New York Travel Writers Society 2013 Annual Report By New York Travel Writers Society Board of Directors

Why do we seem to have so little money? Why is our nation 17 trillion dollars in debt? How much IS $17,000,000,000,000? If that debt were to be divided equally among every U.S. citizen we would all pay more than $45,000 in debt To whom is this debt owed? Some of it is owed to China and other nations. The majority is owed to the Federal Reserve Bank. President Kennedy and President Lincoln both attempted to place the U.S. Congress in charge of our money. Both were assassinated. We seem to make no connection between their economic policies and their assassination. The U.S. Constitution states clearly that the government is to issue our money. Why does our money come to us in the form of a Federal Reserve Note? a debt the U.S. Government owes to the Federal Reserve Bank? A large part of our debt is war related. The two major World Wars in the last 100 years resulted in huge multinational central banks that control the economy of much of the world. The book looks at the social teachings of two Popes (Leo XIII and John Paul II). They both spoke strongly against exploitation of workers and unjust economic systems. Originally the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths all outlawed usury. Today only the Muslim faith continues to ban usury. The book looks at Native American philosophy which taught that no one may own the resources of the earth, they are a common WEALTH, They exist for the benefit of all the people. It mentions Estonia and Bolivia have passed legislation which states clearly that these elements are common WEALTH and must be used for the benefit of all. The book also looks at many groups of people who are working to make the world a little better for us all. It ends with a request for more people to help make the world a little better for us all.

2012 Reprint of Original 1951 Edition. Two Volumes bound in one. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The purpose of these volumes is to offer further evidence of the authors thesis that business leaders are the controlling element in economic development because they "determine its spirit and its strategy by making its major decisions." This volume and its predecessor are first rate history. Bank management, private banking, investment banking and competition in the money market, topics barely mentioned in other banking histories, are discussed with fine precision. The author has an unusual command of the foreign literature on money and banking and continually sees American practices against a world background. Not only for bankers, both theoretical and practical, but for all students of economic history, "The Molding of American Banking" is required history.

Everyone loves to WIN.Winning connotes a competitive spirit, a rise to thetop, and that supreme feeling of accomplishment.Mankind has posted gains throughout history andthese exemplify the victory of a WIN So... "What are we winning in this book?"This book uses the benchmarks of Health, Wealthand Success as three targets for Winning. We havetherefore included a select group of people who havesurmounted the pinnacle of these lofty peaks ...menand women that can look back down the mountainand say, "I did it "Regardless of how you 'slice it and dice it, ' the chaptersin this book give you inside traits, habits and actionsof successful achievers in an enjoyable read. If you havea desire to join them, you can read, scrutinize andcopy the methods and thinking that these WINNERShave developed to help get you there.The plans and strategies in this book are manyand varied. Each chapter is characterized by focus, discipline and substance.Follow the Celebrity Experts, adopt tested and provenwinning strategies in your life and be...A WINNER

In Portland, Oregon, coffee is more than just a beverage, it is an essential part of the city's character. Under oft-gray skies, independent roasters and cafes flourish, providing a wide array of styles and tastes for discerning Portlanders to choose from. The celebrated Portland coffee culture attracts visitors from around the world, who come to explore the diverse options and find inspiration for bringing great coffee to their own cities. In Caffeinated PDX: How Portland became the Best Coffee City in America, author Will Hutchens tells the stories of the people and companies that pushed Portland to the forefront of the specialty coffee scene. He travels around the city, talking to a wide variety of coffee professionals and capturing their passion for roasting, selling, and brewing some of the finest coffees in the world. He attends cuppings, goes to barista school, and volunteers at barista competitions to better understand what's so special about specialty coffee. Using Portland as the model, Hutchens also explains the phenomenon known as third-wave coffee, a worldwide movement to improve coffee quality from origin to cup. Full of anecdotes and insights into the minds of Portland's coffee leaders, as well as some lesser-known personalities, Caffeinated PDX is an enjoyable read for people who love coffee, for people who love Portland, or for anyone who appreciates a good story.

