Results 51 to 60 of 73 | « previous | next »
- Today Hong Kong, tomorrow the world : what China's crackdown reveals about its plans to end freedom everywhere / by Clifford, Mark,1957-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A gripping history of China's deteriorating relationship with Hong Kong, and its implications for the rest of the world. For 150 years as a British colony, Hong Kong was a beacon of prosperity where people, money, and technology flowed freely, and residents enjoyed many civil liberties. In preparation for handing the territory over to China in 1997, Deng Xiaoping promised that it would remain highly autonomous for fifty years. An international treaty established a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with a far freer political system than that of Communist China-one with its own currency and government administration, a common-law legal system, and freedoms of press, speech, and religion. But as the halfway mark of the SAR's lifespan approaches in 2022, it is clear that China has not kept its word. Universal suffrage and free elections have not been instituted, harassment and brutality have become normalized, and activists are being jailed en masse. To make matters worse, a national security law that further crimps Hong Kong's freedoms has recently been decreed in Beijing. This tragic backslide has dire worldwide implications-as China continues to expand its global influence, Hong Kong serves as a chilling preview of how dissenters could be treated in regions that fall under the emerging superpower's control. Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World tells the complete story of how a city once famed for protests so peaceful that toddlers joined grandparents in millions-strong rallies became a place where police have fired more than 10,000 rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and even live ammunition at their neighbors, while pro-government hooligans attack demonstrators in the streets. A Hong Kong resident from 1992 to 2021, author Mark L. Clifford has witnessed this transformation firsthand. As a celebrated publisher and journalist, he has unrivaled access to the full range of the city's society, from student protestors and political prisoners to aristocrats and senior government officials. A powerful and dramatic mix of history and on-the-ground reporting, this book is the definitive account of one of the most important geopolitical standoffs of our time"--
- Subjects: Civil rights;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- Pegasus : how a spy in your pocket threatens the end of privacy, dignity, and democracy / by Richard, Laurent(Journalist),author.; Maddow, Rachel,writer of introduction.; Rigaud, Sandrine,author.;
"Pegasus is widely regarded as the most effective and sought-after cyber-surveillance system on the market. The system's creator, the NSO Group, a private corporation headquartered in Israel, is not shy about proclaiming its ability to thwart terrorists and criminals. "Thousands of people in Europe owe their lives to hundreds of our company employees," NSO's cofounder declared in 2019. This bold assertion may be true, at least in part, but it's by no means the whole story. NSO's Pegasus system has not been limited to catching bad guys. It's also been used to spy on hundreds, and maybe thousands, of innocent people around the world: heads of state, diplomats, human rights defenders, political opponents, and journalists. This spyware is as insidious as it is invasive, capable of infecting a private cell phone without alerting the owner, and of doing its work in the background, in silence, virtually undetectable. Pegasus can track a person's daily movement in real time, gain control of the device's microphones and cameras at will, and capture all videos, photos, emails, texts, and passwords-encrypted or not. This data can be exfiltrated, stored on outside servers, and then leveraged to blackmail, intimidate, and silence the victims. Its full reach is not yet known. "If they've found a way to hack one iPhone," says Edward Snowden, "they've found a way to hack all iPhones." Pegasus is a look inside the monthslong worldwide investigation, triggered by a single spectacular leak of data, and a look at how an international consortium of reporters and editors revealed that cyber intrusion and cyber surveillance are happening with exponentially increasing frequency across the globe, at a scale that astounds. Meticulously reported and masterfully written, Pegasus shines a light on the lives that have been turned upside down by this unprecedented threat and exposes the chilling new ways authoritarian regimes are eroding key pillars of democracy: privacy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech"--
- Subjects: Pegasus (Spyware); Cell phone systems; Electronic surveillance; Mobile apps.; Political corruption.; Privacy, Right of.; Spyware (Computer software);
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- Only the brave [text (large print)] : a novel / by Steel, Danielle,author.;
"Sophia Alexander, the beautiful daughter of a famous surgeon in Berlin, has had to grow up faster than most young women. When her mother falls ill, Sophia must take charge of her younger sister, Theresa, and look after her father and the household, while also volunteering at his hospital after school. Meanwhile, Hitler's rise to power and the violence in her very own town have Sophia concerned, but only her mother is willing to share her fears openly. After tragedy strikes and her mother dies, Sophia becomes increasingly involved in the resistance, attending meetings of dissidents and helping however she can. Circumstances become increasingly dangerous and personal when Sophia assists her sister's daring escape from Germany, fleeing Germany with her young husband and his family. Her father also begins to resist the regime, secretly healing those hiding from persecution, only to have his hospital burned to the ground. When he is arrested and sent to a concentration camp, Sophia is truly on her own, but more determined than ever to help. While working as a nurse with the convent nuns, the Sisters of Mercy, Sophia continues her harrowing efforts to transport Jewish children to safety and finds herself under surveillance. As the political tensions rise and the brutal oppression continues, Sophia is undeterred, risking it all, even her own freedom, as she rises to the challenge of helping those in need--no matter the cost."--
- Subjects: Historical fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Large print books.; Novels.; Anti-Nazi movement; Families; Fathers and daughters; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Man-woman relationships; World War, 1939-1945;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- In the midst of winter : a novel / by Allende, Isabel,author.; Caistor, Nick,translator.; Hopkinson, Amanda,1948-translator.; translation of:Allende, Isabel.Más allá del invierno.English.;
