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Optimising Emotions, Incubating Falsehoods: How to Protect the Global Civic Body from Disinformation and Misinformation
by Vian Bakir Andrew McStayThis open access book deconstructs the core features of online misinformation and disinformation. It finds that the optimisation of emotions for commercial and political gain is a primary cause of false information online. The chapters distil societal harms, evaluate solutions, and consider what must be done to strengthen societies as new biometric forms of emotion profiling emerge. Based on a rich, empirical, and interdisciplinary literature that examines multiple countries, the book will be of interest to scholars and students of Communications, Journalism, Politics, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, and Information Science, as well as global and local policymakers and ordinary citizens interested in how to prevent the spread of false information worldwide, both now and in the future.
Optimism in Politics: Reflections on Contemporary History
by Walter Laqueur"This new collection by Walter Laqueur, one of the most distinguished historians and political commentators of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, vividly brings to life his perspective on fifty years of political life. The essays in this volume deal with events ranging from more than seventy years ago to some that have not yet happened, but may in years to come. Laqueur divides his writings into five main areas: optimism in politics, the topic that unites this volume; Europe; the Arab Spring; Israel and Jewish affairs; and recollections of the past.This volume addresses an increasingly important question: How much optimism do we need in politics? Some neuroscientists believe that many of our assessments rest on an excess of optimism amounting to a dangerous bias. Another school of cognitive scientists sees the main danger in being influenced too much by negative conclusions. Although these competing perspectives have been only rarely investigated, Laqueur argues that such psychological factors play a decisive role in the assessment of political trends, and they should.Laqueur also reminds readers that there is a connection between writing history and commenting on current affairs, but it is not remotely as close and simple as often thought. The idea that the historian is somehow better qualified than others to interpret the present, let alone predict the future, is certainly not borne out by the evidence. Some great historians have been good and reliable political commentators, others have been miserable failures. Laqueur definitely falls in the former camp, as these reflections attest."
Optimism Over Despair: On Capitalism, Empire, and Social Change
by Noam Chomsky C. J. PolychroniouThis volume offers readers a concise and accessible introduction to the ideas of Noam Chomsky, described by the New York Times as "arguably the most important intellectual alive." In these recent, wide-ranging interviews, conducted for Truthout by C. J. Polychroniou, Chomsky discusses his views on the “war on terror” and the rise of neoliberalism, the refugee crisis and cracks in the European Union, prospects for a just peace in Israel/Palestine, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the dysfunctional US electoral system, the grave danger posed to humanity by the climate crisis, and the hopes, prospects, and challenges of building a movement for radical change.
Optimism over Despair: On Capitalism, Empire, and Social Change
by Noam Chomsky C. J. Polychroniou&“From meditations on human nature to strategic advice for the Trump era, Chomsky remains the thinker who shaped a generation, a beacon of hope&” (Sarah Jaffe, host of Belabored) This volume offers readers a concise and accessible introduction to the ideas of Noam Chomsky, described by the New York Time as &“arguably the most important intellectual alive.&” In these recent, wide-ranging interviews, conducted for Truthout by C. J. Polychroniou, Chomsky discusses his views on the &“war on terror&” and the rise of neoliberalism, the refugee crisis and cracks in the European Union, prospects for a just peace in Israel/Palestine, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the dysfunctional US electoral system, the grave danger posed to humanity by the climate crisis, and the hopes, prospects, and challenges of building a movement for radical change. &“A must read in these troubling times . . . This is an excellent collection of interviews that highlights Chomsky&’s encyclopedic knowledge of the key issues of our day and his unwavering criticism of the regime of the global 1%.&” —Deepa Kumar, author of Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire &“In this brilliant series of recent and wide-ranging interviews, Noam Chomsky combines an astounding breadth of knowledge, great depth of insight, clarity in explaining his ideas, and a relentless commitment to social and economic justice. The full package is simply exhilarating, especially in our current dismal era of Donald Trump. Optimism over Despair is a book to devour.&” —Robert Pollin, distinguished professor of Economics and codirector of the Political Economy Research Institute &“Especially valuable in helping us navigate the dreadful challenges of the Trumpian era.&” —Michael Klare, defense correspondent for The Nation
Optimismo contra el desaliento: Sobre el capitalismo, el imperio y el cambio social
by Noam Chomsky C. J. PolychroniouUn repaso esencial de los problemas actuales del mundo y de cómo deberíamos prepararnos para el mañana, obra del líder de la opinión pública internacional. «Tenemos dos opciones. Podemos ser pesimistas, abandonar y contribuir a que ocurra lo peor sin vuelta atrás. O ser optimistas, atrapar las oportunidades que sin duda existen y contribuir, tal vez, a que el mundo sea un lugar mejor. No es una elección demasiado difícil.» Noam Chomsky, el incomparable pensador político, nos ofrece una exploración del neoliberalismo creciente, de la crisis de los refugiados en Europa, del movimiento Black Lives Matter, de las disfunciones del sistema electoral estadounidense y de las perspectivas y los desafíos de organizar un movimiento para el cambio radical. Con cuatro entrevistas actualizadas sobre la campaña de las elecciones de 2016 en Estados Unidos y la resistencia global contra Trump, Optimismo contra el desaliento aporta una presentación concisa de las ideas de Chomsky y de su mirada sobre el estado actual del mundo.
