religious control, spiritual search, and the future of the world / John Drane -- McCitizens: risk, coolness, and irony in contemporary politics / Bryan S. Turner -- Cathedrals of consumption: rationalization, enchantment, and disenchantment / George Ritzer -- The McDonaldization thesis and cruise tourism / Adam Weaver -- A case of McDonald's restaurant: the built environment and the perpetuation of the phenomenon of globalisation / Kristine Peta Jerome -- Credit cards, fast-food restaurants, and rationalization / George Ritzer -- Jihad vs. McWorld / Benjamin R. Barber -- September 11, 2001: mass murder and its roots in the symbolism of American consumer culture / George Ritzer -- The McLibel trial story / McSpotlight -- Jos(c)♭ Bov(c)♭ vs. McDonald's: the making of a national hero in the French anti-globalization movement / Wayne Northcutt -- The emergence of Slow Food: social entrepreneurship, local foods, and the Piedmont gastronomy cluster / Hielke S. Van Der Meulen -- Globalization and culture: three paradigms / Jan Nederveen Pieterse -- McDonaldization and the global culture of consumption / Malcolm Waters -- Transnationalism, localization, and fast foods in East Asia / James L. Watson -- The McDonald's mosaic: globalization and diversity / Bryan S. Turner -- Domesticating the French fry: McDonald's and consumerism in Moscow / Melissa L. Caldwell -- Glocommodification: how the global consumes the local: McDonald's in Israel / Uri Ram -- Globalization and McDonaldization: does it all amount to ... nothing? / George Ritzer -- Globaloney / Michael Veseth -- eBayization / Elif Izberk-Bilgin, Aaron Ahuvia

"In the wake of the Enlightenment ... the suddenness with which Jews began to appear and make a mark in numerous ... areas ... is nothing short of astounding. It seemed as if a huge reservoir of Jewish talent, hitherto dammed up behind the wall of Talmudic learning were suddenly released to spill over into all fields of Gentile cultural activity."--Raphael Patai, The Jewish Mind "Quite suddenly, around the year 1800, this ancient and highly efficient social machine for the production of intellectuals began to shift its output. Instead of pouring all of its products into the closed circuit of rabbinical studies, where they remained completely isolated from general society, it unleashed a significant and ever growing proportion of them into secular life. This was an event of shattering importance in world history." -Paul Johnson, History of the Jews The Golden Age of Jewish Achievement chronicles the astonishing record of one people's disproportionate achivements and the causes behind it. The stunning performance of Jews over the last 125 years can only be compared with that of the Italians during the Renaissance, the Greeks during the era of Pericles, or the Dutch during their own Golden Age. The Golden Age details that record in more than 60 exhibits covering the range from Nobel prizes to Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame awards, from Pulitzer Prizes to chess champions, from philanthropy to Supreme Court Justices and more. But more intriguing is the question, "Why has this happened?" (the question posed by Rabbi Harold N. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People). Through fascinating stories, such as "Lev Leviev and the Soviet Jews" (at the start of Chapter 20) and "The Jazz Singer" (at the start of Chapter 13) the book illustrates the life and circumstances of hundreds of remarkable Jews before drawing its perspective together in Chapter 25 - Why? Timely, the book raises notions advanced by Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and recent debates over "Jewish genes" as well as Charles Murray's 2007 Commentary article where he argued for natural selection. The Golden Age makes the case for culture. It explains how the evolution of Judaism, coupled with a tortured 2,000 year history has shaped a unique combination of cultural values which have made Jews into the world's most successful tribe of Outliers. For example, they were history's first tribe to mandate literacy for all of their people. The book challenges natural selection, second generation immigra ...

