Showing results by narrator "Sean Patrick Hopkin" in All Categories

From trade to technology to military might, competition between the United States and China dominates the foreign policy landscape. But this battle for global influence is also playing out in a strange and unexpected arena: the movies. The film industry, Wall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel explains, is the latest battleground in the tense and complex rivalry between these two world powers. In recent decades, as China has grown into a giant of the international economy, it has become a crucial source of revenue for the American film industry.

A decade after The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, which Politico called "Moneyball for politics," journalist Sasha Issenberg returns to the cutting edge of political innovation to reveal how campaigns are navigating the era's most pressing challenge: how to win in a world awash in lies. The Lie Detectives is a lively and deep secret history of Democratic politics in the Trump years.

This definitive history of presidential lying reveals how our standards for truthfulness have eroded - and why Trump's lies are especially dangerous.

Inside Hero Maker, Duffy Gaver shares the knowledge and motivational sit-downs that get his stars to take hold of their own bodies. None of these stars bought their way to their impressive physiques; they earned it with old fashioned work and dedication. He will tell you what you need to do to look super heroic, and he will show you how you too can do this if you put yourself to the task. Inside, you will also find some of his game-changing workouts to help get you there.

AD 1272. Recovering from a great tragedy that had befallen his family, Scott de Wolfe, eldest son of William de Wolfe and Jordan Scott, has become a career knight with no feeling, no compassion. As a premier knight for Henry III, Scott has been tasked with the management of the massive fortress of Castle Canaan after the death of the castle's commander. Although it seems like a simple enough task, little does Scott know that the moment he enters is the moment his life will change.

As Lawrence Ingrassia shows in this timely and eye-opening audiobook, a growing number of digital entrepreneurs have found new and creative ways to crack the code on the bonanza of physical goods that move through our lives every day. They have discovered that manufacturing, marketing, logistics, and customer service have all been flattened - where there were once walls that protected big brands like Gillette, Sealy, Victoria’s Secret, or Lenscrafters, savvy and hungry innovators now can compete on price, value, quality, speed, convenience, and service.

Insects surround us. They fuel life on Earth through their roles as pollinators, predators, and prey, but rarely do we consider the outsize influence they have had on our culture and civilization. Their anatomy and habits inform how we live, work, create art, and innovate. From ancient etchings to avant-garde art, from bug-based meals to haute couture, The Insect Epiphany proves that our world would look very different without insects, not just because they are crucial to our ecosystems, but because they have shaped and inspired so many aspects of what makes us human.

One dead. One missing. Loyalty pulls Wolf into the case. Getting back out alive will be another matter. The latest brand new thrill-ride mystery in the number one Amazon bestselling David Wolf series. One man is dead and another is missing down south near Ridgway, Colorado. When the local law enforcement reaches out to Chief Detective David Wolf's department, his task is to check on former-sheriff Harold "Hal" Burton. Because a person of interest in the case has also gone missing - Burton's estranged nephew, Jesse.

To dive into Notes to Myself is one of those rare experiences that comes only once in a great while. The editor who discovered the book said, "When I first read Prather's manuscript it was late at night and I was tired, but by the time I finished it, I felt rested and alive. Since then I've reread it many times and it says even more to me now." The book serves as a beginning for the listener's exploration of his or her own life and as a treasury of thoughtful and insightful reminders.

Old houses share their secrets only if they survive. Trading the corporate ladder for a stepladder, Lee McColgan commits to preserving the ramshackle Loring House, built in 1702, using period materials and methods and on a holiday deadline. But his enchantment withers as he discovers the massive repairs it needs. A small kitchen fix reveals that the structure’s rotten frame could collapse at any moment. In a bathroom, mold appears and spreads. He fights deteriorating bricks, frozen pipes, shattered windows, a punctured foundation, and even an airborne chimney cap.

In 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic raged, the US was hit by a ripple of political discontent the likes of which had not been seen since the 1960s. The spark was the viral video of the horrific police murder of an unarmed Black man. The killing of George Floyd galvanized a nation already reeling from COVID and a toxic political cycle. Tens of thousands poured into the streets to protest. The entire country suddenly seemed to be roaring for change in one voice. Then nothing much happened. Fredrik deBoer explores why these passionate movements failed and how they could succeed in the future.

We live in a distracted, secular age. These two trends define life in Western society today. We are increasingly addicted to habits - and devices - that distract and "buffer" us from substantive reflection and deep engagement with the world. And we live in what Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor calls "a secular age" - an age in which all beliefs are equally viable and real transcendence is less and less plausible. Drawing on Taylor's work, Alan Noble describes how these realities shape our thinking and affect our daily lives.

An engaging mix of cutting edge research and fair-minded analysis, Divided We Fall is an unblinking look at the true dimensions and dangers of the widening ideological gap, and what could happen if we don't take steps toward bridging it. French reveals chilling, plausible scenarios of how the United States could fracture into regions that will not only weaken the country but destabilize the world.

Laney McGregor’s previous holiday season ended in disaster. Add to that her recent Election Day loss, and her spirits are decidedly un-bright. She’s determined to spend a quiet Christmas at home in Mapleton, helping out on her family’s tree farm when needed but mostly keeping to herself. That is, until a job opportunity sweeter than sugar plums gets dangled in front of her … if only she’ll participate in a sequence of Christmas clichés.

John Beckett stands accused of the brutal murder of his wife, but he knows the truth: he is innocent. However, his alibi only makes things worse—he was committing premeditated murder at the time of his wife’s death. As the evidence stacks against him and the investigation, led by a driven female detective, grows more intense, Beckett must face the horrifying reality that someone has framed him for his wife’s murder. Was it the police chief, a jilted lover seeking revenge on Laura for leaving him to be with Beckett?

Unique insights from pioneers of Google’s Startup Accelerator on why building teams is harder than building tech—and a proven way to develop a strong, resilient and effective team.

In 21st century America, the top 0.1 percent of the wealth distribution have walked away with the big prizes even while the bottom 90 percent have lost ground. What’s left of the American Dream has taken refuge in the 9.9 percent that lies just below the tip of extreme wealth. Collectively, the members of this group control more than half of the wealth in the country - and they are doing whatever it takes to hang on to their piece of the action in an increasingly unjust system.

After serving in the Rifles regiment of the British Army, I focused my civilian career on becoming a bodyguard to the rich and famous. I never imagined a twist of fate landing me a position in the United States Secret Service and protecting the President's son. But then, my boss made an unexpected request: leave my current placement to move in with his only daughter. I'd never lived with a woman who was off-limits to me. The longer we're in such close quarters together, the greater the temptation grows, but I know I'll lose everything if I pursue her.

Learn from the past. Understand the present. Explore the future.

Sir Weston de Royans, a powerful, pious knight from a good Yorkshire family, his first introduction to Lady Amalie is a shocking one. But he eventually comes to know a beautiful, intelligent and humorous young woman who is in great torment and harbors a terrible secret. However, Weston harbors secrets of his own, deep family secrets that he has tried to run from for all of these years. As Weston and Amalie fall deeply in love, the two of them must reconcile themselves to these secrets and find understanding and forgiveness.