The Optimist: A Social Biography of Tawfiq Zayyad (Stanford Studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures)
by Tamir SorekTawfiq Zayyad (1929–94) was a renowned Palestinian poet and a committed communist activist. For four decades, he was a dominant figure in political life in Israel, as a local council member, mayor of Nazareth, and member of the Israeli parliament. Zayyad personified the collective struggle of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, challenging the military government following the creation of the state of Israel, leading the 1976 nationwide strike against land confiscation, and tirelessly protesting Israeli military occupation after 1967. With this book, Tamir Sorek offers the first biography of this charismatic figure. Zayyad's life was one of balance and contradiction—between his revolutionary writings as Palestinian patriotic poet and his pragmatic political work in the Israeli public sphere. He was uncompromising in his protest of injustices against the Palestinian people, but always committed to a universalist vision of Arab-Jewish brotherhood. It was this combination of traits that made Zayyad an exceptional leader—and makes his biography larger than the man himself to offer a compelling story about Palestinians and the state of Israel.
The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think
by Ruy TeixeiraThe words “optimism” and “the left” do not seem to go together very well these days. The dominant view on the left--reinforced by the election of Donald Trump--is as follows: (1) progress in today’s world has largely stopped and in many ways reversed; (2) the left is weak and at the mercy of a rapacious capitalism and a marauding right; and (3) the outlook for the future is bleak, with ordinary citizens suffering even more deprivation and the planet itself sliding inexorably toward catastrophe.But all these propositions are wrong. It is not the case that progress has stopped. Today, we live in a freer, more democratic, less violent and more prosperous world than we ever have before.It is not the case that the left is at the mercy of the right. The form of the left is changing but its numbers are strong and growing. It remains a vital force—the vital force--for reforming capitalism.And it is not the case that the future of humanity is bleak. The problems we face today are solvable and, moreover, are likely to be solved in the coming decades. Life for ordinary citizens should improve dramatically over the course of the 21st century.It is not just that these pessimistic propositions are wrong. They also do real harm to the left by undermining its appeal. Pessimism makes people less likely to believe in positive change, not more likely. It is time for the left to realize that their romance with pessimism is a bug not a feature of their current practice. There is no substitute for optimism and an economic climate that promotes optimism. The time has come, as Ruy Teixeira argues in this book, for the optimistic leftist.
Optimizing Student Learning: A Lean Systems Approach to Improving K-12 Education, Second Edition
by Betty Ziskovsky Joe ZiskovskyThis book is a fictionalized account of how a licensed school teacher developed, implemented, and refined the application of Lean principles and applied them to her classroom instructional practice to complete the delivery of her assigned curriculum while at the same time ensuring her students achieved mastery learning of the material presented. While the first edition focused on instructional process improvement, this second edition expands on that foundation to include application of the Lean principles and strategies to enable students to improve their individual learning processes and thus become more successful learners. This second edition lays out a blueprint for schools and teachers across the USA, and indeed around the world, who are struggling with how to use traditional education techniques to improve student learning outcomes. This elusive goal has been the number one focus of the American education industry and trillions of dollars of investment for the past 50 years. Up until the previous decade, educators refused to look outside their own industry for solutions. But financial challenges have forced them to look outside that box. Many schools and districts are now discovering the benefits of adopting Lean into their business model to achieve greater efficiency with taxpayer dollars on the administrative side. Some larger districts have established Lean offices or departments within their organization. This has helped with budgeting, but the model has not yet been used on a large scale to improve student learning performance – every school/district’s primary mission. This book lays out the blueprint for teachers and administrators to use simple Lean strategies and tools to achieve that elusive goal. The application is no longer theoretical. It has been proven to be effective by those who have used it. Lean principles and strategies, as applied to education through this real-life case study, are explained in easy-to-understand terms, not in manufacturing Lean jargon. Scenarios used are from real life events common to all educators. Examples of forms, tools adapted to the needs of educators, and results are included. The book is written in an easy to understand narrative style. Reviewers of the original version – educators who knew nothing about Lean – stated they could easily understand the concepts presented and implement the model using nothing more than the book as a guide. The book’s presentation eliminates teacher procrastination resulting from having to figure something out and how to apply it to your work yourself when you have no extra time available for that purpose. It also eliminates the need to hire a Lean consultant – a plus for districts strapped for cash but desiring to implement an improvement solution.
