Politik

Alan Sokal, best-known for his role in the 'Sokal Hoax', here turns his attention to a new set of targets - pseudo-science, religion, and misinformation in public life. He argues that clear thinking, combined with a respect for evidence, are of the utmost importance to the survival of the human race in the twenty-first century.

A practical manual that offers insights on the physical and spiritual functions of sugar, fat, meat, and other foods; fasting, dieting, processing, willpower, and the deeper principles of self-nurture. It shows how to access and trust the wisdom your body has to offer.

Here is a pioneering account of everyday life under Stalin, written by one of the foremost authorities on modern Russian history. Focusing on urban areas, the book is an eye-opening account of day-to-day life in the blighted urban landscape of 1930's Russia

This volume contains astrological and historical data relating to the formation of countries and governments.

Noam Chomsky's backpocket classic on wartime propaganda and opinion control begins by asserting two models of democracy-one in which the public actively participates, and one in which the public is manipulated and controlled. According to Chomsky, "propaganda is to democracy as the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state," and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States. From an examination of how Woodrow Wilson's Creel Commission "succeeded, within six months, in turning a pacifist population into a hysterical, war-mongering population," to Bush Sr.'s war on Iraq, Chomsky examines how the mass media and public relations industries have been used as propaganda to generate public support for going to war. Chomsky further touches on how the modern public relations industry has been influenced by Walter Lippmann's theory of "spectator democracy," in which the public is seen as a "bewildered herd" that needs to be directed, not empowered; and how the public relations industry in the United States focuses on "controlling the public mind," and not on informing it. Media Control is an invaluable primer on the secret workings of disinformation in democratic societies.

Bernays proporciona mucha información sobre algunas de las instituciones más poderosas e influyentes de las democracias capitalistas estatales industriales contemporáneas."-Noam Chomsky"La manipulación consciente e inteligente de los hábitos y opiniones organizados de las masas es un elemento importante en la sociedad democrática. Aquellos que manipulan este mecanismo invisible de la sociedad constituyen un gobierno invisible que es el verdadero poder gobernante de nuestro país."-Edward BernaysEdward Bernays, una figura importante y controvertida del pensamiento político y las relaciones públicas, fue pionero en un método científico llamado "ingeniería del consentimiento". Durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, desempeñó un papel crucial en el Comité de Información Pública (CPI) de Estados Unidos, una poderosa máquina de propaganda que empaquetó y vendió la guerra a los estadounidenses como una forma de "hacer el mundo seguro para la democracia". Las estrategias del PCI se convirtieron en el modelo para el marketing de guerra futura.Más tarde, Bernays aplicó estas técnicas, influenciado por Walter Lipmann y su tío Sigmund Freud, defendiendo la propaganda como una herramienta para manipular tanto la democracia como los intereses corporativos. Su libro de 1928, *Propaganda*, predijo inquietantemente cómo la propaganda podría moldear el pensamiento colectivo en el gobierno, la política, el arte, la ciencia y la educación. Leerlo hoy revela cómo nuestras instituciones contemporáneas utilizan la manipulación organizada para influir en las masas. En este influyente trabajo, Bernays exploró la psicología detrás de la manipulación masiva, incluido el uso de acciones simbólicas y propaganda, a lo que ahora nos referimos como "marca".

A devastating critique of the forces propelling us beyond critical temperature limits, by the bestselling author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA fast-paced account of America's plunge into simultaneous cold wars against two very different adversaries - Xi Jinping's China and Valdimir Putin's Russia.New Cold Wars - the latest from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger - tells the riveting story of America at a crossroads. At the turn of the millennium, the United States was confident that a democratic Russia and a newly wealthy China could gradually be pulled into the Western-led order. That proved a fantasy. By the time Washington emerged from the age of terrorism, the three nuclear powers were engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, and technological supremacy - with nations around the world forced to take sides.Interviewing a remarkable array of top officials in the United States, world leaders, and tech companies thrust onto the front lines, Sanger unfolds a riveting narrative spun around the era's critical questions. Will Putin's ill-considered invasion of Ukraine prove his undoing, and will he reach for his nuclear arsenal? Will China strike back at the US chip embargo, or seize Taiwan, the world's semiconductor capital?Taking readers from the battlefields of Ukraine - where trench warfare and cyberwarfare are fought side by side - to the back rooms and boardrooms where diplomats, spies, and tech executives jockey for geopolitical advantage, New Cold Wars is an astonishing first-draft history chronicling America's return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.

