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Whitelash: Unmasking White Grievance at the Ballot Box
by Terry SmithIf postmortems of the 2016 US presidential election tell us anything, it's that many voters discriminate on the basis of race, which raises an important question: in a society that outlaws racial discrimination in employment, housing, and jury selections, should voters be permitted to racially discriminate in selecting a candidate for public office? In Whitelash, Terry Smith argues that such racialized decision-making is unlawful and that remedies exist to deter this reactionary behavior. Using evidence of race-based voting in the 2016 presidential election, Smith deploys legal analogies to demonstrate how courts can decipher when groups of voters have been impermissibly influenced by race, and impose appropriate remedies. This groundbreaking work should be read by anyone interested in how the legal system can re-direct American democracy away from the ongoing electoral scourge that many feared 2016 portended.
The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans--and How We Can Fix It
by Dorothy A. BrownA groundbreaking exposé of racism in the American taxation system from a law professor and expert on tax policy&“Important reading for those who want to understand how inequality is built into the bedrock of American society, and what a more equitable future might look like.&”—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an AntiracistDorothy A. Brown became a tax lawyer to get away from race. As a young black girl growing up in the South Bronx, she&’d seen how racism limited the lives of her family and neighbors. Her law school classes offered a refreshing contrast: Tax law was about numbers, and the only color that mattered was green. But when Brown sat down to prepare tax returns for her parents, she found something strange: James and Dottie Brown, a plumber and a nurse, seemed to be paying an unusually high percentage of their income in taxes. When Brown became a law professor, she set out to understand why.In The Whiteness of Wealth, Brown draws on decades of cross-disciplinary research to show that tax law isn&’t as color-blind as she&’d once believed. She takes us into her adopted city of Atlanta, introducing us to families across the economic spectrum whose stories demonstrate how American tax law rewards the preferences and practices of white people while pushing black people further behind. From attending college to getting married to buying a home, black Americans find themselves at a financial disadvantage compared to their white peers. The results are an ever-increasing wealth gap and more black families shut out of the American dream.Solving the problem will require a wholesale rethinking of America&’s tax code. But it will also require both black and white Americans to make different choices. This urgent, actionable book points the way forward.
Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America
by Helena Hansen Jules Netherland David HerzbergThe first critical analysis of how Whiteness drove the opioid crisis. In the past two decades, media images of the surprisingly white "new face" of the US opioid crisis abounded. But why was the crisis so white? Some argued that skyrocketing overdoses were "deaths of despair" signaling deeper socioeconomic anguish in white communities. Whiteout makes the counterintuitive case that the opioid crisis was the product of white racial privilege as well as despair. Anchored by interviews, data, and riveting firsthand narratives from three leading experts—an addiction psychiatrist, a policy advocate, and a drug historian—Whiteout reveals how a century of structural racism in drug policy, and in profit-oriented medical industries led to mass white overdose deaths. The authors implicate racially segregated health care systems, the racial assumptions of addiction scientists, and relaxed regulation of pharmaceutical marketing to white consumers. Whiteout is an unflinching account of how racial capitalism is toxic for all Americans.
Whitewashed: America’s Invisible Middle Eastern Minority (Critical America #46)
by John TehranianMiddle Easterners: Sometimes White, Sometimes Not - an article by John TehranianThe Middle Eastern question lies at the heart of the most pressing issues of our time: the war in Iraq and on terrorism, the growing tension between preservation of our national security and protection of our civil rights, and the debate over immigration, assimilation, and our national identity. Yet paradoxically, little attention is focused on our domestic Middle Eastern population and its place in American society. Unlike many other racial minorities in our country, Middle Eastern Americans have faced rising, rather than diminishing, degrees of discrimination over time; a fact highlighted by recent targeted immigration policies, racial profiling, a war on terrorism with a decided racialist bent, and growing rates of job discrimination and hate crime. Oddly enough, however, Middle Eastern Americans are not even considered a minority in official government data. Instead, they are deemed white by law. In Whitewashed, John Tehranian combines his own personal experiences as an Iranian American with an expert's analysis of current events, legal trends, and critical theory to analyze this bizarre Catch-22 of Middle Eastern racial classification. He explains how American constructions of Middle Eastern racial identity have changed over the last two centuries, paying particular attention to the shift in perceptions of the Middle Easterner from friendly foreigner to enemy alien, a trend accelerated by the tragic events of 9/11. Focusing on the contemporary immigration debate, the war on terrorism, media portrayals of Middle Easterners, and the processes of creating racial stereotypes, Tehranian argues that, despite its many successes, the modern civil rights movement has not done enough to protect the liberties of Middle Eastern Americans.By following how concepts of whiteness have transformed over time, Whitewashed forces readers to rethink and question some of their most deeply held assumptions about race in American society.
