Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide

Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide Review

This reference guide to African history provides substantive entries on 36 watershed events that shaped the history of the continent from the prehistoric past to the dawn of the 21st century. Noted African scholar Toyin Falola clearly and articulately chronicles the growth and change of the continent from the agricultural revolution through colonial rule to African independence and the end of apartheid, examining the powerful moments at which Africa became drawn into the global world. Each entry appears in chronological order and consists of a comprehensive essay on the event, its historical, social, and geographic context, and its long-term significance. Many illustrations and maps provide valuable visual tools for the reader. Each entry concludes with suggestions for further reading. A narrative introduction to the history of the continent and a timeline of events place the events in historical and global context.

Based on the latest scholarship, this reference work analyzes the major events in African history and their ramifications, and draws connections between the past and the present. Key themes recur throughout: the development of diverse African cultures, Arab and European incursions and influence, and the efforts of African peoples to gain independence in the 20th century. Among the events recounted are the Iron Age, the rise of the Kush, the spread of Islam, the 19th-century outbreak of Islamic Jihad, the Atlantic slave trade, European conquest and the African response, Pan-Africanism, the women's decade of 1965-1975, and environmental and political challenges of the last years of the 20th century. Well written and objective, this work is an essential reference tool for students and an excellent complement to the study of African history.

A Meeting Planner's Guide to Catered Events

A Meeting Planner's Guide to Catered Events Review

Food and beverage is the largest portion of a meeting budget, but most meeting and event planners have no formal background in purchasing and managing this expense. This guide helps event, meeting, and convention planners save money, negotiate contracts, deal with catering managers, and successfully manage the food and beverage aspect of their event. Covering everything from styles of service to on-premise and off-premise considerations to food and beverage contract negotiation, this book is a comprehensive and accessible reference for event planners and students.

Special Event Production: The Resources

Special Event Production: The Resources Review

This must-have guide to special event production resources looks deep behind-the-scenes of an event and dissects what it is that creates success. It analyses the resources and is an extensive reference guide to the technical details of the technical aspects of a big event. It provides a thorough grounding on the specifications and performance of lighting and audio systems, visual presentation technology, special effects and temporary outdoor venues.

Incorporating pedagogical features, this easy-to-read book is packed with photographs, diagrams, flow charts, checklists, sample forms, and real-life examples. The vast varieties of audio-visual technologies, outdoor venues, décor and staging are presented.

This text is Part two of a two book set - also available is Special Events Production: the process (ISBN 9780750682435). Also available is a companion to both texts is a website packed with toolkits resources, and additional information.

* Provides a clear and thorough guide to the technical, behind-the-scenes aspects of special events
* Offers an overview of the decorative, audio-visual and special events options available to producers
* Full-color throughout packed with illustrations of the machinery and effects produced by different technologies

Voting Paradoxes and How to Deal with Them

Voting Paradoxes and How to Deal with Them Review

Voting paradoxes are unpleasant surprises encountered in elections. They pertain to such phenomena as additional support being detrimental for candidates and not voting leading to better outcomes than voting for some voters. No voting system is immune to all paradoxes and, therefore voting paradoxes are being dealt with by all voting systems currently in use. How they are and how they should be handled is the main subject of this book. The book outlines, explains and classifies a number of paradoxes: Borda`s and Condorcet`s classic ones, several monotonicity and compound majority paradoxes as well as some paradoxes of representation. Both theoretical and practical ways of avoiding them are discussed.

The Coming of the New Deal, 1933-1935 (The Age of Roosevelt, Vol. 2)

The Coming of the New Deal, 1933-1935 (The Age of Roosevelt, Vol. 2) Review

The Coming of the New Deal, 1933-1935, volume two of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.’s Age of Roosevelt series, describes Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first tumultuous years in the White House. Coming into office at the bottom of the Great Depression, FDR told the American people that they have nothing to fear but fear itself. The conventional wisdom having failed, he tried unorthodox remedies to avert economic collapse. His first hundred days restored national morale, and his New Dealers filled Washington with new approaches to recovery and reform. Combining idealistic ends with realistic means, Roosevelt proposed to humanize, redeem, and rescue capitalism. The Coming of the New Deal, written with Schlesinger’s customary verve, is a gripping account of critical years in the history of the republic.

