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Housing, Space and Quality of Life (Ethnoscapes Ser.)
by David L. Uzzell J. Eulogio Real José Romay Ricardo García MiraHouses, and other spaces and environments in which people spend their time, have a crucial impact on quality of life. We are increasingly living in multi-cultural cities and communities, and this too significantly affects how we feel about spaces in which we live. This volume brings together psychologists, architects, designers and planners to discuss issues of housing, space, sustainability and multi-culturalism. In doing so, the book provides an insightful critical analysis of space, place and the quality of life. It also addresses the implications of intercultural tension on quality of life and on the way in which people use and interact in a multi-cultural space. With case studies from Spain, Turkey, Brazil, the UK, the USA and Israel, it discusses issues such as low-cost housing, security, environmental conservation and sustainability, alternative building techniques, cultural diversity and its impact on housing and urban design.
Hovels to High Rise: State Housing in Europe Since 1850
by Anne PowerOriginally published in 1993, this book traces how governments in France, Germany, Britain, Denmark and Ireland became involved in replacing industrial revolution urban slums with mass high-rise, high-density concrete estates. As the book considers each country’s housing history and traditions, and analyses the contrasting structures and systems, it finds convergence of problems in the growing tensions of their most disadvantaged communities. The book underlines the continuing drift towards deeper polarization, an issue which has become ever more important in the multi-lingual, ethnically diverse urban societies of the 21st Century. The book’s detailed coverage of the historical, political and social changes relating to housing within the various countries make it an important text for students and practitioners concerned with housing, urban affairs, social policy and administration.
How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor
by James K. SmithHow (Not) to Be Secular is what Jamie Smith calls "your hitchhiker's guide to the present" -- it is both a reading guide to Charles Taylor's monumental work A Secular Age and philosophical guidance on how we might learn to live in our times.Taylor's landmark book A Secular Age (2007) provides a monumental, incisive analysis of what it means to live in the post-Christian present -- a pluralist world of competing beliefs and growing unbelief. Jamie Smith's book is a compact field guide to Taylor's insightful study of the secular, making that very significant but daunting work accessible to a wide array of readers.Even more, though, Smith's How (Not) to Be Secular is a practical philosophical guidebook, a kind of how-to manual on how to live in our secular age. It ultimately offers us an adventure in self-understanding and maps out a way to get our bearings in today's secular culture, no matter who "we" are -- whether believers or skeptics, devout or doubting, self-assured or puzzled and confused. This is a book for any thinking person to chew on.
How 9/11 Changed Our Ways of War
by James BurkFollowing the 9/11 attacks, a war against al Qaeda by the U. S. and its liberal democratic allies was next to inevitable. But what kind of war would it be, how would it be fought, for how long, and what would it cost in lives and money? None of this was known at the time. What came to be known was that the old ways of war must changeOCobut how? Now, with over a decade of political decision-making and warfighting to analyze, "How 9/11 Changed Our Ways of War" addresses that question. In particular it assesses how well those ways of war, adapted to fight terrorism, affect our military capacity to protect "and" sustain liberal democratic values. The book pursues three themes: what shaped the strategic choice to go to war; what force was used to wage the war; and what resources were needed to carry on the fight? In each case, military effectiveness required new and strict limits on the justification, use, and support of force. How to identify and observe these limits is a matter debated by the various contributors. Their debate raises questions about waging future warsOCoincluding how to defend against and control the use of drones, cyber warfare, and targeted assassinations. The contributors include historians, political scientists, and sociologists; both academics and practitioners. "
How AI Works: From Sorcery to Science
by Ronald T. KneuselAI isn&’t magic. How AI Works demystifies the explosion of artificial intelligence by explaining—without a single mathematical equation—what happened, when it happened, why it happened, how it happened, and what AI is actually doing "under the hood."Artificial intelligence is everywhere—from self-driving cars, to image generation from text, to the unexpected power of language systems like ChatGPT—yet few people seem to know how it all really works. How AI Works unravels the mysteries of artificial intelligence, without the complex math and unnecessary jargon.You&’ll learn: The relationship between artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learningThe history behind AI and why the artificial intelligence revolution is happening nowHow decades of work in symbolic AI failed and opened the door for the emergence of neural networksWhat neural networks are, how they are trained, and why all the wonder of modern AI boils down to a simple, repeated unit that knows how to multiply input numbers to produce an output number.The implications of large language models, like ChatGPT and Bard, on our society—nothing will be the same againAI isn&’t magic. If you&’ve ever wondered how it works, what it can do, or why there&’s so much hype, How AI Works will teach you everything you want to know.
