"What's The Economy For, Anyway? is a thought-provoking, funny, readable, anti-ideological book based on the cult hit film of the same name. Here, scholars John de Graaf (author of Affluenza) and David Batker tackle thirteen touchstone economic issues and challenge readers to consider just what the point of our economy is. Emphasizing powerful American ideals such as working together, pragmatism, and equality for all, de Graaf and Batker set forth a simple, powerful goal for any economic system: the greatest good for the greatest number, over the longest run. Their vision will appeal to a wide array of readers across traditional silos. Drawing from this nation's rich economic history, the book shows that the good life in America is achieved when people and markets work together with an active government to create a better economy, one that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. Beginning by taking our fetish for GDP and shattering it, the chapters touch on quality of life, health, security, time management, worklife, leisure, social justice, and perhaps most important, sustainability. This sparkling, message-driven book is exactly what we need: a guide to what really matters, and how we can use the resources of our economy to make the world a better place"--

"The Venice Nutrition Program is not a diet--it's a healthier way for anyone, at any age, to get control of their body. Based on the principle that regulating the body's blood sugar is the key to long-term weight management, the program emphasizes three primary strategies to keep the body functioning efficiently: eating at intervals of 3-4 hours throughout the day; eating meals that maintain the most efficient ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat; and eating a targeted number of calories at each meal. Readers will quickly find that adopting these nutritional guidelines burns body fat, boosts their energy levels, increases muscle mass, regulates their metabolism, and eliminates sugar cravings. Macdonald has worked with thousands of clients and in doing so, learned that no two people are the same or start from the same level of fitness and health. Unlike other blood sugar-regulating programs on the market, the Venice Nutrition Program is customizable, and begins by teaching readers how to work with the metabolism they're starting with, and how to readjust whenever their metabolism recalibrates. The body is dynamic and constantly adjusts to challenges--from increased stress, changes in eating habits, or a decrease in physical movement, for example--as it strives to regain equilibrium. Nutrition is just one important piece of the Venice Nutrition Program, though, and Macdonald--a former personal trainer and health club manager--has also developed a carefully honed exercise plan. With those two primary components of his holistic strategy in place, he explains how sleep, vitamins/minerals, water, and stress management complete the picture of optimum health"--

"A short, cutting-edge master class covering everything you need to know about the mind. Edited by John Brockman, with contributions by the world's leading scientists"--

"Bakan offers passionate argument and copious research in this compelling call for parents to stand up for their children."--Booklist (starred review) "Corporations have found a new resource to be mined for profit: our children. In this shocking and indelible behind-the-scenes journey, Joel Bakan, acclaimed author and award-winning maker of the renowned film and international bestselling book The Corporation, uncovers the astonishing degree to which companies exploit the special vulnerabilities of children, manipulate parents' fears, and operate with callous disregard for children's health and well-being. The number of children taking dangerous psychotropic drugs has skyrocketed as pharmaceutical companies employ insidious, often illegal tactics to inflate diagnoses of disorders and convince parents their children require medication. A highly sophisticated marketing industry deploys increasingly subtle and powerful tactics to play on children's intense emotions and desires and to lure them into obsessive consumerism. Computer game designers craft techniques to titillate children with sex and violence, while social media developers infiltrate and shape children's social and emotional worlds to compel them to spend more and more monetizable time online. America's schools are being transformed into profit centers while children are subjected to increasingly regimented teaching that thwarts curiosity and creativity, numbing the joy of learning. And children's chronic health problems, from asthma to cancer, autism, and birth defects, steadily escalate as thousands of new industrial chemicals are dumped into their environments. Nelson Mandela once sagely remarked that "there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children." The problem today, as Joel Bakan reveals, is that business interests have made protecting children extremely difficult. Corporations pump billions into rendering parents and governments powerless to shield children from an unrelenting commercial assault, with the result that after a century of progress, during which protective laws and regulations were widely promulgated, children are once again exposed to substantial harms at the hands of economic actors. Childhood Under Siege leaves no room for doubt that this assault on childhood is a major crisis of our time. A powerful manifesto for urgent change, it empowers us to shield our own children while offering concrete and realistic proposals for legal reforms that would protect all children from these predatory practices. "--Publisher's description