Renowned probability theorist Edward O. Thorp revolutionized the casino industry by developing card counting systems for the casino game of blackjack. Les Golden, the celebrated blackjack, roulette, and craps columnist for Bluff Europe, Gambling.com, iGaming Business, GamblingOnline, and Jackpots Review magazines, tells Thorp’s incredible true story of lucrative applied probability with charm, wit, and humor. Whether you visit casinos for fun, dinner money, or a living, or whether you’re simply interested in a story of romance and casino intrigue, this lively biographical novel will capture and delight you. Illustrations by the author. “I found the story tremendously entertaining, with a pantheon of compelling characters such as gambler Ed Thorp and bookie Manny Kimmel taking us from the casinos of Nevada to those of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Les Golden’s novel is a triumph begging for adaptation to the screen.”— LANA WOOD, Film and T.V. Producer, Actress (“Diamonds Are Forever”) Best-selling Author, Natalie, a Memoir “Les Golden has an ever-increasing influence and burgeoning popularity.A significant name in the industry, the ‘go to’ man for strategy and anecdotal literarydexterity. I cannot acclaim his star highly enough.”— JAMES MCKEOWN, Editor, iGaming Business Magazine and Gambling.com Magazine “Les Golden is a comedy genius. It really is as simple as that. An expert in the field,he makes getting educated not only painless but actually funny.”— DAVE BLAND, Editor, Flush Magazine, British television pundit “I learn more about strategy through Les’ writings than I do through many failed tripsto Vegas. Always concise, easy-to-read, and intelligent.”— JON YOUNG, Editor WPT (World Poker Tour) Magazine “Les Golden makes numbers hilarious. He's simply the funniest gaming strategy writer there is. His writing is ‘rakish’ and ‘bond-esque.’ ”— PHILIP CONNELLER, Editor, Bluff Europe Magazine “The dialog crackles and the fictional elements brilliantly illuminate how cool Ed Thorp is. And there’s just the right amount of blackjack and math. I love it.”— AARON BROWN, Professional gambler, Wall Street risk managerAuthor, The Poker Face of Wall Street
The Bill of Rights Primer presents a short historical survey of the people, events, decrees, legislation, writings, and cultural milestones in England and the American colonies that influenced the founding fathers as they drafted the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights"--Back cover.
At a time when unacceptable risk taking is rightly condemned, how can organizations still benefit from the upside of risk? Can risk still be good? Written by an author who has managed risk, teaches about risk, but most importantly of all has researched the theory of risk, this book will help senior executives dial up the right level of risk within their organizations in order to enhance performance. There are many risk management techniques that are known to work and risk management has logged many successes, but that doesn't mean managers understand why they work, how and why risks arise, and how organizations can be shaped strategically to optimize the benefits of well-judged business risks. Dr Les Coleman argues that finance and management risk has been a theory-free zone, similar to medicine in the Middle Ages, when physicians were aware of surgical techniques and medicines that worked, but did not know why and were impotent in the face of systemic illness. Today risk managers face much the same situation: They know of techniques that work such as audits, controls and procedure guides. Nevertheless, they rarely anticipate, much less prevent, serious failures. They have no comprehensive knowledge framework for targeting optimum risk levels. This timely book fills some of that gap with an outline of the nature and sources of risk in firms. It sets out a body of risk knowledge to support its management, particularly at the corporate level, in much the same way that our understanding of human physiology and the physical sciences support modern medical and engineering techniques. The reader will learn, for example, how risk attitudes and outcomes flow through an organization and about creative techniques such as asset-liability management. In this area of corporate finance so critical for executives and directors, Risk Strategies will help responsible CFOs and other senior managers, together with teachers and students of management, extend their knowledge and risk management skills.