The Global New Deal: Economic and Social Human Rights in World Politics (New Millennium Books in International Studies)

The Global New Deal: Economic and Social Human Rights in World Politics (New Millennium Books in International Studies) Review

Global human suffering in the 21st century seems bitterly entrenched, with almost half of the world's people remaining impoverished and over 26,000 children dying daily from preventable causes. This powerful and empowering text offers a way forward, presenting a realistic roadmap for enhanced benevolent global governance with practical, workable solutions to mass poverty. Now fully updated, including new chapters, The Global New Deal outlines the legal responsibilities for all institutions, organizations, and states under international law to respect, protect, and fulfill economic and social human rights. William Felice focuses on seven key areas: the dynamics within international political economy that contribute to economic inequality and create human suffering, the U.N.'s approach to economic and social human rights, the priority of ecosystem protection within all development strategies, the degree of racial bias prevalent in global economics, the relationship between gender equality and economic growth, the impact of military spending on human development, and the importance for the United States to adopt a human-rights approach to poverty alleviation. Arguing for a "global new deal," a set of international and national public policy proposals designed to protect the vulnerable and end needless suffering, this book provides a viable direction for structural reform to protect those left behind by the global economy.

The Making of the New Deal Democrats: Voting Behavior and Realignment in Boston, 1920-1940

The Making of the New Deal Democrats: Voting Behavior and Realignment in Boston, 1920-1940 Review

"Why is The Making of New Deal Democrats so significant? One of the major controversies in the study of American elections has to do with the nature of electoral realignments. One school argues that a realignment involves a major shift of voters from one party to another, while another school argues that the process consists largely of mobilization of previously inactive voters. The debate is crucial for understanding the nature of the New Deal realignment.

Almost all previous work on the subject has dealt with large-scale national patterns which make it difficult to pin down the precise processes by which the alignment took place. Gamm's work is most remarkable in that it is a close analysis of shifting voter alignments on the precinct and block level in the city of Boston. His extremely detailed and painstaking work of isolating homogeneous ethnic units over a twenty-year period allows one to trace the voting behavior of the particular ethnic groups that ultimately formed the core of the New Deal realignment."—Sidney Verba, Harvard University

No Ordinary Deal: Unmasking the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement

No Ordinary Deal: Unmasking the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement Review

While the global financial crisis has exposed deep flaws in the free market, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Peru, and Vietnam are negotiating a free-trade agreement to surpass all others—here an international team of expert commentators expose the myths of yet another neo-liberal adventure

 

No ordinary free trade deal, The Trans-Pacific Partnership has been billed as an agreement fit for the 21st century—but no one is sure what that means. The U.S. sells this eight-country deal as the key to jobs and economic recovery, while protecting home markets; Australia hails it as a foundation stone for an APEC-wide free trade agreement; and New Zealand sees it as a magic bullet to open the U.S. dairy market—but none of these arguments stack up. Here Lori Wallach, Todd Tucker, John Quiggin, and other experts from Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Chile examine the geopolitics and security context of the negotiations and set out the costs for other countries of making concessions to the U.S. simply to achieve a deal. They argue its obligations will intrude into core areas of domestic government policy which have nothing to do with imports and exports, including foreign investment, financial regulation, access to affordable medicines, food standards, services, and government procurement—the issues that caused majority public opposition to the 2004 U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Above all, this book exposes the contradictions of countries locking even deeper into a neo-liberal model of global free markets, when even political leaders admit that this has failed.

Event History Analysis With Stata

Event History Analysis With Stata Review

Event History Analysis With Stata provides an introduction to event history modeling techniques using Stata (version 9), a widely used statistical program that provides tools for data analysis. The book emphasizes the usefulness of event history models for causal analysis in the social sciences and the application of continuous-time models.
 
The authors illustrate the entire research path required in the application of event-history analysis, from the initial problems of recording event-oriented data, to data organization, to applications using the software, to the interpretation of results. The book also demonstrates, through example, how to implement hypotheses tests and how to choose the right model. The strengths and limitations of various techniques are emphasized in each example, along with an introduction to the model, details on how to input data, and the related Stata commands. Each application is accompanied by a brief explanation of the underlying statistical concept.
 
Readers are offered the unique opportunity to easily run and modify all of the book’s application examples on a computer, by visiting the author’s Web site at http://www.uni-bamberg.de/sowi/soziologie-i/eha/. Examples include survival rates of patients in medical studies; unemployment periods in economic studies; and the time it takes a criminal to break the law after his release in a criminological study. This new book supplements Event History Analysis, by Blossfeld et al, and Techniques of Event History Modeling, by Blossfeld and Rohwer, extending on their coverage of practical applications and statistical theory.
 
Intended for researchers in a variety of fields such as statistics, economics, psychology, sociology, and political science, Event History Analysis With Stata also serves as a text, in combination with the authors’ other two books, for courses on event history analysis.

The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post-New Deal Era

The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post-New Deal Era Review

After the Nixon and Ford administrations, liberal Democrats hoped Jimmy Carter's election in 1976 would restore the New Deal agenda in the White House. Instead, during four tumultuous years in office, Carter endorsed many of the fiscal and economic policies later espoused by his Republican successor, Ronald Reagan. But Carter also backed most New Deal social programs and, however reluctantly, pursued a traditional containment foreign policy.

