Going back for generations, the fortunes of great families consist of far more than money; they are also symbols of culture and social interaction. They are at the heart of dense family and extra-family networks, of international coalitions and divisions. The authors elucidate the mechanisms by which they accumulate and expand their wealth, status and influence even while staying out of the public eye. Paradoxically there is a quasi-collective nature to these private fortunes, as families enjoy sojourns at each other's estates, help each other weather difficult times and intermarry.

Director of Le Monde Diplomatique, the author presents an original, discriminating and lucid political matrix for understanding what he calls the OC current disorder of the worldOCO in terms of Internationalization, Cyberculture and Political Chaos."

Ever since her mother died and her father lost his shoemaking skills, Fortunata has survived by telling fake fortunes. But when she's tricked into telling a grand fortune for a prince, she is faced with the impossible task of fulfilling her wild prophecy—or her father will be put to death. Now Fortunata has to help Prince Leonato secure a magic sword, vanquish a wicked witch, discover a long-lost golden shoe, and rescue the princess who fits it. If only she hadn't fallen in love with the prince herself !

Abgrall, a practicing psychiatrist and professional criminologist who won a case against the Scientologists in Europe, has spent 15 years researching cult phenomena. Well organized and readable. This book is recommended for public and academic libraries.

From the courtesans of Versailles to the back halls of the Chirac government, from Danton to the shady bankers of Mitterand's era, Lombard unearths the secrets of the corridors of power. He reveals the corruption, grandeur, and panache that characterize the great. This cavalcade over many centuries can be read as a subversive tract on how to lead.

This book examines in a historical perspective the most intriguing dialectic in the Soviet Union's evolution: from socialism to capitalism and back to socialist capitalism It provides a unique interpretation of events unfolding in Eastern Europe within broad historical, economic, military and political contexts. The author predicts that the United States, bastion of "free markets," will be forced to move toward socialistic policies just as the Communist nations inevitably integrated more elements of capitalism into their systems, and he speculates on how these shifts will affect the main players' positions in the global power game. Will U.S. government bailouts bring the U.S. closer to socialism? Were Roosevelt's policies socialistic? Are there limits to the capitalist model, and is there a place for unemployment benefits, Social Security pensions, health insurance and food stamps? If so, why is the "safety net" feared as un-American?

You've seen those "Agites": jumping from taxi to Concorde and from one subject to another, spinning off ideas for new deals and new adventures, drowning in plans... Philippe Tretiack is definitely one of them. In Are You Agite, his breathless anecdotes illustrate the ironies of human nature and the world as experienced at light speed, from New York to Nigeria, Calcutta to Kalmykia. Book jacket.

Swiss journalist Labeviere traces the financial ties between the United States and Islamic terrorists.

How do we place value on goods - and, importantly, why? Valuation and pricing are core issues in the market economy, but understanding of these concepts and their interrelation is weak. In response, The Worth of Goods takes a sociological approach to the perennial but timely question of what makes a product valuable. Structured in three parts, it first examines value in the broader sense - moral values and how they are formed, and the relations between economic and non-economic values - discussing such matters as the value of an oil spill, the price of a scientific paper, value in ethical consumption, and imaginative value. The second part discusses the issues surrounding valuation in aesthetic markets, specifically wine, fashion models, art, and the creative industries. The third part analyzes valuation in financial markets - credit rating agencies, stock exchange markets, and industrial production. This pioneering volume brings together leading social scientists to provide a range of theoretical tools and case studies for understanding price and the creation of value in markets within social and cultural contexts and preconditions. It is an important source for scholars in economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science interested in how markets work, and how value is established.

40 million American women of marriageable age are single. This approachable essay addresses many of their concerns in a profound and delightful way. Inspired by the authorOCOs own experiences as well as by 18th century philosophers, and literary and histori"