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They knew : how a culture of conspiracy keeps America complacent / by Kendzior, Sarah,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The truth may hurt-but the lies will kill us. In They Knew, New York Times best-selling author Sarah Kendzior explores the United States' "culture of conspiracy," putting forth a timely and unflinching argument: uncritical faith in broken institutions is as dangerous as false narratives peddled by propagandists. Conspiracy theories are on the rise because officials refuse to enforce accountability for real conspiracies. They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption, climate change, and other crises. As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery-like the Jeffrey Epstein operation-it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void. They Knew exposes the tactics these powerful actors use to placate an inquisitive public. In Kendzior's signature whip smart prose and eviscerating arguments, They Knew unearths decades of buried American history, providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us"--
Subjects: Conspiracy theories; Social conflict;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Zucked : the education of an unlikely activist / by McNamee, Roger,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."If you had told Roger McNamee even three years ago that he would soon be devoting himself to stopping Facebook from destroying our democracy, he would have howled with laughter. He had mentored many tech leaders in his illustrious career as an investor, but few things had made him prouder, or been better for his fund's bottom line, than his early service to Mark Zuckerberg. Still a large shareholder in Facebook, he had every good reason to stay on the bright side. Until he simply couldn't. ZUCKED is McNamee's intimate reckoning with the catastrophic failure of the head of one of the world's most powerful companies to face up to the damage he is doing. It's a story that begins with a series of rude awakenings. First there is the author's dawning realization that the platform is being manipulated by some very bad actors. Then there is the even more unsettling realization that Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg are unable or unwilling to share his concerns, polite as they may be to his face"--
Subjects: Zuckerberg, Mark, 1984-; Facebook (Electronic resource); Online social networks; Disinformation; Propaganda;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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America, the farewell tour / by Hedges, Chris,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In the footsteps of his bestselling Empire of Illusion, America: The Farewell Tour is a provocative examination of a nation in crisis. In it, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges argues that unemployment, deindustrialization, and a bitter hopelessness have allowed an array of pathologies to rise. The opioid crisis, the retreat into gambling to cope with economic distress, the pornification of culture, the rise of magical thinking, the celebration of sadism, hate, and plagues of suicides are the physical manifestations of a society that is being ravaged by corporate pillage and a failed democracy. As our society unravels, we also face global upheaval caused by catastrophic climate change. All these ills presage a frightening reconfiguration of the nation and the planet. Donald Trump rode this disenchantment to power. In America: The Farewell Tour, Hedges argues that neither political party, now captured by corporate power, addresses the systemic problem. Until our corporate coup d'état is reversed, these diseases will grow and ravage the country. A poignant cry reported from communities across North America, Chris Hedges seeks to jolt us out of our complacency while there is still time."--
Subjects: Corporate power; Political culture; Social values;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Black square : adventures in post-Soviet Ukraine / by Pinkham, Sophie,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."This captivating and original narrative blends politics, history, and reportage in a street-level account of a vexing and troubled region. In the tradition of Elif Batuman and Ian Frazier, Black Square presents an evocative, multidimensional portrait of Ukrainian life under the shadow of Putin. In vivid, original prose, Sophie Pinkham draws us into the fascinating lives of her contemporaries--a generation that came of age after the fall of the USSR, only to see protestors shot on Kiev's main square, Maidan; Crimea annexed by Russia; and a bitter war in eastern Ukraine. Amid the rubble, Pinkham tells stories that convey a youth culture flourishing within a tragically corrupt state. We meet a charismatic, drug-addicted doctor helping to smooth the transition to democracy, a Bolano-esque art gallerist prone to public nudity, and a Russian Jewish clarinetist agitating for Ukrainian liberation. With a deep knowledge of Slavic literature and a keen, outsider's eye for the dark absurdity of post-Soviet society, Pinkham delivers an indelible impression of a country on the brink."--Provided by publisher.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Storm the ballot box : an insider's guide to a voting revolution / by Roberts, Jo-Ann,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.Jo-Ann Roberts thought she knew how Canadian politics worked after being a reporter for forty years. Then she ran in the 2015 federal election as a candidate, confident that all she had to do was convince people she was the best person for the job, and they would vote for her. That wasn't how it worked out. Roberts discovered there was so much she didn't know about our electoral system, especially how vulnerable it is to outside interference and manipulation by interest groups. Nor did she understand that those in power were not interested in getting everyone out to vote. Millions of Canadians are not voting, a crisis that threatens to undermine democracy. Apathy, ignorance, and frustration mean a whole generation is losing faith in the value of their vote. Jo-Ann Roberts wants to ensure that the right to vote is reinvigorated, restored, and respected. In Storm the Ballot Box, she brings her unique experience from both broadcast newsrooms and political backrooms, laying out twelve concrete steps for how to kickstart a non-violent yet powerful voting revolution, empowering Canadians to mark their X--no matter who they vote for.