Optimizing Talent in the Federal Workforce
by William J. Rothwell PhD, SPHR Aileen G. Zaballero CPLP John G. ParkTaxpayers deserve the very best from public services, and first-rate public services can only be provided by outstanding government workers. Federal human resource managers face the challenge of attracting and retaining high-caliber individuals within the constraints of ever-tightening budgets and often-conflicting political directives. From a talent management perspective, Optimizing Talent in the Federal Workforce explores:• Best practices for recruiting and selecting employees• Proven methods for developing and training employees• Optimal deployment and placement processes.This text is a must-read for anyone in or working toward a government management position.
Opting Out of Congress: Partisan Polarization and the Decline of Moderate Candidates
by Thomsen Danielle M.This book provides a candidate entry explanation for partisan polarization in Congress. Danielle M. Thomsen draws on quantitative data to show that ideological moderates are less likely to run for and remain in Congress than those at the extremes. The book introduces a party fit argument for why moderates have opted out of congressional politics. It suggests that the personal and professional benefits of congressional service have diminished for liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats as the parties have drifted apart. Although the political center has long been deemed a coveted position in the legislature, it is now a lonely and lowly place to be. Opting Out of Congress argues that partisan polarization is unlikely to diminish if ideological moderates do not run for office, and reformers who seek to restore bipartisanship in Congress must consider how to encourage moderates to launch congressional candidacies.
Opting Out of the European Union
by Rebecca Adler-NissenEuropean integration continues to deepen despite major crises and attempts to take back sovereignty. A growing number of member states are reacting to a more constraining EU by negotiating opt-outs. This book provides the first in-depth account of how opt-outs work in practice. It examines the most controversial cases of differentiated integration: the British and Danish opt-outs from Economic and Monetary Union and European policies on borders, asylum, migration, internal security and justice. Drawing on over one hundred interviews with national representatives and EU officials, the author demonstrates how representatives manage the stigma of opting out, allowing them to influence even politically sensitive areas covered by their opt-outs. Developing a political sociology of European integration, the book shows how everyday negotiations transform national interests into European ideals. It is usually assumed that states opt out to preserve sovereignty, but Adler-Nissen argues that national opt-outs may actually reinforce the integration process.
The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream
by Christopher B. LeinbergerAmericans are voting with their feet to abandon strip malls and suburban sprawl, embracing instead a new type of community where they can live, work, shop, and play within easy walking distance. In The Option of Urbanism visionary developer and strategist Christopher B. Leinberger explains why government policies have tilted the playing field toward one form of development over the last sixty years: the drivable suburb. Rooted in the driving forces of the economy--car manufacturing and the oil industry--this type of growth has fostered the decline of community, contributed to urban decay, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and contributed to the rise in obesity and asthma. Highlighting both the challenges and the opportunities for this type of development, The Option of Urbanism shows how the American Dream is shifting to include cities as well as suburbs and how the financial and real estate communities need to respond to build communities that are more environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable.
Options for Meeting the Maintenance Demands of Active Associate Flying Units
by Robert S. Tripp James M. Masters Kristin F. Lynch John G. Drew Charles Robert RollRAND developed a methodology to help understand and explain the differences between U.S. Air National Guard and active component aircraft maintenance productivity. This research focuses on maintenance options for supporting associate units, where the goal of the associate unit is to produce trained pilots in the most efficient manner possible.
Or Orwell: Writing and Democratic Socialism
by Alex WolochThere have been many studies of George Orwell, but nothing quite like this book by Alex Woloch--an exuberant, revisionary account of Orwell's radical writing. Bearing down on the propulsive irony and formal restlessness intertwined with his plain-style, Woloch offers a new understanding of Orwell and a new way of thinking about writing and politics.