Whitey's Career Case: The Insulin Murders
by Harold White<P>The witnesses and experts, both medical and legal, were in place.<P> When the judge entered the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the bailiff said, “All rise, Department 25 is now in session.” A colleague turned to Los Angeles Sheriff’s detective Harold White and said, “Whitey, are you ready?” Whitey nodded his head and said, “Let’s get this show on the road.”<P> The “show” was the prosecution’s case in the murder trial against William Dale Archerd in 1967. <P>Detective White first knew of Archerd when he was shown the file on the 1957 murder of Zella Archerd, one of Archerd’s seven wives. <P>A few years later as one of the investigators in the murder of Archerd’s nephew, White met Archerd personally. <P>He was a handsome man with silver hair and a silver tongue – he looked like a banker or a corporate CEO.<P> Frustrated with the lack of progress in the case of the death of the nephew, but convinced that Archerd was involved in the death of two of his wives, White contacted Archerd’s current wife, Gladys, and frankly told her he was afraid she may be the next victim. <P>This may have saved her life, as she lived to testify in Archerd’s trial.<P> Incredibly, despite the warnings Gladys testified for her husband.<P> She was still in love with the scoundrel.<P> What was it this guy had that made all these ladies become enamored with him?<P> White focused on Archerd again when he investigated the death of yet another of Archerd’s wives.<P> He and his fellow detectives examined and reexamined the deaths of three wives and three other people. <P>Circumstantial evidence pointed to death by insulin injection. The detectives located hospital records of each victim, interviewed their families and family doctors as well as lab technicians and psychologists. <P>The detectives spent Saturdays at the Los Angeles County Medical Library researching insulin and its effect on the human body. They spent hours in the Los Angeles Law Library locating cases similar to theirs.<P> They talked to a drug company and to experts in the field of insulin shock therapy, diabetes and hypoglycemia.<P> Fully prepared and armed with the best case they could muster, the detectives helped the prosecution present the case against William Dale Archerd.<P> Archerd was found guilty of the three murders charged. This was the end of the “road” for Archerd and he was sentenced to be executed in California’s gas chamber.
Whither South East Asian Management?: The First Decade of the New Millennium
by Chris Rowley Malcolm WarnerThis book examines the directions in which various structures and processes of management and business are moving in South East Asia, covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. It aims to update previous works in the field covering management and business in these countries. It goes on to deal with a wide variety of themes and issues, functional and practice areas, sectors and organisational types. Many key sectors are also covered, such as finance, retailing, telecoms, etc. The types or organisations covered range from multinational companies to state-owned enterprises. The contributors cover current and ongoing developments of these themes, particularly in the context of globalization.The book also addresses the future directions management may be moving in this important part of the international economy. The authors are all experts in their fields and are all based in universities and business schools in the region, within the respective countries involved. The work is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students in business administration especially those on MBA programmes, development economics, management studies and related fields, as well as lecturers in those subjects and researchers in the field.This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.
