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The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family
by Peter FirstbrookOn January 20, 2009, a few hundred men, women, and children gathered under trees in the twilight at K#x19;obama, a village on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya. Barack Obama#x19;s rise to the American presidency had captivated people around the world, but members of this gathering took a special pride in the swearing in of America#x19;s first black president, for they were all Obamas, all the president#x19;s direct African family. In the first in-depth history of the Obama family, Peter Firstbrook recounts a journey that starts in a mud hut by the White Nile and ends seven centuries later in the White House. Interweaving oral history and tribal lore, interviews with Obama family members and other Kenyans, the writings of Kenyan historians, and original genealogical research, Firstbrook sets the fascinating story of the president#x19;s family against the background of Kenya#x19;s rich culture and complex history. He tells the story of farmers and fishermen, of healers and hunters, of families lost and found, establishing for the first time the early ancestry of the Obamas. From the tribe#x19;s cradleland in southern Sudan, he follows the family generation by generation, tracing the paths of the famous Luo warriors-Obama#x19;s direct ancestors-and vividly illuminating Luo politics, society, and traditions. Firstbrook also brings to life the impact of English colonization in Africa through the eyes of President Obama#x19;s grandfather Onyango. An ambitious and disciplined man who fought in two world wars, witnessed the bloody Mau Mau insurrection, and saw his country gain independence from white rule, Onyango was also hot-tempered and autocratic: family lore has it that President Obama#x19;s grandmother abandoned the family after Onyango attempted to murder her. And Firstbrook delves into the troubled life of Obama#x19;s father, a promising young man whose aspirations were stymied by post-independence tribal politics and a rash tendency toward self-destruction-two factors that his family believes contributed to his death in 1982. They say it was no accident, as described in the president#x19;s memoirs, but rather a politically motivated hit job. More than a tale of love and war, hardship and hard-won success, The Obamas reveals a family history-epic in scope yet intimate in feel-that is truly without precedent.
The Obamians: The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power
by James MannWhen Obama took office, he brought with him a new group of foreign policy advisors intent on carving out a new global role for America. James Mann offers a definitive, evenhanded account of the messier realities they've faced in implementing their policies.
The Obligation Mosaic: Race and Social Norms in US Political Participation (Chicago Studies in American Politics)
by Allison P. AnollPolitical participation is a costly activity with little clear payoff. And yet, millions of Americans vote, many donate their time and money to campaigns, and even more spend time becoming informed on issues they will have almost no influence over. Even more puzzling, some racial groups, like African Americans, whose members are least obviously able to bear the costs of participation are more likely to engage than other resource-rich groups, like Asian Americans. What explains this? To answer this question, Allison P. Anoll draws on a rich mix of interviews, surveys, and experiments with the four largest racial groups in America to look at the power of social norms in a community, specifically a civic duty norm, as an explanation for the variation in political participation across different racial and ethnic communities. Beliefs about how best to honor the past and help those in need centrally define concepts of obligation, Anoll finds, but whether these feelings of duty connect to politics depends on each group’s distinct history and continued patterns of racial segregation. Her findings offer a thought-provoking explanation for why some people participate in politics and others do not, while also providing a window into opportunities for change, pointing to how traditionally marginalized groups can be mobilized into the political sphere.
The Obligation Mosaic: Race and Social Norms in US Political Participation (Chicago Studies in American Politics)
by Allison P. AnollPolitical participation is a costly activity with little clear payoff. And yet, millions of Americans vote, many donate their time and money to campaigns, and even more spend time becoming informed on issues they will have almost no influence over. Even more puzzling, some racial groups, like African Americans, whose members are least obviously able to bear the costs of participation are more likely to engage than other resource-rich groups, like Asian Americans. What explains this? To answer this question, Allison P. Anoll draws on a rich mix of interviews, surveys, and experiments with the four largest racial groups in America to look at the power of social norms in a community, specifically a civic duty norm, as an explanation for the variation in political participation across different racial and ethnic communities. Beliefs about how best to honor the past and help those in need centrally define concepts of obligation, Anoll finds, but whether these feelings of duty connect to politics depends on each group’s distinct history and continued patterns of racial segregation. Her findings offer a thought-provoking explanation for why some people participate in politics and others do not, while also providing a window into opportunities for change, pointing to how traditionally marginalized groups can be mobilized into the political sphere.