How Alexander Hamilton Screwed Up America
by Ron Paul Brion McclanahanHe is the star of a hit Broadway musical, the face on the ten dollar bill, and a central figure among the founding fathers. But do you really know Alexander Hamilton? <P><P>Rather than lionize Hamilton, Americans should carefully consider his most significant and ultimately detrimental contribution to modern society: the shredding of the United States Constitution.Connecting the dots between Hamilton’s invention of implied powers in 1791 to transgender bathrooms and same-sex marriage two centuries later, Brion McClanahan shows the origins of our modern federal leviathan.
How America Compares (How the World Compares)
by Rodney Tiffen Ross Gittins David Smith Anika Gauja Brendon O'ConnorThis book is a reference work with an encyclopedic range, offering contemporary and systematic comparisons between the United States and 17 other economically advanced, stable liberal democracies, as well as some more global comparisons. It offers international data on as many aspects of social life as possible, from taxation to traffic accidents, homicide rates to health expenditure, and interest rates to internet usage. Wherever possible, it offers not only the most recent available data but also trends over decades. The discussion focuses on changes over time and comparisons between countries. Sometimes the contrasts are striking; sometimes the commonalities are more instructive. Often national political debates are conducted in a vacuum, and examining comparative data on policies, performance, and prospects can give a better perspective.
How America Got On-line: Politics, Markets, and the Revolution in Telecommunication
by Alan StoneThe telecommunications industry is the fastest growing sector of the US economy. This interdisciplinary study of technopolitical economics traces the industry's evolution from the invention of the telephone to the development of hypercommunications. Primary focus is on AT&T and its rivals.
How America Lost Its Secrets: Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft
by Edward Jay EpsteinA groundbreaking exposé that convincingly challenges the popular image of Edward Snowden as hacker turned avenging angel, while revealing how vulnerable our national security systems have become--as exciting as any political thriller, and far more important. After details of American government surveillance were published in 2013, Edward Snowden, formerly a subcontracted IT analyst for the NSA, became the center of an international controversy: Was he a hero, traitor, whistle-blower, spy? Was his theft legitimized by the nature of the information he exposed? When is it necessary for governmental transparency to give way to subterfuge? Edward Jay Epstein brings a lifetime of journalistic and investigative acumen to bear on these and other questions, delving into both how our secrets were taken and the man who took them. He makes clear that by outsourcing parts of our security apparatus, the government has made classified information far more vulnerable; how Snowden sought employment precisely where he could most easily gain access to the most sensitive classified material; and how, though he claims to have acted to serve his country, Snowden is treated as a prized intelligence asset in Moscow, his new home.From the Hardcover edition.
How America Works: Understanding Your Government And How You Can Get Involved
by Elliott RebhunLearning about civics shouldn't be boring. How America Works gives teens a fun, behind-the-scenes look at how the U.S. government works, why they should care and how they can get involved. But this isn’t just any old civics primer. Appealing graphics and a conversational tone draw readers in from the very first page. Political cartoons and debates spark critical thought. And age-appropriate explanations make even the most complex civics topics accessible and easy to understand. In short, this comprehensive guide has everything teens need to know about government and civic engagement (and probably don’t).
How America's Political Parties Change (and How They Don't)
by Michael BaroneThe election of 2016 prompted journalists and political scientists to write obituaries for the Republican Party--or prophecies of a new dominance. But it was all rather familiar. Whenever one of our two great parties has a setback, we've heard: "This is the end of the Democratic Party," or, "The Republican Party is going out of existence." Yet both survive, and thrive. In this book, Michael Barone brings a deep understanding of our electoral history to the question and finds a compelling answer. He illuminates how both parties have adapted, swiftly or haltingly, to shifting opinion and emerging issues, to economic change and cultural currents, to demographic flux.
