An insightful and devastating account of how Wall Street lost its way from an insider who experienced the culture of Goldman Sachs first-hand. On March 14, 2012, more than three million people read Greg Smith's bombshell Op-Ed in the New York Times titled "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs." The column immediately went viral, became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and drew passionate responses from former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch, and New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg. Mostly, though, it hit a nerve among the general public who question the role of Wall Street in society -- and the callous "take-the-money-and-run" mentality that brought the world economy to its knees a few short years ago. Smith now picks up where his Op-Ed left off. His story begins in the summer of 2000, when an idealistic 21-year-old arrives as an intern at Goldman Sachs and learns about the firm's Business Principle #1: Our clients' interests always come first. This remains Smith's mantra as he rises from intern to analyst to sales trader, with clients controlling assets of more than a trillion dollars. From the shenanigans of his summer internship during the technology bubble to Las Vegas hot tubs and the excesses of the real estate boom; from the career lifeline he received from an NFL Hall of Famer during the bear market to the day Warren Buffett came to save Goldman Sachs from extinction-Smith will take the reader on his personal journey through the firm, and bring us inside the world's most powerful bank. Smith describes in page-turning detail how the most storied investment bank on Wall Street went from taking iconic companies like Ford, Sears, and Microsoft public to becoming a "vampire squid" that referred to its clients as "muppets" and paid the government a record half-billion dollars to settle SEC charges. He shows the evolution of Wall Street into an industry riddled with conflicts of interest and a profit-at-all-costs mentality: a perfectly rigged game at the expense of the economy and the society at large. After conversations with nine Goldman Sachs partners over a twelve-month period proved fruitless, Smith came to believe that the only way the system would ever change was for an insider to finally speak out publicly. He walked away from his career and took matters into his own hands. This is his story.
America's National Guard was once considered a ragtag gaggle of pretend soldiers. Beginning in the 1980s the National Guard gradually transformed into today's highly flexible operational force that answers our nation's call for overseas combat deployments as well as domestic emergencies that run the gamut from lifesaving disaster responses to staffing Covid clinics. Brigadier General Paul "Greg" Smith describes his personal journey during these years, from a callow cadet to a committed commander leading military forces in response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Smith gives a humorous, gritty, and sometimes touching glimpse into the inner workings of this unique military organization while offering portraits of the men and women who serve as the minutemen of our age. His reflections on service, duty, and the complexities of command will enlighten anyone who seeks to better understand the challenges of leadership.
For years, the DeCavalcantes, the most powerful Mob family in Jersey, labored in the shadows of the more famous families in New York—the likes of the Gambinos and the Columbos. Dismissed by the big-city capos, the DeCavalcantes finally came into their own when they found their lives mirrored in the television hit, The Sopranos. Overnight it legitimized the made men of the Garden State. Now they were a familia to be reckoned with. Unfortunately with high profile came high risk. As member turned against member, as trusted friend turned terrified informant, the FBI put the brakes on the DeCavalcante’s explosive ride into infamy, hastening a fall from honor that would become as infamous as their notorious ascension into the annals of organized crime. Based on more than 1,000 hours of secretly recorded conversations, Made Men delivers for the first time, the unprecedented and completely uncensored behind-the-scenes truth of a historically clandestine world—of violent life and sudden death inside and outside the mob, told by the very men who made it.
Retain your talent with a proactive approach to employee development, one conversation at a time When employees are happy at work, the energy and creativity they possess is virtually limitless. But many leaders are ill-equipped to discuss and gauge the career satisfaction of their employees, and risk losing their talent to their competitors. Career Conversations is your guide to developing the skills needed for effective career discussions with your staff, providing step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate this capability into your leadership routine. It has never been easier for employees to seek other job opportunities. Search firms and online platforms such as LinkedIn make the danger of the competition poaching your best employees all too real. To take active, dynamic and genuine interest in their employee’s career satisfaction and development, leaders require the skills and knowledge to have ongoing career conversations. Packed full of case studies, practical exercises and key insights, career development expert Greg Smith explains how leaders can guide their employees to achieve career satisfaction by taking an active, dynamic and ongoing interest in their development. engage with employees on career aspirations listen critically and build trust help employees reinvent themselves for the future of work gain self-insight and become a more effective leader empathise and respond to your staff’s needs. Career Conversations is a must-read for current and aspiring organisational leaders, Human Resource directors, HR practitioners, senior executives, supervisors, managers and business owners. This book will help you guide your employees through their careers and, in turn, help your company thrive.