The Obligation Mosaic: Race and Social Norms in US Political Participation (Chicago Studies in American Politics)
by Allison P. AnollPolitical participation is a costly activity with little clear payoff. And yet, millions of Americans vote, many donate their time and money to campaigns, and even more spend time becoming informed on issues they will have almost no influence over. Even more puzzling, some racial groups, like African Americans, whose members are least obviously able to bear the costs of participation are more likely to engage than other resource-rich groups, like Asian Americans. What explains this? To answer this question, Allison P. Anoll draws on a rich mix of interviews, surveys, and experiments with the four largest racial groups in America to look at the power of social norms in a community, specifically a civic duty norm, as an explanation for the variation in political participation across different racial and ethnic communities. Beliefs about how best to honor the past and help those in need centrally define concepts of obligation, Anoll finds, but whether these feelings of duty connect to politics depends on each group’s distinct history and continued patterns of racial segregation. Her findings offer a thought-provoking explanation for why some people participate in politics and others do not, while also providing a window into opportunities for change, pointing to how traditionally marginalized groups can be mobilized into the political sphere.
The Occupy Handbook
by Janet ByrneAnalyzing the movement's deep-seated origins in questions that the country has sought too long to ignore, some of the greatest economic minds and most incisive cultural commentators - from Paul Krugman, Robin Wells, Michael Lewis, Robert Reich, Amy Goodman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Gillian Tett, Scott Turow, Bethany McLean, Brandon Adams, and Tyler Cowen to prominent labor leaders and young, cutting-edge economists and financial writers whose work is not yet widely known - capture the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon in all its ragged glory, giving readers an on-the-scene feel for the movement as it unfolds while exploring the heady growth of the protests, considering the lasting changes wrought, and recommending reform. A guide to the occupation, THE OCCUPY HANDBOOK is a talked-about source for understanding why 1% of the people in America take almost a quarter of the nation's income and the long-term effects of a protest movement that even the objects of its attack can find little fault with.
The Occupy Movement Explained
by Nicholas SmaligoThe Occupy Movement Explained is a readable, compact account and analysis of the Occupy protests, by a scholar who participated in several Occupy events. The book is thoroughly researched, painstakingly accurate, and fully documented.<P><P> It debunks a number of myths and misunderstandings that have become rife. Nicholas Smaligo shows how the movement arose out of radical currents that have been active below the media's radar since the 1970s. Occupiers are not all the same, and the author reviews some of the debates and changes within the movement.The occupations began under a slogan that conjured up a naive sense of unity--"We Are the 99%!" It did not take very long for that sense of unity to give way to an appreciation of just how socially, economically, and ideologically fragmented American society is. For some, this was an excuse to return to their cynicism--for others, it was an invitation to lose their illusions and begin to see the world from the viewpoint of political activists. The Occupy Movement Explained describes this process of education and the lessons learned about "the 99%", the police, direct democracy, political demands, and the intimately related questions of social change, violence and property.
The Ocean Incubator Network Learning Toolkit
by Margherita Paola Poto Laura VitaThis open access book is designed to enhance ocean literacy through diverse research, educational and interdisciplinary approaches. It focuses on a number of critical themes, including: an exploration of positionality, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging one’s own perspective in ocean-related research and advocacy; the nuances of trans-cross and interdisciplinarity in ocean studies, advocating for a systemic approach to understanding oceanic phenomena; a model for collaborative research and project development methods. The authors also include practical components such as a mapping of student-led projects on Ocean Literacy and a chapter dedicated to activities that can be implemented to promote understanding and engagement with oceanic themes. This part is designed to be directly applicable in educational settings, providing tools and ideas for active learning. The book is enriched with a vast array of references, resources, infographics, and mind maps to support the content visually and intellectually. Additionally, to ensure accessibility and enhance learning experiences, a video and audio version of the book will be available via a QR code, making this resource fully accessible to a broad audience, including those with visual and auditory impairments. This toolkit serves as a comprehensive guide for educators and researchers and is a pivotal resource for anyone committed to advancing ocean literacy. This Open Access Book is endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity.