How Are We Going to Explain This?: Our Future on a Hot Earth
by Jelmer MommersThere&’s a new story in the making, one in which the consequences of our actions add up—and every contribution is meaningful.If climate change is the biggest threat humanity has ever faced, then why are we doing so little about it? And where do we go from here? Journalist Jelmer Mommers knows most people prefer not to talk or even think about climate change, and that is exactly why he wrote this book. Denial and despair are not the only possible responses to the current crisis. Drawing on the latest science, Mommers describes how we got here, what possible future awaits us, and how you can help make a difference. Five years in the making, How Are We Going to Explain This was an instant bestseller in the Netherlands. With this revised and updated translation, including responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mommers brings his unique blend of realism and hope to the wider world.
How Are You Going to Pay for That?: Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics
by Ryan CooperA compelling alternative view of the relationship between our politics and our economy.Throughout America, structural problems are getting worse. Economic inequality is near Gilded Age heights, the healthcare system is a mess, and the climate crisis continues to grow. Yet most ambitious policy proposals that might fix these calamities are dismissed as wastefully expensive by default. From the kitchen table to Congress, debates are punctuated with a familiar refrain: “How are you going to pay for that?”This question is designed to shut down policy pushes up front, minimizing any interference with the free market. It comes from neoliberalism, an economic ideology that has overtaken both parties. Proponents insist that markets are naturally-occurring and apolitical—and that too much manipulation of the economy will make our society fall apart. Ryan Cooper argues that our society already is falling apart, and the logically preposterous views of neoliberalism are to blame. Most progressives understand this instinctively, but many lack the background knowledge to make effective economic counterarguments.How Are You Going To Pay For That? is filled with engaging discussions and detailed strategies that policymakers and citizens alike can use to assail even the most entrenched lines of neoliberal logic, and start to undo these long-held misconceptions. Equal parts economic theory, history, and political polemic, this is an essential roadmap for winning the key battles to come.
How Armies Respond to Revolutions and Why
by Zoltan BaranyWe know that a revolution's success largely depends on the army's response to it. But can we predict the military's reaction to an uprising? How Armies Respond to Revolutions and Why argues that it is possible to make a highly educated guess--and in some cases even a confident prediction--about the generals' response to a domestic revolt if we know enough about the army, the state it is supposed to serve, the society in which it exists, and the external environment that affects its actions. Through concise case studies of modern uprisings in Iran, China, Eastern Europe, Burma, and the Arab world, Zoltan Barany looks at the reasons for and the logic behind the variety of choices soldiers ultimately make.Barany offers tools--in the form of questions to be asked and answered--that enable analysts to provide the most informed assessment possible regarding an army's likely response to a revolution and, ultimately, the probable fate of the revolution itself. He examines such factors as the military's internal cohesion, the regime's treatment of its armed forces, and the size, composition, and nature of the demonstrations. How Armies Respond to Revolutions and Why explains how generals decide to support or suppress domestic uprisings.
How Australia Decides
by Sally YoungIn recent years, the Australian media have come under fire for their reporting of politics and election campaigns. Political reporting is said to be too influenced by commercial concerns, too obsessed with gossip and scandal, and too focused on trivia and 'sound bites' at the expense of serious issues. There are accusations of bias, sensationalism, 'lazy' journalism and 'horse-race' reporting that is obsessed with opinion polls. How Australia Decides is the first book to put these allegations to the test. Based on a four-year empirical study, Sally Young reports the results of the only systematic, historical and in-depth analysis of Australian election reporting. This groundbreaking book shows how election reporting has changed over time, and how political news audiences, news production and shifts in political campaigning are influencing media content, Ai with profound implications for Australian democracy.
