A tangled web of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of old Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder and rural, windswept Wyoming in Drifting Into Darkness, a true saga of bloodshed and betrayal. Two grisly murders—a brutal double parricide—a suicide, and a fourth death under suspicious circumstances. Drifting Into Darkness is a tangled tale of family dysfunction, fatal attraction, and greed, a saga that wends its way from the elegant Southern mansions of Montgomery, Alabama, to the New Age salons of Boulder, Colorado, to rural, windswept Wyoming. On Thanksgiving weekend in 2004, philanthropists Charlotte and Brent Springford Sr.―a wealthy, socially prominent Montgomery couple―were brutally beaten to death with an ax handle, echoing the infamous case of Lizzie Borden. Suspicion quickly fell on the Springfords' gifted but troubled son Brent Jr., who would be tried and sentenced to life without parole. But a mystery remained: Who was the mysterious, elusive woman who claimed to be a Native American shaman that investigators believed manipulated Brent into this murder? Journalists solving murders is a time-tested trope in movies, mysteries, and on television. But cops and cop reporters know that rarely happens in real life. Except when it does. Veteran crime reporter Mark I. Pinsky, who covered the sensational cases of serial killer Ted Bundy and Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, broke the cardinal rule of journalism by involving himself in the story. Pinsky’s extensive research prompted investigators to invite him to join their dogged pursuit of justice. His access to unique and heart-breaking behind-the-scenes material enables him to take readers with him into the troubled, tortured minds of the case's main players.
The face of entertainment has changed radically over the last decade—and dangerously so. Stars like Britney, Paris, Lindsay, Amy Winehouse—and their media enablers—have altered what we consider "normal" behavior. According to addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky and business and entertainment expert Dr. S. Mark Young, a high proportion of celebrities suffer from traits associated with clinical narcissism—vanity, exhibitionism, entitlement, exploitativeness—and the rest of us, especially young people, are mirroring what we witness nightly on our TV and computer screens. A provocative, eye-opening study, The Mirror Effect sounds a timely warning, raising important questions about our changing culture—and provides insights for parents, young people, and anyone who wonders what the cult of celebrity is really doing to America.
In this follow-up to his bestselling The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family, religion journalist Mark Pinsky explores the role that the animated features of Walt Disney played on the moral and spiritual development of generations of children. Pinsky explores thirty-one of the most popular Disney films, as well as recent developments such as the 1990s boycott of Disney by the Southern Baptist Convention and the role that Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg played in the resurgance of the company since the mid-1980s.
In June of 1970, the body of 24-year-old Nancy Morgan was found inside a government-owned car in Madison County, North Carolina. It had been four days since anyone had heard from the bubbly, hard-working brunette who had moved to the Appalachian community less than a year prior as an organizer for Volunteers in Service to America. At the time of her death, her tenure in the Tar Heel State was just weeks from ending, her intentions set on New York and nursing school and a new life that she would never see. The initial investigation was thwarted by inept police work, jurisdictional confusion, and the influence of local corruption. Fourteen years would pass before an arrest in the case would be made, but even then, a pall would be cast over the veracity of the evidence. Met Her on the Mountain is the culmination of former Los Angeles Times staff writer Mark Pinsky's efforts to solve the 40-year-old mystery once and for all. An exhaustive piece of investigative journalism, Pinsky's work, now with a new postscript, dissects this modern Southern Gothic tale and takes readers on a journey to convince them that the truth of Morgan's murder is within reach.
Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability, and Inclusion is a new publication by noted religion writer Mark I. Pinsky. Pinsky has gathered stories from churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples across the country, "stories of people with disabilities and the congregations where they have found welcome." He has taken special care to include the widest range of disabilities, including non-apparent disabilities like lupus, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, depression, and mental illness. There were 54 million American with disabilities as of 2000, and that number is now being swelled by wounded warriors from the Afghan and Iraq wars and an aging population. he author emphasizes that his purpose is to not to write a resource manual on accessibility and inclusion. Rather, Pinsky seeks to share stories of how people with disabilities have experienced their faith in the context of their disability, and how congregations have gained when they value the gifts that people with disabilities bring along. "This book," notes the author, "is for congregational leaders and others who may have no expertise or personal experience with disability, but who make the congregational decisions about accessibility and inclusion.