Cultural Sociology: An Introduction is the first dedicated student textbook to address cultural sociology as a legitimate model for sociological thinking and research. Highly renowned authors present a rich overview of major sociological themes and the various empirical applications of cultural sociology. A timely introductory overview to this increasingly significant field which provides invaluable summaries of key studies and approaches within cultural sociology Clearly written and designed, with accessible summaries of thematic topics, covering race, class, politics, religion, media, fashion, and music International experts contribute chapters in their field of research, including a chapter by David Chaney, a founder of cultural sociology Offers a unified set of theoretical and methodological tools for those wishing to apply a cultural sociological approach in their work
Myths are commonly associated with illusions or with deceptive, dangerous discourse, and are often perceived as largely the domain of premodern societies. But even in our post-industrial, technologically driven world, myths – Western or Eastern, ancient or modern, religious or scientific – are in fact powerful, pervasive forces. In Social Myths and Collective Imaginaries, Gérard Bouchard conceptualizes myths as vessels of sacred values that transcend the division between primitive and modern. Myths represent key elements of collective imaginaries, past and present. In all societies there are values and beliefs that hold sway over most of the population. Whether they come from religion, political institutions, or other sources, they enjoy exalted status and go largely unchallenged. These myths have the power to bring societies together as well as pull them apart. Yet the study of myth has been largely neglected by sociologists and other social scientists. Bouchard navigates this uncharted territory by addressing a number of fundamental questions: What is the place of myth in contemporary societies and in the relations between the cultural and the social? How do myths take form? From what do they draw their strength? How do they respond to shifting contexts? Myths matter, Bouchard argues, because of the energy they unleash, energy that enables a population to mobilize and rally around collective goals. At the same time myths work to alleviate collective anxiety and to meet the most pressing challenges facing a society. In this bold analysis, Bouchard challenges common assumptions and awakens us to the transcendent power of myth in our daily lives and in our shared aspirations.
Aquatic Dicotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics brings together a wealth of information on the natural history, ecology, and systematics of North American aquatic plants. Most books on aquatic plants have a taxonomic focus and are intended primarily for identification. Instead, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of major aquatic species by compiling information from numerous sources that lie scattered among the primary literature, herbarium databases, and other reference materials. Included dicotyledon species are those having an obligate (OBL) wetland status, a designation used in the USACE National Wetland Plant List. Recent phylogenetic analyses are incorporated and rationale is provided for interpreting this information with respect to species relationships. This diverse assemblage of information will be useful to a wide range of interests including academic researchers, wildlife managers, students, and virtually anyone interested in the natural history of aquatic and wetland plants. Although focusing specifically on North America, the cosmopolitan distribution of many aquatic plants should make this an attractive text to people working virtually anywhere outside of the region as well. This book is an essential resource for assisting with wetland delineation.
Alaska Trees and Shrubs has been the definitive work on the woody plants of Alaska for more than three decades. This new, completely revised second edition provides updated information on habitat, as well as detailed descriptions of every tree or shrub species in the state. New distribution maps reflect the latest survey data, while the keys, glossary, and appendix on non-native plants make this the most useful guide to Alaska trees and shrubs ever published.
A heritage of conflict in author-character relations emerges through works by Dostoevsky, Mauriac, O'Connor, and DeLillo, where the issue of a character's freedom from the author's perspective proves essential to understanding narrative form.
Exceptional Children: Integrating Research and Teaching provides a com prehensive introduction to the constantly changing area of special educa tion. The book is research-based, and its title reflects our opinion regarding the important link between research and classroom practice. There is one feature of Exceptional Children: Integrating Research and Teaching that warrants attention and perhaps justification; it was written specifically to address the graduate student or sophisticated undergraduate student mar ket. As such, the book is written at a higher level and with a greater concept density than typical introductory special education texts. We feel that this type of book is very much needed and will be received favorably by the special education community. There are also several unique features of Exceptional Children: Integrat ing Research and Teaching that we feel will be quite valuable. First, we have emphasized the area of teaching practices and not simply included basic facts about definitions, characteristics, and causes. Although some intro ductory texts include information about teaching considerations, that area is not discussed as in depth as it is in our text. We feel that it is important that readers not only understand the educational needs of exceptional chil dren, but also can identify the best educational practices to meet those needs.