How Australia is Studied in China (ISSN)
by Richard Hu Diane HuChina has arguably the largest community of Australian studies in the world. However, not much is known about this phenomenon, including its emergence, rationale, interests, influences, and the implications for strategic Australia-China engagement in a region of increasing challenge and uncertainty. This volume unpacks how Australia is taught, learnt, researched, communicated, and promoted in the Asian giant as well as its largest trade partner. In doing so, it penetrates the representation and essence of this phenomenon to seek both the ‘Australianness’ and the ‘Chineseness’ in it.This volume collects contributions from a group of leading and emerging Chinese and Australian scholars—who are members and insiders of this community—to jointly debate on this intellectual entity and its significant influences and implications. Produced at a critical moment of commemorating half a century of China-Australia diplomatic relations and four decades of formalised Australian studies in China, this volume provides an up-to-date, comprehensive, and insightful examination of this Australia-China engagement.It will be of interest to scholars, students, policymakers, and general readers in areas of Australian studies, Chinese studies, Asia-Pacific studies, China-Australia relations, and international relations.
How Autocrats Abuse Power: Resistance to Trump and Trumpism (Defending American Democracy)
by Richard L. AbelChronicling and analyzing resistance to the threat that autocracy poses to American liberal democracy, this book provides the definitive account of both Trump’s efforts to erode democracy’s essential elements and opposition to those efforts. This book is about the threat of autocracy, which antedated Donald Trump and will persist after he leaves the stage. Autocrats blur or breach the separation of powers, use executive orders to bypass the legislature, pack the courts, replace career prosecutors with political appointees, abuse the pardon power, and claim immunity from the law. They seek to hobble opposition from civil society by curtailing speech and assembly, tolerating and even encouraging vigilante violence, and attacking the media. As this book demonstrates, Trump followed the autocrat’s playbook in many ways. He was a huckster of hate, aiming his vitriol at women and racial minorities and making attacks on immigrants the focus of his 2016 campaign, as well as his first years in office. Nevertheless, his rhetoric and policies encountered widespread opposition—from religious leaders, business executives, lawyers and bar associations, and civil servants. His executive orders (on which he relied) were almost all struck down by courts: including the first two “Muslim bans,” the detention of children and their separation from parents, the diversion of military funds to build the border wall, the insertion of a citizenship question in the census, and the limits on asylum. Just as Trump sought to weaponize the criminal justice system against his political opponents, so he manipulated it to defend his cronies, derailing some of their prosecutions. Trump also intervened in courts martial and criminal prosecutions of those convicted of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and those accused of desertion and terrorism. Again, however, there was resistance, as some career prosecutors withdrew from cases or resigned when subjected to political pressure and federal courts convicted all of Trump’s allies—even though the president went on to use his unreviewable pardon power. This book, then, documents the abuses that are characteristic of autocracy and assesses the various forms of resistance to them. This definitive account and analysis of Trumpism in action, as well as the resistance to it, will appeal to scholars, students, and others with interests in politics, populism, and the rule of law and, more specifically, to those concerned with resisting the threat that autocracy poses to liberal democracy.
How Autocrats Attack Expertise: Resistance to Trump and Trumpism (Defending American Democracy)
by Richard L. AbelChronicling and analyzing resistance to the threat that autocracy poses to American liberal democracy, this book provides the definitive account of Trump’s assault on truth and his populist attacks on expertise, as well as scientific and legal opposition to them. This book is about the threat of autocracy, which antedated Donald Trump and will persist after he leaves the stage. Pandering to populists, autocrats attack professional expertise in an Orwellian world, where “ignorance is strength” and where, as Hannah Arendt wrote, people “believe everything and nothing.” Trump sought to inflame xenophobia by blaming China for the pandemic and closing U.S. borders, then declaring victory and, when that proved premature, wrongly blaming the number of tests for escalating cases. He sought to muzzle government scientists and denounced those who defied or evaded his directives as members of the “deep state,” preferring to rely on inexpert buddies. He elevated obscure scientists who promoted quack cures and opposed effective preventive measures while sidelining the few reputable experts, who nevertheless courageously resisted political interference. In addition to these, as this book documents, independent scientists, scientific journals and professional associations also outspoken, often more so. Even the pharmaceutical industry sought to preserve the integrity of a federal bureaucracy that assured the public the drugs they consumed were safe and efficacious. Following Trump’s numerous efforts to distort and undermine expertise, this book describes and evaluates the resilience of scientific and legal defenses of truth. This definitive account and analysis of the Trump’s populist rejection of truth and expertise will appeal to scholars, students and others with interests in politics, populism and the rule of law and, more specifically, to those concerned with resisting the threat that autocracy poses to liberal democracy.
