Author: Charles Piot File Type: pdf In the West African nation of Togo, applying for the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery is a national obsession, with hundreds of thousands of Togolese entering each year. From the street frenzy of the lottery sign-up period and the scramble to raise money for the embassy interviewto the gamesmanship of those adding spouses and dependents to their dossiers, the application process is complicated, expensive, and unpredictable. In The Fixer Charles Piot follows Kodjo Nicolas Batema, a Togolese visa brokerknown as a fixeras he shepherds his clients through the application and interview process. Relaying the experiences of the fixer, his clients, and embassy officials, Piot captures the ever-evolving cat-and-mouse game between the embassy and the hopeful Togoleseas well as the disappointments and successes of lottery winners in the United States. These detailed and compelling stories uniquely illustrate the desire and savviness of migrants as they work to find what they hope will be a better life.Review The U.S. visa lottery program has been called the planets most popular game of chance. In this utterly riveting book, Charles Piot, among the finest Africanist scholars of our day, takes usalong with consummate fixer, the lottery broker Kodjo Nicolas Batemaon an extraordinary journey into the business of dreams, following those seeking a path to America. Along the way, they not only make new lives, they also fashion an organic theory from the South about the workings of the contemporary world order. Laced with humor, irony, disappointment, and hope, The Fixer is a truly terrific accomplishment. (John L. Comaroff, coauthor of The Truth about Crime Sovereignty, Knowledge, Social Order) The Fixer is both an entertaining tale and a deep one. The pages turn quickly as we follow a vivid cast of characters chasing their emigration dreams through various impostures staged by the title character. But while the stories are often funny, the poignant predicament that frames them is deadly serious. A powerful book, illuminating a set of issues that could hardly be more important or timely. (James Ferguson, author of Give a Man a Fish Reflections on the New Politics of Distribution) About the Author bCharles Piot bis Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies at Duke Universityeditor of Doing Development in West Africa A Reader by and for Undergraduates , also published by Duke University Pressand author of Nostalgia for the Future West Africa after the Cold War.

Author: Creek Stewart File Type: epub Outfit a Disaster-Escape Vehicle!If an unexpected disaster forces you to suddenly evacuate from your home, is your vehicle equipped to drive you to safety? It will be if you follow the advice in this book.Build the Perfect Bug Out Vehicle shows you how to outfit any vehicle with equipment and survival gear that will help you quickly drive from ground zero to a safer location. Survival expert Creek Stewart, author of the best-selling Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag, details from start to finish everything you need to equip an everyday vehicle for a drive through and away from disaster-stricken areasfrom survival supplies and storage solutions to off-road travel, communication, navigation, and security considerations.Youll findullPractical and affordable Bug Out Vehicle equipment and principles that can be applied to any vehicle, even your everyday family carllPhotos and explanations of every item you need for your vehiclellResource lists to help you find and purchase gearlulYoull also find special considerations for bugging out using alternative modes of transportation including bicycles, boats, ATVS, motorcycles, horses, carts, aircraft and more.A disaster could strike your home at any moment. Dont be trapped in the devastating aftermath. Quickly transport yourself and your family to safety by building a Bug Out Vehicle today!**

Author: William J. Bernstein File Type: pdf A timeless approach to investing wisely over an investment lifetimeWith the current market maelstrom as a background, this timely guide describes just how to plan a lifetime of investing, in good times and bad, discussing stocks and bonds as well as the relationship between risk and return.Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, The Investors Manifesto will help you understand the nuts and bolts of executing a lifetime investment plan, including how to survive dealing with the investment industry, the practical meaning of market efficiency, how much to save, how to maintain discipline in the face of panics and manias, and what vehicles to use to achieve financial security and freedom.Written by bestselling author William J. Bernstein, well known for his insights on how individual investors can manage their personal wealth and retirement funds wiselyExamines how the financial landscape has radically altered in the past two years, and what investors should do about itContains practical insights that the everyday investor can understandFocuses on the concept of Pascals Wager-identifying and avoiding worst-case scenarios, and planning investment decisions on that basisWith The Investors Manifesto as your guide, youll quickly discover the timeless investment approaches that can put you in a better position to prosper over time.

Author: Ryan S. Molloy File Type: pdf