Arguing that gay fiction is torn between assimilative and radical impulses, this study focuses on fiction by White, Holleran, Leavitt, Cunningham, Hollinghurst, Cooper, Mars-Jones and others, positing the existence of two distinct strands of gay fiction, where opposing impulses are at work within individual texts.
The ultimate guide to marriage mentoring so you can feel confident in offering wisdom, encouragement, and practical help to couples who want to live out a love that lasts! Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott and Dr. David Olson--renowned marriage experts and founders of the two largest marriage support organizations, SYMBIS and PREPARE/ENRICH--share what they have learned from decades of research involving more than five million couples. Packed with practical and proven methods, data-driven techniques, and immediately usable strategies, Helping Couples includes: The secrets--and the science--behind couples who thrive with lasting love Why romantic love is never enough, and what to do about it Strategies to instantly help reduce conflicts and increase intimacy The game-changing boost that scientific assessment tools give couples at any age or stage Four common myths about marriage and how to debunk them The distilled wisdom from hundreds of insightful surveys and studies How you can reduce a couple's chances of divorce by 31 percent The ultimate guide for coaches, counselors, and clergy who want to know what really works!
Remember the simpler days before interstates when there was no such thing as a fast-food restaurant? After driving along a two-lane highway all day long and wanting to pick a place to eat, your mother would say, "Look for a place where all the trucks are stopped!" The trucks have all stopped at The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook, which contains more than 250 favorite truck stop recipes of the three million men and women who drive the 18-wheelers that keep America rolling. In addition, the book pays homage to the romance and true grit of trucking life. It includes colorful stories and scenic side trips through the history of America's trucking industry, including dozens of nostalgic photos of some of the early truckers and their rigs along with pictures of top truck stops of today and yesteryear. The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook is sure to please any fan of big rigs, life on the road, and great American food. So check your oil, fill it up, and get ready to dig into the delicious recipes and lore from beloved truck stops from across America.
It is widely recognized that travel and tourism can have a high environmental impact and make a major contribution to climate change. It is therefore vital that ways to reduce these impacts are developed and implemented. 'Slow travel' provides such a concept, drawing on ideas from the 'slow food' movement with a concern for locality, ecology and quality of life. The aim of this book is to define slow travel and to discuss how some underlining values are likely to pervade new forms of sustainable development. It also aims to provide insights into the travel experience; these are explored in several chapters which bring new knowledge about sustainable transport tourism from across the world. In order to do this the book explores the concept of slow travel and sets out its core ingredients, comparing it with related frameworks such as low-carbon tourism and sustainable tourism development. The authors explain slow travel as holiday travel where air and car transport is rejected in favour of more environmentally benign forms of overland transport, which generally take much longer and become incorporated as part of the holiday experience. The book critically examines the key trends in tourism transport and recent climate change debates, setting out the main issues facing tourism planners. It reviews the potential for new consumption patterns, as well as current business models that facilitate hyper-mobility. This provides a cutting edge critique of the 'upstream' drivers to unsustainable tourism. Finally, the authors illustrate their approach through a series of case studies from around the world, featuring travel by train, bus, cycling and walking. Examples are drawn from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Cases include the Eurostar train (as an alternative to air travel), walking in the Appalachian Trail (US), the Euro-Velo network of long-distance cycling routes, canoe tours on the Gudena River in Denmark, sea kayaking in British Columbia (Canada) and the Oz Bus Europe to Australia.
Reevaluating the significance of location in contemporary film practice and urban cultural theory, Film, Mobility and Urban Space explores the role of moving images in representations and perceptions of everyday urban landscapes. Les Roberts draws on over 1,700 films of Liverpool from 1897 to the present and combines critical spatial analysis, archival research, and qualitative methods to navigate the city's cinematic geographies as mapped across a broad spectrum of film genres, including amateur film, travelogues, newsreels, promotional films, documentaries, and features.