Is there anything holy in Springfield, the home to irascible Bart Simpson and his naive dad Homer, their enthusiastic evangelical neighbor Ned Flanders, the sourpuss minister Rev. Lovejoy, and the dozens of other unique characters who inhabit the phenomenally popular TV show? In this revision of the 2001 bestseller, author Mark Pinsky says yes! In this entertaining and enlightening book, Pinsky shows how The Simpsons engages issues of religion and morality in a thoughtful, provocative, and genuinely respectful way. With three new chapters and updates to reflect the 2001-2006 seasons, Pinsky has given a thorough facelift to the book that Publishers Weekly called "thoughtful and genuinely entertaining." The new material includes chapters on Buddhism and gay marriage and an extensive afterword that explores how religion is treated on the animated shows that have followed in the footsteps of The Simpsons: South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, American Dad, and King of the Hill.
Electromagnetic fields and radiation are everywhere - near power lines, computers, radio and television signals, microwave ovens, toasters, alarm clocks and everyday electrical appliances. The media are warning of the possible hazards of EMFs and EMR and recent studies suggest that they cause leukaemia in children and breast and brain cancer in adults. This book gives facts about the dangers, revealing that most of us are exposed to radiation and electromagnetic fields everyday. It advises which levels to worry about, and how to minimize the risks. It is also a sourcebook for citizens seeking action from utility companies, employers, manufacturers and governmental agencies.
Examines the treatment of religion and spirituality in the animated television series, including its depiction of God, Jesus, heaven, hell, and prayer in chapters devoted to Homer, Lisa, Ned, Reverend Lovejoy, Krusty, and Apu.
Two leading figures from the world of finance show how progressives can take their money away from conservative financial institutions and put it to good, lasting social use The U.S. financial system may be working for some people, but it isn't working for most of us who care about progressive causes. In fact, our financial system taps your money to pay for a conservative agenda. It's a heads-they-win, tails-you-lose game when the fees you pay to use your credit card finance fossil fuels even when you buy green products. Conservative "money muscle" shapes our culture, society, politics, and public policy. In this bold call to action, two leaders from the world of progressive finance propose a strategy to challenge this conservative dominance of the financial sector: organized progressive money. It's a $10 trillion plan for a full- service, market-scale progressive financial system. Mestrich and Pinsky explain how progressives can take control with financial institutions of their own and products that align with progressive values. Organized Money warns that until progressives organize their money, they will lose again and again while conservatives will keep winning. It's a crucial message for the next progressive era, starting with the make-or-break 2020 election cycle, where American voters will be presented with a choice between conservative market fundamentalism that leaves them out or inclusive restorative capitalism that is good for people as well as profits. Written in clear, engaging prose for non- financial readers and finance leaders alike, Organized Money is required reading for everyone ready to confront the excesses of conservative power and influence.
Serving as the foundation for a one-semester course in stochastic processes for students familiar with elementary probability theory and calculus, Introduction to Stochastic Modeling, Fourth Edition, bridges the gap between basic probability and an intermediate level course in stochastic processes. The objectives of the text are to introduce students to the standard concepts and methods of stochastic modeling, to illustrate the rich diversity of applications of stochastic processes in the applied sciences, and to provide exercises in the application of simple stochastic analysis to realistic problems. New to this edition: Realistic applications from a variety of disciplines integrated throughout the text, including more biological applications Plentiful, completely updated problems Completely updated and reorganized end-of-chapter exercise sets, 250 exercises with answers New chapters of stochastic differential equations and Brownian motion and related processes Additional sections on Martingale and Poisson process Realistic applications from a variety of disciplines integrated throughout the text Extensive end of chapter exercises sets, 250 with answers Chapter 1-9 of the new edition are identical to the previous edition New! Chapter 10 - Random Evolutions New! Chapter 11- Characteristic functions and Their Applications
This volume attempts to exhibit current research in stochastic integration, stochastic differential equations, stochastic optimization and stochastic problems in physics and biology. It includes information on the theory of Dirichlet forms, Feynman integration and the Schrodinger's equation.
Explains how Carpal Tunnel Syndrome--nerve damage in the wrists from performing repetitive tasks--is developed; how computer users, assembly-line workers, and others can reduce the risk of injury; how to recognize symptoms; and more.