How Autocrats Compete: Parties, Patrons, and Unfair Elections in Africa
by Yonatan L. MorseMost autocrats now hold unfair elections, yet how they compete in them and manipulate them differs greatly. How Autocrats Compete advances a theory that explains variation in electoral authoritarian competition. Using case studies of Tanzania, Cameroon, and Kenya, along with broader comparisons from Africa, it finds that the kind of relationships autocrats foster with supporters and external actors matters greatly during elections. When autocrats can depend on credible ruling parties that provide elites with a level playing field and commit to wider constituencies, they are more certain in their own support and can compete in elections with less manipulation. Shelter from international pressure further helps autocrats deploy a wider range of coercive tools when necessary. Combining in-depth field research, within-case statistics, and cross-regional comparisons, Morse fills a gap in the literature by focusing on important variation in authoritarian institution building and international patronage. Understanding how autocrats compete sheds light on the comparative resilience and durability of modern authoritarianism.
How Autocrats Rise: Sequences of Democratic Backsliding (Global Political Transitions)
by Ali Riaz Md Sohel RanaFor the past decade and a half, the world has witnessed a precipitous decline of democratic countries and the consequent rise of autocrats. How Autocrats Rise: Sequences of Democratic Backsliding challenges the conventional wisdom and offers an institutional-ideological approach to understand the phenomenon, examines the steps of emergent autocrats, and analyzes the methods of legitimizing their rules. Employing the new framework, the book provides incisive analyses of four countries located in four different regions with dissimilar national features – Bangladesh, Bolivia, Hungary, and Turkey, and demonstrates that political developments in these countries have followed a similar, specific pattern resulting in various shades of autocracy. Theoretically enriched and empirically grounded, this exceptionally timely book makes significant contribution to the democratic backsliding literature while offering insights on how to forestall an autocratic era.
How Autocrats Seek Power: Resistance to Trump and Trumpism (Defending American Democracy)
by Richard L. AbelChronicling and analyzing resistance to the threat that autocracy poses to American liberal democracy, this book provides the definitive account of the rise of Trump’s populist support in 2016, and his failed efforts to nullify the result of the 2020 election.This book is about the threat of autocracy, which antedated Donald Trump and will persist after he leaves the stage. Autocracy negates both liberalism—which includes the protection of fundamental rights, the rule of law, separation of powers, and respect for specialist expertise—and democracy—which requires that the state be responsible to an electorate composed of all eligible voters—by concentrating unconstrained power in a single individual. Anticipating defeat in the 2016 election, Trump attacked suggestions that he had sought, or even benefited from, Russian assistance despite the evidence, and he made repeated claims of election fraud. In 2020, fearful that his mishandling of the pandemic had alienated voters, he intensified the allegations of fraud, demanding recounts, pressuring state legislatures and state election officials, advancing bizarre conspiracy theories, and finally, calling for a massive demonstration, urging protesters to march to the Capitol to pressure Congress, promising to accompany them. But as this book documents, Trump’s efforts to nullify the result of the 2020 election failed. As the courts rejected his numerous challenges, state election officials loyally performed their statutory duties, the Justice Department found no evidence of fraud, and politicians from all sides certified Biden’s victory, this book traces the many, and varied, forms of the defense of liberal democracy located within both the state and civil society, including law (judges, government lawyers, and private practitioners), the media, NGOs, science (and other forms of expertise), and civil servants (in federal, state, and local government). Evaluating their efficacy, the book maintains, is vital if—as history has repeatedly taught us—the price of liberal democracy, like that of liberty itself, is eternal vigilance.This definitive account and analysis of Trumpism and the resistance to it will appeal to scholars, students, and others with interests in politics, populism, and the rule of law and, more specifically, to those concerned with resisting the threat that autocracy poses to liberal democracy.