Offering wisdom and insights for applying biblical truths to our relationships, this book encourages couples to connect and communicate every day. This practical, uplifting guide is perfect for busy couples who long to experience a stronger relationship and better communication. Easy-to-follow daily readings focus on loving each other the way God loves us.
Feeling overscheduled and underconnected as a couple? Relationship experts Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott help you connect your time styles--and your hearts--so you can better manage your time. This is not a book about being more productive, but a book about being more connected with your spouse and maximizing the moments you have together. After resolving communication meltdowns, finding time together is the number one relational need of most couples. Where does it go? We try to make it. Save it. Seize it. Buy it. And borrow it. And yet time continues to elude too many couples. At the heart of this book is the renowned Better Love Assessment, which helps you uncover your unique time style: Accommodator, Processor, Dreamer, or Planner. Once you know your time style and that of your spouse, this book will show you how to leverage them for powerful results. Your Time-Starved Marriage helps you: Dispel the two lies every time-starved couple believes. Maximize the minutes that matter most in your marriage. Recoup the time you've been leaving on the table. Understand why "loving on borrowed time" is lethal to your love life. And discover how to "get a grip on the time of your life." Your Time-Starved Marriage gives you tools to feed your time-starved relationship, enjoying time with each other more than you ever imagined. Workbooks also available.
Reading the animal text in the landscape of the damned looks at the diverse texts of our everyday world relating to nonhuman animals and examines the meanings we imbibe from them. It describes ways in which we can explore such artefacts, especially from the perspective of groups and individuals with little or no power. This work understands the oppression of nonhuman animals as being part of a spectrum incorporating sexism, racism, xenophobia, economic exploitation and other forms of oppression. The enquiry includes, physical landscapes, the law, womens rights, history, slavery, language use, economic coercion, farming, animal experimentation and much more. Reading the animal text in the landscape of the damned is an academic work but is accessible, theoretically based but robustly practical and it encourages the reader to take this enquiry further for both themselves and for others.
This book brings together information on the natural history, ecology and systematics of North American aquatic monocotyledons. The book is an overview of the biology of major aquatic species by compiling information from numerous sources that lie scattered among the primary literature, herbarium databases, and other reference sources. Information on more than 300 species in 87 genera of monocotyledons will be included. Recent phylogenetic analyses will be incorporated. Although focusing specifically on North America, the cosmopolitan distribution of many aquatic plants should make this an attractive text to people working virtually anywhere outside of the region as well. Key Selling Features: The primary source of natural history information on aquatic plants Comprehensive lists of ecological associates Synthetic overview of systematic relationships of aquatic species and genera Practical information for rare and invasive plant managers Essential guide to facilitate wetland delineation
The 1990s. African Americans achieved more influence–and faced more explosive issues–than ever before. One word captured those times. One magazine expressed them. Emerge. In those ten years, with an impressive circulation of 170,000 and more than forty national awards to its credit, Emerge became a serious part of the American mainstream. Time hailed its “uncompromising voice.” The Washington Post declared that Emerge “gets better with each issue.” Then, after nearly a decade, Emerge magazine closed its doors. Now, for the first time, here’s a collection of the finest articles from a publication that changed the face of African American news. From the Clarence Thomas nomination to the Bill Clinton impeachment . . . from the life of Louis Farrakhan to the death of Betty Shabazz . . . from reparations for slavery to the rise of blacks on Wall Street . . . the most important people, topics, and turning points of this remarkable period are featured in incisive articles by first-rate writers. Emerge may have ended with the millennium, but–as this incomparable volume proves–the quality of its coverage is still unequaled, the extent of its impact still emerging. Stirring tribute, uncanny time capsule, riveting read–The Best of Emerge Magazine is also the best of American journalism.