This book is a collection of original research papers and expository articles from the scientific program of the 2004-05 Emphasis Year on Stochastic Analysis and Partial Differential Equations at Northwestern University. Many well-known mathematicians attended the events and submitted their contributions for this volume. Topics from stochastic analysis discussed in this volume include stochastic analysis of turbulence, Markov processes, microscopic lattice dynamics, microscopic interacting particle systems, and stochastic analysis on manifolds. Topics from partial differential equations include kinetic equations, hyperbolic conservation laws, Navier-Stokes equations, and Hamilton-Jacobi equations. A variety of methods, such as numerical analysis, homogenization, measure-theoretical analysis, entropy analysis, weak convergence analysis, Fourier analysis, and Ito's calculus, are further developed and applied. All these topics are naturally interrelated and represent a cross-section of the most significant recent advances and current trends and directions in stochastic analysis and partial differential equations. This volume is suitable for researchers and graduate students interested in stochastic analysis, partial differential equations, and related analysis and applications.
Proceedings of the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference Held July 19-25, 1987 with Support from the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office
Proceedings of the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference Held July 19-25, 1987 with Support from the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office
In July 1987, an AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Geometry of Random Motion was held at Cornell University. The initial impetus for the meeting came from the desire to further explore the now-classical connection between diffusion processes and second-order (hypo)elliptic differential operators. To accomplish this goal, the conference brought together leading researchers with varied backgrounds and interests: probabilists who have proved results in geometry, geometers who have used probabilistic methods, and probabilists who have studied diffusion processes. Focusing on the interplay between probability and differential geometry, this volume examines diffusion processes on various geometric structures, such as Riemannian manifolds, Lie groups, and symmetric spaces. Some of the articles specifically address analysis on manifolds, while others center on (nongeometric) stochastic analysis. The majority of the articles deal simultaneously with probabilistic and geometric techniques. Requiring a knowledge of the modern theory of diffusion processes, this book will appeal to mathematicians, mathematical physicists, and other researchers interested in Brownian motion, diffusion processes, Laplace-Beltrami operators, and the geometric applications of these concepts. The book provides a detailed view of the leading edge of research in this rapidly moving field.
Building on the basic techniques of separation of variables and Fourier series, the book presents the solution of boundary-value problems for basic partial differential equations: the heat equation, wave equation, and Laplace equation, considered in various standard coordinate systems--rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical. Each of the equations is derived in the three-dimensional context; the solutions are organized according to the geometry of the coordinate system, which makes the mathematics especially transparent. Bessel and Legendre functions are studied and used whenever appropriate throughout the text. The notions of steady-state solution of closely related stationary solutions are developed for the heat equation; applications to the study of heat flow in the earth are presented. The problem of the vibrating string is studied in detail both in the Fourier transform setting and from the viewpoint of the explicit representation (d'Alembert formula). Additional chapters include the numerical analysis of solutions and the method of Green's functions for solutions of partial differential equations. The exposition also includes asymptotic methods (Laplace transform and stationary phase). With more than 200 working examples and 700 exercises (more than 450 with answers), the book is suitable for an undergraduate course in partial differential equations.
Introducing a complete revision of the study guide to the best-selling bookThe Gospel according toThe Simpsons, complete with new studies on episodes ofThe Simpsonsas well as studies for discussing other popular animated comedies such asFamily Guy,King of the Hill, andFuturama. This new edition features a session plan for a "green retreat" based onThe Simpsonsfeature film and the environmental filmAn Inconvenient Truth, as well as a listing of DVD availability for each episode with cross-references to the relevant chapters in the book.
Random evolution denotes a class of stochastic processes which evolve according to a rule which varies in time according to jumps. This is in contrast to diffusion processes, which assume that the rule changes continuously with time. Random evolutions provide a very flexible language, having the advantage that they permit direct numerical simulation-which is not possible for a diffusion process. Furthermore, they allow connections with hyperbolic partial differential equations and the kinetic theory of gases, which is impossible within the domain of diffusion proceses. They also posses great geometric invariance, allowing formulation on an arbitrary Riemannian manifold. In the field of stochastic stability, random evolutions furnish some easily computable models in which to study the Lyapunov exponent and rotation numbers of oscillators under the influence of noise. This monograph presents the various aspects of random evolution in an accessible and interesting format which will appeal to a large scientific audience.