The Ocean Is A Wilderness: Atlantic Piracy And The Limits of State Authority, 1688-1856
by Guy ChetHistorians have long maintained that the rise of the British empire brought an end to the great age of piracy, turning the once violent Atlantic frontier into a locus of orderly commerce by 1730. In this book, Guy Chet reassesses that view by documenting the persistence of piracy, smuggling, and other forms of illegal trade throughout the eighteenth century despite ongoing governmental campaigns to stamp it out. the failure of the Royal Navy to police oceanic trade reflected the state's limited authority and legitimacy at port, in the courts, and in the hearts and minds of Anglo-American constituents. Chet shows how the traditional focus on the growth of the modern state overlooked the extent to which old attitudes and cultural practises continued to hold sway. Even as the British government extended its naval, legal, and bureaucratic reach, in many parts of the Atlantic world illegal trade was not only tolerated but encouraged. In part this was because Britain's constabulary command of the region remained more tenuous than some have suggested, and in part because maritime insurance and wartime tax policies ensured that piracy and smuggling remained profitable. When Atlantic piracy eventually waned in the early nineteenth century, it had more to do with a reduction in its profitability at port than with forceful confrontation at sea. Challenging traditional accounts that chronicle forces of civilization taming a wild Atlantic frontier, this book is a valuable addition to a body of borderlands scholarship reevaluating the relationship between the emerging modern state and its imperial frontiers.
The Ochrana: The Russian Secret Police
by A. T. Vassilyev René Fülöp-MillerOriginally published in 1930, these are the memoirs of the last Tsarist chief of police, Okhrana, who was arrested by the revolutionaries, refused to be a Bolshevik spy, escaped to France, became a railway porter and died penniless.The book tells of the part he played in Rasputin’s death and his experiences during WWI and the Revolutions, and the comparison between the Okhrana and the Cheka, the Soviet secret police, in which he describes a kinder, gentler Okhrana.Richly illustrated throughout.
The Octopus
by Frank NorrisFrom the author of McTeague: The classic novel of corporate corruption and violent rebellion in the railroad industry. On May 11, 1880, at a San Joaquin Valley ranch, a shootout between tenant farmers and a sheriff’s posse left seven dead. The dispute was over land rights. The law was acting in the service of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This tragedy marked the beginning of the end for the American frontier, and it became the inspiration for Frank Norris’s epic tale of wheat croppers struggling against the tightening grip of the railroad industry. With a cast of characters ranging from poor hired hands to wealthy landowners and railroad barons, Norris’s novel goes beyond its central conflict to chronicle the myriad political and social issues that rippled out from it. The first work in Norris’s planned Epic of the Wheat Trilogy, The Octopus was an important exposé of railroad greed that drew comparisons to Émile Zola for its incredible breadth. It is a great read for fans of gritty, historically inspired western series such as Deadwood or Hell on Wheels. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience
by Rob VerchickOne morning in Miami Beach, an unexpected guest showed up in a luxury condominium complex’s parking garage: an octopus. The image quickly went viral. But the octopus—and the combination of infrastructure quirks and climate impacts that left it stranded—is more than a funny meme. It’s a potent symbol of the disruptions that a changing climate has already brought to our doorsteps and the ways we will have to adjust.Rob Verchick examines how we can manage the risks that we can no longer avoid, laying out our options as we face climate breakdown. Although reducing carbon dioxide emissions is essential, we need to adapt to address the damage we have already caused. Verchick explores what resilience looks like on the ground, from early humans on the savannas to today’s shop owners and city planners. He takes the reader on a journey into the field: paddling through Louisiana’s bayous, hiking in one of the last refuges of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert, and diving off Key Largo with citizen scientists working to restore coral reefs. The book emphasizes disadvantaged communities, which bear the brunt of environmental risk, arguing that building climate resilience is a necessary step toward justice.Engaging and accessible for nonexpert concerned citizens, The Octopus in the Parking Garage empowers readers to face the climate crisis and shows what we can do to adapt and thrive.