Oración: Carta a Vicki y otras elegías políticas
by María MorenoPartiendo del enfrentamiento en el que muere Vicki Walsh a través de documentos y testimonios de sobrevivientes, Oración es una relectura de la obra periodística de Rodolfo Walsh y sus procedimientos estético-políticos a partir de sus "Carta a Vicki" y "Carta a mis amigos", menos conocidas que su "Carta a la Junta". Combinación y cruce de géneros, el libro es principalmente una investigación sobre la verdad en su dimensión para-judicial, sus metáforas y el nuevo valor del testimonio. Oración es de aquellos libros que transforman nuestra sensibilidad al pensar la tragedia humana. Con la investigación del asalto del Ejército a la casa donde a fines de 1976 muere Vicki Walsh, el libro propone una nueva tradición fundada en las cartas que Rodolfo Walsh dedica a su hija y a sus amigos. En esos textos, la gesta política de Walsh se transforma en literaria e íntima, porque instaura un linaje de mujeres destinado a jaquear el protocolo testimonial de la violencia política que -en cine, literatura y teatro- estallará con la interpelación recurrente de hijas y madres sobre los alcances de la vida y el amor. María Moreno, consagrada como una de las voces más audaces y plenas de Hispanoamérica, arrasa con las fronteras entre ensayo, literatura, crítica, investigación y biografía para llevar la escritura a un nuevo mundo, del que es a la vez creadora, descubridora y cronista. La crítica ha dicho... «Somos muchos los que consideramos a María Moreno la mejor cronista argentina de todos los tiempos y una de las voces documentales más lúcidas de la lengua, entre otras hipérboles razonables.»Jorge Carrión, The New York Times "La verdad de Moreno es una norma de estilo, de un gran estilo plebeyo."Carlos Pardo, Babelia
Oracles, Heroes or Villains: Economic Policymakers, National Politicians and the Power to Shape Markets
by George E. ShambaughIMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde declared central bankers and finance ministers to be the heroes of recent economic crises for taking corrective action while national politicians squabbled. What enabled them to do so? In the wake of Brexit, chaotic trade policies in the United States, and resurgent nationalism around the world, national politicians are quarrelling again, meanwhile the markets are roiling. Can we again depend on economic technocrats to save the day for these national politicians and the rest of us? What happens if they fail or, perhaps worse, go too far? In this timely book, Shambaugh answers these questions using recent economic crises in Argentina, the United States and Europe as case studies for analysing the intersections of power, politics and markets. By specifying the interactions between political uncertainty, market intervention, and investor risk, Shambaugh predicts how economic technocrats manage market behaviour by shifting expectations regarding what national politicians will do and whether their policies will be effective.
Oral Arguments and Coalition Formation on the U.S. Supreme Court: A Deliberate Dialogue
by Black Ryan C. Johnson Timothy R. Wedeking JustinThe U. S. Supreme Court, with its controlled, highly institutionalized decision-making practices, provides an ideal environment for studying coalition formation. The process begins during the oral argument stage, which provides the justices with their first opportunity to hear one another's attitudes and concerns specific to a case. This information gathering allows them eventually to form a coalition. In order to uncover the workings of this process, the authors analyze oral argument transcripts from every case decided from 1998 through 2007 as well as the complete collection of notes kept during oral arguments by Justice Lewis F. Powell and Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Both justices clearly monitored their fellow justices' participation in the discussion and used their observations to craft opinions their colleagues would be likely to support. This study represents a major step forward in the understanding of coalition formation, which is a crucial aspect of many areas of political debate and decision making.
Oral Democracy: Deliberation in Indian Village Assemblies (Theories of Institutional Design)
by Paromita Sanyal Vijayendra RaoOral Democracy studies citizens' voices in civic and political deliberations in India's gram sabhas (village assemblies), the largest deliberative institution in human history. It analyses nearly three hundred transcripts of gram sabhas, sampled within the framework of a natural experiment, allowing the authors to study how state policy affects the quality of discourse, citizens' discursive performances and state enactments embodied by elected leaders and public officials. By drawing out the varieties of speech apparent in citizen and state interactions, their analysis shows that citizens' oral participation in development and governance can be improved by strengthening deliberative spaces through policy. Even in conditions of high inequality and illiteracy, gram sabhas can create discursive equality by developing the 'oral competence' of citizens and establishing a space in which they can articulate their interests. The authors develop the concept of 'oral democracy' to aid the understanding of deliberative systems in non-Western and developing countries. This title is also available as Open Access.
An Oral History of the Special Olympics in China Volume 1: Overview (Economy and Social Inclusion)
by William P. Alford Mei Liao Fengming CuiThis open access book is unique in presenting the first oral history of individuals with an intellectual disability and their families in China. In this summary volume and the two accompanying volumes that follow, individuals with an intellectual disability tell their life stories, while their family members, teachers, classmates, and co-workers describe their professional, academic, and family relationships. Besides interview transcripts, each volume provides observations and records in real time the daily experiences of people with an intellectual disability. Drawing on the methodologies of sociology and oral history, the summary volume provides an unprecedented account of how people with intellectual disabilities in China understand themselves while also examining pertinent issues of public policy and civil society that have ramifications beyond the field of disability itself.