2013 Reprint of 1927 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Max Weber's "General Economic History" is based on his lecture notes and compiled shortly after his death. In this work Weber proposes an institutional theory of the rise of capitalism in the west. Unlike in his classic work on the Protestant ethic, religion is given a minor role. The emphasis of the work lies instead on the place of the state and calculable law in allowing economic actors to predict exchange for gain. Weber's institutional theory of capitalism was rediscovered in the early 1980s by writers like Randall Collins, Daniel Chirot, and Douglass C. North, who worked to replace theories based largely on Immanuel Wallerstein's "World Systems" theory. Though today read primarily by sociologists and social philosophers, Weber's work did have a significant influence on Frank Knight, one of the founders of the neoclassical Chicago school of economics, who translated Weber's General Economic History into English in 1927.

The remarkable story of one man's journey to leadership of the world's largest energy company, The Caravan Goes On is the first published inside account of the workings of the corporation by a CEO and represents a significant addition to the literature on the turbulent development of the world's oil industry. Frank Jungers, former President, Chairman and CEO of the petroleum giant Aramco, tells the inside story of his three decades in Saudi Arabia (1947-1978) with the world's largest oil producing company. A North Dakota farm boy Jungers rose to the top of one of the most important hydrocarbon enterprises ever, a company that eventually found itself responsible for nearly one-quarter of the world's oil resources. He writes of his face-to-face encounters with King Faisal and other Saudi leaders, and his role in steering the company through major international crises that included the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the dramatic oil price increases of the 1970s, the Arab oil embargo and the OPEC hostage incident of 1975. Central to Jungers' story is his role in helping to develop Aramco's Saudi workforce in preparation for the eventual transfer of company ownership from four American oil majors to the Government of Saudi Arabia. He explains the unique nature of the ownership transfer, which was remarkably different from the bitter nationalization process seen in Iraq, Libya, Iran and Venezuela. Jungers describes how Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an important sense grew up together, and he highlights the crucial role played by Aramco in the development of the young nation's infrastructure and economy. The Caravan Goes On describes the origins of the petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia, with the granting of a concession in 1933 to a subsidiary of Standard Oil of California, the first of Aramco's four oil-company parents. Jungers talks of his own origins as the son of farmer in North Dakota, the family's migration westward due to drought and depression, and his engineering studies at the University of Washington. Jungers began his career in Saudi Arabia working at Ras Tanura, site of Aramco's first oil refinery and oil tanker terminal. He describes how Aramco built its initial workforce, consisting of Americans, Italians, Saudis and other nationalities; he explains how it soon became clear that the future of the Saudi oil industry belonged not with foreign oil interest but to the people of Saudi Arabia; and he relates how he and others worked to give Saudis the training and incentives needed to take over and successfully operate what would become the world's premier oil producing and exporting company. At the same time, Aramco, with its technological expertise and its access to international specialists, began playing a central role in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company, with support and encouragement of the Saudi Kings, took a lead role in building healthcare, agriculture, the railroads, the electric grid and other sectors of the Saudi economy. The story of the "King Faisal Era" (including the monarch's role in the oil price issue, the Arab oil embargo and his closed-door meetings with the King and his key advisers, including Oil Minister Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani) are vividly described, as well as the shock of King Faisal's tragic death and the tense moments of the OPEC hostage incident that began in Vienna and ended in North Africa. Jungers speaks of his involvement in launching Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System, now a central part of the national economy and his pivotal role in the consolidation of Saudi Arabia's electrical power grid in the Eastern Province. When he returned to Saudi Arabia in 2008 to attend the celebrations of the company's 75th anniversary he fully realized the success of the Aramco venture - how it had indeed prepared large numbers of Saudis for the responsibilities of leading their country's oil industry into a new and exciting economic era. This personal, colorful and up-close view is required reading for oil-industry watchers as well as those interested in big business, geopolitics, America's role in the Middle East and the extraordinary transformation and emergence of modern Saudi Arabia since oil was discovered in its Eastern Province.

