Using original sources in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and Turkish, preeminent historian Raymond Ibrahim describes each battle in vivid detail and explains the effect the outcome had on larger historical currents of the age and how the military lessons of the battle reflect the cultural faultlines between Islam and the West.The majority of these landmark battles are now forgotten or considered inconsequential. Yet today, as the West faces a resurgence of this enduring Islamic jihad, Sword and Scimitar provides the needed historical context to understand the current relationship between the West and the Islamic world, and why the Islamic State is merely the latest chapter of an old history.

    It will also show how Khomeinsim can be defeated, enabling Iran to close the chapter of the revolution and return to the global mainstream. This book is mandatory for anyone concerned about the future of Iran, terrorism, and the prospects for middle east peace.

    The sash. The tears. The glittering crown. And of course, that soaring song. For all of its pomp and kitsch, the Miss America pageant is indelibly written into the American story of the past century. From its giddy origins as a summer’s-end tourist draw in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, it blossomed into a televised extravaganza that drew tens of millions of viewers in its heyday and was once considered the highest honor that a young woman could achieve. For two years, Washington Post reporter and editor Amy Argetsinger visited pageants and interviewed former winners and contestants to unveil the hidden world of this iconic institution. There She Was spotlights how the pageant survived decades of social and cultural change, collided with a women’s liberation movement that sought to abolish it, and redefined itself alongside evolving ideas about feminism. For its superstars—Phyllis George, Vanessa Williams, Gretchen Carlson—and for those who never became household names, Miss America was a platform for women to exercise their ambitions and learn brutal lessons about the culture of fame. Spirited and revelatory, There She Was charts the evolution of the American woman, from the Miss America catapulted into advocacy after she was exposed as a survivor of domestic violence to the one who used her crown to launch a congressional campaign; from a 1930s winner who ran away on the night of her crowning to a present-day rock guitarist carving out her place in this world. Argetsinger dissects the scandals and financial turmoil that have repeatedly threatened to kill the pageant—and highlights the unexpected sisterhood of Miss Americas fighting to keep it alive.

    They would decide how Hong Kong would be handed over to the People’s Republic of China and how Chinese business tycoons Henry Fok and Li Ka-Shing would help Deng Xiaoping realize the Chinese Communist Party’s domestic and global ambitions. That meeting would not only change Vancouver but the world. Billions of dollars in Chinese investment would soon reach the shores of North America’s Pacific coast. B.C. government casinos became a tool for global criminals to import deadly narcotics into Canada and launder billions of drug cash into Vancouver real estate. And it didn't happen by accident. A cast of accomplices - governments hungry for revenue, casino, and real estate companies with ties to shady offshore wealth, professional facilitators including lawyers and bankers, an aimless RCMP that gave organized crime room to grow - all combined to cause this tragedy. There was greed, folly, corruption, conspiracy, and wilful blindness.Decades of bad policy allowed drug cartels, first and foremost the Big Circle Boys - powerful transnational narco-kingpins with ties to corrupt Chinese officials, real estate tycoons, and industrialists - to gain influence over significant portions of Canada’s economy. Many looked the other way while B.C.'s primary industry, real estate, ballooned with dirty cash. But the unintended social consequences are now clear: a fentanyl overdose crisis raging in major cities throughout North America and life spans falling for the first time in modern Canada, and a runaway housing market that has devastated middle-class income earners. This story isn’t just about real estate and fentanyl overdoses, though. Sam Cooper has uncovered evidence that shows the primary actors in so-called “Vancouver Model” money laundering have effectively made Canada’s west coast a headquarters for corporate and industrial espionage by the CCP. And these ruthless entrepreneurs have used Vancouver and Canada to export their criminal model to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Cooper finds that the RCMP’s 2019 arrest of its top intelligence official, Cameron Ortis, raises many frightening questions. Could Chinese transnational criminals and state actors targeting Canada’s industrial and technological crown jewels have gained protection from the Mounties? Could China and Iran have insight into Canada's deepest national security secrets and influence on investigations? Ortis had oversight of many investigations into transnational money laundering networks and insight into sensitive probes of suspects seeking to undermine Canada’s democracy and infiltrate the United States, according to the evidence Cooper has found.Wilful Blindness is a powerful narrative that follows the investigators who refused to go along with institutionalized negligence and corruption that enabled the Vancouver Model, with Cooper drawing on extensive interviews with the whistle-blowers; thousands of pages of government and court documents obtained through legal applications; and large caches of confidential material available exclusively to Cooper.The book culminates with a shocking revelation showing how deeply Canada has been compromised, and what needs to happen, to get the nation back on track with its “Five Eyes” allies.“I’m astonished that some Hollywood production company hasn't already signed him for a big-screen treatment of this story. It's a huge story.” - Terry Glavin, National Post