How Autocrats Subvert Elections: Resistance to Trump and Trumpism (Defending American Democracy)
by Richard L. AbelChronicling and analyzing resistance to the threat that autocracy poses to American liberal democracy, this book provides the definitive account of the response to the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and Republican efforts to overturn the 2020 election and bias future elections in their favor.In December 2020, Donald Trump invited supporters to DC for what he promised would be a “wild” demonstration against Biden’s victory. On January 6, 2021, he directed the mob he had summoned to march on the Capitol, where it ransacked the building, caused five deaths and hundreds of injuries, and delayed but failed to prevent certification of the election. Although some Congressional Republicans briefly distanced themselves from Trump, the party quickly closed ranks around him. The business community, similarly, initially expressed criticism but soon resumed campaign contributions to Republicans. Democrats sought to impeach Trump (for the second time), but Republicans blocked conviction. Democrats created a House Select Committee, which exposed Trump’s complicity through dramatic televised hearings and a comprehensive report. Republicans responded by denying there had been a riot—one calling it a mere tourist visit—and sanctifying those arrested. Nevertheless, all but two of the nearly 1,400 charged were convicted. Judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents harshly condemned the insurrectionists, imposing sentences that did not vary by the judge’s party preference. This book contextualizes these continuing threats to American democracy through an opening chapter exposing distressing parallels with the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany. The penultimate chapter examines the ways in which Republicans persisted in seeking to overturn the 2020 election and distort subsequent elections by gerrymandering and creating obstructions to potential Democratic voters. All the chapters focus on the multiple forms of resistance—politics, social action, economic pressure, media exposure, and criminal prosecution—evaluating their relative efficacy and comparing them with modes of resistance analyzed in the author’s related volumes.This definitive account and analysis of Trump’s and his supporters’ attempts to subvert the 2020 election will appeal to scholars, students, and others with interests in politics, populism, and the rule of law, and more specifically, to those concerned with resisting the threat that autocracy poses to liberal democracy.
How Barack Obama Won: A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election
by Chuck Todd Sheldon GawiserThis detailed overview and analysis of the results of Barack Obama's historic 2008 presidential win gives us the inside state-by-state guide to how Obama achieved his victory, and allows us to see where the country stood four years ago. Although much has changed in the nearly four years since, How Barack Obama Won remains the essential guide to Obama's electoral strengths and offers important perspective on his 2012 bid. The votes in each state for Obama and McCain are broken down by percentage according to gender, age, race, party, religious affiliation, education, household income, size of city, and according to views about the most important issues (the economy, terrorism, Iraq, energy, healthcare), the future of the economy (worried, not worried) and the war in Iraq (approve, disapprove).
How Barack Obama is Bankrupting the U.S. Economy
by Stephen MooreIn his first nine months in office Barack Obama has pursued the most aggressive government expansionist agenda since Franklin Roosevelt's new deal was launched in 1933. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel summarized the Obama first-year game plan best: "An economic crisis is a terrible thing to waste." So far, we have seen multi-trillion dollar bailouts in housing, banking, insurance, and auto industries, the stimulus plan, cap and trade, a $1.2 trillion health care bill, and of course, the $4 billion cash for clunkers program. None of this has worked. Now, six months after the stimulus progam, we sit at 9.4% unemployment. Two million more Americans are jobless. The debt has exploded like a cork from a bottle of champagne. We are now told that the Obama agenda will cost $9 trillion in debt as it plans to spend $42 trillion over the next decade.In this riveting broadside, Stephen Moore explains this rotten story of Washington arrogance and malfeasance, and reveals exactly why Obamanomics failed.
How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty
by John R BoltonToday, American sovereignty is more challenged than ever before, not from enemies that threaten us militarily but from "friends" who urge us to share or reduce our sovereignty for larger global objectives. How Barack Obama is Endangering our National Sovereignty reveals what sovereignty means to Americans, not as an abstraction but as a vibrant component of self government.Former Ambassador to the U.N. John R. Bolton looks at specific threats to U.S. sovereignty, from "global governance" to the White House, and recommends what Americans can do to defend their sovereignty and resist encroachments from the wide array of challenges we face, internationally and in our own domestic politics.