The Problem with Plastic
A powerful investigation into plastic's impact on human health and the environment, and how we can fight back What if we said that the line between societal advancement and environmental degradation is as thin as a layer of plastic wrap? Once a marvel of modern science, plastic has become so inextricably woven into our lives that imagining a world without can seem impossible. Over the last seventy-five years, plastic has cradled our planet in a synthetic embrace. 	The Problem with Plastic critically examines the paradox of this material, first celebrated for its innovations and now recognized for its devastating environmental and public health impacts. This compelling narrative reveals how plastic pollution contributes to poisoned oceans, polluted air, a warming planet, and overwhelming waste, particularly affecting marginalized communities, which bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution. The book highlights the pervasive presence of microplastics in the environment and the human body, challenging the belief that recycling can solve the crisis. 	In addition to uncovering environmental racism and debunking industry claims, The Problem with Plastic emphasizes the urgent need for action against plastic's toxic legacy, and offers readers practical, actionable solutions, including a "household waste audit," which empowers readers to track and reduce their own plastic consumption.
Den of Spies
"A persuasive affirmation of a shocking conspiracy theory." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Unger has pursued the story of the October surprise for more than 30 years, often to his own cost. ...peppered with amazing details... Den of Spies comes out in a world where dark machinations to win power no longer seem so unthinkable as in the days of Carter, Reagan and Bush."--The GuardianThe explosive inside story of the October Surprise conspiracy, a stunning act of treason that changed American history. New York Times bestselling author Craig Unger reveals his thirty-year investigation into the secret collusion between Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign and Iran, raising urgent questions about what happens when foreign meddling in our elections goes unpunished and what gets remembered when the political price for treason is victory. It was a tinderbox of an accusation. In April 1991, the New York Times ran an op-ed alleging that Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign had conspired with the Iranian government to delay the release of 52 American hostages until after the 1980 election. The Iranian hostage crisis was President Jimmy Carter's largest political vulnerability, and his lack of success freeing them ultimately sealed his fate at the ballot box. In return for keeping Americans in captivity until Reagan assumed the oath of office, the Republicans had secretly funneled arms to Iran. Treasonous and illegal, the operation--planned and executed by Reagan's campaign manager Bill Casey--amounted to a shadow foreign policy run by private citizens that ensured Reagan's victory.Investigative journalist Craig Unger was one of the first reporters covering the October Surprise--initially for Esquire and then Newsweek--and while attempting to unravel the mystery, he was fired, sued, and ostracized by the Washington press corps, as a counter narrative took hold: The October Surprise was a hoax. Though Unger later recovered his name and became a bestselling author on Republican abuses of power, the October Surprise remained his white whale, the project he--as well as legendary investigative journalist, the late Robert Parry--worked on late at night and between assignments.In Den of Spies, Unger reveals the definitive story of the October Surprise, going inside his three-decade reporting odyssey, along with Parry's never-before-seen archives, and sharing startling truths about what really happened in 1980. The result is a real-life political thriller filled with double agents, CIA operatives, slippery politicians, KGB documents, wealthy Republicans, and dogged journalists. A timely and provocative history that presages our Trump-era political scandals, Den of Spies demonstrates the stakes of allowing the politics of the moment to obscure the writing of our history.
How Silicon Valley Unleashed Techno-Feudalism
The promise of the New Economy gone, we have regressed into the age of techno-feudalism The rise of the IT industry in the nineties promised a new era of freedom and prosperity. It didn't deliver. Certainly, algorithms are everywhere, but capitalism is no more civilised than ever. In fact, in the hands of private corporations, the digitalisation of the world drives us towards a darker future. The return of monopolies, the dominance of a few platforms, the blurred distinction between the economic and the political all epitomise a systemic mutation. Information and data networks push the digital economy in the direction of the feudal logic of rent, dispossession, and personal domination. How Silicon Valley Unleashed Techno-feudalism offers a fresh genealogy of the Silicon Valley consensus and its contradictions. It disentangles the principles of an emerging systemwide rationale. Large firms compete in cyberspace to gain control over data, and ordinary people are increasingly at the mercy of tech giants. In this new economic order, capital is moving away from production to focus on predation.
