State Planning

For over a decade now, the American economy has been on a rollercoaster - an economic boom between 2003 and 2008, followed by a severe economic downturn, and with a historically slow and weak recovery from 2009 until the present. The recession of 2008-2009 had its origin in years of monetary mismanagement by the Federal Reserve System and misguided economic policies emanating from Washington, DC.

The first European settlers saw America as a paradise regained. The continent seemed to offer a God-given opportunity to start again and build the perfect community. Those messianic days are gone. But as Alex Krieger argues in City on a Hill, any attempt at deep understanding of how the country has developed must recognize the persistent and dramatic consequences of utopian dreaming. Even as ideals have changed, idealism itself has for better and worse shaped our world of bricks and mortar, macadam, parks, and farmland.

Our cities are changing. Around the world, more and more money is being invested in buildings and land. Real estate is now a $217 trillion-dollar industry, worth 36 times the value of all the gold ever mined. It forms 60 percent of global assets, and one of the most powerful people in the world - the president of the United States - made his name as a landlord and developer.

Oklahoma City. Indianapolis. Charleston. Des Moines. What do these cities have in common? They are cities of modest size but outsized accomplishment, powered by a can-do spirit, valuing compromise over confrontation and progress over political victory. These are the cities leading America...and they're not waiting for Washington's help. As mayor of one of America's most improved cities, Cornett used a bold, creative, and personal approach to orchestrate his city's renaissance. Once regarded as a forgettable city in "flyover country", Oklahoma City has become one of our nation's most dynamic places - and it is not alone.

In the case of the recent virus, the most ideal carrier animal is a bat or snake. Since humans don’t consume snakes and bats in several areas of the world but in some places like China they are consumed, it is suspected that the new outbreak is linked to the consumption of an infected bat. The same is the cause for other virus outbreaks in the past.

The origins of gentrification date back to World War I - only it was sometimes known as “remodeling” then. Dennis Gale’s insightful book The Misunderstood History of Gentrification provides a recontextualization of American gentrification, planning, and policymaking. He argues that gentrification must be understood as an urban phenomenon with historical roots in the very early 20th century.  

In Draining New Orleans, renowned geographer Richard Campanella recounts the epic challenges and ingenious efforts to dewater the Crescent City. With forays into geography, public health, engineering, architecture, politics, sociology, race relations, and disaster response, he chronicles the herculean attempts to "reclaim" the city's swamps and marshes and install subsurface drainage for massive urban expansion.

The Way to Wealth, an essay by Benjamin Franklin, is a collection of wisdom sayings and advice published in Poor Richard's Almanac from 1733-1758. These proverbs and sayings are woven into an ethical code advocating industry and frugality as a “way to wealth”, thereby securing personal virtue. It is presented as a speech given by Father Abraham to a group of people. Many of the phrases Father Abraham uses continue to be familiar today, such as "There are no gains, without pains", "One today is worth two tomorrows" and "Get what you can, and what you get, hold".

Healthy Disney: Your Guide to a Fit and Magical Vacation is a planning guide for those who desire a Disney vacation with a focus on health and fitness. This book gives you the checklists, steps and activities to keep your vacation on track before you leave your home. Volume 1: The Planning Phase is the first of many Healthy Disney planning guides to come. Danye Phillips has specific items of focus for your trip at 180 days out, 60 days out, 30 days out and the week of your trip that will set you up for success and to accomplish your fitness and food goals.

Everyone would love to see the country, visit unique places and travel the open highways. However, planning a road trip can be a big undertaking and knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Start at Zero Beginner's Guides provide you with the basic information to get started and begin planning ahead, so that your next road trip vacation can be fun, relaxing and enjoyable.

Everyone would love to see the country, visit unique places, and travel the open highways. However, planning a road trip can be a big undertaking, and knowing where to start can be overwhelming. The Start at Zero beginner's guide provides you with the basic information to get started and begin planning ahead so that your next road-trip vacation can be fun, relaxing, and enjoyable. We provide general tips, strategies, and information that you will need to address before you drive away.

Becoming Los Angeles, a new collection by the author of the acclaimed memoir Holy Land, blends history, memory, and critical analysis to illuminate how Angelenos have seen themselves and their city. Waldie’s particular concern is commonplace Los Angeles, whose rhythms of daily life are set against the gaudy backdrop of historical myth and Hollywood illusion. It’s through sacred ordinariness that Waldie experiences the city’s seasons.

"Retirement when you want it" is not a misleading promise presented by an ephemeral salesman in search of proclamations and publicity. This book gives you the infallible and tested method and all the tools to create in a simple and immediate way a life fund that is, in all respects, the biggest alternative to the state pension, with multiplied results and withdrawable when you want! This is the final solution that many people have hoped in vain to find for decades. An innovation.