Ayn Rand and her philosophical school, Objectivism, have had considerable influence upon American popular culture, yet the true story of her life and work has yet to be told. In The Ayn Rand Cult, Jeff Walker debunks the cult-like following that developed around the author of the best-selling Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead -- a cult that persists even today.

What was Ayn Rand really like and how did she manipulate her adoring disciples? Why do her ideas continue to wield such influence? How does her "cult" fit in with the social climate of the 1940s and 1950s in the United States, and what contributed to its growth? By placing her ideas within the context of her formative influences and important relationships, Walker shares with readers how and why she developed ideas that still both strongly attract and violently repel readers today.

Walker argues that the ideas Rand and her followers claimed as her own are not original, but a pastiche of those of philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Herbert Spencer, economists Harriet Martineau and Friedrich Hayek, and 1920s business propaganda. Though Randists claim her novels are groundbreaking and original, both plot and style borrow heavily from best-selling popular fiction of the time.

The author closely examines the cult which was shaped by Rand's volatile personality and unrewarding personal relationships -- her unhappy marriage and search for a domineering partner, her liaisons with much younger men, and lengthy affair with then-disciple Nathaniel Branden -- and draws comparisons to the cult-like followings that developed around other popular figures such as L. Ron Hubbard and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Ultimately, the objectivistmovement came to practice the very opposite of the principles it espoused -- individualism, objectivity, heroism, and laissez-faire -- evolving into a dictatorial cult in which members suffered arranged marriages, took new names in homage to Rand and were tried and excommunicated for expressing opinions different from Rand's.

From the creator of Product Launch Formula, an expanded edition of the #1 New York Times best-selling guide that’s helped countless entrepreneurs make millions—now in paperback. "What Jeff Walker teaches in LAUNCH is vital for modern marketing success. You don't need more tactics or tools; you need smart strategy, and that's exactly what this book delivers." — Marie Forleo, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Everything Is Figureoutable The revised and updated edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Launch will build your business—fast. Whether you've already got an online business or you're itching to start one, this is a recipe for getting more traction and a fast start. Think about it: What if you could launch like Apple or the big Hollywood studios? What if your prospects eagerly counted down the days until they could buy your product? And you could do it no matter how humble your business or budget? Since 1996, Jeff Walker has been creating hugely successful online launches. After bootstrapping his first Internet business from his basement, he quickly developed a process for launching new products and businesses with unprecedented success. And once he started teaching his formula to other entrepreneurs, the results were simply breathtaking. Tiny, home-based businesses started doing launches that brought in tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars. Whether you have an existing business or you're starting from scratch, this is how you start fast. This formula is how you engineer massive success. Now the question is this: Do you want to start slow, and fade away from there? Or are you ready for a launch that will change the future of your business and your life?

GOLD RUSH
The police in Portugal have asked Fenton Hardy to come help them solve a crime, and Frank and Joe are tagging along. Before they even get on the plane, they're given a mission of their own: Mrs. Rilke, a friend of the grandmother of one of Frank and Joe's classmates, is sending the boys on a treasure hunt
After World War II, a defecting German soldier buried a fortune in gold bars in Mrs. Rilke's childhood backyard. She asks the Hardys to recover the treasure so she can donate it to charity. The problem is that another woman now knows about the gold, and she and her sons are looking for it too. Can Frank and Joe find the loot before it falls into the wrong hands?

Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae is a testimony in rare, previously unpublished pictures of some of the greatest years of Bob Marley's career and the history of reggae and dub music.
It features portraits, and performance and personal photography of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Heptones, Inner Circle, Jacob Miller, Jr Murvin, Toots and the Maytals, Burning Spear and Third World. Gottlieb-Walker also recorded the historic backstage meeting of Marley and George Harrison. The book features commentary from journalists and writers including Cameron Crowe, Jeff Walker and Roger Steffens."
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A rhyming collection of dreams, passion, frustration and hip-hop.

With the agricultural sector facing mounting pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, greater emphasis has been placed on improving existing components and practices, such as soil health and biodiversity, which have since emerged as key components to achieving regenerative agriculture. Sensors provide the opportunity to measure crop and soil health at unparalleled scales and resolution. Key developments in sensor technology will help improve our current understanding and optimisation of the complex agricultural systems that make up our global ecosystem. Advances in sensor technology for sustainable crop production provides a comprehensive review of the wealth of research on key developments in sensor technology to improve monitoring and management of crop health, soil health, weeds and diseases. This collection also reviews advances in proximal and remote sensing techniques to monitor soil health, such as spectroscopy and radiometrics, as well as how sensor technology can be optimised for more targeted irrigation, site-specific nutrient and weed management.