Priced Out! Building Homes at Fair Prices, Including Future Generations
Inquiry Into The Origin And Course Of Political Parties In The United States
The Great Illusion; A Study Of The Relation Of Military Power To National Advantage
Can Scientists Succeed Where Politicians Fail?
How can science prevail when policies fall short?Sometimes in secret, sometimes as official ambassadors for their governments, scientists trade their white coats for blazers, stepping out of the lab and directly into sensitive, often life-threatening global crises. Think of the Paris Climate Agreement or the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Manhattan Project, and the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. Scientists have played a pivotal role in many of the greatest episodes in political history.But what prompts their involvement in international affairs, and what are some of the impacts of their efforts? Can Scientists Succeed Where Politicians Fail? recounts Nobel laureate Dr. Peter Agre's career as a physician-scientist who went from studying malaria and other diseases to meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba, discoursing with North Korean officials, and traveling into the Islamic Republic of Iran. Fusing science with political diplomacy, Agre and others like him demonstrate that effective science demands collaboration and that scientific collaboration can engender political success. The dynamic results of scientific involvement shift cross-border relationships, reducing global threats such as climate change, famine, conflict, and epidemics. It also results in cross-pollination between politicians and scientists in ways that inform policy and promote peace. The book explores Agre's story alongside those of volcanologists in North Korea, epidemiologists in Latin America, and other scientists who have and are working alongside politicians, from African tribal chiefs to communist leaders, to tackle natural disasters and infectious threats in new ways.Features- Combining descriptions of Agre's professional contributions with tales of his encounters in Cuba, Iran, and North Korea, this book provides vivid accounts of lesser-known scientific routes to diplomacy- Gives readers an intimate understanding of how scientists interact with politicians to resolve crises from pandemics to nuclear threats to volcanic eruptions- Interviews with leading politicians and scientists enrich the narrative with first-person accountsJohns Hopkins WavelengthsIn classrooms, field stations, and laboratories in Baltimore and around the world, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professors of Johns Hopkins University are opening the boundaries of our understanding of many of the world's most complex challenges. The Johns Hopkins Wavelengths book series brings readers inside their stories, illustrating how their pioneering discoveries benefit people in their neighborhoods and across the globe in artificial intelligence, cancer research, food systems' environmental impacts, health equity, planetary science, science diplomacy, and other critical arenas of study. Through these compelling narratives, their insights will spark conversations from dorm rooms to dining rooms to boardrooms.
Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World
New, practical approaches to confronting today's most daunting global issues Fighting climate change, saving democracy, and eradicating poverty are urgent global challenges, yet the world's leaders continue to pursue outdated policies that focus on one while worsening the tradeoffs between each of them. Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World shows how the nations of the world can achieve all three objectives. Dani Rodrik provides a bold new vision of globalization, one in which we accelerate the green transition to achieve a sustainable planet, shore up the middle class to restore democracy's foundations, and hasten economic revitalization in the developing world to put an end to poverty. The rising tide of authoritarianism has demonstrated our inability to alleviate economic anxieties. Economic nationalism has raised the specter of increased protectionism and deteriorating prospects for economic growth. And automation and other new technologies have undercut the advantages of low-cost, unskilled labor in manufacturing and export-oriented industrialization. Rodrik reveals how we can restore prosperity through new forms of collaborative public-private action--to promote renewables and green industries, middle-class jobs, and enhanced productivity in labor-absorbing services--even in the absence of global cooperation. He explains why this new kind of globalization must also recognize the legitimate desire of governments to pursue their economic, social, and security interests autonomously. Turning conventional economic wisdom on its head, Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World builds on practices that work while radically transforming those that don't, presenting a grounded, clear-eyed approach to tackling the problems that affect us all, at home and around the world.