2013 Reprint of 1962 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This classic text, chosen for the 1964 Thomas Newcomen Award in Business History by the editors of "Business History Review," is based on intensive studies of General Motors, Dupont, Standard Oil of New Jersey and Sears, Roebuck. Chandler shows how the seventy largest corporations in America have dealth with a single economic problem: the effective administration of an expanding business. The author summarizes the history of the expansion of the nation's largest industries during the previous hundred years and then examines in depth the modern decentralized corporate structure as it was developed independently by four companies--General Motors, Dupont, Standard Oil of New Jersey and Sears, Roebuck.

Nothing is impossible if you have unlimited time, resources, and flexible objectives. Project managers never find themselves in such a situation. Our projects are impossible if they can't be done within the constraints... but sometimes there's a way around even the most challenging barrier. What can you do when the situation looks hopeless? In this exciting journey through history, you'll learn how the greatest leaders and project managers of the past took on impossible challenges...and succeeded. Here are only three examples: When he wanted to be first to fly nonstop to Paris, Charles Lindbergh was up against competitors with more funding, more experience, and over a year's head start. His strategy? Rethink the thresholds of risk. The other generals laughed at George Patton when he offered to send two divisions to rescue the Battle of the Bulge in only 48 hours. His strategy? See the future and get ready for it early. For mission director Gene Kranz, the odds against a successful rescue of Apollo 13 were daunting at best. His strategy? The Kranz Dictum, a powerful strategy to deal with crises even before they occur. In PROJECT: IMPOSSIBLE, you'll learn a step-by-step methodology to succeed when facing even the most difficult projects. You'll learn Dobson's Laws of Project Management and discover the Godzilla Principle. From redefining the problem to challenging the project parameters, you'll know how to attack a seemingly impossible project... and get the job done.

A behind-the-scenes look at how tomorrow's hottest startups are being primed for greatness
Investment firm Y Combinator is the most sought-after home for startups in Silicon Valley. Twice a year, it funds dozens of just-founded startups and provides three months of guidance from Paul Graham, YC's impresario, and his partners. Receiving an offer from YC creates the opportunity of a lifetime.
Acclaimed journalist Randall Stross was granted unprecedented access to Y Combinator, enabling a unique inside tour of the world of software startups. Over the course of a summer, we watch as a group of founders scramble to make something people want.
This is the definitive story of a seismic shift in the business world, in which coding skill trumps experience, undergraduates confidently take on Goliaths, and investors fall in love.

"Gelding Goliath: An Insider's Account of the Destruction of AT&T" AT&T, once the most powerful company in the world, died in 2005. Another company bought what was left of it and now uses its name. The series of "colossal failures" by internal managers as well as the inane government policies that contributed to the collapse are collected for the first time in this personal journey through corporate hell by a former high-ranking AT&T attorney.

""Skyrm makes complex financial scenarios accessible to all interested readers in an informative and entertaining manner. We can all learn something from this book." -Thomas Peterffy, Chairman, CEO, and President of Interactive Brokers "Skyrm put together the story of MF Global like no one else could in providing the ultimate autopsy covering destructive financial engineering that's played such a big role in our capital markets." -Lawrence G. McDonald, New York Times best selling author of A Colossal Failure of Common Sense "God is in the details...first come the reporters, then the lawyers. Skyrm's book is the necessary antidote. Only someone who has 'done' it can explain it. Perhaps the best 'counterfactual' rationale for reading The Money Noose: If John Corzine had been able to before, there would likely have been no after." -Stan Jonas, Managing Partner, Axiom Management Partners In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. MF Global was bankrupt less than a year after the law's passage. THE MONEY NOOSE is a general accounting of the facts that led to MF Global's collapse, as well as the story of the major players involved. It is a chaotic story, one in which individual actions taken in and of themselves are relatively minor. But the sum of those individual actions equal the same end result. How, then, can investors protect themselves from this outcome? The best answer is education. Investors need to be fully aware of what is involved in the investment process, and that includes an understanding of seg funds. It is, after all, their money. This book is designed to tell the story of MF Global, what went wrong and how things came to an abrupt end. In those regards, it's an incredible story. Scott E.D. Skyrm is one of the leading figures in the repo and securities finance markets today, and regularly quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg News Service, Reuters, Market News, and Dow Jones. He is highly regarded as a former salesman, trader, trading desk manager, and global business head in fixed-income, securities finance, and securities clearing and settlement. He recently left Newedge, where he was their "Global Head of Repo, Money Markets, and Fixed Income Clearing." He now is writing commentaries on the repo market, the short-end of the Treasury market, Federal Reserve policy and general Wall Street topics. He has worked on Wall Street for over 22 years and has taken billion-dollar risks on the trading floor, managed a multi-billion dollar balance sheet, and consistently ran one of the most profitable trading groups at every firm where he worked. Prior to Newedge, he managed the repo desk at ING Barings, worked summers at Shearson Lehman/American Express and started his full-time career at The Bank of Tokyo.

