Government Work

If the election of Barack Obama fills you with dread rather than elation, you're not alone - in fact, pull up a chair next to James Delingpole who has seen this all before and knows exactly where America is heading: into a morass of sprawling government that will slowly start suffocating our economy, our liberties, and our culture.

Bigger has turned out not to be better. Servicing the global economy has exacted a heavy toll in the erosion of our communities and the destruction of our environment. Increasingly, we are coming to realize that the way forward looks a lot like the way back — back to strong local economies, back to resilient, tight-knit communities, back to the land and work that is real. As we chart our course through these uncertain times, we are hungry for inspiration.

One in three American workers is now a freelancer. This “gig economy” - one that provides neither the guarantee of steady hours nor benefits - emerged out of the digital era and has revolutionized the way we do business. High-profile tech start-ups such as Uber and Airbnb are constantly making headlines for the disruption they cause to the industries they overturn. But what are the effects of this disruption, from Wall Street down to Main Street? What challenges do employees and job seekers face at every level of professional experience?

Field research, the collection of information outside a lab or workplace setting, requires skills and knowledge not typically taught in the classroom. Fieldwork demands exploratory inquisitiveness, empathy to encourage interviewees to trust the researcher, and sufficient aptitude to work professionally and return home safely. The Field Researcher's Handbook provides a practical guide to planning and executing fieldwork and presenting the results.

Working class, blue-collar voters are staying home in droves instead of going to the polls to support Republicans. The reason? Despite their deeply conservative values, they don't think Republicans speak for them and their interests. In Blue Collar Conservatives, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum explains how we can reenergize the Republican base by showing these blue-collar Americans just how much Republican policies support their personal welfare and by making government the people's servant rather than the people's master.

In a wide-ranging narrative that takes us from a downsized marketing executive in Massachusetts, to a father of three in Appalachia finding purpose and meaning working in a convenience-store chain, to an unemployed autoworker retraining in "advanced manufacturing", Shell reveals how work is essential to our flourishing and pyschological well-being - and how so many of the avenues to well-paid and meaningful work will be challenged in the years ahead.

In an era when people live longer and want (or need) to work past the traditional retirement age, the Vita Needle Company of Needham, Massachusetts, provides inspiration and important lessons about the value of older workers. Vita Needle is a family-owned factory that was founded in 1932 and makes needles, stainless steel tubing and pipes, and custom fabricated parts. As part of its unusual business model, the company seeks out older workers; the median age of the employees is seventy-four.

Our world is about to change. In Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Change the Way We Live, Work, and Communicate, Shawn DuBravac, chief economist and senior director of research at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), argues that the groundswell of digital ownership unfolding in our lives signals the beginning of a new era for humanity.

Growing numbers of Americans are doing work that they care about and enjoy. But they're frustrated by stagnant wages, shrinking health coverage, shaky pension plans, and company polices that make it more difficult for them to do their jobs well. Corporate executives may be becoming less loyal to their employees, but those same employees still want to be loyal to their company.

Remigius dei Girolami, a Dominican friar and lector in the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence as well as a political philosopher and theologian, wrote in the context of the Guelf-Ghibbeline conflict in Florence in the early 14th century. Unfortunately, Remigius is rather poorly known, as he is eclipsed by his more famous teacher, Thomas Aquinas, and his Florentine contemporary, Dante Alighieri. Nevertheless, Remigius authored an impressive array of texts, ranging in topic from theology to science to music to politics.

In recent years, dreams about our technological future have soured as digital platforms have undermined privacy, eroded labor rights, and weakened democratic discourse. In light of the negative consequences of innovation, some blame harmful algorithms or greedy CEOs. Behind the Startup focuses instead on the role of capital and the influence of financiers. Drawing on nineteen months of participant-observation research inside a successful Silicon Valley startup, this book examines how the company was organized to meet the needs of the venture capital investors who funded it.

The current conventional-wisdom view of our soon-to-be future is rose-tinted: Automation will free millions of people from the drudgery of work, then by taxing the robots doing all the work, we can pay everyone universal basic income (UBI), enabling a life of leisure and artistic pursuit for all. The result: a future of universal happiness. But is this accurate? Is this what UBI is actually capable of doing? More importantly, is this what we want? And even more importantly: Will this “future” be our best future? Listen to find out more.

Doctors at War is a candid account of a trauma surgical team based, for a tour of duty, at a field hospital in Helmand, Afghanistan. Mark de Rond tells of the highs and lows of surgical life in hard-hitting detail, bringing to life a morally ambiguous world in which good people face impossible choices and in which routines designed to normalize experience have the unintended effect of highlighting war’s absurdity. With stories that are at once comical and tragic, de Rond captures the surreal experience of being a doctor at war.

In this memoir about overcoming adversity in America, the US Senator responsible for creating "opportunity zones" explains how hard work and community growth can drive businesses and end poverty. In Opportunity Knocks, Senator Scott will tell his life story with a focus on adversity and opportunity. He will teach listeners about the principles of hard work and hope while addressing the dangers of veering too far toward socialist policies.

The fusion of distributed artificial intelligence with highly autonomous military systems ushers in a type of lightning-quick conflict that has never been seen before. Yet this is more than a revolution in military affairs; it is a revolution in human affairs that will transform the 21st century defense and security environment. Advances in AI will fundamentally change the human condition, and with it, a profoundly human undertaking war.

With falling wages and rising inequality, persistent unemployment, failing schools, and broken cities, have America's best days come and gone? In America Needs Talent, Jamie Merisotis, a globally recognized leader in philanthropy, higher education, and public policy, explains why talent is needed to usher in a new era of innovation and success and why deliberate choices must be made by government, the private sector, education, and individuals to grow talent in America.

With national coverage of the first edition in 1997 Tracks found an eager audience, including many parents needing information about their children's choices for the future. Over 15 annual editions the title has been revised and updated. It lists pay scales and qualifications to degree level, with advice from professionals in the field, and chartered institutes. The 2017 edition covers over 150 career paths in 14 sections from banking and financial services to sports and fitness.

Who benefits from Universal Basic Income - and who pays for it? Learn everything you need to know about UBI in this short book!

What is the judicial branch? It's the part of government that's in charge of our courts. But just what do the courts do? And how do they affect your daily life? Listen to this audiobook to find out.

What are the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution? They're important documents that helped to shape our country. But what's the story behind how these documents were created? And what exactly do they say? Listen to this audiobook to find out.