The Half-Built Nation
Why does the world's most populous democracy, with space missions, digital innovation, and geopolitical clout, still struggle to provide clean water, functioning schools, and safe toilets to millions? This is not just a paradox-it's a wake-up call.This urgent and unflinching book explores why India is still poor despite its global rise, dissecting the cracks in its foundation even as the superstructure soars. It reveals the hard truths behind india's development crisis-how glitzy economic growth often masks deep local inequality, institutional fragility, and the unmet promise of democracy.Written for policy thinkers, engaged citizens, students, and anyone invested in India's future, it goes beyond surface-level commentary to ask the toughest questions: - Can economic growth vs human development be reconciled? - Why has indian public policy failure become systemic? - How do caste, gender, and infrastructure gaps derail the path forward?Drawing on real stories, sharp data, and a panoramic view of India's political and economic journey, this is not a tale of decline-but a call to build differently. It compares india vs china development trajectories, questions the obsession with GDP, and argues for re-centering dignity, access, and justice as core national goals.The insight is clear: india global power means little without broken infrastructure being fixed, without the unseen majority gaining visibility and voice. Readers will walk away with a deeper understanding of the future of Indian economy-and what it will truly take for a rising power to rise from within.
Water Wars
The twenty-first century will not be defined by oil, territory, or ideology-it will be defined by the struggle for water. From rivers that cross hostile borders to melting glaciers that once sustained empires, the world is entering a precarious age where water scarcity geopolitics determines the survival of nations, the stability of cities, and the security of billions.This book reveals how the hidden battle for the planet's most vital resource is already reshaping the global order. Drawing on history, science, and diplomacy, it shows why the global water crisis is more than an environmental issue-it is the new frontline of power. Case studies from the Nile, Indus, and Colorado rivers expose how transboundary rivers conflict can trigger war or force cooperation. Stories of collapsing aquifers, vanishing glaciers, and crumbling urban infrastructure highlight why groundwater depletion crisis and mismanagement put every society at risk.Readers will also discover how technology and policy are rewriting the map of survival. The politics of desalination, the rise of water diplomacy, and the complex world of hydropolitics reveal the opportunities and dangers of treating water as both a commodity and a right.This book is written for globally minded readers-policy watchers, students, professionals, and anyone concerned with climate change and water security-who want more than warnings; they want clarity. It offers a sharp framework for understanding why some nations thrive in the age of scarcity while others collapse, and what ordinary citizens can do to shape the future.By the final page, you will see water not as a silent backdrop to civilization but as the decisive force that will chart the next century's conflicts, alliances, and survival itself.
Water Wars
The twenty-first century will not be defined by oil, territory, or ideology-it will be defined by the struggle for water. From rivers that cross hostile borders to melting glaciers that once sustained empires, the world is entering a precarious age where water scarcity geopolitics determines the survival of nations, the stability of cities, and the security of billions.This book reveals how the hidden battle for the planet's most vital resource is already reshaping the global order. Drawing on history, science, and diplomacy, it shows why the global water crisis is more than an environmental issue-it is the new frontline of power. Case studies from the Nile, Indus, and Colorado rivers expose how transboundary rivers conflict can trigger war or force cooperation. Stories of collapsing aquifers, vanishing glaciers, and crumbling urban infrastructure highlight why groundwater depletion crisis and mismanagement put every society at risk.Readers will also discover how technology and policy are rewriting the map of survival. The politics of desalination, the rise of water diplomacy, and the complex world of hydropolitics reveal the opportunities and dangers of treating water as both a commodity and a right.This book is written for globally minded readers-policy watchers, students, professionals, and anyone concerned with climate change and water security-who want more than warnings; they want clarity. It offers a sharp framework for understanding why some nations thrive in the age of scarcity while others collapse, and what ordinary citizens can do to shape the future.By the final page, you will see water not as a silent backdrop to civilization but as the decisive force that will chart the next century's conflicts, alliances, and survival itself.