Whither the West?: International Law in Europe and the United States (ASIL Studies in International Legal Theory)
by Chiara Giorgetti Guglielmo VerdirameOn a variety of international legal matters, relations between the US and European countries are evolving and even diverging. In an ever-changing world, understanding the reasons for this increasing dichotomy is fundamental and has a profound impact on our understanding of world dynamics and globalization and, ultimately, on our awareness of where the West is going. This interdisciplinary volume proposes new frameworks to understand the differences in approach to international law in the US and Europe. To explain the theoretical and historical underpinnings of the diverging views, the expert essays present new research and develop innovative conclusions. They assess and explore issues such as the idea of sovereignty, constitutional law, the use of force, treaty law and international adjudication. Leading authorities in different disciplines including law and political science, the contributors engage in a new dialogue and develop a new discourse on inter-Atlantic views.
Who Are the Criminals?: The Politics of Crime Policy from the Age of Roosevelt to the Age of Reagan
by John HaganHow Americans came to fear street crime too much—and corporate crime too littleHow did the United States go from being a country that tries to rehabilitate street criminals and prevent white-collar crime to one that harshly punishes common lawbreakers while at the same time encouraging corporate crime through a massive deregulation of business? Why do street criminals get stiff prison sentences, a practice that has led to the disaster of mass incarceration, while white-collar criminals, who arguably harm more people, get slaps on the wrist—if they are prosecuted at all? In Who Are the Criminals?, one of America's leading criminologists provides new answers to these vitally important questions by telling how the politicization of crime in the twentieth century transformed and distorted crime policymaking and led Americans to fear street crime too much and corporate crime too little.John Hagan argues that the recent history of American criminal justice can be divided into two eras--the age of Roosevelt (roughly 1933 to 1973) and the age of Reagan (1974 to 2008). A focus on rehabilitation, corporate regulation, and the social roots of crime in the earlier period was dramatically reversed in the later era. In the age of Reagan, the focus shifted to the harsh treatment of street crimes, especially drug offenses, which disproportionately affected minorities and the poor and resulted in wholesale imprisonment. At the same time, a massive deregulation of business provided new opportunities, incentives, and even rationalizations for white-collar crime—and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession.The time for moving beyond Reagan-era crime policies is long overdue, Hagan argues. The understanding of crime must be reshaped and we must reconsider the relative harms and punishments of street and corporate crimes. In a new afterword, Hagan assesses Obama's policies regarding the punishment of white-collar and street crimes and debates whether there is any evidence of a significant change in the way our country punishes them.
Who Are the Criminals? The Politics of Crime Policy
by John HaganHow did the United States go from being a country that tries to rehabilitate street criminals and prevent white-collar crime to one that harshly punishes common lawbreakers while at the same time encouraging corporate crime through a massive deregulation of business? Why do street criminals get stiff prison sentences, a practice that has led to the disaster of mass incarceration, while white-collar criminals, who arguably harm more people, get slaps on the wrist--if they are prosecuted at all? In Who Are the Criminals?, one of America's leading criminologists provides new answers to these vitally important questions by telling how the politicization of crime in the twentieth century transformed and distorted crime policymaking and led Americans to fear street crime too much and corporate crime too little. John Hagan argues that the recent history of American criminal justice can be divided into two eras--the age of Roosevelt (roughly 1933 to 1973) and the age of Reagan (1974 to 2008). A focus on rehabilitation, corporate regulation, and the social roots of crime in the earlier period was dramatically reversed in the later era. In the age of Reagan, the focus shifted to the harsh treatment of street crimes, especially drug offenses, which disproportionately affected minorities and the poor and resulted in wholesale imprisonment. At the same time, a massive deregulation of business provided new opportunities, incentives, and even rationalizations for white-collar crime--and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. The time for moving beyond Reagan-era crime policies is long overdue, Hagan argues. The understanding of crime must be reshaped and we must reconsider the relative harms and punishments of street and corporate crimes.
Who Disciplines Bank Managers?
by Martin Čihák Andrea Maechler Klaus Schaeck Stéphanie StolzA report from the International Monetary Fund.