"Alaa Al Aswany is among the best writers in the Middle East today, a suitable heir to the mantle worn by Naguib Mahfouz, his great predecessor." -Jay Parini, The Guardian (UK) From one of Egypt's most acclaimed novelists, here is a vivid chronicle of Egyptian society, with penetrating analysis of all the most urgent issues-economic stagnation, police brutality, poverty, the harassment of women and of the Christian minority, to name a few-that led to the stunning overthrow of the Mubarak government. Al-Aswany addresses himself to all the questions being asked within Egypt and beyond: who will be the next president, and how will he be chosen in a land where heretofore only simpletons, opportunists and stooges involved themselves with elections? What role will the Muslim Brotherhood play? How can democratic reforms be effected among a people used to such contradictions as the religiously observant policeman who commits torture? In a candid and controversial assessment of both the potential and limitations that will determine his country's future, Al-Aswany reveals why the revolt that surprised the world was destined to happen. "[The] star of a new generation of Egyptian novelists." -The Independent (UK)

'Riveting and explosive. This is the business story of our time.'Christopher Leonard, New York Times Bestselling Author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money---From veteran Amazon reporter for The Wall Street Journal, The Everything War is the first untold, devastating exposé of Amazon's endless strategic greed, its pursuit of total domination, by any means necessary, and the growing efforts to stop it.For over twenty years, Amazon was the quintessential American success story, whilst its "customer obsession" approach made it indelibly attractive to consumers across the globe. But the company was not benevolent; it operated in ways that ensured it stayed on top, coming to dominate over a dozen industries beyond retail, growing voraciously by abusing data, exploiting partners, copying competitors, and avoiding taxes-leveraging its power to extract whatever it could, at any cost and without much scrutiny. Until now.With unparalleled access, and having interviewed hundreds of people - from Amazon executives to competitors to small businesses who rely on its marketplace to survive - Dana Mattioli exposes how Amazon was driven by a competitive edge to dominate every industry it entered, bulldozed all who stood in its way, reshaped the retail landscape, transformed how Wall Street evaluates companies, and altered the very nature of the global economy.In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a monopoly lawsuit against Amazon in what may become one of the largest antitrust cases in the 21st century. As Amazon's supremacy is finally challenged, The Everything War is the definitive, inside story of how it grew into one of the most powerful and feared companies in the world - and why this is the most consequential business story of our times.

From the bestselling author of Azadi and My Seditious Heart, a piercing exploration of modern empire, nationalism and rising fascism that gives us the tools to resist and fight back`I try to create links, to join the dots, to tell politics like a story, to make it real¿¿Over a lifetime spent at the frontline of solidarity and resistance, Arundhati Roy¿s words have lit a clear way through the darkness that surrounds us. Combining the skills of the architect she trained to be and the writer she became, she illuminates the hidden structures of modern empire like no one else, revealing their workings so that we can resist.Her subjects: war, nationalism, fundamentalism and rising fascism, turbocharged by neoliberalism and now technology. But also: truth, justice, freedom, resistance, solidarity and above all imagination ¿ in particular the imagination to see what is in front of us, to envision another way, and to fight for it.Arundhati Roy¿s voice ¿ as distinct and compelling in conversation as in her writing ¿ explores these themes and more in this essential collection of interviews with David Barsamian, conducted over two decades, from 2001 to the present.WITH AN AFTERWORD FROM NAOMI KLEIN

A gripping first-hand account from inside the halls of Congress as Donald Trump and his enablers betrayed the American people and the Constitution-leading to the violent attack on the Capitol on 6th January 2021-by the House Republican leader who dared to stand up to it.

"More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China's economic boom, an experience chronicled in his book River Town, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s. By reconnecting with these individuals-members of China's "Reform generation," now in their forties-while teaching current undergrads, Hessler gained a unique perspective on China's incredible transformation. In Peter Hessler's hands, China's education system is the perfect vehicle for examining the country's past, present, and future, and what we can learn from it, for good and ill"--

The book is an account of the life and spiritual journey of Paramahansa Yogananda, who was born in India in 1893. Yogananda's early years are marked by a deep interest in spirituality and a desire to seek truth and enlightenment. He describes his encounters with several spiritual teachers and gurus during his youth, including Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, who became his principal guru and mentor.The autobiography recounts Yogananda's experiences and spiritual insights, including his training in the ancient science of Kriya Yoga, a meditation and spiritual practice. He also shares his travels in India and his interactions with various spiritual figures, including Mahatma Gandhi.Yogananda's journey takes him to the United States, where he introduces the teachings of yoga and meditation to a Western audience. He establishes the Self-Realization Fellowship, an organization devoted to disseminating the teachings of Kriya Yoga and spiritual self-realization.Throughout the book, Yogananda discusses the interconnectedness of various religious and spiritual traditions and emphasizes the universal principles that underlie all spiritual paths. He shares personal stories and mystical experiences, making a compelling case for the transformative power of yoga and meditation in achieving self-realization and spiritual awakening.The "Autobiography of a Yogi" is regarded as a spiritual classic and has been highly influential in the spread of yoga and Eastern spirituality in the West. It has inspired countless individuals on their spiritual journeys and continues to be widely read and respected by people seeking a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the mind and the quest for self-realization. The book's universal message of seeking divine wisdom and realization transcends cultural and religious boundaries.