Echoes of Injustices
James M. Violon, born June 6, 1990, in Valencia City, Bukidnon, Philippines, is a distinguished academic and legal professional. He graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science from Central Mindanao University in 2012 and earned a Master in History degree from Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology in 2016. In 2021, he completed his Juris Doctor at Bukidnon State University and, in 2024, obtained a Doctorate in Education in Leadership and Management from Liceo de Cagayan University, graduating with the highest academic honor, Meritissimus. Professionally, Violon served as an Associate Professor V at Bukidnon State University and is currently the Executive Assistant IV at Central Mindanao University. An active researcher, his work focuses on leadership development and opportunities for women in higher education leadership roles.
Gilded Rage
A searing insight into the political radicalization of Silicon Valley, from Elon Musk to Peter Thiel, JD Vance and Donald Trump, and how it will affect the future of all our lives. From the pursuit of potentially apocalyptic artificial intelligence to life-extension start-ups that promise billionaires eternal youth and those who encourage the political far right around the world, the Silicon Valley techno-utopian dream has curdled. The global innovator class has the world in their hands, but they can't stand the touch. In Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, New York Times bestselling author Jacob Silverman leads us on a critical investigation into the radicalization of Silicon Valley and the billionaires that increasingly run our lives, shape the global economy, and support Donald Trump. At the center of this book lies Elon Musk, but this is about more than just one man and his obsession with the "woke mind virus," as Silverman reveals a network of tech and finance oligarchs, emboldened by the zero-interest rate years, now using their wealth to exert an increasingly radical political program. Transiting San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Austin and Miami, New York, Washington DC, and various global capitals of tech, finance, and political power, Silverman talks to the people who are already living with the real-life consequences of the political revolution underway. It's a bizarre, sometimes frightening, darkly humorous world where moguls preach populist revolt while dismantling the few remaining checks on their influence.Gilded Rage offers essential reporting and insight for anyone who wants to know what's happening to Silicon Valley. As the erratic influence of tech elites continues to spread around the world, the story that Jacob has to tell will have a profound relevance for us all.
Or Something Worse
The push for net zero has become a new arena for class conflict, where the powerful profit and the rest suffer. Nicholas Beuret's incisive critique and actionable strategies empower us to fight for a truly sustainable and equitable future. Or Something Worse exposes the bleak realities of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Greening the economy has become a one-sided war, as governments and businesses squeeze the living standards of ordinary people. We need to seize control of the transition in order to reshape it to equitable ends. Existing policies won't limit global heating to anything close to a safe level. Claims of sustainability disguise a zero-sum battle where the powerful profit and everyone else foots the bill. Green growth was supposed to bring increased wealth for all. Instead, work has been degraded, energy bills have soared, and the most basic necessities have become expensive and scarce. We need to disrupt green capitalism. Nicholas Beuret follows those already fighting back through 'don't pay' campaigns, blockades of fossil-fuel infrastructure, and community counter-planning. He shows we have the tools not only to stop climate change but to build a fairer future.
Terms of Servitude
This groundbreaking book documents how digital platforms and technology companies based in the United States support the Israeli settler-colonial project through censorship. Terms of Servitude demonstrates how social media has become a new tool of anti-Palestinian suppression even though these platforms were initially instrumental in advancing the Palestinian struggle. Features an introduction by Steven Salaita, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the American University in Cairo. [Terms of Servitude is a joint production of The Censored Press and Seven Stories Press.] Terms of Servitude explores the paradox whereby prominent digital platforms like Meta, Google, and X that initially facilitated the expression of activism and advocacy for Palestinian liberation have come to fortify Zionist settler-colonialism. Through anti-Palestinian censorship and erasure often justified by so-called "terms of service" or "community standards" violations, these Big Tech companies provide the Israeli occupation forces with AI technology and metadata used to streamline genocidal colonial violence against Palestinians. Through original analysis and careful documentation, Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab, Muslim, Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) Studies at San Francisco State University, traces the timeline from the Sheikh Jarrah uprisings of 2021 to the beginning of October 2023 to the most current developments to explain social media's role in advancing and suppressing Palestinian narratives. This revealing and alarming book explores what makes anti-colonial counter-narratives across digital platforms so urgent, and what resistance can and must mean in light of the consolidation of Big Tech with Israeli colonialism and genocide.