"New York Times and worldwide bestselling "dazzling storyteller" (Associated Press) Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping novel about three very different people who are brought together in a mesmerizing story that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil. In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident--which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster--a 60-year-old human rights scholar--hits the car of Evelyn Ortega--a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala--in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor's house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz--a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile--for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia. Exploring the timely issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees, the book recalls Allende's landmark novel The House of the Spirits in the way it embraces the cause of "humanity, and it does so with passion, humor, and wisdom that transcend politics" (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). In the Midst of Winter will stay with you long after you turn the final page"--
- Subjects: Historical fiction.; College teachers; Women college teachers; Women illegal aliens; Human rights;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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- We, the data : human rights in the digital age / by Wong, Wendy H.,1980-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Our data-intensive world is here to stay, but does that come at the cost of our humanity in terms of autonomy, community, dignity, and equality? In We, the Data, Wendy H. Wong argues that we cannot allow that to happen. Exploring the pervasiveness of data collection and tracking, Wong reminds us that we are all stakeholders in this digital world, who are currently being left out of the most pressing conversations around technology, ethics, and policy. This book clarifies the nature of datafication and calls for an extension of human rights to recognize how data complicate what it means to safeguard and encourage human potential. As we go about our lives, we are co-creating data through what we do. We must embrace that these data are a part of who we are, Wong explains, even as current policies do not yet reflect the extent to which human experiences have changed. This means we are more than mere "subjects" or "sources" of data "by-products" that can be harvested and used by technology companies and governments. By exploring data rights, facial recognition technology, our posthumous rights, and our need for a right to data literacy, Wong has crafted a compelling case for engaging as stakeholders to hold data collectors accountable. Just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights laid the global groundwork for human rights, We, the Data gives us a foundation upon which we claim human rights in the age of data --
- Subjects: Data protection; Electronic information resources; Human rights;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- The lost sons of Omaha : two young men in an American tragedy / by Sexton, Joe,1959-author.;
"On May 30, 2020, in Omaha, Nebraska, amid the protests that rocked our nation after George Floyd's death at the hands of police, thirty-eight-year-old white bar owner and Marine veteran Jake Gardner fatally shot James Scurlock, a twenty-two-year-old Black protestor and young father. What followed were two investigations of Scurlock's death, one conducted by the white district attorney Don Kleine, who concluded that Gardner had legally acted in self-defense and released without a trial, and a second grand jury inquiry conducted by African American special prosecutor Fred Franklin that indicted Gardner for manslaughter and demanded he face trial. Days after the indictment, Gardner killed himself with a single bullet to the head. The deaths of both Scurlock and Gardner gave rise to a toxic brew of misinformation, false claims, and competing political agendas. The two men, each with their own complicated backgrounds, were turned into grotesque caricatures. Between the heated debates and diatribes, these twin tragedies amounted to an ugly and heartbreaking reflection of a painfully divided country. Here, Joe Sexton masterfully unpacks the whole twisting, nearly unbelievable chronicle into a meticulously reported and nuanced account of the two deaths, explaining which claims were true and which distorted or simply false. The Lost Sons of Omaha carefully examines some of the most pressing issues facing America today, including our country's dire need for gun control and mental health reform; the dangerous spread of fake news, particularly on social media; and the urgent call to band together in the collective pursuit of truth, fairness, and healing"--
- Subjects: Murder victims; Trials (Manslaughter);
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- The West Wing. [videorecording] / by Abner, Allison.; Channing, Stockard.; Del Ruth, Thomas,1942-; Denove, Russell.; Falls, Kevin.; Graves, Alex.; Hardy, Ken.; Hill, Dulé.; Janney, Allison.; Kelly, Moira.; Lippel, Roxanne.; Lowe, Rob.; Moloney, Janel,1969-; Paolo, Lyn.; Schiff, Richard,1959-; Sheen, Martin.; Sorkin, Aaron.; Spencer, John,1946-; Whitford, Bradley.; John Wells Productions (Firm); Warner Bros. Television.; Warner Home Video (Firm);
Disc 1. Pilot -- Post hoc, ergo propter hoc -- A proportional response -- Five votes down -- the crackpots and these women -- Mr. Willis of Ohio -- The state dinner -- Enemies.Disc 2. The short list -- In excelsis deo -- Lord John Marbury -- He shall, from time to time -- Take out the trash day -- Take this Sabbath day -- Celestial navigation -- 20 hours in L.A.Disc 3. The White House pro-am -- six meetings before lunch -- Let Bartlet be Bartlet -- Mandatory minimums -- Lies, damn lies and statistics -- What kind of day has it been.Disc 4. The primaries -- The inauguration -- Capital beat -- Sheet music -- Gag order -- The west wing suite -- Off the record.Directors of photography, Thomas Del Ruth ... [et al.] ; editors, Russell Denove ... [et al.] ; original music, Roxanne Lippel ; costume designer, Lyn Paolo ; production designer, Ken Hardy.John Spencer, Rob Lowe, Stockard Channing, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Moira Kelly, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford.Headed by President Josiah Bartlet, demonstrates that office politics are the same everywhere; things just have greater repercussions when your office happens to be the White House. Stories surround the President; his deputy communications director Sam Seaborn; his beleaguered press secretary, C.J. Cregg; the chief of staff, recovering boozehound Leo McGarry, who sacrifices his marriage to his career. Among the global crises Bartlet must finesse are a nuclear showdown between India and Pakistan, an American plane shot down by terrorists, and another downed U.S. plane in Iraq.Canadian Home Video Rating: PG.DVD (double-sided), full screen presentation.