Who Do You Say I Am?: Daily Reflections on the Bible, the Saints, and the Answer That Is Christ
by Timothy M. DolanInspiring reflections and meditations to quiet the noise of our everyday lives and draw us closer to Jesus—from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, one of the most compelling Catholic leaders of our time In the Gospels, Jesus asks what may be the most important question of our lives: “Who do you say I am?” In our bustling world, this can be a difficult question to answer; often we are distracted or believe we lack the time or presence of mind to fully explore how we feel. But just a few minutes devoted to God each day can go a long way toward keeping us centered and focused on what really matters. In Who Do You Say I Am?, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, offers beautiful insights on the importance of Jesus and the Church in our day-to-day lives. With short daily reflections crafted to inspire anyone seeking to appreciate and deepen their faith, Cardinal Dolan explores the lessons of Jesus and offers fresh new understandings of the saints, prayer, the Bible, beauty, and the pursuit of God, especially in light of the often turbulent nature of faith itself. Meant to be read at the start of each day or before retiring to sleep each night over the course of a year, this book leads readers step-by-step to a deeper and more personal relationship with God, helping to reveal why Jesus is still vital to a fulfilling life.
Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval
by Kenneth FeinbergAgent Orange, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the Virginia Tech massacre, the 2008 financial crisis, and the Deep Horizon gulf oil spill: each was a disaster in its own right. What they had in common was their aftermathOCoeach required compensation for lives lost, bodies maimed, livelihoods wrecked, economies and ecosystems upended. In each instance, an objective third party had to step up and dole out allocated funds: in each instance, Presidents, Attorneys General, and other public officials have asked Kenneth R. Feinberg to get the job done. In "Who Gets What?," Feinberg reveals the deep thought that must go into each decision, not to mention the most important question that arises after a tragedy: why compensate at all? The result is a remarkably accessible discussion of the practical and philosophical problems of using money as a way to address wrongs and reflect individual worth. aa
Who Governs?: Emergency Powers in the Time of COVID
by Morris P. FiorinaIn a democracy, the legitimacy of authority derives from the consent of the governed. Constitutions or long-standing norms typically impose constraints on government authority, but under extraordinary circumstances—emergencies—normal and procedural standards can be overridden or suspended. Such was the case when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in the spring of 2020. This book describes the emergency powers that existed in the American states at the start of the pandemic; shows how such powers were implemented; examines how courts, legislatures, and public opinion responded to the use of emergency powers; and considers the resulting tensions they exert on democratic governance.Contributors provide a background on the legal justification for emergency powers and offer summaries of the executive orders that were in effect as of mid-2020 across the United States and its territories, with special attention paid to California and Texas. They also review public attitudes about the dangers of the coronavirus and appropriate responses to it, and raise further questions about emergency powers and democratic governance—questions that deserve serious consideration before the next emergency prompts another exercise of such powers.
Who Invented Oscar Wilde?: The Photograph at the Center of Modern American Copyright
by David NewhoffIn early 1882, before young Oscar Wilde embarked on his lecture tour across America, he posed for publicity photos taken by a famously eccentric New York photographer named Napoleon Sarony. Few would guess that one of those photographs would become the subject of the Supreme Court case that challenged copyright protection for all photography—a constitutional question that asked how a machine-made image could possibly be a work of human creativity.Who Invented Oscar Wilde? is a story about the nature of authorship and the &“convenient fiction&” we call copyright. While a seemingly obscure topic, copyright has been a hotly contested issue almost since the day the internet became publicly accessible. The presumed obsolescence of authorial rights in this age of abundant access has fueled a debate that reaches far beyond the question of compensation for authors of works. Much of the literature on the subject is either highly academic, highly critical of copyright, or both. With a light and balanced touch, David Newhoff makes a case for intellectual property law, tracing the concept of authorship from copyright&’s ancient beginnings to its adoption in American culture to its eventual confrontation with photography and its relevance in the digital age. Newhoff tells a little-known story that will appeal to a broad spectrum of interests while making an argument that copyright is an essential ingredient to upholding the principles on which liberal democracy is founded.
Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg? (Who Was?)
by Patricia Brennan Demuth Who HQYou've probably seen her on t-shirts, mugs, and even tattoos, well, now that famous face graces the cover of our latest Who Is? title.Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is famous for her stylish collars (called jabots) and her commanding dissents. This opera-loving New Yorker has always spoken her mind; as a young lawyer, RBG advocated for gender equality and women's rights when few others did. She gained attention for the cases she won when arguing in front of the Supreme Court, before taking her place on the bench in 1993. Author Patricia Brennan Demuth answers all the question about what makes RBG so notorious and irreplaceable
Who Is Sonia Sotomayor? (Who was?)
by Megan Stine Nancy Harrison Dede PutraThe truly inspiring story of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.Outspoken, energetic, and fun, Sonia Sotomayor has managed to turn every struggle in life into a triumph. Born in the Bronx to immigrant parents from Puerto Rico, Sonia found out at age nine that she had diabetes, a serious illness now but an even more dangerous one fifty years ago. How did young Sonia handle the devastating news? She learned to give herself her daily insulin shots and became determined to make the most out of her life. It was the popular sixties TV show Perry Mason that made Sonia want to become a lawyer. Not only a lawyer, but a judge! Her remarkable career was capped in 2009 when President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court, only the third woman and first Hispanic justice in the court's history. Stories of Sotomayor's career are hardly dry legal stuff—she once hopped on a motorcycle to chase down counterfeiters and was the judge whose ruling ended the Major League baseball strike in 1995.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Who Judges?: Designing Jury Systems in Japan, East Asia, and Europe
by Rieko KageThe delivery of justice is a core function of the modern state. The recent introduction of jury/lay judge systems for criminal trials in Japan, South Korea, Spain, and perhaps soon Taiwan represents a potentially major reform of this core function, shifting decision making authority from professional judges to ordinary citizens. But the four countries chose to empower their citizens to markedly different degrees. Why? Who Judges? is the first book to offer a systematic account for why different countries design their new jury/lay judge systems in very different ways. Drawing on detailed theoretical analysis, original case studies, and content analysis of fifty years of Japanese parliamentary debates, the book reveals that the relative power of 'new left'-oriented political parties explains the different magnitudes of reform in the four countries. Rieko Kage's vital new study opens up an exciting new area of research for comparative politics and socio-legal studies.
Who Killed George?: The Ordeal of Olive Sternaman
by Cheryl MacdonaldWhen Ezra Chipman brought fellow Canadian George Sternaman to board at his Buffalo home, he set in motion a nightmarish chain of events. Within months, Ezra was dead of a mysterious ailment. Then, shortly after marrying Ezra’s widow Olive, George developed similar symptoms. Impoverished by George’s long illness, the family moved to his mother’s farm in Haldimand County, Ontario. There, in August 1896, 24-year-old George Sternaman died. After his funeral, Olive returned to Buffalo to try to pick up the pieces of her life.Meanwhile, a Canadian investigation into George’s death had begun. Medical examinations and evidence uncovered by Ontario’s "great detective," John Wilson Murray, pointed to one conclusion: George Sternaman had died of arsenic poisoning. Olive was arrested and charged with his murder.Sensational legal battles followed, involving the highest courts in both Canada and the United States. When Olive finally went to trial at the Haldimand County Courthouse in Cayuga, her lawyer, Welland politician William Manley German, was up against the most brilliant legal mind of the day: Britton Bath Osler. Drawing on newspaper accounts and legal documents, Cheryl MacDonald has recreated a true-to-life Victorian melodrama. Who Killed George? offers insight into the legal system, social sentiments, and status of women of the 1890s, along with the thrill of a genuine Canadian murder mystery.