Extraction
Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentally destructive. We therefore confront a dilemma: Is it possible to save the world by harming it in the process?Having spent over a decade researching mining and oil sectors in Latin America, Thea Riofrancos is a leading voice on resource extraction. In Extraction, she draws on groundbreaking fieldwork on the global race for lithium. Taking readers from the breathtaking salt flats of Chile's Atacama Desert, to Nevada's glorious Silver Peak Range, to the rolling hills of the Barroso Region of Portugal, she reveals the social and environmental costs of "critical minerals." In Washington, DC, and Brussels, she tracks the escalating geopolitics of green technology supply chains. And she takes stock of new policy paradigms in the Global South, where governments seek to leverage mineral assets to jumpstart green development. In the process, Riofrancos uncovers surprising links across history, from colonial conquest to the 1970s energy crisis, to our still uncertain green future.While unregulated mining could inflict irreversible harm, Riofrancos offers optimistic proposals to transform the governance of mining while also reducing the sheer volume of global extraction. A rigorous and hopeful call to action, Extraction shares how we can harmonize climate goals with social justice--and set the planet on a course to ecological flourishing.
Shredding Paper
In Shredding Paper, Michael G. Hillard examines how Maine, once the nation's leader in paper production, saw its powerful industry decline. From the early twentieth century to the 1960s, Maine's paper mills shaped the state's economy and labor relations, but by the late twentieth century, shifting economic forces and foreign competition led to their collapse.Hillard explores the industry's economic history, showing how local paper companies once controlled policies on labor, land use, and water rights. As national conglomerates absorbed family-owned mills, Wall Street's demand for short-term profits after 1980 accelerated the industry's downfall.Through a detailed retelling of labor relations and worker experiences, Shredding Paper uncovers the story of Maine's blue-collar workforce, their struggles, and the economic transformations that reshaped the state. Shredding Paper offers a compelling analysis of how changing political economies led to the demise of a major American industry.
Dead Center
A memoir--and a manifesto--like no other, by a true maverick in American politics With a foreword by Nick Saban Dead Center: It is where Senator Joe Manchin III has stood his entire life. For him, it's where the real solutions lie, if we are ever going to tame the anger, bitterness, intolerance, and tribalism that have infected our political system. Through 43 years in politics, and 15 years in the Senate, Joe Manchin has stayed close to his roots, basing his principles in when, where, and how he was raised. Treat people with respect. Find dignity in work. Put people first and country before party. Be fiscally responsible and socially compassionate. Only vote for what you understand and can explain to your constituents. That's it. Dead Center is more than Senator Manchin's declaration of independence from the extremes on both sides. In this revealing and entertaining memoir, Senator Manchin combines eyebrow-raising, never-before-told stories from inside the Senate and the White House with insights into how government does--or doesn't--work. A memoir by one of America's most recognized leaders, Dead Center offers a path forward from our polarized political gridlock to governance based on what our American founders practiced: Common Sense.
A Woman's Fight
In this blending of historical fact and fiction, 19th century French feminist writer and speaker Maria Deraismes struggles against misogynistic men and the French government during the turbulent 1870s in Paris. Maria involves herself with the Paris Commune in 1871 and rallies behind the new socialist government believing it will end inequality. Violence erupts when troops break through the barricades on April 2nd and begin a bloody week to overthrow the Commune. Maria fights for equality and speaks openly for the people, but her words fall on deaf ears. With support from her Masonic friends, she pushes to be initiated into the male-only Order to prove women are no different than men and deserve to stand with them. It's a dangerous road she walks down but she refuses to give up, clinging to the French motto of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Covert Action
A comparative international perspective challenges conventional narratives about unacknowledged intervention"Covert action" is generally understood as politically motivated and plausibly deniable interference by one state in the affairs of another state. It includes propaganda, political or economic subversion, paramilitary action, and assassinations. Covert action is the most consequential and controversial form of secret statecraft, and it has become a ubiquitous feature of international politics. However, it is often sensationalized or seen through a narrow, US-centric lens.Covert Action challenges this conventional narrative and redefines secret statecraft by offering a groundbreaking comparative international perspective that explores the practice of unacknowledged intervention across twenty countries and a range of eras. Bringing together leading scholars from around the world, this volume moves beyond the American, and wider, anglosphere perspectives to examine covert action practices across states, regime types, and time.This book will be important reading for historians, political scientists, and policymakers, and it provides a foundational study of the hidden mechanisms of international power. It takes a global perspective and thus transforms the understanding of how nations truly interact behind the scenes, revealing covert action as a complex form of international statecraft.