Goffman is a major figure in twentieth century sociology who was also widely influential beyond academic sociology Smith's book offers a compact guide to Goffman's key ideas and the debates they have engendered Books by Goffman continue to sell well, and for this one, there is limited competition - only two other monographs in English on Goffman, both a dozen years old - both longer than the proposed book Smith's book incorporates understandings generated by recent Goffman scholarship
What Media Classes Really Want To Discuss focuses on topics that introductory textbooks generally ignore, although they are prominent in students’ minds. Using approachable prose, this book provides students with a solid starting point for discussing their assumptions critically and encourages the reader to argue with the book, furthering the 'discussion' on media in everyday life and in the classroom.
The term pogo was given to soldiers in Vietnam whose roles were to support the troops involved in combat duties--roles like cooks and medical staff. This is the story of those involved in such underestimated administrative roles.
After nearly 20 years serving in the Marine Corps, Captain Kramer thought he'd been prepared for anything life had to throw him. He returns from deployment to Afghanistan with a new dog, Shadow. The ugly sport of dogfighting was one experience Kramer wanted to leave behind but back in Oceanside, California he and Shadow are drawn into a struggle to oust local gangs involved in the bloody sport. Kramer and Shadow's activities capture the attention of the FBI who quickly enlist their help in an operation to bring down a major crime lord based in Florida. Captain Kramer, USMC and Corporal Shadow, USMC soon find themselves in their deadliest fight ever.
The Junior Braves of Tribe 65 return from a camping trip to find swarms of bloodthirsty mutants have overrun their town, bringing death and destruction everywhere they go! With their families missing and their homes destroyed, these plucky kids must use all their scouting talents, combined smarts, and teamwork to survive the end of the world! JUNIOR BRAVES: A BRAVE IS BRAVE is the beginning of an exciting new young adult graphic novel series that is one part GOONIES and one part THE WALKING DEAD, full of zombies, adventure, and handy tips for wilderness survival!
Reach for the stars in this exciting graphic novel about three ambitious, space-loving kids who must put their differences aside to save their summer camp before it closes...for good. Welcome to Camp Launchpad! Summer is in full swing, which means a new class of kids has arrived to attend the best space camp in Florida...or at least, it used to be. With growing competition from the trendy rival camp next door, Camp Launchpad needs all the help it can get to keep its doors open. Campers Val, Mark, and Pete are here for very different reasons: following in the footsteps of an astronaut mom, living up to expectations as a vice president’s son, or getting a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship. But they all have one huge thing in common: Their future in the stars launches from here...if there’s still a camp to launch from. When the hotshot owner of the rival space camp makes a ten-million-dollar bet that could turn Camp Launchpad around, this unlikely trio must band together to pull off a miracle. If they don’t, this could be Camp Launchpad’s last summer ever!
Terrorists plan to use the trucking industry to carry out a series of devastating attacks across the United States. Using loopholes in the international shipping arena, they import radioactive materials and toxic nerve agents which are loaded into bomb laden tractor-trailer rigs. A local detective stumbles into the plot and with the help of a disgraced FBI agent they work together to save the day.
Greg Smith's life is a modern day miracle. Born with muscular dystrophy, Greg has turned his physical challenges into his greatest strengths, and has given inspiration to millions through "On a Roll-Talk Radio on Life & Disability," a nationally syndicated radio show that he created and hosted from his power wheelchair for over a decade.
Plaidness Madness": It's a fashion faux pas when Archie advises Mr. Lodge on which style jacket would make the perfect gift for Veronica! "Big City Blues": Is that laugh track just in Archie's head or are all of his cousin Albert's friends renegades from a sitcom?!
Why?": Mr. Lodge's landscape is looking rosier when he comes up with this seed of an idea: give Archie so much yard work that he'll be too tired to date Veronica! "Monstrous Thoughts": A trip to a monster truck rally has Archie thinking big thoughts about big wheels! "Summertime Date": Archie's parents reminisce about the "good old days" of drive-in movies... complete with broken speakers, spilled refreshments, and long trips to the concession stand!
During its five-year run from 1997 to 2002, the popular TV show Ally McBeal engaged viewers in debates over what it means to be a woman or a man in the modern workplace; how romance factors into the therapeutic understanding of relationships; what value eccentricity has and how much oddity society should tolerate; and what utility fantasy has in the pragmatic world. In addition to these social concerns, however, Ally McBeal stood out for being well-constructed, narratively complex, and stylistically rich—in short, beautiful TV. Starting from the premise that much of television today is "drop-dead gorgeous" and that TV should be studied for its formal qualities as well as its social impact, Greg M. Smith analyzes Ally McBeal in terms of its aesthetic principles and narrative construction. He explores how Ally's innovative use of music, special effects, fantasy sequences, voiceovers, and flashbacks structures a distinctive fictional universe, while it also opens up new possibilities for televisual expression. Smith also discusses the complex narrative strategies that Ally's creator David E. Kelley used to develop a long-running storyline and shows how these serial narrative practices can help us understand a wide range of prime-time TV serials. By taking seriously the art and argument of Ally McBeal, Beautiful TV conclusively demonstrates that aesthetic and narrative analysis is an indispensable key for unlocking the richness of contemporary television.
