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A People's History Of The United States

You can feel it. Or maybe you can't. It doesn't matter whether you feel it or not. It's happening. The story of the United States of America as we know it -- not merely as the world's dominant superpower, but as a discrete political, economic, and geographic entity -- is drawing to a close due to a convergence of emerging economic, environmental, and political crises. Nothing lasts forever, empires least of all. And this one, which only began to expand in earnest circa the year 1900, doesn't feel like it has the staying power of ancient Rome. Not at all.

WASHINGTON -- These days, when we think of George W. Bush, we think mostly of what a horrible mess he made of the economy. But his even more tragic legacy is the loss of our moral authority, and the transformation of the United States of America from global champion of human rights into an outlaw nation.

Millions of people have a queasy feeling that something is not right in the global economy - but they struggle to put their fingers on what exactly the problem is. Treasure Islands at last tells the real story of where it all went wrong. This is the great untold story of globalisation. Tax havens are not exotic, murky sideshows at the fringes of the world economy: they lie at its centre. Half of world trade flows, at least on paper, through tax havens. Every multinational corporation uses them routinely. The biggest users of tax havens by far are not terrorists, spivs, celebrities or Mafiosi - but banks. Tax havens are the ultimate source of strength for our global elites. Just as European nobles once consolidated their unaccountable powers in fortified castles, to better subjugate and extract tribute from the surrounding peasantry, so financial capital has coalesced in their modern equivalent today: the tax havens. In these fortified nodes of secret, unaccountable political and economic power, financial and criminal interests have come together to capture local political systems and turn the havens into their own private law-making factories, protected against outside interference by the world's most powerful countries - most especially Britain. Treasure Islands will, for the first time, show the blood and guts of just how they do it. Tax havens aren't just about tax. They are about escape - escape from criminal laws, escape from creditors, escape from tax, escape from prudent financial regulation - above all, escape from democratic scrutiny and accountability. Tax havens get rich by taking fees for providing these escape routes. This is their core line of business. It is what they do. These escape routes transform the merely powerful into the untouchable. "Don't tax or regulate us or we will flee offshore!" the financiers cry, and elected politicians around the world crawl on their bellies and capitulate. And so tax havens lead a global race to

"Boot & Milk Balls take us back in time to the mirth and madness of a bygone era. The antics of fun-loving, hometown characters, often turn bazaar. Two popular legends, grossly entwined, evolve to become one macabre tradition. Three additional short stories; Lost Books Found, Hidden Treasures and The MPA; bring this mischievous Des Peres, Missouri era to a close. Boot and Milk Balls The delights of being raised in the small home towns of yesteryear, cannot compare to the sprawling municipalities of today's generation. Long before we locked ourselves in our air-conditioned homes, a bygone era boasted a community blending heritage. Families often united to help one another, and barn-raising, a popular event, always drew much of the town together. With construction completed, the local big bands provided entertainment for its christening. Hay rides and dances became a part of these festivities. Some of the antics which occurred along with, and after these gala celebrations, would often be talked about for years, if not decades to come. A feature event; instigated by the Probst brothers, owners of the local blacksmith shop; always brought hundreds of laughs. While hiding behind the scenes, they painted a face on their large, bare, beer bellies, and donned grass hula skirts. After a few more beers, they reappeared wearing large straw hats, which completely covered their heads, the brim resting on their shoulders. The boisterous comedy dance they performed in this attire is indescribable. During this wonderful era of mirth and mischief, many traditions were born, and the characters who initiated them emerged. St. Louis County, Missouri; host of several diverse nationalities, had more than its share of these unique personalities. They emanated from every neighborhood and occupation. The prodigious German citizenry, living in the small municipality of Des Peres, project two distinct and opposite hereditary traits. Often only one generation apart, the attributes of

The United States is a nation of bookworms. In a THGM book-reading survey of 374 American readers, 39% said they read over 20 books in 2022. This is much higher than the world average of 27%.