Counteracting the Neoliberal City
This book presents a groundbreaking theoretical and methodological framework for analyzing urban phenomena and urban policies and a pioneering approach to urban regeneration projects. The text advocates for an "Integral and Recognitive Urban Regeneration" of public spaces in cities to confront current neoliberal urban policies, which have been ineffective in achieving genuine overall "wellbeing" in contemporary urban environments. "Integral and Recognitive Urban Regeneration" is a macro-process composed of several micro-contextualized urban projects that account for the complexity of urban spaces. This process goes beyond merely enhancing the aesthetics and functionality of architectural spaces, rather presenting itself as an educational, community-oriented, cooperative, creative, socializing, eco-friendly, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary process that serves as a platform for regenerating compromised ecosystems; promoting the cognitive, psychological, emotional, social, and political empowerment of resident communities; and addressing local and global forms of social and ecological injustice. As such, this book is an essential resource for students, researchers, academics, and experienced planners alike.
The Craft of Winning Mandates, Campaign & PR Guide
"The Craft of Winning Mandates, Campaign & PR Guide", is a definitive exploration of how elections are truly won in the age of perception. Far beyond manifestos and speeches, this book reveals the hidden science of political communication, voter psychology, and narrative warfare that shapes modern democracy. Drawing from real campaign war rooms, the author exposes how slogans are born, how stories overpower statistics, and why emotion beats ideology in the battle for public opinion.Structured across four parts: Message & Perception, Voter Strategy, Media & Narrative Control, and Ground Game & Execution, this guide covers the entire machinery of modern campaigning. From shaping a leader's image and crafting memorable slogans to harnessing voter data, managing silent influencers, and controlling the post-vote buzz, every chapter offers sharp insights rooted in practice, not theory.Written by a seasoned political strategist who has managed high-stakes campaigns for Indian parties and leaders, headed election war rooms, and led grassroots strategies, the book combines insider knowledge with global research on persuasion and influence. A former personal secretary to the former Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament, and a Public Service graduate with UPSC experience, he holds a strong foundation in Political Science and International Relations. Beyond politics, the author is a social activist, Founder and President of NGO TERRA, and Managing Director of Communira Media Pvt. Ltd.This is not just a manual for campaigners and students of politics. It is also a window for common people to understand the hidden strategies, psychological triggers, and communication games that decide elections. To understand politics today is to understand perception, and this book shows you exactly how it works.
The Paradoxes of Free Speech
This book explores the enduring tensions between free expression and regulation in an era of disinformation, surveillance, and digital monopolies. It brings together leading legal scholars, journalists, and media experts to examine the normative justifications for free speech, its role in democracy, personal autonomy, and knowledge production, while addressing its evolving challenges.The book traces the historical foundations of free speech, from colonial-era censorship to contemporary legal and philosophical debates. It examines the role of global tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter in content regulation, exposing their lack of transparency and accountability. Key discussions include the dangers of algorithmic governance, the weaponization of fake news, and the judiciary's role in interpreting free speech in the context of sedition, gendered struggle, hate speech, digital hate and violence and media freedoms. Additionally, the book features an insightful interview with a veteran Indian journalist on the shifting landscape of press freedom in India.This book is an essential read for Constitutional law students, political scientists, researchers, policymakers, media professionals, and anyone interested in the future of free speech and expression in the world. It offers a nuanced understanding of how legal frameworks, technology, and politics shape the fundamental right to speech in today's complex internet age.