Who Killed Hammarskjold?: The UN, The Cold War And White Supremacy In Africa
by Susan WilliamsOne of the outstanding mysteries of the twentieth century, and one with huge political resonance, is the death of Dag Hammarskjold and his UN team in a plane crash in central Africa in 1961. Just minutes after midnight, his aircraft plunged into thick forest in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), abruptly ending his mission to bring peace to the Congo. Across the world, many suspected sabotage, accusing the multi-nationals and the governments of Britain, Belgium, the USA and South Africa of involvement in the disaster. These suspicions have never gone away. <p><p> British High Commissioner Lord Alport was waiting at the airport when the aircraft crashed nearby. He bizarrely insisted to the airport management that Hammarskjold had flown elsewhere -- even though his aircraft was reported overhead. This postponed a search for so long that the wreckage of the plane was not found for fifteen hours. White mercenaries were at the airport that night too, including the South African pilot Jerry Puren, whose bombing of Congolese villages led, in his own words, to 'flaming huts . . . destruction and death'. <p> These soldiers of fortune were backed by Sir Roy Welensky, Prime Minister of the Rhodesian Federation, who was ready to stop at nothing to maintain white rule and thought the United Nations was synonymous with the Nazis. The Rhodesian government conducted an official inquiry, which blamed pilot error. But as this book will show, it was a massive cover-up that suppressed and dismissed a mass of crucial evidence, especially that of African eye-witnesses. A subsequent UN inquiry was unable to rule out foul play - but had no access to the evidence to show how and why. <p> Now, for the first time, this story can be told. Who Killed Hammarskjold follows the author on her intriguing and often frightening journey of research to Zambia, South Africa, the USA, Sweden, Norway, Britain, France and Belgium, where she unearthed a mass of new and hitherto secret documentary and photographic evidence.
Who Killed My Daughter?: The Startling True Story of a Mother's Search for Her Daughter's Murderer
by Lois DuncanOn July 16, 1989, Kaitlyn Arquette was shot to death in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The police gave up, but her mother would not . . . In this tragic memoir and investigation, Lois Duncan searches for clues to the murder of her youngest child, eighteen-year-old Kaitlyn Arquette. Duncan begins to suspect that the official police investigation of Kaitlyn&’s murder is inadequate when detectives ignore her daughter&’s accidental connection to organized crime in Albuquerque. When Duncan loses faith in the system, she reaches out to anyone that can help, including private investigators, journalists, and even a psychic. Written to inspire other families who have lost loved ones to unsolved crimes, Who Killed My Daughter? is a powerful testament to the tenacity of a mother&’s love. A heartbreaking personal account by an Edgar Award–winning author known for such books as I Know What You Did Last Summer, this is a true story with &“all of the elements of a suspenseful mystery&” (School Library Journal). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
Who Let The Dog Out? (Andy Carpenter Book #13)
by David RosenfeltA lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog. . . standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived. Could it be a coincidence? Or could the dog theft somehow be connected to the killing? Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him. The murder might be just one small cog in a plot with far-reaching implications, and unless Andy can uncover the truth in time, thousands of lives could be in imminent danger. Once again David Rosenfelt has written a fast-paced and clever mystery with his characteristic blend of humor, larger-than-life characters, and propulsive plotting.
Who Needs a World View?
by Raymond GeussOne of the world’s most provocative philosophers attacks the obsession with comprehensive intellectual systems—the perceived need for a world view. We live in a unitary cosmos created and cared for in all its details by a benevolent god. That, for centuries, was the starting point for much philosophical and religious thinking in the West. The task was to accommodate ourselves to that view and restrict ourselves to working out how the pieces fit together within a rigidly determined framework. In this collection of essays, one of our most creative contemporary philosophers explores the problems and pathologies of the habit of overly systematic thinking that we have inherited from this past. Raymond Geuss begins by making a general case for flexible and skeptical thinking with room for doubt and unresolved complexity. He examines the ideas of two of his most influential teachers—one systematic, the other pragmatic—in light of Nietzsche’s ideas about appearance and reality. The chapters that follow concern related moral, psychological, and philosophical subjects. These include the idea that one should make one’s life a work of art, the importance of games, the concept of need, and the nature of manifestoes. Along the way, Geuss ranges widely, from ancient philosophy to modern art, with his characteristic combination of clarity, acuity, and wit. Who Needs a World View? is a provocative and enlightening demonstration of what philosophy can achieve when it abandons its ambitions for completeness, consistency, and unity.