This book provides a concrete introduction to a number of topics in harmonic analysis, accessible at the early graduate level or, in some cases, at an upper undergraduate level. Necessary prerequisites to using the text are rudiments of the Lebesgue measure and integration on the real line. It begins with a thorough treatment of Fourier series on the circle and their applications to approximation theory, probability, and plane geometry (the isoperimetric theorem). Frequently, more than one proof is offered for a given theorem to illustrate the multiplicity of approaches. The second chapter treats the Fourier transform on Euclidean spaces, especially the author's results in the three-dimensional piecewise smooth case, which is distinct from the classical Gibbs–Wilbraham phenomenon of one-dimensional Fourier analysis. The Poisson summation formula treated in Chapter 3 provides an elegant connection between Fourier series on the circle and Fourier transforms on the real line, culminating in Landau's asymptotic formulas for lattice points on a large sphere. Much of modern harmonic analysis is concerned with the behavior of various linear operators on the Lebesgue spaces $L^p(mathbb{R}^n)$. Chapter 4 gives a gentle introduction to these results, using the Riesz–Thorin theorem and the Marcinkiewicz interpolation formula. One of the long-time users of Fourier analysis is probability theory. In Chapter 5 the central limit theorem, iterated log theorem, and Berry–Esseen theorems are developed using the suitable Fourier-analytic tools. The final chapter furnishes a gentle introduction to wavelet theory, depending only on the $L_2$ theory of the Fourier transform (the Plancherel theorem). The basic notions of scale and location parameters demonstrate the flexibility of the wavelet approach to harmonic analysis. The text contains numerous examples and more than 200 exercises, each located in close proximity to the related theoretical material.
This 10-session study, for youth and adults, embarks on an exploration of the religious themes prevalent in the popular animated comedy series. Each session correlates to a chapter in the book and suggests an episode for viewing prior to the discussion.
The purpose of this companion volume to our text is to provide instructors (and eventu ally students) with some additional information to ease the learning process while further documenting the implementations of Mathematica and ODE. In an ideal world this volume would not be necessary, since we have systematically worked to make the text unambiguous and directly useful, by providing in the text worked examples of every technique which is discussed at the theoretical level. However, in our teaching we have found that it is helpful to have further documentation of the various solution techniques introduced in the text. The subject of differential equations is particularly well-suited to self-study, since one can always verify by hand calculation whether or not a given proposed solution is a bona fide solution of the differential equation and initial conditions. Accordingly, we have not reproduced the steps of the verification process in every case, rather content with the illustration of some basic cases of verification in the text. As we state there, students are strongly encouraged to verify that the proposed solution indeed satisfies the requisite equation and supplementary conditions.
During the week of October 23-27,1989, Northwestern University hosted an international conference on the theme "Diffusion Processes and Related Problems in Analysis." This was attended by 105 partici pants representing 14 different countries. The conference, which is part of the "Emphasis Year" program traditionally supported by the Mathematics Department, was additionally supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the Institute for Mathematics and Applications, as well as by supplemen tary sources from Northwestern University. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together workers in vari ous parts of probability theory, mathematical physics, and partial dif ferential equations. Previous efforts in this direction were represented by the 1987 AMS Summer Research Conference "Geometry of Random Motion" co-sponsored with Rick Durrett, the proceedings of which ap peared as volume 73 in the AMS series "Contemporary Mathematics." The present effort is intended to extend beyond the strictly geometric theme and to include problems of large deviations, stochastic flows, and other areas of stochastic analysis in which diffusion processes play a leading role.
Examines the treatment of religion and spirituality in the animated television series, including its depiction of God, Jesus, heaven, hell, and prayer in chapters devoted to Homer, Lisa, Ned, Reverend Lovejoy, Krusty, and Apu.
This book deals with current developments in stochastic analysis and its interfaces with partial differential equations, dynamical systems, mathematical physics, differential geometry, and infinite-dimensional analysis. The origins of stochastic analysis can be found in Norbert Wiener's construction of Brownian motion and Kiyosi Itô's subsequent development of stochastic integration and the closely related theory of stochastic (ordinary) differential equations. The papers in this volume indicate the great strides that have been made in recent years, exhibiting the tremendous power and diversity of stochastic analysis while giving a clear indication of the unsolved problems and possible future directions for development. The collection represents the proceedings of the AMS Summer Institute on Stochastic Analysis, held in July 1993 at Cornell University. Many of the papers are largely expository in character while containing new results.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.