In an assessment of the pros and cons of public sector privatization, Sclar (urban planning, Columbia U.), who is affiliated with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC, warns that outsourcing services may not result in leaner US government. He examines alternatives and offers tips for public sector reform. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
Tony unearths a corruption scandal linking the mafia to the inner circle of the president himselfIn New York, some tenants will do anything to land a rent-controlled apartment. Tony Cassella is investigating one such tenant—a man who’s defrauding his building owner. The case is interesting, but something even better is about to drop in the private investigator’s lap. Cassella has just landed a real estate case that could bring down the right hand man of the president of the United States. Rumors are swirling that the freshly appointed US attorney general used mob muscle to evict tenants from apartments he owns in the Bronx. After one of the attorney general’s alleged mafia contacts dies in an ugly gangland hit, Cassella finally has the thread tying the South Bronx real estate scam to Washington. But his search for the truth will land him squarely in the mob’s cross hairs—a deadly reminder of the evil some men will do to squeeze money from choice property. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Larry Beinhart including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
The award-winning author of Magical Negro traces the difficulty and beauty of existing as a Black woman through American history, from the foundational trauma of the slave trade all the way up to Serena Williams and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina “An engrossing journey through Parker’s expansive and gifted mind.”—Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed Dubbed a voice of her generation, poet and writer Morgan Parker has spent much of her adulthood in therapy, trying to square the resonance of her writing with the alienation she feels in nearly every aspect of life, from her lifelong singleness to a battle with depression. She traces this loneliness to an inability to feel truly safe with others and a historic hyperawareness stemming from the effects of slavery. In a collection of essays as intimate as being in the room with Parker and her therapist, Parker examines America’s cultural history and relationship to Black Americans through the ages. She touches on such topics as the ubiquity of beauty standards that exclude Black women, the implications of Bill Cosby’s fall from grace in a culture predicated on acceptance through respectability, and the pitfalls of visibility as seen through the mischaracterizations of Serena Williams as alternately iconic and too ambitious. With piercing wit and incisive observations, You Get What You Pay For is ultimately a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness and its effects on mental well-being in America today. Weaving unflinching criticism with intimate anecdotes, this devastating memoir-in-essays paints a portrait of one Black woman’s psyche—and of the writer’s search to both tell the truth and deconstruct it.
You Get What You Pay For: A Tattoo Survival Guide, is a non-fiction informational guide to help new and potential clients understand what it takes to get a phenomenal piece of art and what to look for in an artist. As big as the industry has become, the majority of information is geared towards the artists themselves or the collector. The little information that is for new clients can be found scattered throughout books or web-sites. This book will give new clients all the information they need in one place. Not only does "You Get What You Pay For" answer frequently asked questions, it also gives examples of work from awe-inspiring tattoo artists. When it comes to getting a tattoo, you really do get what you pay for.
A compelling alternative view of the relationship between our politics and our economy. Throughout America, structural problems are getting worse. Economic inequality is near Gilded Age heights, the healthcare system is a mess, and the climate crisis continues to grow. Yet most ambitious policy proposals that might fix these calamities are dismissed as wastefully expensive by default. From the kitchen table to Congress, debates are punctuated with a familiar refrain: “How are you going to pay for that?” This question is designed to shut down policy pushes up front, minimizing any interference with the free market. It comes from neoliberalism, an economic ideology that has overtaken both parties. Proponents insist that markets are naturally-occurring and apolitical—and that too much manipulation of the economy will make our society fall apart. Ryan Cooper argues that our society already is falling apart, and the logically preposterous views of neoliberalism are to blame. Most progressives understand this instinctively, but many lack the background knowledge to make effective economic counterarguments. How Are You Going To Pay For That? is filled with engaging discussions and detailed strategies that policymakers and citizens alike can use to assail even the most entrenched lines of neoliberal logic, and start to undo these long-held misconceptions. Equal parts economic theory, history, and political polemic, this is an essential roadmap for winning the key battles to come.
Billions of people throughout the world are paid for their work. This book was written to explain why they earn what they earn and, in doing so, to help readers understand how they can earn more in both the short and long run. It describes wages, wage differences across groups, wage inequality, how organizations set pay and why, executive and 'superstar' pay, the difference between pay and 'total rewards' (including benefits, opportunities for growth, colleagues and working conditions), compensation in nonprofits, and the differences between the cost of compensation to organizations and the value employees place on that compensation. It also offers tips on what an individual can do to earn more.
What if the customer determined the price they pay based upon the value they receive? How might that change things? Pay What It's Worth pricing is a system allowing for a different way of valuing the products, services, and experiences we have and exchange with others. Each of us has the power and ability to create our own economy, and approach to valuing products and services. In Pay What It's Worth: You Don't Need to Set a Price on Value, you'll explore the power and potential, as well as the pitfalls, of not setting prices. Mutually beneficial exchanges are possible and sustainable for you, as a business owner, and as a customer. Your integrity is your most valuable wealth creation tool.
In this audacious, lightning-paced thriller, a smart-mouthed, white-collar drug dealer--a hilariously irreverent antihero--seeks revenge when an unknown enemy takes out a contract on him. Jack Price is having a bad day. What he absolutely did not need was for someone to execute his grouchy old neighbor as if she was a drug mule. Questions will be asked, and Jack is a small businessman in a competitive sector hobbled by red tape and, you know: laws. Just because the product Jack trades in is cocaine, people assume it’s all guns and murders, but that is the old cocaine business and Jack is all about the new one: high-tech, high-end and on-demand. But when Jack begins making some inquiries with a view to calming the whole thing down, someone hires the Seven Demons to kill him. You bring those people in to kill generals and presidents and take down countries, not to mess with a guy who’s just trying to get along. The thing is that the Seven Demons and their client have misunderstood the situation. Jack is not upset. In fact, he’s grateful for the clarification. Jack is the kind of guy who adapts well to new business models. He has a unique approach to executive problem solving. In fact, Jack is batshit crazy. And when you mess with Jack, there is a Price to be paid.
“A free-wheeling vehicle . . . an unforgettable ride!”—The New York Times Cat’s Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best. “[Vonnegut is] an unimitative and inimitable social satirist.”—Harper’s Magazine “Our finest black-humorist . . . We laugh in self-defense.”—Atlantic Monthly
From Bitcoin to Apple Pay, big changes seem to be afoot in the world of money. Yet the use of coins and paper bills has persisted for 3,000 years. In How Would You Like to Pay?, leading anthropologist Bill Maurer narrates money's history, considers its role in everyday life, and discusses the implications of how new technologies are changing how we pay. These changes are especially important in the developing world, where people who lack access to banks are using cell phones in creative ways to send and save money. To truly understand money, Maurer explains, is to understand and appreciate the complex infrastructures and social relationships it relies on. Engaging and straightforward, How Would You Like to Pay? rethinks something so familiar and fundamental in new and exciting ways. Ultimately, considering how we would like to pay gives insights into determining how we would like to live.