Who Needs the Fed?: What Taylor Swift, Uber, and Robots Tell Us About Money, Credit, and Why We Should Abolish America's Central Bank
by John TamnyThe Federal Reserve is one of the most disliked entities in the United States at present, right alongside the IRS. Americans despise the Fed, but they're also generally a bit confused as to why they distrust our central bank.Their animus is reasonable, though, because the Fed's most famous function-targeting the Fed funds rate-is totally backwards. John Tamny explains this backwardness in terms of a Taylor Swift concert followed by a ride home with Uber.In modern times, he points out, the notion of credit has been perverted, so that most people believe it's money and that the supply of it can therefore be increased. This false notion has aggrandized the Fed with power that it can't possibly use wisely. The contrast between the grinding poverty of Baltimore and the abundance of Silicon Valley helps illustrate the problem, along with stories about Donald Trump, Robert Downey Jr., Jim Harbaugh (the Michigan football coach), and robots.Who Needs the Fed? makes a sober case against the Federal Reserve by explaining what credit really is, and why the Fed's existence is inimical to its creation. Readers will come away entertained, much more knowledgeable, and prepared to argue that the Fed is merely superfluous on its best days but perilous on its worst.
Who Owns Information? From Privacy to Public Access
by Anne W. Branscomb"Once upon a time information was hard to get. Now it's astonishingly easy, whether it's a person's phone number, medical records, or research. But as a society we haven't reached a consensus on how to control - or even whether to control - all this accessible information. So a war is going on between private citizens and information-based businesses over who owns such valuable data as a person's name, photographic image, telephone number, shopping records, and medical records. Similar battles are raging over who owns the airwaves and computer-user interfaces, and one of the most vituperative information wars is going on among academics over who owns the words on the Dead Sea Scrolls." "In this engaging, sometimes poignant, often hilarious book, Anne Wells Branscomb elucidates such conflicts. With fascinating case studies ranging from Citizen Mog, who sued J. C. Penney for the use of his time in listening to telephone sales pitches, to "Captain Midnight," a satellite dish retailer who disrupted HBO's transmission as a protest against the cable company's scrambling its signals; from Lotus Development Corporation's going to court to outlaw clones of its spreadsheet software to the Anti-Defamation League's charging Prodigy with permitting hate messages to be transmitted via E-mail - the book shows how the law is lumbering along, trying to apply the old rules to a new game." "Having spent billions of dollars on the apparatus that makes it possible to access, manipulate, and store information, we need to invest in understanding the economics, law, and ethics of information, Branscomb writes. We need to develop a legal "infostructure" to support the burgeoning information marketplace." "What is the dividing line between public and private forums: face-to-face meetings only or cyberspace as well? What are the consequences for society of allowing information to be packaged and sold? Should all information be declared forever public? These are issues of crucial importance to a wide range of professionals, including lawyers, librarians, telecommunications experts, database managers, and journalists, as well as to private individuals." "As we enter the information age, the question "who owns information?" becomes more urgent and more timely than ever."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Who Owns Knowledge?: Knowledge and the Law
by Bernd WeilerWho Owns Knowledge? explores the emerging linkages between the extension of knowledge and the law. It anticipates that the legal system will not only be called upon to adjudicate in matters of creative minds, but will be expected to do so to an ever increasing degree.Linkages between the legal system and knowledge are bound to multiply in modern societies. Ironically, while increasingly relying on knowledge, we are simultaneously investing significant resources into controlling this same knowledge. This includes developing a system of legal governance over how knowledge is extended or enlarged. Such modes of governance may take the form of regulatory legal codes, or legal challenges and judgments that shape the evolution of modern society and potentially transform knowledge itself, as a productive force. Who Owns Knowledge? asks such questions as: What is the appropriate balance of public and private interests involved in this process? How can creative powers, natural resources and indigenous knowledge be protected from either public or private exploitation? Does the law have the power to prevent this exploitation, or is adaptive technology needed? Also, in this identity theft conscious age, how can the rights of the individual be protected against policies allowing access to any kind of information, especially confidential information? The editors and contributors demonstrate that the relationship between knowledge and the law needs to be further researched and discussed. Who Owns Knowledge? is a must-read for those interested in the subjects of intellectual property, the history and development of modern legal and economic systems and their entanglements, and how judicial systems make choices between the legal and economic systems and, especially, between the public and private good and their often opposing interests.