Subjects: Voting; Elections;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Born in Blackness : Africa, Africans, and the making of the modern world, 1471 to the Second World War / by French, Howard W.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Revealing the central yet intentionally obliterated role of Africa in the creation of modernity, Born in Blackness vitally reframes our understanding of world history. In a sweeping narrative that traverses 600 years, one that eloquently weaves precise historical detail with poignant personal reportage, Pulitzer Prize finalist Howard W. French retells the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in America, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe's dehumanizing engagement with the "darkest" continent. Born in Blackness dramatically retrieves the lives of major African historical figures whose stories have been repeatedly etiolated and erased over centuries, from unimaginably rich medieval African emperors who traded with Asia; to Kongo sovereigns who heroically battled seventeenth-century European powers; to ex-slaves who liberated Haitians from bondage. In doing so, French tells the story of gold, tobacco, sugar, and cotton-and the greatest "commodity" of all, the millions of people brought in chains from Africa to the New World, whose reclaimed histories fundamentally help explain our present world"--
Subjects: African diaspora; History, Modern.; Slave trade;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The end of reality : how four billionaires are selling a fantasy future of the metaverse, mars, and crypto / by Taplin, Jonathan T.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."At a time when the crises of income inequality, climate, and democracy, are compounding to create epic wealth disparity and the prospect of a second American civil war, four billionaires are hyping schemes that are designed to divert our attention away from issues that really matter. Each scheme -- the metaverse, cryptocurrency, space travel, and transhumanism -- is an existential threat in moral, political, and economic terms. In The End of Reality, Jonathan Taplin provides perceptive insight into the personal backgrounds and cultural power of these billionaires -- Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreesen ("The Four") -- and shows how their tech monopolies have brought middle-class wage stagnation, the hollowing out of many American towns, a radical increase in income inequality, and unbounded public acrimony. Meanwhile, the enormous amount of taxpayer money to be funneled into the dystopian ventures of "The Four", the benefits of which will accrue to billionaires, exacerbate these disturbing trends. The End of Reality is both scathing critique and reform agenda that replaces the warped worldview of The Four with a vision of regenerative economics that seeks to build a sustainable society with healthy growth and full employment"--
Subjects: Economics; Equality; Metaverse;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Aftershocks : pandemic politics and the end of the old international order / by Kahl, Colin H.,1971-author.; Wright, Thomas J.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The COVID-19 crisis is the greatest shock to world order since Worlwd War II. Millions have been infected and killed. The economic crash caused by the pandemic is the worst since the Great Depression, with the International Monetary Fund estimating that it will cost over $9 trillion of global wealth in the next few years. Many will be left impoverished and hungry. Fragile states will be further hollowed out, creating conditions ripe for conflict and mass displacement. Meanwhile, international institutions and alliances already under strain before the pandemic are teetering, while the United States and China, already at loggerheads before the crisis, are careening toward a new Cold War. China's secrecy and assertiveness have shattered hopes that it will become a responsible stakeholder in the international order. Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright's Aftershocks is both a riveting journalistic account of one of the strangest years on record and a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic's ongoing impact on the foundational institutions and ideas that have shaped the modern world. This is the first crisis in decades without a glimmer of American leadership and it shows -- there has been no international cooperation on a quintessential global challenge. Every country has followed its own path -- nationalizing supplies, shutting their borders, and largely ignoring the rest of the world. The international order the United States constructed seven decades ago is in tatters, and the world is adrift. None of this came out of the blue. Public health experts and intelligence analysts had warned for a decade that a pandemic of this sort was inevitable. The crisis broke against a global backdrop of rising nationalism, backsliding democracy, declining public trust in governments, mounting rebellion against the inequalities produced by globalization, resurgent great power competition, and plummeting international cooperation. And yet, there are some signs of hope. The COVID-19 crisis reminds us of our common humanity and shared fate. The public has, for the most part, responded stoically and with kindness. Some democracies -- South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand, among others -- have responded well. America may emerge from the crisis with a new resolve to deal with non-traditional threats, like pandemic disease, and a new demand for effective collective action with other democratic nations. America may also finally be forced to come to grips with our nation's inadequacies, and to make big changes at home and abroad that will set the stage for opportunities the rest of this century holds. But one thing is certain: America and the world will never be the same again"--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Epidemics; Epidemics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Pelosi / by Ball, Molly,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An intimate, fresh perspective on the most powerful woman in American political history, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by award-winning political journalist Molly Ball. She's the iconic leader who puts Donald Trump in his place, the woman with the toughness to take on a lawless president and defend American democracy. Ever since the Democrats took back the House in the 2018 midterm elections, Nancy Pelosi has led the opposition with strategic mastery and inimitable elan. It's a remarkable comeback for the veteran politician who for years was demonized by the right and taken for granted by many in her own party-even though, as speaker under President Barack Obama, she deserves much of the credit for epochal liberal accomplishments from universal access to health coverage to allowing gay people to serve openly in the military. How did a 79-year-old Italian grandmother become the greatest legislator since LBJ? Ball's nuanced, page-turning portrait takes readers inside the life and times of this historic and underappreciated figure. Based on exclusive interviews with the Speaker and deep background reporting, Ball shows Pelosi through a thoroughly modern lens to explain how this extraordinary woman has met her moment"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Pelosi, Nancy, 1940-; United States. Congress. House; Legislators; Politicians; Women legislators; Women politicians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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War hawk : a Tucker Wayne novel / by Rollins, James,1961-author.; Blackwood, Grant,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his war dog Kane are thrust into a global conspiracy that threatens to shake the foundations of American democracy in this second exciting Sigma Force spinoff adventure from New York Times bestselling authors James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. Tucker Wayne's past and his present collide when a former army colleague comes to him for help. She's on the run from brutal assassins hunting her and her son. To keep them safe, Tucker must discover who killed a brilliant young idealist a crime that leads back to the most powerful figures in the U.S. government. From the haunted ruins of a plantation in the deep South to the beachheads of a savage civil war in Trinidad, Tucker and Kane must discover the truth behind a mystery that leads back to World War II, to a true event that is even now changing the world. and will redefine what it means to be human. With no one to trust, they will be forced to break the law, expose national secrets, and risk everything to stop a madman determined to control the future of modern warfare for his own diabolical ends. But can Tucker and Kane withstand a force so indomitable that it threatens our very future?"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Adventure stories.; Suspense fiction.; Special operations (Military science);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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