Virtually unnoticed, JoLayne Lucks stops by the Grab'n'Go to play the same numbers she's played every week for five years. Each lotto number marking the age at which she dumped a tiresome lover. She doesn't know it yet, but the discarded men in JoLayne's life have finally amounted to something.
In a nuanced and fresh account, James Van Hook evaluates the American role in West German recovery and the debates about economic policy within West Germany. He examines the 1948 West German economic reforms that dismantled the Nazi command economy and ushered in the fabled "economic miracle" of the 1950s. By abandoning Nazi era economic controls, the West Germans discarded a pre-1945 economic and industrial culture.
The year 2008 was one of momentous change and wild uncertainty. Though many concerns were raised about China’s prospects for mounting the Olympic Games, Beijing triumphed in spectacular form and staged many of the sporting events in uniquely designed venues. Later in the year, the global economic collapse sent the financial markets plunging and investors scrambling and forced consumers to tighten their belts. Worldwide, populations that were already struggling to meet basic needs were further hampered by soaring food prices. Meanwhile, freegans, individuals dedicated to finding alternatives to a consumerist economy, munched on discarded vegetarian foodstuffs. A fractious U.S. presidential campaign resulted in the election of Democrat Barack Obama, who made history as the first African American to win that office... The wrap-up of 2008 awaits your perusal and promises to provide a historical look at one of the most memorable years in history.