The Odd Clauses
by Jay WexlerIf the United States Constitution were a zoo, and the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth amendments were a lion, a giraffe, and a panda bear, respectively, thenThe Odd Clauseswould be a special exhibit of shrews, wombats, and bat-eared foxes. Past the ever-popular monkey house and lion cages, Boston University law professor Jay Wexler leads us on a tour of the lesser-known clauses of the Constitution, the clauses that, like the yeti crab or platypus, rarely draw the big audiences but are worth a closer look. Just as ecologists remind us that even a weird little creature like a shrew can make all the difference between a healthy environment and an unhealthy one, understanding the odd clauses offers readers a healthier appreciation for our constitutional system. With Wexler as your expert guide through this jurisprudence jungle, you’ll see the Constitution like you’ve never seen it before. Including its twenty-seven amendments, the Constitution contains about eight thousand words, but the well-known parts make up only a tiny percentage of the entire document. The rest is a hodgepodge of provisions, clauses, and rules, including some historically anachronistic, some absurdly detailed, and some crucially important but too subtle or complex to get popular attention. This book is about constitutional provisions like Section 2 of the Twenty-first Amendment, the letters of marque and reprisal clause, and the titles of nobility clauses-those that promote key democratic functions in very specific, and therefore seemingly quite odd, ways. Each of the book’s ten chapters shines a much-deserved light on one of the Constitution’s odd clauses-its history, its stories, its controversies, its possible future. The Odd Clausesputs these intriguing beasts on display and allows them to exhibit their relevance to our lives, our government’s structure, and the integrity of our democracy.
The Odyssey of Political Theory: The Politics of Departure and Return
by Patrick J. DeneenThis book offers the readers original insights into The Odyssey, and it provides a new understanding of the classic works of Plato, Rousseau, Vico, Horkheimer, and Adorno.
The Offensive Internet: Speech, Privacy, and Reputation
by Martha Craven NussbaumThe Internet has been romanticized as a zone of freedom. The alluring combination of sophisticated technology with low barriers to entry and instantaneous outreach to millions of users has mesmerized libertarians and communitarians alike. Lawmakers have joined the celebration, passing the Communications Decency Act, which enables Internet Service Providers to allow unregulated discourse without danger of liability, all in the name of enhancing freedom of speech. But an unregulated Internet is a breeding ground for offensive conduct. At last we have a book that begins to focus on abuses made possible by anonymity, freedom from liability, and lack of oversight. The distinguished scholars assembled in this volume, drawn from law and philosophy, connect the absence of legal oversight with harassment and discrimination. Questioning the simplistic notion that abusive speech and mobocracy are the inevitable outcomes of new technology, they argue that current misuse is the outgrowth of social, technological, and legal choices. Seeing this clearly will help us to be better informed about our options. In a field still dominated by a frontier perspective, this book has the potential to be a real game changer. Armed with example after example of harassment in Internet chat rooms and forums, the authors detail some of the vile and hateful speech that the current combination of law and technology has bred. The facts are then treated to analysis and policy prescriptions. Read this book and you will never again see the Internet through rose-colored glasses.
The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for the Academic Essay
by Scott F CriderA frivolous argument or inflated claim is often dismissed with the reply, "That's just rhetoric!" But as Scott Crider explains in The Office of Assertion, the classical tradition of rhetoric is both a productive and a liberal art. The ability to employ rhetoric successfully can enable the student, as an effective communicator, to reflect qualities of soul through argument. In that sense, rhetoric is much more than a technical skill.Crider addresses the intelligent university student with respect and humor. This short but serious book is informed by both the ancient rhetorical tradition and recent discoveries concerning the writing process. Though practical, it is not simply a "how-to" manual; though philosophical, it never loses sight of writing itself. Crider combines practical guidance about how to improve an academic essay with reflection on the final purposes --educational, political, and philosophical--of such improvement.
