Results 11 to 13 of 13 | « previous
- Doom : the politics of catastrophe / by Ferguson, Niall,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Setting the great crisis of 2020 in broad historical perspective, Niall Ferguson challenges the conventional wisdom that our failure to cope better with disaster was solely a crisis of political leadership, as opposed to a more profound systemic problem. Disasters are by their very nature hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted, or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all. Yet the responses of a number of developed countries, including the United States, to a new pathogen from China were badly bungled. Why? The facile answer is to blame poor leadership. While populist leaders have certainly performed poorly in the face of the pandemic, more profound problems have been exposed by COVID-19. Only when we understand the central challenge posed by disaster in history can we see that this was also a failure of an administrative state and economic elites that had grown myopic over much longer than just a few years. Why were so many Cassandras for so long ignored? Why did only some countries learn the right lessons from SARS and MERS? Why do appeals to "the science" often turn out to be magical thinking? Drawing from multiple disciplines, including history, economics, public health, and network science, Doom is a global postmortem for a plague year. In books going back nearly twenty years, including Colossus, The Great Degeneration, and The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson has studied the pathologies that afflict modern America, from imperial hubris to bureaucratic sclerosis and online schism. Doom is the lesson of history that this country--indeed the West as a whole--urgently needs to learn--if we want to avoid the doom of irreversible decline"--- Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 (Disease); Epidemics; Political leadership.;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- Atomic dreams : the new nuclear evangelists and the fight for the future of energy / by Tuhus-Dubrow, Rebecca,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.The inside story of how nuclear energy -- long considered scary, controversial, and even apocalyptic -- has become the hot topic of the climate debate, and perhaps a vital power source of the future. On June 21, 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric Company announced a plan to shutter California's last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in 2025. The plan was hailed by environmental groups and politicians around the country. Then, in 2022, the state's Democratic establishment suddenly reversed the decision, and in 2024 the Biden-Harris administration awarded the plant $1.1 billion in credits to extend its life. What happened in between? In Atomic Dreams, journalist and lifelong environmentalist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow unearths the surprising answers -- and the deep-seated conflicts behind them. She follows the fascinating and lively cast of characters who are immersed in the fight over Diablo Canyon and nuclear energy, among them a world-renowned climate scientist, a fashion model turned "nuclear influencer," and two radically opposed groups of mothers, both fiercely advocating for the kind of planet they want their children to inherit. And she chronicles how nuclear power has morphed from the stuff of cinematic nightmares -- associated with world-ending weapons and terrifying meltdowns -- to a rare issue with strong bipartisan support. Tuhus-Dubrow takes readers to nuclear plants and research facilities, to the halls of Congress and into the streets with activists as she explores the big questions wrapped up in the nuclear debate: questions about risk and responsibility, about nature and technology, about whether humans should be humble caretakers of the Earth or audacious innovators. She explores how these issues affect real people's lives, and personally grapples with the viability of this controversial energy source. Can the power of the atom be freed from its historical baggage and reinvented? Could something that once threatened to doom us now hold the potential to save us?- Subjects: Diablo Canyon Nuclear Powerplant (Calif.); Nuclear energy.;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
- The first-time manager / by Belker, Loren B.,author.; McCormick, Jim(James Maxwell),author.; Topchik, Gary S.,author.;
"Faced with new responsibilities, and in need of quick, dependable guidance, novice managers can't afford to learn by trial and error. This book covers essential topics such as hiring and firing, leadership, motivation, managing time, dealing with superiors, and much more. "--Back cover.- Subjects: Office management.; Supervision of employees.; Leadership.; Industrial management.; Organizational effectiveness.;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
-
unAPI
Results 11 to 13 of 13 | « previous