Miss Manners rescues civilization

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Jeff Wilser

Structured around key moments in Biden's life and career--and filled with Biden-isms like "That's a bunch of malarkey" and "I may be Irish, but I'm not stupid"--this blend of biography, advice, and humor will reveal the experiences that forged Joe Biden, and the lessons we can use in our own lives. Along the way, readers will also encounter fun sidebars on his love of muscle cars, his most endearing gaffes, his bromance with President Obama, and much more. The aviators. The Amtrak. The ice cream cones. The memes. Few politicians are as iconic, or as beloved, as Joe Biden. Now, in The Book of Joe, Biden fans will finally have the definitive look at America's favorite vice president--and what he can teach us. Yet beneath the memorable Biden-isms, the book will reveal an inspirational story of a man who keeps "getting back up." We need this right now. Much as Biden has come back from both professional missteps and personal heartbreaks, sometimes we all have to get back up and fight. Given Biden's reputation as a decent, plainspoken, patriotic statesman of integrity, this entertaining and practical book will be both a celebration of great political figure and an essential guide to creating the America he believes in so dearly.

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Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel

Inspired by their popular USA Today column, conservative Cal Thomas and liberal Bob Beckel show politicians of both stripes how to get beyond partisanship, restore civility, and move our country forward. Thomas and Beckel are a unique pair in today's political climate—pundits from opposite sides who not only talk to each other but work together to find common ground on some of the most divisive issues facing us, from the war in Iraq to gay marriage to the Patriot Act. Common Ground unmasks the hypocrisy of many of the issues, organizations, and individuals who created and deepened the partisan divide at the center of American politics, and makes a strategic case for why this bickering must stop.Throughout, Thomas and Beckel explode conventional wisdom and offer surprising new conclusions:The Red State/Blue State divide: Myth!A "common ground" presidential candidate can win in 2008: Reality!"Polarizers" like Ann Coulter and Michael Moore are the future of political debate: Myth!Major-party politics faces extinction: Reality! These guys should know. For years Beckel and Thomas contributed to the climate of polarization in Washington . . . and they admit it. "We're two guys who spent a lot of years in the polarizing business, but on opposing sides," they write. "We helped write the game plan, and we have participated in everything from getting money out of true believers to appearing on television to help spread the contentious message. In many cases, we wrote the message. We know the gig, and it's just about up."In this much-needed book, Thomas and Beckel go beyond their column to offer a sobering overview of the current political divide and its corrosive effect on us all.They also explain how bipartisanship and consensus politics are not only good for the day-to-day democratic process but essential for our nation's future well-being.Entertaining and informative, funny and healing, Common Ground is must reading for all concerned citizens.

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Jonathan Daniels

The Nation's Capital during WWII -- a town of intrigue, gossip, humor, and deadly serious political decisions that would affect the future of the world. It's all captured in this remarkable firsthand account by a man who saw it from the vantage point of the White House, as one of FDR's closet aides. The events covered in the diary-with-commentary include: *The White House's struggle with the reaction that was setting in against Roosevelt's New Deal policies; *The politically damaging "spiritualist letters" of Vice President Wallace, and the "blackmail" trade-off that kept them secret. *The infighting over the control of war production. *The historic Big Three conferences. *The battles with the press over excessive wartime secrecy. *The momentous decision by the President to seek an unprecedented fourth term. *The mishandling of the replacement of Wallace by Truman as Roosevelt's running mate. *And the dramatic moments, following FDR's death, when Harry Truman assumed the presidency.

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Ger Klaassen

Acid Rain and Environmental Degradation is a succinct yet comprehensive survey of emission trading - a significant research and policy field of increasing importance for both Europe and the USA. Against the background of environmental policy instruments in general, Dr Klaassen presents a state-of-the-art survey of both the theory and actual applications of tradable permits. This survey also analyses international theory and experience. Later chapters examine the European acid rain issue and discuss how it can be addressed by means of tradable permits with particular relevance to sulphur emissions. Acid Rain and Environmental Degradation responds to current European policy discussions to apply emission trading on a continental scale. Because of its unique blend of theory and practice, this volume not only sets the tone for future discussions in Europe on transboundary pollution control, but also offers something for the academic economist, the environmentalist and the policy maker.