    Few of us think of violence. But beneath the surface of the poorest communities in the developing world is a hidden epidemic of everyday violence-of rape, forced labor, illegal detention, land theft, police abuse, and more- that is undermining our best efforts to assist the poor. Gary Haugen and Victor Boutros's The Locust Effect offers a searing account of the way pervasive violence blocks the road out of poverty, undermines economic development, and reduces the effectiveness of international public health efforts. As corrupt and dysfunctional justice systems allow the locusts of predatory violence to descend upon the poor, the ravaging plague lays waste to programs of income generation, disease prevention, education for girls and other assistance to the poor. And tragically, none of these aid programs can stop the violence. In graphic real-world stories-set in locales ranging from Peru to India to Nigeria- The Locust Effect offers a gripping journey into the vast, hidden underworld of everyday violence where justice is only available to those with money. But the book holds out hope, recalling that justice systems in developed countries were once just as corrupt and brutal; and explores a practical path for throwing off antiquated colonial justice systems and re-engineering the administration of justice to protect the poorest. Sweeping in scope and filled with unforgettable stories, The Locust Effect will force us to rethink everything we know about the causes of poverty and what it will take make the poor safe enough to prosper.

    When irreconcilable differences drive them apart, a broken-hearted Trisha becomes wary of love and men. That is until the dashing tennis star, Abhimanyu, comes along and fills her life with love and laughter. All at once she finds herself in the midst of the glamorous tennis circuit which is in stark contrast to her small-town moorings. Even as Trisha embarks on a path of love and self-discovery, fate brings Vedant back into her life, asking that they rekindle their old romance. Will Trisha dare take a second chance with Vedant or move on to play match point with Abhimanyu?Advantage Love is a compelling and passionate contemporary Indian romance that explores the complexities of love, friendship and career in a woman’s life.

    But those who'd been following Ngo's reporting in outlets like the New York Post and Quillette knew that the attack was only the latest in a long line of crimes perpetrated by Antifa. In Unmasked, Andy Ngo tells the story of this violent extremist movement from the very beginning. He includes interviews with former followers of the group, people who've been attacked by them, and incorporates stories from his own life. This book contains a trove of documents obtained by the author, published for the first time ever.