- Subjects: United States. President; White House (Washington, D.C.); Presidents; Television programs.; Video recordings for the hearing impaired.;
- For private home use only.
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- Den of spies : Reagan, Carter, and the secret history of the treason that stole the White House / by Unger, Craig,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Argo meets Spotlight, as journalist Craig Unger, New York Times bestselling author of American Kompromat and House of Bush, House of Saud, reveals his thirty-year investigation into the secret collusion between Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign and Iran, raising urgent questions about what happens when foreign meddling in our elections goes unpunished and what gets remembered when the political price for treason is victory. It was a tinderbox of an accusation. In April 1991, the New York Times ran an op-ed alleging that Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign had conspired with the Iranian government to delay the release of 52 American hostages until after the 1980 election. The Iranian hostage crisis was President Jimmy Carter's largest political vulnerability, and his lack of success freeing them ultimately sealed his fate at the ballot box. In return for keeping Americans in captivity until Reagan assumed the oath of office, the Republicans had secretly funneled arms to Iran. Treasonous and illegal, the operation - planned and executed by Reagan's campaign manager Bill Casey - amounted to a shadow foreign policy run by private citizens that ensured Reagan's victory. Investigative journalist Craig Unger was one of the first reporters covering the October Surprise - initially for Esquire and then Newsweek - and while attempting to unravel the mystery, he was fired, sued, and ostracized by the Washington press corps, as a counter narrative took hold: The October Surprise was a hoax. Though Unger later recovered his name and became a bestselling author on Republican abuses of power, the October Surprise remained his white whale, the project he - as well as legendary investigative journalist, the late Robert Parry - worked on late at night and between assignments. In Den of spies, Unger reveals the definitive story of the October Surprise, going inside his three-decade reporting odyssey, along with Parry's never-before-seen archives, and sharing startling truths about what really happened in 1980. The result is a real-life political thriller filled with double agents, CIA operatives, slippery politicians, KGB documents, wealthy Republicans, and dogged journalists. A timely and provocative history that presages our Trump-era political scandals, Den of spies demonstrates the stakes of allowing the politics of the moment to obscure the writing of our history"--
- Subjects: Foreign interference in elections; Foreign interference in elections; Intelligence service; Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981.; Military assistance, American; Political corruption; Presidents;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- Profiles in ignorance : how America's politicians got dumb and dumber / by Borowitz, Andy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Andy Borowitz, "one of the funniest people in America" (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly examines the intellectual deterioration of American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump. The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a "Swiftian satirist" (The Wall Street Journal) and "one of the country's finest satirists" (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column "The Borowitz Report." Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country's political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation. Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades. Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn't move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
- Subjects: Politicians; Politicians;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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- The Mars house : a novel / by Pulley, Natasha,author.;
"From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, a queer sci-fi novel about a refugee from Earth and a xenophobic Mars politician who decide to fake marry after a media encounter damages both their reputations. In the wake of environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London's Royal Ballet, has become a refugee on Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. In Tharsis, January's life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger-a person whose body is not adjusted to Mars's lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. January's job choices, housing, and even transportation options are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse: Gale wants all Earthstrongers to be surgically naturalized, a process that is always disabling and can be deadly. When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, January's life is thrown into chaos, but Gale's political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure January's future without naturalization and ensure Gale's political future. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They're kind, compassionate, and much more difficult to hate than January would wish. But as their romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens, and January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Tharsis to make them pay--and January may be the only person standing in the way"--
- Subjects: Queer fiction.; Science fiction.; Novels.; Politicians; Refugees; Space colonies;
- Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 51 to 60 of 73 | « previous | next »