The Office of Strategic Services and Italian Americans
by Salvatore J. LaguminaThis book explores the contributions of Italian Americans employed by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. Italian Americans fluent in Italian language and customs became integral parts of intelligence operations working behind enemy lines. These units obtained priceless military information that significantly helped defeat the Axis. They parachuted into frozen mountains tops to link up with Italian guerilla units in northern Italy or hovered in small patrol torpedo boats and row boats across the Mediterranean Sea in pitch black darkness to destroy railroad junctions.
The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader
by Michael MooreFrom the Oscar and Emmy-winning director of Fahrenheit 9/11 comes the official guide to the film, including the complete screenplay of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Best Picture Award winner. The Cannes Film Festival jury voted unanimously to award the 2004 Best Picture Award to Michael Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11. Since then, it has gone on to smash all box office records for a documentary and created an international discussion about the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader is a powerful and informative book that includes the complete screenplay of the most provocative film of the year. The book also includes extensive sources that back up all facts in the film, as well as articles, letters, photos, and cartoons about the most influential documentary of all time.
The Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
by Mark W. SmithThe Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy contains the arguments you need to defeat the loony left.
The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy 2008: The Arguments You Need to Defeat the Loony Left This Election Year
by Mark W. SmithAlready tired of the left-wing media spin on the 2008 elections? Had enough of Democratic talking heads hyping tax increases and the global warming scare? Looking for an island of straight-talking sanity in today's swamp of multi-cultiliberal gibberish? Look no further. Mark Smith continues his crusade against the lunatic Left with this new edition of The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Right on time for the 2008 elections, this book shows you how to shoot down the latest liberal rants for bigger government, a cowardly foreign policy, and depraved social values. If you need a quick comeback to a liberal's demand to expand the nanny state, this is the place to find it. If you want handy arguments to challenge a leftist's denial of liberal media bias, you'll get them here. And if you must have the one book that drives liberals absolutely berserk, this is it. Why stay silent in the face of so many leftist lies? Grab a copy of The Handbook and you'll be ready to wade into a San Francisco cocktail party, a Grateful Dead reunion concert, or an Ivy League classroom and take on liberals on their home turf. More fun than Hillary's dysfunctional village and less expensive than John Edwards's haircuts, The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy will get you riled up and ready for battle in the 2008 presidential election
The Official History of Britain and the Channel Tunnel (Government Official History Series)
by Terry GourvishCommissioned by the Cabinet Office and using hitherto untapped British Government records, this book presents an in-depth analysis of the successful project of 1986-94. This is a vivid portrayal of the complexities of quadripartite decision-making (two countries, plus the public and private sectors), revealing new insights into the role of the British and French Governments in the process. This important book, written by Britain’s leading transport historian, will be essential reading for all those interested in PPPs, British and European economic history and international relations. The building of the Channel Tunnel has been one of Europe’s major projects and a testimony to British-French and public-private sector collaboration. However, Eurotunnel’s current financial crisis provides a sobering backcloth for an examination of the British Government’s long-term flirtation with the project, and, in particular, the earlier Tunnel project in the 1960s and early 1970s, which was abandoned by the British Government in 1975.
The Official History of Britain and the European Community, Vol. II: From Rejection to Referendum, 1963-1975 (Government Official History Series)
by Stephen WallThis is the second volume in The Official History of Britain and the European Community, and describes the events from 1963 up until the British referendum on the Common Market in 1975. In 1963, General de Gaulle dashed Prime Minister Macmillan’s hopes of taking Britain into the European Community (the Common Market). When Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson tried again, de Gaulle again said ‘no’. Six years later, Prime Minister Edward Heath took Britain into the EEC. But by then the country was split and Harold Wilson, to keep the Labour Party from voting to leave, undertook to renegotiate Britain’s membership. When Labour won the 1974 election that renegotiation culminated in the first nationwide referendum ever held in the United Kingdom. The British people voted by two to one to stay in the European Community, but British membership has been controversial ever since. This is the story of why three very different Prime Ministers all concluded that, in the British national interest, there was no viable alternative to joining the Common Market. In the words and documents of the time (those of politicians, diplomats and journalists from Britain, France and Germany) it relives the frustrations, successes and humiliations of British politicians as they wrestled with the most important issue of their generation. It shows, with the authority of the Government papers of the day, where and why today’s European controversy started and why yesterday’s challenges, and the way they were confronted, hold valid lessons for our time. This book will be of much interest to students of British political history, European Union politics, Diplomatic History and International Relations in general.