    Brimming with amusing anecdotes and absorbing trivia, this captivating collection is a treasure trove of curiosities.With tales from the kitchen, the bedroom, and every room in between, these pages expose how napkins got their start as lumps of dough in ancient Greece, why forks were once seen as immoral tools of the devil, and how Plato devised one of the earliest alarm clocks using rocks and water—plus so much more.• A charming gift for anyone who loves history, design, or décor• Readers discover tales from every nook and cranny of a home. • Entries feature historical details from locations all over the world, including Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. As a design historian and former managing editor of Design*Sponge, author Amy Azzarito has crafted an engaging, whimsical history of the household objects you've never thought twice about. The result is a fascinating book filled with tidbits from a wide range of cultures and places about the history of domestic luxury.• Filled with lovely illustrations by Alice Pattullo• Perfect as a housewarming or wedding gift, or for anyone who adores interior design, trivia, history, and unique facts• Great for those who enjoyed The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy by Rick Beyer, An Uncommon History of Common Things by Bethanne Patrick and John Thompson, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin JenkinsSome of the books included in The Elements of a Home Bibliography BathtubDalby, Andrew. Empire of Pleasure: Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World. London: Routledge, 2000. de Bonneville, Francoise. The Book of the Bath. New York: Rizzoli, 1998. Billiard TableBaird, Sarah. “The Life and Death of the American Pool Hall.” Punch, January 23, 2015. Accessed July 11, 2017. http://punchdrink.com/articles/the-life- and-death-of-the-american-pool-hall. Levron, Jacques. Daily Life in Versailles in the Seven-teenth and Eighteenth Centuries. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1968. BookshelfMari, Francesca. “Shelf Conscious.” Paris Review, December 27, 2012. https://www.theparis review.org/blog/2012/12/27/shelf-cons....Petroski, Henry. The Book on the Bookshelf. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. CandleBremer-David, Charissa, ed. Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century.Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2011. Dillon, Maureen. Artificial Sunshine: A Social History of Domestic Lighting. London: The National Trust, 2002. Canopy BedBard Graduate Center. History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400–2000. New York: Bard Graduate Center, 2013. Carlano, Anne, and Bobbie Sumberg. Sleeping Around: The Bed from Antiquity to Now. Seattle, WA: University of Wash-ington Press, 2006. Chaise Longuede Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006. DeJean, Joan. The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual and the Modern Home Began. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2013.Chess SetBrown, Nancy Marie. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chess-men in the World and the Woman Who Made Them.Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2015. Dean, George, with Maxine Brady. Chess Master-pieces: One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets. New York: Abrams Books, 2010. Chiavari Chairde Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History.New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.ChopsticksVisser, Margaret. The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners. New York: Pen-guin Books, 1992. Wang, Edward Q. Chopsticks: A Culture and Culinary History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2015.ClockBremer-David, Charissa, ed. Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011.Chevallier, Bernard, and Marc Walter. Empire Splendor: French Taste in the Age of Napoleon. New York: The Vendome Press, 2008.Cocktail Shaker Grimes, William. Straight Up or on the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail. New York: North Point Press, 2001.Lanza, Joseph. The Cocktail: The Influence of Spirits on the American Psyche. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995. Crystal ChandelierCooke, Lawrence S. Lighting in America: From Colonial Rushlights to Victorian Chandeliers. Pittstown, NJ: Main Street Press, 1984.Fioratti, Helen Costantino. Illuminating Their World: Three Hundred Years of Light. New York: L’Antiqu- aire and the Connoisseur, Inc., 2007. Curule Chair de Dampierre, Florence. Chairs: A History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.Miller, Judith. Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary. London: DK, 2011. Deck ChairRybczynski, Witold. Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair: A Natural History. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016. DeskGoodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past. New York: Routledge, 2011. DollhouseBroomhall, Susan, Jennifer Spinks, and Allyson M. Poska. Early Modern Women in the Low Coun- tries: Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past. Farnham, UK: Taylor and Francis, 2016.Eaton, Faith. Classic Dolls’ Houses. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1997.Door, Knocker, and KnobBerry, Nancy E. Architec- tural Hardware: Ideas, Inspiration and PracticalAdviceforAddingHandles,Hinges, Knobs and Pulls to YourHome.Gloucester,MA: Quarry Books, 2006.Jütte, Daniel. The Strait Gate: Thresholds and Power in Western History.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015.DuvetWorsley,Lucy.IfWallsCould Talk:AnIntimateHistoryof the Home.New York:WalkerandCo.,2012.Wright, Lawrence. Warm & Snug: The History of the Bed.Stroud, UK: Sutton,2004.FireplaceGowlett,J.A.J.“TheDiscov-eryofFirebyHumans:A Long and Convoluted Process.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sci- ences371, no. 1696 (May 2016): 1697-1700.Lind, Carla. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fireplaces.San Francisco: Pomegranate, 1995.Flokati RugSebastian, Don. The CompleteHandbook of Flokati and Carpet Making.Athens: Nick Kokkinos, 1978.Floral CenterpieceBelden,LouiseConway.TheFestive Tradition: TableDecoration and Dessertsin America, 1650–1900.NewYork:W.W.Norton, 1983.Berrall, Julia. A History ofFlower Arrangement.Lon-don:ThamesandHudson,1953.ForkHeugel, Inès. Laying the Elegant Table: China, Faience, Porcelain, Majol- ica, Glassware, Flatware, Tureens, Platters, Trays, Centerpieces, Tea Sets.New York: Rizzoli, 2006.Lupton, Ellen, et al. Feed- ing Desire: Designandthe Toolsof the Table,1500–2005.NewYork:Assouline, 2006.Front PorchDonlon, Jocelyn Hazelwood. Swinging in Place: Porch Life in Southern Culture.Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.Goldstein,B.Colleen.TheEvo-lution and Significance of the FrontPorch in Amer- ican Culture.Master’s dissertation, University of Georgia,1998.Glass WindowJütte, Daniel. The Strait Gate:Thresholds and Power in WesternHistory.New Haven, CT: YaleUniversity Press, 2015.Melchoir-Bonnet, Sabine.The Mirror: A History.London:Routledge,2002.GlobeGoodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past.New York: Routledge, 2011.Jaffee, David. A New Nation of Goods: The Material Culture of Early America.Philadelphia, PA: Univer-sity of Pennsylvania Press,2012.Ice BucketDunne, Patrick. The Epicu-rean Collector: Exploringthe World of Culinary Antiques.Boston: Little, Brown, 2002.Glanville,Philippa,andHilary Young.Elegant Eating: Four Hundred Yearsof DininginStyle.London:V &APublications,2002.IncenseAftel, Mandy. Fragrant: The SecretLifeofaScent.NewYork:Riverhead Books, 2014.Classen, Constance, David Howes,andAnthonySyn- nott. Aroma: The Cultural HistoryofSmell.NewYork:Routledge,1994.Jewelry BoxCurrie, Elizabeth. Inside theRenaissance House.Lon- don: V & A Publications, 2006.Linley, David. Extraordinary Furniture.London: Mitchell Beazley, 1996.Jib DoorBoyer, Marie-France, and François Halard. The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette.London: Thames & Hudson, 2008.Donato, Giuseppe, and Monique Seefried. The FragrantPast:PerfumesofCleopatraandJulius Caesar.Atlanta,GA:EmoryUniversity Museum of Art andArchaeology,1989.Lock and KeyBuehr,Walter. The Story ofLocks.New York: Scribner, 1953.Delalex, Hélène. A Day with Marie Antoinette.New York: Rizzoli, 2015.Louis XVI ChairCondon, Dianne Russell. Jackie’s Treasures: The Fabled Objects from the Auction of the Century.New York: Clarkson Potter,1996.Delalex, Hélène. A Day with Marie Antoinette.New York: Rizzoli, 2015.MattressBeldegreen, Alecia. The Bed.New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1995.Carlano, Anne, and BobbieSumberg. Sleeping Around:The Bed from Antiquity to Now.Seattle, WA: Univer- sity of Washington Press, 2006.MirrorDeJean, Joan. Essence of Style:How the French Invented High Fashion.New York:Free Press, 2014.Johnson, Steven. How We Gotto Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World.London: Penguin, 2016.

