The Asset: A Lance Spector Thriller


Book Description

Montana, USAWhen Lance Spector quit the CIA, he never looked back.The backstabbing, the killing, the cold-blooded murder.He swore, if he had to swallow one more government lie, he was going to lose it.He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. Years of service had left him with nothing, and no one.Washington, Langley, the Pentagon, the whole rotten swamp could go to hell as far as he was concerned.Yekaterinburg, RussiaA Russian expedition to the heart of the tundra returned with a devastating new pathogen, harvested from the corpses of long-dead mammoths.It was the biological super-weapon they'd been looking for, an apocalypse-level pathogen, a virus more deadly than anything ever to come out of a Russian lab.It would stop NATO and the Americans in their tracks.A Biological Chernobyl.Strong enough to win a war.Washington DC, USAA mysterious vial, sealed in a titanium case, arrived at CIA headquarters. They had no idea who'd sent it, but it came with a message."I will only speak to Lance Spector."The Asset by Saul Herzog is a stunning new thriller, a spectacular tour de force, a book that has single-handedly taken the publishing industry, and Hollywood rights departments, by storm. This dazzling debut kicks off the jaw-dropping new Lance Spector series, and sets the stage for a franchise that's on track to break all records. From the mind of one of the most creative and versatile writers working in America today, this book will go down as a classic of the spy thriller genre.If you read only one book this year, this is it. Action, adventure, rebellion, provocative foreign agents, characters you can sink your teeth into. If you're looking for a new spy thriller series that will stay with you long after you turn the last page, look no further.Recommended for fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne, and Brad Thor's Scot Harvath.




The Asset Economy


Book Description

Rising inequality is the defining feature of our age. With the lion’s share of wealth growth going to the top, for a growing percentage of society a middle-class existence is out of reach. What exactly are the economic shifts that have driven the social transformations taking place in Anglo-capitalist societies? In this timely book, Lisa Adkins, Melinda Cooper and Martijn Konings argue that the rise of the asset economy has produced a new logic of inequality. Several decades of property inflation have seen asset ownership overshadow employment as a determinant of class position. Exploring the impact of generational dynamics in this new class landscape, the book advances an original perspective on a range of phenomena that are widely debated but poorly understood – including the growth of wealth inequalities and precarity, the dynamics of urban property inflation, changes in fiscal and monetary policy and the predicament of the “millennial” generation. Despite widespread awareness of the harmful effects of Quantitative Easing and similar asset-supporting measures, we appear to have entered an era of policy “lock-in” that is responsible for a growing disconnect between popular expectations and institutional priorities. The resulting polarization underlies many of the volatile dynamics and rapidly shifting alliances that dominate today’s headlines.




Assetization


Book Description

How the asset—anything that can be controlled, traded, and capitalized as a revenue stream—has become the primary basis of technoscientific capitalism. In this book, scholars from a range of disciplines argue that the asset—meaning anything that can be controlled, traded, and capitalized as a revenue stream—has become the primary basis of technoscientific capitalism. An asset can be an object or an experience, a sum of money or a life form, a patent or a bodily function. A process of assetization prevails, imposing investment and return as the key rationale, and overtaking commodification and its speculative logic. Although assets can be bought and sold, the point is to get a durable economic rent from them rather than make a killing on the market. Assetization examines how assets are constructed and how a variety of things can be turned into assets, analyzing the interests, activities, skills, organizations, and relations entangled in this process. The contributors consider the assetization of knowledge, including patents, personal data, and biomedical innovation; of infrastructure, including railways and energy; of nature, including mineral deposits, agricultural seeds, and “natural capital”; and of publics, including such public goods as higher education and “monetizable social ills.” Taken together, the chapters show the usefulness of assetization as an analytical tool and as an element in the critique of capitalism. Contributors Thomas Beauvisage, Kean Birch, Veit Braun, Natalia Buier, Béatrice Cointe, Paul Robert Gilbert, Hyo Yoon Kang, Les Levidow, Kevin Mellet, Sveta Milyaeva, Fabian Muniesa, Alain Nadaï, Daniel Neyland, Victor Roy, James W. Williams




Strong Towns


Book Description

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.




The Asset-effect


Book Description




ASSET DEDICATION


Book Description

The first book to close the perilous gaps in—and enhance the performance of—asset allocation Asset allocation is one of today’s bestknown investment approaches. Problem is, its major precept—that a magic-number, fixed-percentage asset mix will provide superior results for investors who have dramatically different goals and needs—is scientifically unproven and fundamentally flawed. Asset Dedication updates the asset allocation model, outlining a seven-step process designed to more effectively meet the real needs of real investors. Showing investors how to design low-risk portfolios that more accurately and successfully dedicate assets, this breakthrough book helps investors fill in the gaps inherent to asset allocation by demonstrating: Techniques for ascertaining the best asset mix by determining individual needs and goals How asset dedication provides superior protection against inflation and market risk Investing strategies for the three investment life phases—accumulation, distribution, and transfer




Asset Price Bubbles


Book Description

A study of asset price bubbles and the implications for preventing financial instability.




Change the Way You See Everything through Asset-Based Thinking


Book Description

This brilliantly simple book on the philosophy known as Asset-Based Thinking, instills success-oriented habits in even the most die-hard cynic. Its transformational lessons--conveyed through unique photographic metaphors and inspiring stories from real people--reveal how the slightest shift in perception can lead to monumental results in both business and in life. ABT is not just positive thinking, but rather a systematic observation of "what works." Kathryn Cramer, an acclaimed corporate consultant, and Hank Wasiak, a creative icon of the advertising industry, have produced a work that looks and works like no other business or self-help book-because it IS like no other book. Change the Way You See Everything is a revolutionary approach to every aspect of life that bears not just reading, but re-reading, and sharing with people in your circle. You'll never look at the world the same way again.




Necessary Justice


Book Description

Ash Hunter knows what it is to run. A SEAL gravely injured in Afghanistan, he's gone AWOL from the military hospital. Physically and mentally scarred, he returns to his grandmother's isolated cottage with his German shepherd, Neil--and finds a beautiful, haunted stranger inside. Like recognizes like. Lia Stewart's in hiding from the cartel she barely escaped alive, holed up in this small Rocky Mountain town. Surviving, but only just. Helping the wounded warrior and his dog is the right thing to do. It's loving Ash that might get them all killed. Soon, Ash realizes he's not the only one tormented by the past. Pushing the limits of his broken body, testing the boundaries of her shattered soul, he and Neil will protect Lia until their last breaths.




The Wellness Asset


Book Description

Does this sound familiar? - You have been barely surviving for months on end. - You are trying hard to get your great talent back to work. - You want to innovate to ensure the long-term success of your hotel. But... - You are unsure where to start. - You are worried about making costly investment mistakes. - You can't wait years for results. Hospitality is at a crossroads. The old business model is broken, and the hoteliers of the future know this. They aren't sitting around waiting for the clock to turn back - they are seizing this opportunity. Whilst some brands are struggling, others are finding new ways to do what they've always done: serve their customers. If you think of wellness as an amenity or not a significant revenue-generating area of your business, global wellness expert, Sonal Uberoi, will shift your mindset and unlock its potential. Sonal Uberoi has transformed leading hotels through wellness. In this book, she shares her ESSENCE model, which takes you from assessing potential ideas to implementing and honing your offering to give your guests an experience so good they will do your marketing for you - in months, not years. If you're ready to build an offering so strong that your guests regularly return and profits stay healthy no matter what, you're ready to capitalise on your wellness asset...