How corporate hubris caused the bankruptcy of America's greatest photography company. A meticulously documented history of Eastman Kodak Company's financial implosion. Once a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a blue chip growth stock, and a member of the Nifty-Fifty, Kodak filed a Chapter XI petition early in 2012. If you want to know how and why, then read this book.

INSIDE APPLE reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.
If Apple is Silicon Valley's answer to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the "DRI" (Apple's practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).
Based on numerous interviews, the book offers exclusive new information about how Apple innovates, deals with its suppliers and is handling the transition into the Post Jobs Era. Lashinsky, a Senior Editor at Large for Fortune, knows the subject cold: In a 2008 cover story for the magazine entitled The Genius Behind Steve: Could Operations Whiz Tim Cook Run The Company Someday he predicted that Tim Cook, then an unknown, would eventually succeed Steve Jobs as CEO.
While Inside Apple is ostensibly a deep dive into one, unique company (and its ecosystem of suppliers, investors, employees and competitors), the lessons about Jobs, leadership, product design and marketing are universal. They should appeal to anyone hoping to bring some of that Apple magic to their own company, career, or creative endeavor.

The First Adman reveals the untold story of how modern advertising was pioneered 200 years ago by the entrepreneur, self-publicist and dodgy Member of Parliament, Thomas Bish. Royalty and politicians courted this early media star and society figure, who was one of the best-known men in the land and allegedly more famous than the prime minister himself. Drawing on previously inaccessible contemporary sources, Gary Hicks resurrects the Bish brand, as famous in its day as Coca-Cola is today, and explains how it started a publicity revolution. This is an entertaining and rollicking tale of an eccentric marketing genius whose extraordinary legacy survives in modern mass media.

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.

"Scathing expose of the coal industry."
--"The New York Times Book Review
"On April 5, 2010, an explosion ripped through Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine, killing twenty-nine coal miners. This tragedy was the deadliest mine disaster in the United States in forty years--a disaster that never should have happened. These deaths were rooted in the cynical corporate culture of Massey and its notorious former CEO Don Blankenship, and were part of an endless cycle of poverty, exploitation, and environmental abuse that has dominated the Appalachian coalfields since coal was first discovered there. And the cycle continues unabated as coal companies bury the most insidious dangers deep underground, all in search of higher profits, and hide the true costs from regulators, unions, and investors alike.
But the disaster at Upper Big Branch goes beyond the coalfields of West Virginia. It casts a global shadow, calling into bitter question why coal miners in the United States are sacrificed to erect cities on the other side of the world, why the coal wars have been allowed to rage, polarizing the country, and how the world's voracious appetite for energy is satisfied at such horrendous cost.
With "Thunder on the Mountain, "Peter A. Galuszka pieces together the true story of greed and negligence behind the tragedy at the Upper Big Branch Mine, and in doing so he has created a devastating portrait of an entire industry that exposes the coal-black motivations that led to the death of twenty-nine miners and fuel the ongoing war for the world's energy future.