The whole landscape of space use is undergoing a radical transformation. In the workplace a period of unprecedented change has created a mix of responses with one overriding outcome observable worldwide: the rise of distributed space. In the learning environment the social, political, economic and technological changes responsible for this shift have been further compounded by constantly developing theories of learning and teaching, and a wide acceptance of the importance of learning as the core of the community, resulting in the blending of all aspects of learning into one seamless experience. This book attempts to look at all the forces driving the provision and pedagogic performance of the many spaces, real and virtual, that now accommodate the experience of learning and provide pointers towards the creation and design of learning-centred communities. Part 1 looks at the entire learning universe as it now stands, tracks the way in which its constituent parts came to occupy their role, assesses how they have responded to a complex of drivers and gauges their success in dealing with renewed pressures to perform. It shows that what is required is innovation within the spaces and integration between them. Part 2 finds many examples of innovation in evidence across the world – in schools, the higher and further education campus and in business and cultural spaces – but an almost total absence of integration. Part 3 offers a model that redefines the learning landscape in terms of learning outcomes, mapping spatial requirements and activities into a detailed mechanism that will achieve the best outcome at the most appropriate scale. By encouraging stakeholders to creating an events-based rather than space-based identity, the book hopes to point the way to a fully-integrated learning landscape: a learning community.
This unique book discusses machine understanding (MU). This new branch of classic machine perception research focuses on perception that leads to understanding and is based on the categories of sensory objects. In this approach the visual and non-visual knowledge, in the form of visual and non-visual concepts, is used in the complex reasoning process that leads to understanding. The book presents selected new concepts, such as perceptual transformations, within the machine understanding framework, and uses perceptual transformations to solve perceptual problems (visual intelligence tests) during understanding, where understanding is regarded as an ability to solve complex visual problems described in the authors’ previous books. Thanks to the uniqueness of the research topics covered, the book appeals to researchers from a wide range of disciplines, especially computer science, cognitive science and philosophy.
Provides practical, no-nonsense solutions to the myriad problems that plague a teacher's day. Easy to use, this down-to-earth handbook incorporates a number of invaluable rubrics, chicklists, templates, reference sheets, questionnaires, and student guidelines.
LOOMING DESTRUCTION FROM SPACE! It's the beginning of a new golden age of space exploration. Finally, humanity is taking the commercialization of space to the next level—mining asteroids. The new gold rush of the commercial space era has begun. Another commercial venture, an attempt to put a hotel on the Moon, is seeking the space tourism gold of the ultra wealthy. And it seems as if the dream of finally sending people to Mars is finally going to happen using a ship propelled by a powerful nuclear rocket. But space travel isn’t cut and dry, and there is nothing routine about it. In order to mine an asteroid the goal is to bring it closer to Earth, but orbital mechanics are tricky and close to Earth proves to be far too close for comfort—with looming destruction from space about to become a grim reality. Now astronauts, scientists, engineers, and people in all the burgeoning space businesses must team together to stop the asteroid before it is too late for humanity and the planet it calls home. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Travis S. Taylor: “[E]xplodes with inventive action.”—Publishers Weekly on Travis S. Taylor’s The Quantum Connection. “[Warp Speed] reads like Doc Smith writing Robert Ludlum. . .You won’t want to put it down.”—John Ringo About Rescue Mode by Ben Bova and Les Johnson: "... a suspenseful and compelling narrative of the first human spaceflight to Mars."—Booklist
Welcome to Silicon Valley’s search for fulfillment and purpose beyond devices, money, and power. With worker stress at an all-time high, particularly in the fast-paced technology industry, it’s no surprise that Google, Salesforce, and Apple have adopted mindfulness and meditation into their workplace culture. Studies show mindfulness practice increases emotional intelligence, reduces stress, and enhances health and overall well-being. A Sense of Something Greater goes deeper than the current mindfulness trend, into the heart of Zen practice. For Les Kaye, Zen is more than awareness––it’s also “the continued determination to be authentic in relationships, to create meaningful, intimate, intentional bonds with people, things, and the environment.” Kaye’s teachings are paired with interviews with current tech employees and Zen practitioners, conducted by journalist Teresa Bouza. A Sense of Something Greater is an essential book for business leaders, mindfulness meditators, and Zen practitioners alike.
