When it was first published, What If Boomers Can't Retire? predicted what would happen when boomers switched from buying stocks to selling them for retirement income. Since then-and as predicted by author Thornton Parker-stocks have become less important, prices have declined, corporations have shifted their emphasis from inflating stocks to just surviving, and there is currently a recession in full swing. This book shows that there is a bright side, however. If enough boomers work in their later years and preserve their capital, and if the country improves the way it uses capital, the results can lead to fuller lives for millions of people, healthier communities, and more sustainable economies worldwide. Parker details specific actions that individuals and organizations can take to gradually make the shift from the dangerously risky pursuit of phantom wealth to productive investments based on real accomplishments, goods, and services.

• Debunks the popular but dangerous myth that inflating stock prices creates national wealth

• Reveals what can be done to avert potential disaster for future retirees and the nation

• Shows readers how to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of their retirement portfolios

As the 20th century dawned there was a silent but fateful transformation in the purpose of the American economy. Finance stopped serving industry and twisted industry to serve its own ends. THE SPECULATION ECONOMY shows this reversal of economic priorities, and its sometimes-disastrous consequences, demonstrated most recently by Enron.American companies once focused exclusively on providing the best products and services. But today, most corporations are obsessed with maximizing their stock prices, resulting in short-term thinking and the kind of cook-the-books corruption seen in the Enron and WorldCom scandals. How did this happen? In this groundbreaking book, Lawrence E. Mitchell traces the origins of the problem to the first decade of the 20th century, when industrialists and bankers began merging existing companies into huge “combines”—today’s giant corporations—so they could profit by manufacturing and selling stock in these new entities. He describes and analyzes the legal changes that made this possible, the federal regulatory efforts that missed the significance of this transforming development, and the changes in American society and culture that led more and more Americans to enter the market, turning from relatively safe bonds to riskier common stock in the hopes of becoming rich. Financiers and the corporations they controlled encouraged this trend, but as stock ownership expanded and businesses were increasingly forced to cater to stockholders’ “get rich quick” expectations, a subtle but revolutionary shift in the nature of the American economy occurred: finance no longer served industry; instead, industry began to serve finance. The Speculation Economy analyzes the history behind the opening of this economic Pandora’s box, the root cause of so many modern acts of corporate malfeasance.

• The first book to reveal the deep historical roots of the modern corporate obsession with stock price—a major cause of recent scandals like those at Enron and WorldCom

• Details how the rise of the modern corporation created the modern stock market—and why this led to an economy dominated by stock speculation

We live in the midst of one of the greatest technological revolutions in history, an era of deep-seated transformation-a macroshift in civilization, says preeminent scholar and futurist Ervin Laszlo. Its signs and manifestations are all around us, from the deadly HIV/AIDS epidemic sweeping Africa and the dangerous fire-trap sweatshops routinely killing workers in Bangladesh, to the environmental havoc created by genetic engineering, power plant pollution and mechanized agriculture. The application of new technologies has turned into a double-edged sword. The world is growing together in some respects, but is coming apart in others. Worldwide economic globalization, another sign of the macroshift, all too often benefits the few rather than the many. Hundreds of millions live at a higher material standard of living, but thousands of millions are pressed into abject poverty. The richest 20% earn ninety times the income of the poorest 20%, consume eleven times as much energy, and eat eleven times as much meat. There have been other macroshifts in human history, but they spanned centuries, allowing cultural values, beliefs, and change to occur gradually. Today, technology has reduced our time to adapt; the entire critical period of change is compressed into the lifetime of a generation. Today's macroshift, explains Laszlo, harbors great promise, as well as grave danger. He outlines two possible scenarios: "The Breakdown," where we choose to drift without a change in our current direction toward chaos, anarchy, and destruction, or "The Breakthrough," where we collectively transform our thinking and behavior to produce creative, sustainable solutions to dangerous global problems. And he shows what each of us can do-politically, professionally, and privately-to bring about the Breakthrough and shape a humane and sustainable global future. While technology is what drives the unprecedented speed of this macroshift, it is our vision, values, and actions now that will ultimately determine the outcome. The choice is up to us-the power is in our hands.

• Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke
• The critical crossroad we face at the threshold of the millennium revealed by one of the world's preeminent futurists
• Comments on today's global crisis and the challenge of change from Thomas Berry, Gary Zukav, Riane Eisler, Edgar Mitchell, and others
• Draws on the author's profound understanding of systems theory to provide practical guidance for shaping and directing our future

When it comes to believing that business can be profitable and environmentally sensitive, cynics abound on both sides. But in Lean and Green, Pamela Gordon proves that capitalism and environmentalism are not mutually exclusive-quite the contrary. She shows how "green" business practices enable organizations to save millions, even billions of dollars each year. Lean and Gree chronicles over one hundred examples of how people in twenty different organizations around the world-from clerks, farmers, and city employees to chemists and executives-have strengthened environmental practices and the balance sheet. She details waste-saving, profit-building acts as basic as Linda Gee at LSI Logic digging out usable pre-worn shoe covers to wear in the clean room, and as broad as the city of Santa Monica paving residential streets with white top to reduce urban heat and increase surface longevity. Drawing on her background as a leading business consultant, Gordon shows readers precisely how to sell their environmental ideas to management. She describes how to make the case in no-nonsense business terms, set concrete goals that the new practices will achieve, measure the economic results of the new practices, and make sure the right people hear about the results so that environmental initiatives continue. Each chapter includes a "Making It Easy" list of action steps for implementing lean and green improvements in the workplace easily and immediately. Lean and Green will inspire employees and employers alike to explore creative ways to simultaneously save the planet and bolster the bottom line.When it comes to believing that business can be profitable and environmentally sensitive, cynics abound on both sides. But in Lean and Green, Pamela Gordon proves that capitalism and environmentalism are not mutually exclusive-quite the contrary. She shows how "green" business practices enable organizations to save millions, even billions of dollars each year. Lean and Gree chronicles over one hundred examples of how people in twenty different organizations around the world-from clerks, farmers, and city employees to chemists and executives-have strengthened environmental practices and the balance sheet. She details waste-saving, profit-building acts as basic as Linda Gee at LSI Logic digging out usable pre-worn shoe covers to wear in the clean room, and as broad as the city of Santa Monica paving residential streets with white top to reduce urban heat and increase surface longevity. Drawing on her background as a leading business consultant, Gordon shows readers precisely how to sell their environmental ideas to management. She describes how to make the case in no-nonsense business terms, set concrete goals that the new practices will achieve, measure the economic results of the new practices, and make sure the right people hear about the results so that environmental initiatives continue. Each chapter includes a "Making It Easy" list of action steps for implementing lean and green improvements in the workplace easily and immediately. Lean and Green will inspire employees and employers alike to explore creative ways to simultaneously save the planet and bolster the bottom line.

Old-school divide-and-conquer tactics—demonizing opponents, frightening voters, refusing to compromise—may make us feel good about the purity of our ideals, but it's no way to get anything done. Worse, this approach betrays some of the most cherished ideals of the progressive movement: inclusion, reason, justice, and hope. Illuminated by examples from her own work and a host of campaigns across the country, Kyrsten Sinema shows how to forge connections—both personal and political—with seemingly unlikely allies and define our values, interests, and objectives in ways that broaden our range of potential partners and expand our tactical options. With irreverent humor, enthralling campaign stories, and solid, practical advice, Sinema enables us to move past “politics as war” and build support for progressive causes on the foundation of our common humanity.

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Why DOES garbage exist in human society? Why has it become a problem only in the last century? And most importantly, how can we eliminate it-outsmart the very idea of garbage?

Ever-expanding landfills, ocean gyres filled with floating plastic mush, endangered wildlife. Our garbage has become a massive and exponentially growing problem in modern society. Eco-entrepreneur Tom Szaky explores why this crisis exists and explains how can we solve it by eliminating the very idea of garbage. To outsmart waste, he says, we first have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it. By mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can’t avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource. Szaky demonstrates that there is value in every kind of garbage, from used chewing gum to juice pouches to cigarette butts. After reading this mind-expanding book, you will never think about garbage the same way again.