In this book more than a dozen eminent scholars provide a balanced overview of key elements of Carter's presidency, examining the significance of his administration within the context of evolving American policy choices after World War II. They seek not only to understand the troubled Carter presidency but also to identify the changes that precipitated and accompanied the demise of the New Deal order.

By the time Carter took office, many Americans had become disenchanted with big government and welfare spending, and his presidency is viewed in these pages as a transitional administration. As this volume demonstrates, Carter's dilemma emerged from his effort to steer a course between traditional expectations of federal government and new political and economic realities. While most of the contributors agree that his administration may be justly criticized for failing to find that course, they generally conclude that Carter was more successful than his critics acknowledge.

These thirteen original essays cover such topics as the economy, trade and industrial policies, welfare reform, energy, environment, civil rights, feminism, and foreign policy. They offer thoughtful assessments of Carter's performance, focusing on policy both as cause and effect of the postindustrial transformation of American society that shadowed his administration. A final essay shows how Carter's public-spirited postpresidential career has made him one of America's greatest ex-presidents.

Grounded on research conducted at the Carter Library, The Carter Presidency is an incisive reassessment of an isolated Democratic administration from the vantage point of twenty years. It is a milestone in the historical appraisal of that administration, inviting us to take a new look at Jimmy Carter and see what his presidency represented for a dramatically changing America.

Behind the Scenes at Special Events: Flowers, Props, and Design

Behind the Scenes at Special Events: Flowers, Props, and Design Review

"A much-needed, comprehensive, and essential reference for special events professionals throughout the world. My copy will always be at arm's reach as I use this to research, design, coordinate, and plan world class events such as those provided by Ms. Malouf's extraordinary book." --Dr. Joe Jeff Goldblatt, CSEP Founding Director, The Event Management Program The George Washington University

"From how you start planning the event, to how you create beautiful designs, to running an effective and profitable event office, to themed events --this book is an all-inclusive event designer's 'How To!'." --Tim Lundy, CSEP Distinctive Design Events, Atlanta, Georgia

"This book is a must on the bookshelf of every event practitioner who wants to be the consummate event designer." --Richard Aaron, CMP, CSEP President, Mallory Factor, Inc.

Lena Malouf, CSEP, is recognized as an international authority in the special events, party, and floral industries. She gives you an arsenal of proven techniques to administer, coordinate, and create a special event that will leave your clients and their guests with a truly memorable experience. Lavishly illustrated, this valuable guide is packed with inspirational and imaginative examples of Malouf's most successful corporate events, theme parties, flower arrangements, table designs, and much more. Packed with checklists, forms, and double-checking methods, this book helps you feel confident that even the tiniest detail will not be missed.

This practical how-to book covers:
* Inspirational concept and theme ideas
* What to include in contracts and agreements
* Setting a budget and sticking to it
* Creating a more efficient work schedule
* Using the power of color to its fullest potential
* The endless possibilities of design, decor, and sets
* Exquisite flower arrangements and beautiful linens


For the newcomer, student, or professional planner, this step-by-step book walks you through the entire event process.

The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy of the New Deal

The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy of the New Deal Review

Social Security is facing the most serious, well-financed, and determined threat to its existence since its inception in 1935. For Americans to make sense of the barrage of conflicting messages on the subject, it's necessary to understand who is behind the campaign to "reform" Social Security, what the campaign aims to achieve, and how it misrepresents its goals. Best-selling author Joe Conason exposes why and how this is happening. "The Raw Deal explores the Right's privatization goals, Bush's hard-fought privatization campaign (built on a stacked "study"), the corporate interests behind the plan, the media campaign to undermine confidence in Social Security, and how the swindle can be stopped. Conason's no-apologies, no-nonsense approach clears up the myriad misperceptions surrounding this important, confusing issue and gets to the truth about the big Social Security bluff.

Witness: From the Shah to the Secret Arms Deal : An Insider's Account of U.S. Involvement in Iran

Witness: From the Shah to the Secret Arms Deal : An Insider's Account of U.S. Involvement in Iran Review

Witness: From the Shah to the Secret Arms Deal : An Insider's Account of U.S. Involvement in Iran

Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal

Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal Review

“A compelling and readable story of resistance to the new economic order.”—Boston Globe

Invisible Hands tells the story of how a small group of American businessmen succeeded in building a political movement. Long before the “culture wars” of the 1960s sparked the Republican backlash against cultural liberalism, these high-powered individuals actively resisted New Deal economics and sought to educate and organize their peers. Kim Phillips-Fein recounts the little-known efforts of men such as W. C. Mullendore, Leonard Read, and Jasper Crane, drawing on meticulous research and narrative gifts to craft a compelling history of the role of big and small business in American politics—and a blueprint for anyone who wants insight into the way that money has been used to create political change. 16 black-and-white photos