An Oral History of the Special Olympics in China Volume 2: The Movement (Economy and Social Inclusion)
by William P. Alford Mei Liao Fengming CuiThis open access book contains the oral histories that were inspired by the work of the Special Olympics in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of its founding. The foreword and prefatory materials provide an overview of the Special Olympics and its growth in the People’s Republic of China. The sections that follow record interview transcripts of individuals with intellectual disabilities living in Shanghai. In addition to chronicling the involvement of these individuals and their families in the Special Olympics movement, the interview transcripts also capture their daily lives and how they have navigated school and work.
An Oral History of the Special Olympics in China Volume 3: Finding and Keeping a Job (Economy and Social Inclusion)
by William P. Alford Mei Liao Fengming CuiThis open access book brings together oral histories that record the experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities in Shanghai as they participate in their careers. Employees with intellectual disabilities describe their experiences seeking, attaining, and maintaining employment. Their managers, colleagues, and family members also provide keen insight into the challenges and opportunities these individuals have encountered in the process of securing employment. An appendix provides a compilation of employment policies related to people with intellectual disabilities, particularly with respect to Shanghai.
An Orange Revolution: A Personal Journey Through Ukrainian History
by Askold KrushnelnyckyIn December 2004, the world watched as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians gathered to defy the results of a transparently rigged presidential election. The charismatic popular candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, had been poisoned and disfigured by his opponents. The security forces threatened violent repression. But the demonstrators stayed and, as international pressure grew, the corrupt old regime that had been supported by Putin's Kremlin was deposed. It was the most significant moment for Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.An Orange Revolution is the gripping account of this historic uprising and the events that led to it. Ukraine was treated roughly by the twentieth century, occupied by the Germans and annexed by the Soviets. It saw guerrilla fighting after the Second World War and dissent was crushed by successive Communist administrations. Its history has been one of corruption, power struggles, organised crime, but a resiliently optimistic population.Based on firsthand observation and interviews with major players and anonymous demonstrators alike, this is about a people who have forced a lasting change: judges who defied death threats, a murdered journalist, amateur musicians who composed an anthem for the people, and soldiers who staked their lives to back the opposition. An Orange Revolution also traces the story of the author's family, who paid a high price for speaking out. An Orange Revolution is a captivating book about a defining moment in European history.
Oranges & Peanuts for Sale
by Eliot WeinbergerPresented at the PEN World Voices Festival as a "post-national" writer, Eliot Weinberger is "a sparkling essayist" (Confrontation), and his writings "a boundary-crossing, shape-shifting cabinet of curiosities" (The Bloomsbury Review). Many of the twenty-eight essays in Oranges & Peanuts for Sale have appeared in translation in seventeen countries; some have never been published in English before. They include introductions for books of avant-garde poets; collaborations with visual artists, and articles for publications such as The New York Review of Books, The London Review of Books, and October. One section focuses on writers and literary works: strange tales from classical and modern China; the Psalms in translation: a skeptical look at E. B. White's New York. Another section is a continuation of Weinberger's celebrated political articles collected in What Happened Here: Bush Chronicles (a finalist for the National Books Critics Circle Award), including a sequel to "What I Heard About Iraq," which the Guardian called the only antiwar "classic" of the Iraq War. A new installment of his magnificent linked "serial essay," An Elemental Thing, takes us on a journey down the Yangtze River during the Sung Dynasty. The reader will also find the unlikely convergences between Samuel Beckett and Octavio Paz, photography and anthropology, and, of course, oranges and peanuts, as well as an encomium for Obama, a manifesto on translation, a brief appearance by Shiva, and reflections on the color blue, death, exoticism, Susan Sontag, and the arts and war.
Oratory and Political Career in the Late Roman Republic
by Van Der Blom HenrietteOratory and Political Career in the Late Roman Republic is a pioneering investigation into political life in the late Roman Republic. It explores the nature and extent to which Roman politicians embraced oratorical performances as part of their political career and how such performances influenced the careers of individual orators such as Gaius Gracchus, Pompeius Magnus, and Julius Caesar. Through six case studies, this book presents a complex and multifaceted picture of how Roman politicians employed oratory to articulate their personal and political agendas, to present themselves to a public obsessed with individual achievement, and ultimately to promote their individual careers. By dealing specifically with orators other than Cicero, this study offers much-needed alternatives to our understanding of public oratory in Rome. Moreover, the assessment of the impact of public speeches on the development of political careers provides new perspectives on the hotly debated nature of republican political culture.