One of my NFL clients told me that the biggest transition from college to Pro- football was the speed of the game. All he heard for the first year from his coaches was "play faster" or " think faster." He went on to tell me that the only way for him to "slow the game down" was to rely on his individual skills and focus on his own performance. This is also the key to living a fulfilled and powerful Christian life. For us to be players for God we need to know the gifts He has given us and how to use them to glorify Him. The answer, in life or sports, lies not in just thinking fast but rather having a plan, which is simple, effective and focused on success. We need a game plan for our Christian life. We need a plan that works in the short-term as well as it does in the long-term, a plan that is fl exible and is simple enough to repeat under pressure. Think F.A.S.T. provides a framework upon which our daily walk with God can be built. Focusing on these key words and Biblical concepts will allow us to stay on tract and elevate our performance as men and women of Christ. It will result in us finding God's winning Spirit! Greg Smith, M.Div., LPC is a licensed professional counselor and has a Master's Degree in Theology. Over the last 30 years, Greg has been immersed in the field of psychiatry as a therapist, clinical director, and hospital administrator. Greg has used Christian counseling principles with professional athletes, as well as men and women of influence, to address personal productivity and performance.
Poema 'Em' Hunter, the beautiful CEO of a high-tech company based in Boulder, Colorado secures a lucrative military contract on the eve her lifelong friend, Mackenzie 'Mac" Falon, is due to fly in from Florida. Years have passed since the friends have been able to catch up with each other and Em takes leave from her business to treat Mac and herself to a visit to a new mountain resort owned by Em. The vacation turns into a nightmare when the two women find themselves caught up in a police hunt for a vicious serial killer, and as they become possible targets of a determined and dangerous South American drug cartel. The police believe there may be a connection A[a¬A] but who or what could it be? Are there secrets lurking between the two women? An obstinate detective strives to find answers. Will the women's friendship survive? Will they survive?
We all love heroes... We all love to hate villains... But how well do movies create characters that we love and hate? Psychologist Scott Allison and writing expert Greg Smith present a new way of understanding heroes and villains. Inside this book you'll find: * An innovative new classification scheme of heroes and villains * The key to good characters in the movies: Transformation * The Eight Great Arcs of Transformations in heroes and villains * How heroes and villains transform morally, emotionally, and physically * How the hero's journey differs from the villain's journey * 50 reviews of movie heroes and villains in 2014 "Allison and Smith have deftly crafted THE premier text of heroes and villains in contemporary cinema. A shiny portrait that brilliantly dissects the hero-villain dichotomy through a dense mixture of passion, knowledge, and humor to offer profound insights into the hero-villain relationship." -- Jason Roy, The Hero Construction Company
This updated, new edition of Introducing Cultural Studies provides a systematic and comprehensible introduction to the concepts, debates and latest research in the field. Reinforcing the interdisciplinary nature of Cultural Studies, the authors first guide the reader through cultural theory before branching out to examine different dimensions of culture in detail – including globalisation, the body, geography, fashion, and politics. Incorporating new scholarship and international examples, this new edition includes: New and improved 'Defining Concepts', 'Key Influences', 'Example ', and 'Spotlight' features that probe deeper into the most significant ideas, theorists and examples, ensuring you obtain an in-depth understanding of the subject. A brand new companion website featuring a flashcard glossary, web links, discussion and essay questions to stimulate independent study. A new-look text design with over 60 pictures and tables draws all these elements together in an attractive, accessible design that makes navigating the book, and the subject, simple and logical. Introducing Cultural Studies will be core reading for Cultural Studies undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as an illuminating guide for those on Communication and Media Studies, English, Sociology, and Social Studies courses looking for a clear overview of the field.
Team Rose vs. Team Hooligan vs. Team Babylon vs. Team Dark in a winner-take-all battle royal! The race is on for the missing Sol Emeralds as the heroic Amy Rose teams up with the fiery Blaze the Cat and the charming Cream the Rabbit in this, super-fun, action-packed hit story! It may take two to tango, but it takes 12 to Treasure Team Tango in this latest installment of Archie's successful Sonic Universe graphic novel series! Sonic Universe 6 collects the entire "Treasure Team Tango" SEGA game character-centric storyline from the Sonic Universe comic book issues #21-24.
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