Harford T Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy

In Fifty Things that Made the Modern Economy, the revolutionary, acclaimed book, radio series and podcast, bestselling economist Tim Harford introduced us to a selection of fifty radical inventions that changed the world • Now, in this new book, Harford once again brings us an array of remarkable, memorable, curious and often unexpected 'things' - inventions that teach us lessons by turns intimate and sweeping about the complex world economy we live in today • From the brick, blockchain and the bicycle to fire, the factory and fundraising, and from solar PV and the pencil to the postage stamp, this brilliant and enlightening collection resonates, fascinates and stimulates. It is a wonderful blend of insight and inspiration from one of Britain's finest non-fiction storytellers

Based on the series produced for the BBC World Service Who thought up paper money? How did the contraceptive pill change the face of the legal profession? Why was the horse collar as important for human progress as the steam engine? How did the humble spreadsheet turn the world of finance upside-down? The world economy defies comprehension. A continuously-changing system of immense complexity, it offers over ten billion distinct products and services, doubles in size every fifteen years, and links almost every one of the planet's seven billion people. It delivers astonishing luxury to hundreds of millions. It also leaves hundreds of millions behind, puts tremendous strains on the ecosystem, and has an alarming habit of stalling. Nobody is in charge of it

Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their status at birth. For much of history this was a revolutionary thought, but by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? • Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocractic system

Many times through deep history Earth’s magnetic poles have switched places, leaving our planet’s protective shield weaker and life vulnerable to devastating solar storms. The last time it happened was 780,000 years ago, long before humans emerged, but it won’t be long until it happens again.And when it does, will it send us back to the Stone Age?The Spinning Magnet is a fascinating insight into what may lie ahead.From the pivotal discoveries of Victorian scientists to the possibility of solar radiation wiping out power grids, and the secrets of electromagnetism, Alanna Mitchell reveals the truth behind one of the most powerful forces in the universe

Пятьсот лет назад протестантское христианство началось с одного упрямого монаха – сегодня оно охватывает миллиард человек по всему земному шару • Переворот, спровоцированный Мартином Лютером, вдохновил одно из самых созидательных и разрушительных движений в истории человечества. "Протестанты. Радикалы, создавшие Современный мир" - это история мужчин и женщин, которые создали и переделали эту воинственную веру, требуя пугающих новых свобод и экспериментируя с новыми системами правления. Вдохновленные своими новыми доступными Библиями, они преобразили свою внутреннюю жизнь, и эта трансформация вылилась в социальные потрясения и политические революции. Потрясающая история Алека Райри исследует, как его неугомонная энергия создала и продолжает создавать современный мир

Для современного человека знание английского языка - это необходимость. Исследования показывают, что иностранные языки лучше всего осваивать с детства. Специальная методика поможет вам воспитать билингвального ребенка. Используйте для занятий книги из серии Мой первый английский и добивайтесь успеха! Эта книжка-игра с веселыми заданиями идеально подходит для первого знакомства с английским языком! Малыш выучит названия 25 видов транспорта, 5 базовых фигур и 9 основных цветов. Удобный формат, яркие рисунки, плотный картон - вам пнравится играть с этой книгой снова и снова!

The authors have proved that M. Porter's theory of Competitive Advantage of Nations serves as a theoretical basis for the formation of the world economy monopolarity, while the identification of national competitiveness with the competitiveness of economic entities, first of all, TNCs and MNCs will prevent independent and sustainable economic development of Russia, India and China. The authors provide criteria to determin national competitiveness in the new environment and in this respect analyze a number of national economies. The book is recommended for politicians and economists, engineers and technicians of Russia and foreign countries, also while national specialists training

One Day meets Up: The House That Made Us is a love story – and a life story – told through a series of photographs and inspired by a true story • When Mac and Marie marry and find a home of their own, Mac takes a snap of them outside their newbuild bungalow, the garden bare and the paint on the front door still wet. It becomes a tradition, this snap, and slowly the photographs build into an album of a fifty-year relationship • Every year they take a photo and though things change around them – the garden matures, the fashions change, they grow older – the one constant is their love. Every year, come rain, come shine, from the Seventies through the decades, every photo tells the story of their love. But life never travels the path you expect it to, though they know that a life with love is a life lived to the full

Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal. These are cities that dominate the world stage and define eras; where ideas flourish, revolutions are born and history is made • Through ten unique cities, from the founding of ancient capitals to buzzing modern megacities, Paul Strathern explores how urban centres lead civilisation forward, enjoying a moment of glory before passing on the baton • We journey back to discover Babylonian mathematics, Athenian theatre and intellectual debate, and Roman construction that has lasted millennia. We see Constantinople evolve into Istanbul, revolutionary sparks fly in Enlightenment Paris, and the railways, canals and ships that built Imperial London. In Moscow men build spaceships while others starve, New York's skyscrapers rise up to a soundtrack of jazz, Mumbai becomes home to immense wealth and poverty, and Beijing's economic transformation leads the way

For decades, the question has haunted the Arab and Muslim world, heard across Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and in the author's home country of Lebanon. Was it always so? When did the extremism, intolerance and bloodletting of today displace the region's cultural promise and diversity? • In "Black Wave", award-winning journalist and author Kim Ghattas argues that the turning point in the modern history of the Middle East can be located in the toxic confluence of three major events in 1979: the Iranian revolution; the siege of the Holy Mosque in Mecca; and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Before this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran had been working allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region - but the radical legacy of these events made them mortal enemies, unleashing a process that transformed culture, society, religion and geopolitics across the region for decades to come