With a foreword by Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner 'A must-read for anyone concerned with human rights in Iran. A gripping, moving and utterly shocking account.' Kylie Moore-Gilbert New introductions written by Shannon Woodcock and Nayereh Tohidi Extended solitary confinement has been condemned as a severe violation of human rights. Yet it is still widely used in Iranian prisons. In White Torture, thirteen women, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, share their experiences of imprisonment: harassment and beatings by guards, total blindfolding and denial of medical treatment. Angry interrogators threaten their families and lie about their whereabouts. One prisoner is even told she is dead. None of the women have committed crimes they are prisoners of conscience or held hostage as bargaining chips. Through psychological torture, the Iranian state hopes to remake their souls. These interviews, carried out while each woman was in prison or facing charges, are astounding documents of resistance and integrity. White Torture unveils the rot at the heart of the Iranian legal system and calls on us to act for change.

What can the fall of Rome teach us about the decline of the West today? A historian and a political economist, both experts in their field, investigateOver the last three centuries, the West rose to dominate the planet. Then, suddenly, around the turn of the millennium, history reversed. Faced with economic stagnation and internal political division, the West has found itself in rapid decline.This is not the first time the global order has witnessed such a dramatic rise and fall. The Roman Empire followed a similar arc from dizzying power to disintegration - a fact that is more than a strange historical coincidence. In Why Empires Fall, historian Peter Heather and political economist John Rapley use this Roman past to think anew about the contemporary West, its state of crisis, and what paths we could take out of it.In this exceptional, transformative intervention, Heather and Rapley explore the uncanny parallels - and productive differences - between the two cases, moving beyond the familiar tropes of invading barbarians and civilizational decay to learn new lessons from ancient history. From 399 to 1999, the life cycles of empires, they argue, sow the seeds of their inevitable destruction. The era of western global domination has reached its end - so what comes next?

'Viktor Frankl gives us the gift of looking at everything in life as an opportunity' - Edith Eger, bestselling author of The ChoiceAn inspirational new collection on turning tragedy into triumph by Holocaust survivor and multi-million copy bestselling author of Man's Search for Meaning.During his lifetime, world renowned psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl had an unshakably optimistic outlook on life. He believed that regardless of circumstance, we can all find meaning and fulfilment in our lives, even in the face of great adversity.But how much influence do we have on shaping our own lives? How do we seize opportunities and create a meaningful life? And in doing so, can we still respect the dignity of others and tolerate all views?Published in English for the first time, Embracing Hope shows that by exercising our freedoms, we have a duty and responsibility to ourselves, to others and to the world around us. This collection of timeless lessons offers hope and consolation, admonition and warning, and reveals how to turn tragedy into triumph and lead a fulfilled, purposeful life.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 dawned what Francis Fukuyama called 'The End of History.' Three decades later, Jim Sciutto said on CNN's air as the Ukraine war began, that we are living in a '1939 moment.' History never ended-it barely paused-and the global order as we have known it is now gone. Great powers are reinvigorated and determined to assert dominance on the world stage. And as it escalates, this new order will affect everyone across the globe. Peace has been shattered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but in reality, this affects every corner of our world-from Helsinki to Beijing, from Australia to the North Pole. This is a battle with many fronts: on the Arctic floor, in the oceans and across the skies, and in cyberspace. Sciutto argues that we are witnessing the return of great power conflict, 'a definitive break between the post-Cold War era and an entirely new and uncertain one.' The world order that marked the last thirty years is shifting, and Sciutto details the realities of this new post-post-Cold War era, the increasingly aligned Russian and Chinese governments, and the flashpoint of a new, global nuclear arms race. With savvy, thorough reporting, he follows-up his 2019 bestseller, The Shadow War: Inside Russia's and China's Secret Operations to Defeat America, which focused on the covert tactics of a hidden conflict. The Return of Great Powers is an analysis of a historic and visible shift in real time. And it poses a question: that as we consider uncertain outcomes, we ask whether the West and Russia and China can prevent a new World War"--

From an experienced business journalist, the story of how women have fought for financial freedom, and the social and political hurdles that have keep them from equality