The Official History of Britain and the European Community, Volume III: The Tiger Unleashed, 1975-1985 (Government Official History Series)
by Stephen WallVolume III of The Official History of Britain and the European Community covers the divisions over Europe of the Labour Government (1975–79) and the controversies surrounding Britain’s relations with her EEC partners under Margaret Thatcher. As the UK prepares to leave the European Union, this book is the story of the stresses, quarrels, compromises and ambitions which contributed to an unhappy relationship between the United Kingdom and her European partners. Immediately after the 1975 referendum, when the British people voted by a large majority to stay in the European Community, the divisions in the Labour Party over Europe, which had caused the referendum in the first place, resurfaced as if nothing had changed. They dogged the beleaguered Government of James Callaghan and contributed to the defeat of the Labour Party in the General Election of 1979. Margaret Thatcher proclaimed herself a pro-European Prime Minister but her premiership, too, was governed by a succession of crises in Britain’s relations with her partners as Thatcher fought to redress the unfair budget deal Britain had been forced to accept on accession, and then to secure her vision of a reformed, outward-looking, economically liberal Europe. This is also the story of personal relationships between Thatcher and the successive leaders of Germany, France and the United States. It is told through the contemporary accounts of the period, in the words, ideas and emotions of politicians and officials at the heart of Government. This work will be of much interest to students of British politics, European Union history, diplomacy and International Relations in general.
The Official History of Criminal Justice in England and Wales: Volume I: The 'Liberal Hour' (Government Official History Series)
by Paul RockVolume I of The Official History of Criminal Justice in England and Wales frames what was known about crime and criminal justice in the 1960s, before describing the liberalising legislation of the decade. Commissioned by the Cabinet Office and using interviews, British Government records, and papers housed in private, and institutional collections, this is the first of a collaboratively written series of official histories that analyse the evolution of criminal justice between 1959 and 1997. It opens with an account of the inception of the series, before describing what was known about crime and criminal justice at the time. It then outlines the genesis of three key criminal justice Acts that not only redefined the relations between the State and citizen, but also shaped what some believed to be the spirit of the age: the abolition of capital punishment, and the reform of the laws on abortion, and homosexuality. The Acts were taken to be so contentious morally and politically that Governments of different stripes were hesitant about promoting them formally. The onus was instead passed to backbenchers, who were supported by interlocking groups of reformers, with a pooled knowledge about how to effectively organise a rhetoric that drew on the language of utilitarianism, and the clarity and authority of a Church of England. This came to play an increasingly consequential and largely unacknowledged part in resolving what were often confusing moral questions. This book will be of much interest to students of criminology and British history, politics and law.
The Official History of Criminal Justice in England and Wales: Volume II: Institution-Building (Government Official History Series)
by Paul RockVolume II of The Official History of Criminal Justice in England and Wales traces, for the first time, the genesis and early evolution of two principal institutions in the criminal justice system, the Crown Court and the Crown Prosecution Service. This volume examines the origins and shaping of two critical institutions: the Crown Court, which rose from the ashes of the Courts of Assize and Quarter Sessions; and the Crown Prosecution Service which replaced a rather haphazard system of police prosecuting solicitors. The 1971 Courts Act and the 1985 Prosecution of Offences Act were to reconfigure the architecture of criminal justice, transforming the procedures by which people were charged, prosecuted and, in the weightier cases demanding a judge and jury, tried in the criminal courts of England and Wales. One stemmed from a crisis in a medieval system of travelling justices that tried people in the wrong places and for inadequate lengths of time. The other was precipitated by a scandal in which three men were wrongly convicted for the murder of a bisexual prostitute. Theirs is an as yet untold history that can be explored in depth because it is recent enough, in the words of Harold Wilson, to have been ‘written while the official records could still be supplemented by reference to the personal recollections of the public men who were involved’. This book will be of much interest to students of criminology and British history, politics and law.