Local police labeled them a threat to the safety of the city. The FEDS labeled them a continuing criminal enterprise. Those in the streets who weren't connected labeled them a gang. In the corporate world they were labeled as smart, cut-throat businessmen. They were all of the above and much more They were the PHILLY COMMISSION and they had their hands in damn near every piece of money that had came through the city of Philadelphia since 1986 THE PHILLY COMMISSION was created by Brian "Bird" Kennedy in 1985. He was only 13 years old when he formed The Commission. It was originally formed to be "just another drug gang", but Bird saw the potential to do much more with his team. He saw that there was much more money to be made in the city besides selling drugs and he wanted in on all of it His plan was to control all of the city....legally and illegally and stay out of prison while trying to do it
An extraordinary chronicle of war and an occult story of love between a father and his son from one of Iraq's most celebrated contemporary writers "Whenever he told lies, the birds would fly away. It had been that way since he was a child. Whenever he told a lie, something strange would happen." So begins Bachtyar Ali's The Last Pomegranate, a phantasmagoric warren of fact, fabrication, and mystical allegory, set in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's rule and Iraq's Kurdish conflict. Muzafar-i Subhdam, a peshmerga fighter, has spent the last twenty-one years imprisoned in a desert yearning for his son, Saryas, who was only a few days old when Muzafar was captured. Upon his release, Muzafar begins a frantic search, only to learn that Saryas was one of three identical boys who became enmeshed in each other's lives as war mutilated the region. An inlet to the recesses of a terrifying historical moment, and a philosophical journey of formidable depths, The Last Pomegranate interrogates the origins and reverberations of atrocity. It also probes, with a graceful intelligence, unforgettable acts of mercy.
Leadership and management lessons from the sports world.The world's elite athletes and coaches achieve high performance through inspiring leadership, mental toughness, and direction-setting strategic choices. Harvard Business Review has talked to many of these high performers throughout the years to learn how their success translates to the world of business.If you read nothing else on management lessons from the world of sports, read these 10 articles by athletes, coaches, and leadership experts. We've combed through our archive and selected the articles that will best help you drive performance.This book will inspire you to:Improve on your weaknesses, not just your strengthsTake care of your body for sustained mental performanceIncrease your confidence and manage your energy before an important eventTurn a struggling team aroundUnderstand the limits of performance metricsFocus on long-term goals to overcome setbacksUnderstand where the analogy of sports and business doesn't workThis collection of articles includes "Ferguson's Formula," by Anita Elberse with Sir Alex Ferguson; "Life's Work: An Interview with Greg Louganis"; "The Making of a Corporate Athlete," by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz; "The Tough Work of Turning a Team Around," by Bill Parcells; "How an Olympic Gold Medalist Learned to Perform Under Pressure: An Interview with Alex Gregory"; "Mental Preparation Secrets of Top Athletes, Entertainers, and Surgeons," an interview with Daniel McGinn by Sarah Green Carmichael; "SoulCycle's CEO on Sustaining Growth in a Faddish Industry," by Melanie Whelan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"; "Major League Innovation," by Scott D. Anthony; "Looking Past Performance in Your Star Talent," by Mark de Rond, Adrian Moorhouse, and Matt Rogan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Mikhail Baryshnikov"; "How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better," by Graham Jones; "Life's Work: An Interview with Joe Girardi"; "Why There Is an I in Team," by Mark de Rond; "Life's Work: An Interview with Andre Agassi"; and "Why Sports Are a Terrible Metaphor for Business," by Bill Taylor.