Introduction -- Focus of the book -- Background -- Developments since the first and second editions -- Who should read this book -- Acknowledgments -- Rationale -- Why visit customers? -- Customer visits and market focus -- Promise and peril of customer visits -- Additional information -- Customer visits as a distinctive approach to market research -- Why do market research at all? -- Why do market research via personal visits? -- Why visits by cross-functional teams? -- Additional benefits of team visits -- Additional information -- Limits, boundary cases, and the sweet spot for customer visits -- When customer visits are not the technique of choice -- The sweet spot for customer visits -- Boundary cases -- From conceptual rationale to practical advice -- Additional information -- Procedures -- Programmatic, ad hoc and hybrid approaches to visiting customers -- Ad hoc visits -- Hybrid and emerging visit types -- How to harvest data from ad hoc visits -- Planning a program of visits -- Why a program of visits? -- Appropriate and inappropriate applications for visit programs -- A seven-step procedure for planning customer visit programs -- To begin: set objectives -- Additional information -- Budgets, recruitment, coordination, team preparation, and time line -- Cost factors -- Recruit customers -- Coordination with the salesforce -- Select team members -- Time frame -- Additional information -- Selecting customers to visit -- Devising a sample frame -- Special cases in sample selection -- Additional information -- Preparing a discussion guide -- The goal: information capture -- The discussion guide -- A process for team preparation of a discussion guide -- Additional information -- Constructing good questions -- Preparation but also spontaneity -- Importance of open-ended questions -- Workhorse questions -- Specialized question strategies -- Criteria for effective and ineffective questions -- A few specific questions to avoid -- How to ask questions about pricing -- The importance of follow up questions -- Additional information -- Conducting the visits -- Interview format: time boundaries -- Interview format: spatial considerations -- Group vs. individual interviews -- Interview roles -- Interview skills -- Difficult interview situations -- Additional information -- Completing the visit program -- Debriefing -- Analysis and reporting -- Dissemination of results -- Storage of results -- Closure for customers and the field -- Additional information -- Analysis -- Generalizability of visit data -- Procedures for the analysis of visit data -- Process of analysis: baseline approach -- Analysis of visit data: a closer look -- Visual representation of visit data -- Tips for improving the analysis of visit data -- Additional information -- The place of customer visits within the market research toolbox -- Compartments in the market research toolbox -- Research planning -- Customer visits compared to kindred techniques -- Combination strategies involving customer visits -- Mistakes to avoid -- Summary -- Additional information -- Appendix: checklist for conducting a program of customer visits -- Bibliography -- About the author -- Index

Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Acronyms and abbreviations -- Introduction -- E-development as a holistic vision -- The eSri Lanka program -- Learning from eSri Lanka -- Developing e-leadership institutions -- An institutional innovation in e-leadership: the ICT Agency of Sri lanka -- The institutional model -- Evolution of the authorizing environment and governance model -- Mandate -- Paths to sustainability -- Core competencies -- Partnerships -- A learning organization -- Role of aid agencies -- Lessons and conclusions -- Annex 2.1 The ICT agency in search of a corporate identity -- Annex 2.2 The ICT policy framework & the organizational structure of the ICT agency -- Annex 2.3 Internal and external risks facing the ICT agency at inception -- Managing results -- Objectives of monitoring and evaluation for eSri Lanka -- Framework for monitoring and evaluation -- Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation -- Emerging lessons -- Annex 3.1 Results framework for monitoring and evaluation -- Outcome indicator -- ICT human resource development and industry promotion -- Transforming government -- Best practices and options for planning and implementing e-government -- Approaches to planning e-government -- Implementation of e-government: four phases -- Leadership, partnership, and change management -- Providing leadership, building partnerships -- Conclusions and implications -- Readiness for e-government: a historical perspective -- History of e-government in Sri Lanka -- Analysis of the situation -- Findings and recommendations -- A vision of e-government -- Motivations and aspirations -- Challenges to realizing the vision -- Lessons learned: a postscript -- A strategy for e-government: initial priorities and lessons -- Planning for e-services -- Building e-governance -- Implementation agenda -- Early experience and lessons -- Annex 7.1 Criteria for determining impact & feasibility of offering services online -- Determining impact -- Determining feasibility -- Empowering communities -- Innovation in ICT use for poverty reduction -- Bottom-up planning and participatory development -- Serving the bottom of the pyramid -- The user innovation revolution -- Demand-driven ICT-enabled development -- Financing ICT innovation: lessons from InfoDev -- Conditions for ensuring impact by small grants -- Strategies for soliciting and funding good proposals -- Evaluating proposals and making funding decisions -- Good practices in managing a small-grant program -- E-society: design and early experience -- Overview of the fund -- Practices in soliciting and funding proposals -- Arrangements for implementation and monitoring -- Early operation and lessons learned -- Key lessons of eSri Lanka -- Designing and implementing a holistic framework for e-development -- Developing e-leadership institutions -- Transforming government -- Empowering communities -- Appendix 1 Main program components of eSri Lanka -- ICT policy, leadership, and institutional development program -- Information infrastructure program -- Reengineering government program -- ICT human resource capacity-building program -- ICT investment and private sector development program -- E-society program -- Appendix 2 Selected indicators for Sri Lanka and comparators -- Bibliography -- About the author