In a career spanning 35 years during which he lived and worked in nine different countries on four different continents, Frank Lucas gained a close and personal behind-the-scenes view of diverse local communities, societies and workplaces. Frank shares these real-life experiences in a candid and insightful way, with personal reflections about living in different environments and among many and varied cultures. In particular, Frank ponders the inequalities he witnessed and the impact these might have on the future of globalization. There are some powerful messages here about stereotyping, migrants, religion, multiculturalism and human relationships. This book demonstrates that no matter how many places you experience, you never stop wondering and learning. It shows you that despite globalization, the world is not getting smaller, and it might make you think differently about internationalism and cultural perceptions.

From the authors of the bestselling The Big Shift, a provocative argument that the global population will soon begin to decline, dramatically reshaping the social, political, and economic landscape. For half a century, statisticians, pundits, and politicians have warned that a burgeoning planetary population will soon overwhelm the earth's resources. But a growing number of experts are sounding a different kind of alarm. Rather than growing exponentially, they argue, the global population is headed for a steep decline. Throughout history, depopulation was the product of catastrophe: ice ages, plagues, the collapse of civilizations. This time, however, we're thinning ourselves deliberately, by choosing to have fewer babies than we need to replace ourselves. In much of the developed and developing world, that decline is already underway, as urbanization, women's empowerment, and waning religiosity lead to smaller and smaller families. In Empty Planet, Ibbitson and Bricker travel from South Florida to Sao Paulo, Seoul to Nairobi, Brussels to Delhi to Beijing, drawing on a wealth of research and firsthand reporting to illustrate the dramatic consequences of this population decline--and to show us why the rest of the developing world will soon join in. They find that a smaller global population will bring with it a number of benefits: fewer workers will command higher wages; good jobs will prompt innovation; the environment will improve; the risk of famine will wane; and falling birthrates in the developing world will bring greater affluence and autonomy for women. But enormous disruption lies ahead, too. We can already see the effects in Europe and parts of Asia, as aging populations and worker shortages weaken the economy and impose crippling demands on healthcare and social security. The United States is well-positioned to successfully navigate these coming demographic shifts--that is, unless growing isolationism and anti-immigrant backlash lead us to close ourselves off just as openness becomes more critical to our survival than ever before. Rigorously researched and deeply compelling, Empty Planet offers a vision of a future that we can no longer prevent--but one that we can shape, if we choose.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “One of the most important books I’ve ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” – Bill Gates “Hans Rosling tells the story of ‘the secret silent miracle of human progress’ as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly.” —Melinda Gates "Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases." - Former U.S. President Barack Obama Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school—we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective—from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse). Our problem is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases. It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most. Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. --- “This book is my last battle in my life-long mission to fight devastating ignorance...Previously I armed myself with huge data sets, eye-opening software, an energetic learning style and a Swedish bayonet for sword-swallowing. It wasn’t enough. But I hope this book will be.” Hans Rosling, February 2017.

Explores globalization, its opportunities for individual empowerment, its achievements at lifting millions out of poverty, and its drawbacks--environmental, social, and political.

Think of Earth as a timeworn scrapbook, filled with faded photos, scribbled notes, and the occasional pressed flower. Sure, it's one speck amidst the galaxy, but every dog-eared page holds a tale more thrilling than any sci-fi movie. "Earth History: Our Legacy" is your ticket to flipping through those pages, starting with a fiery explosion that sparked our world into being and ending... well, that ending is still up to us! This isn't some dry textbook. It's a backstage pass to Earth's greatest hits and flops. Picture yourself stargazing with scientists, searching for planets like ours before diving into the lava pits of a young Earth. You'll hang out underwater, watching life take its first, weird steps, then stand on the sidelines as dinosaurs duke it out while sneaky mammals play it cool. And hey, we humans show up eventually! You'll see how campfire sparks turned into city lights, how scattered tribes became empires that crumbled back into dust. There's adventure, mystery, and a dash of 'are we seriously repeating the same mistakes?' The thing is, Earth's story is our story. Its scars from past disasters hold warnings. Its bursts of wild creativity hold the key to solving today's problems. Our ancestors were survivors, inventors, and dreamers – kinda like us. "Earth History: Our Legacy" isn't just about the past; it's about right now. It's about realizing that this incredible, messy, breathtaking world is in our hands, and the next chapter is for us to write. Ready to turn the page? Let's dive in!

Now that his latest operation is completed and the threat against his nation and the world has been eliminated, Luke hopes he might be able to leave his life of espionage and intrigue behind, to live out his life with Maggie. To his dismay Luke fears that his hopes and dreams will never become reality. Multiple incidents transpire that once again place him in the middle of an even greater conspiracy, which requires his special talents. Following a tangled web of leads, he discovers that the few people he believed he could trust have betrayed him. More isolated than ever, Luke becomes resigned to his profession as an assassin, and believing he has been targeted for elimination, is more determined than ever to conclude his assignment. Follow the twists and turns as Luke attempts to unweave the mysteries of his mission once and for all, a mission he knows will be his last.

Another day, another dungeon! Or rather, another day, the same dungeon, because even though Mukohda would much rather make the most of his mid-dungeon break by lingering on the surface and enjoying a breath or two of outside air, a certain trio of battle-happy gluttons have dragged him right back into the depths again! Fel, Sui, and Dora won’t be satisfied until they conquer every last floor that the Brixt dungeon has to offer, and the most Mukohda can do is grit his teeth and tag along for the ride. But hey, it’s not that bad—after all, if the first forty floors were simple enough for Team Familiar to steamroll through, then surely the next who-knows-how-many won’t pose any dangers or inconveniences either, right? And it’s not like there are any horrible primeval monsters lurking somewhere down there that everyone—except for Mukohda—has forgotten the gods specifically warned them about, right?!