    By May, it was the nation’s number one bestseller, but in Kern County, California—the Joads’ newfound home—the book was burned publicly and banned from library shelves. Obscene in the Extreme tells the remarkable story behind this fit of censorship.When W. B. “Bill” Camp, a giant cotton and potato grower, presided over its burning in downtown Bakersfield, he declared: “We are angry, not because we were attacked but because we were attacked by a book obscene in the extreme sense of the word.” But Gretchen Knief, the Kern County librarian, bravely fought back. “If that book is banned today, what book will be banned tomorrow?”Obscene in the Extreme serves as a window into an extraordinary time of upheaval in America—a time when, as Steinbeck put it, there seemed to be “a revolution . . . going on.”

    It is a red state in the heart of Trumpland that hasn't elected a Democrat to a statewide office in more than twenty years; but it is also a state in which minorities already form a majority (including the largest number of Muslims). The cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king but Texas now leads California in technology exports. The Texas economic model of low taxes and minimal regulation has produced extraordinary growth but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. And Wright's profound portrait of the state not only reflects our country back as it is, but as it was and as it might be.

     In the past few years, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld has covered everything from crazed academics, to unhinged celebrities, to the wildest election in recent history on his shows The Five and The Greg Gutfeld Show. In The Gutfeld Monologues, he brings together his best and favorite monologues in this funny, unconventional collection for new and longtime fans alike. Scored through with marginal edits, scratch-outs, 20/20 hindsight, and up-to-the-minute commentary on what he got wrong, this book isn’t your grandmother’s anthology collection. With his signature humor, wit, and insight, Greg explains it all in this memorable collection about some of our country’s most crucial—and not so crucial—modern moments.

    And he wants you to be a part of it. It’s time to take a stand for Christ, join the fight against injustice, and counter culture!

    Based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, Traffic gets under the hood of the everyday activity of driving to uncover the surprisingly complex web of physical, psychological, and technical factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us. Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we think we are. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. He shows how roundabouts, which can feel dangerous and chaotic, actually make roads safer and reduce traffic in the bargain. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. He explains why traffic jams form, outlines the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and even identifies the most common mistake drivers make in parking lots. The car has long been a central part of American life; whether we see it as a symbol of freedom or a symptom of sprawl, we define ourselves by what and how we drive. As Vanderbilt shows, driving is a provocatively revealing prism for examining how our minds work and the ways in which we interact with one another. Ultimately, Traffic is about more than driving: it s about human nature. This book will change the way we see ourselves and the world around us. And who knows? It may even make us better drivers."

    Much like the character in one of his best-selling books, Andy Andrews is first and foremost a Noticer. Sometimes, all one needs is a little perspective and Andy has been providing that perspective to some of the world’s most influential companies and organizations for the last 20 years. His ability to transform people by their own understanding and desires has made him loved by millions. Now, Andy Andrews brings his lessons and perspective into the important arena of government, citizenship, and what it means to completely uphold the truth. If the truth is what sets us free, what does it mean to live in a society where truth is absent? How do truth and lies in the past shape our destiny today? Through the lens of the Holocaust, best-selling author Andy Andrews examines the critical need for truth in our relationships, our communities, and our government. In this compact, nonpartisan book, Andrews urges listeners to be “careful students” of the past, seeking accurate, factual accounts of events and decisions that illuminate choices we face now. By considering how the Nazi German regime was able to carry out over 11 million institutional killings between 1933 and 1945, Andrews advocates for an informed population that demands honesty and integrity from its leaders and from each other.

    He illuminates the repressive regime's complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human-rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime's major security issues—from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions—all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il's recent death.How this enigmatic nation-state—one that regularly violates its own citizens' inalienable rights and has suffered famine, global economic sanctions, a collapsed economy, and near total isolation from the rest of the world—has continued to survive has long been a question that preoccupies the West. Cha reveals a land of contradictions, one facing a pivotal and disquieting transition of power from tyrannical father to inexperienced son, and delves into the ideology that leads an oppressed, starving populace to cling so fiercely to its failed leadership.With rare personal anecdotes from the author's time in Pyongyang and his tenure as an adviser in the White House, this engagingly written, authoritative, and highly accessible history offers much-needed answers to the most pressing questions about North Korea and ultimately warns of a regime that might be closer to its end than many might think—a political collapse for which America and its allies may be woefully unprepared.