To understand your spouse youve got to walk in his or her shoes. Ever feel like youre stepping on each others toes? Then maybe its time you put yourselves in each others shoes. Of course that may sound uncomfortable. But its easier than you think - and it will revolutionize your relationship. In fact, bestselling authors Drs. Les and Leslie Parr...
#9 in the Milan Jacovich mystery series . . . Hollywood producer Sidney Friedman has chosen Cleveland as the location for his new hope-to-be-blockbuster film, Street Games. The “shoot” is just getting underway, and the film’s star is the movie industry’s most notorious bad boy, Darren Anderson. Friedman hires Cleveland private investigator Milan Jacovich (it’s pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich) to watch over the unruly young actor and keep him out of trouble. Milan, still suffering from the tragic loss of his friend, has no interest in moviemaking but signs on just to keep himself from going crazy brooding. Keeping Darren Anderson out of trouble is like keeping your hat dry during a downpour. He’s too rich, too famous, too good-looking, and too young to handle it responsibly. When he’s accused of seducing the fifteen-year-old daughter of a local furniture mogul, Milan gets disgusted and quits the job. But murder isn’t far behind—and suddenly Milan is elbow-deep in all sorts of things that have nothing to do with a Saturday afternoon at the movies.
Failing schools have become the latest academic cottage industry, and they serve as lightning rods for the controversy that continues to surround the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Surprisingly, there are only a handful of books that address the topic of turning around failing schools and even fewer that provide a meaningful discussion on how individual schools should avoid failure from the outset. This book will help public school educators understand that turnaround efforts are based on sound leadership principles – nothing more, nothing less. It also provides school leaders with the critical skills to turn around failing schools and, more importantly, prevent their schools from failing in the first place. Individual chapters address topics such as setting institutional priorities, establishing a positive school culture, improving communications, developing classroom leadership, putting the school on a sound financial footing, and using data to guide the school turnaround. In essence, this book serves as a practical guide for instructional and institutional leaders on how to make a "real” difference in the success of our nation's schools.
To eradicate bullying in schools, the education community must first acknowledge its existence in all forms. This timely book explores the background and myriad of issues related not just to student-on-student bullying, but all forms of threatening and victimizing behaviour found in too many schools. It will show teachers and educators how to recognize the bullying culture in their school, and decide what to do about it -- devise, implement, and enforce a policy that works. Every school should be a place where staff and students alike feel safe and secure. This indispensable guide suggests constructive ways to repair the school environment, and heal a bullying school."--Publisher's website (www.pembrokepublishers.com).
Reflection recalibrates toward the strawmen of autocracy hell-bent toward a new world order. After all, these suspects work for the Lawless One that is always in the middle of politics and religion. Strawmen who function in key positions within Satan’s domain— the earth on behalf of the Program. All things considered; the Club needed a cheerleader for a new type of patriotism. Someone with a big ego that tilted toward psychotic, irrational behavior. One thing to remember, Satan has two faces. Anyhow, and on cue without skipping a beat, even after a deadly bout with a superbug— COVID-19, called by some the “Chinese virus,” the Donald knew the Doomsday Clock was about to make its last tick, so it was all or nothing. And to realize the Club’s final goal of a seven-year peace agreement, a third temple, and a global economic reset, the Donald’s political.. insurgents had to execute... “I like how the author has emphasized the whole subject matter on the biggest question that lies in everyone’s mind. Is this a democratic world? Or is it just an illusion of autocracy that prevails everywhere?” (Anna Abbot: April 4, 2022 - yourdigitalwall. com - Into the Abyss: Democracy or Autocracy, republished October 5, 2022”
This book presents a visionary concept for future development of space travel. It describes the enabling technology for future propulsion concepts and demonstrates how mankind will ‘live off the land in space’ in migration from Earth. For the next few millennia at least (barring breakthroughs), the human frontier will include the solar system and the nearest stars. Will it be better to settle the Moon, Mars, or a nearby asteroid and what environments can we expect to find in the vicinity of nearby stars? These are questions that need to be answered if mankind is to migrate into space.
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