Humanity has thrown everything we have at implacable luck-novel theologies, entire philosophical movements, fresh branches of mathematics-and yet we seem to have gained only the smallest edge on the power of fortune. The Myth of Luck tells us why we have been fighting an unconquerable foe. Taking us on a guided tour of one of our oldest concepts, we begin in ancient Greece and Rome, considering how Plato, Plutarch, and the Stoics understood luck, before entering the theoretical world of probability and exploring how luck relates to theology, sports, ethics, gambling, knowledge, and present-day psychology. As we travel across traditions, times and cultures, we come to realize that it's not that as soon as we solve one philosophical problem with luck that two more appear, like heads on a hydra, but rather that the monster is altogether mythological. We cannot master luck because there is nothing to defeat: luck is no more than a persistent and troubling illusion. By introducing us to compelling arguments and convincing reasons that explain why there is no such thing as luck, we finally see why in a very real sense we make our own luck, that luck is our own doing. The Myth of Luck helps us to regain our own agency in the world - telling the entertaining story of the philosophy and history of luck along the way.
Humanity has thrown everything we have at implacable luck-novel theologies, entire philosophical movements, fresh branches of mathematics-and yet we seem to have gained only the smallest edge on the power of fortune. The Myth of Luck tells us why we have been fighting an unconquerable foe. Taking us on a guided tour of one of our oldest concepts, we begin in ancient Greece and Rome, considering how Plato, Plutarch, and the Stoics understood luck, before entering the theoretical world of probability and exploring how luck relates to theology, sports, ethics, gambling, knowledge, and present-day psychology. As we travel across traditions, times and cultures, we come to realize that it's not that as soon as we solve one philosophical problem with luck that two more appear, like heads on a hydra, but rather that the monster is altogether mythological. We cannot master luck because there is nothing to defeat: luck is no more than a persistent and troubling illusion. By introducing us to compelling arguments and convincing reasons that explain why there is no such thing as luck, we finally see why in a very real sense we make our own luck, that luck is our own doing. The Myth of Luck helps us to regain our own agency in the world - telling the entertaining story of the philosophy and history of luck along the way.
Armed with an assortment of lucky charms, Kenny tries out for the neighborhood team. In the process, he discovers where the magic really is... where it had always been!
Everybody has wishes and desires. Sometimes no matter how hard you work, you just never seem to get the things that you want and what makes this so frustrating is that you see other people, who are not working as hard as you are, and they are getting their wishes fulfilled. It is not magic, and although there are a few who have probably just been lucky enough to stumble over their hearts desires, luck is also not the cause of their success. Chances are, those people are using a secret used by many, the secret that we are going to share with you in this book, the secret of the law of attraction, and how to use it to get the things that you want. If you want a better car, a new boat, more money, a raise, a better relationship, a new relationship, a new career or better health, the law of attraction will help you. Stop wishing for things to happen; and make them happen. You have the power within you, your inner energy. We will show you how to tap into that resource and use to your benefit.
Acknowledgements -- 1. Lachesis's Lottery and the History of Luck -- The Myth of Er -- Tuche and Fortuna -- Submission to luck: lucky charms -- Rebellion against luck: Stoicism -- Denial of luck: all is fated -- Luck and gambling -- 2.Luck and Skill -- Slaying Laplace's Demon -- A probability theory of luck -- Winners and losers -- Buying hope on credit -- A skill equation? -- Problems with probability -- 3. Fragility and Control -- Invisible cities of the possible -- The garden of (logically) forking paths -- A modal theory of luck -- Transworld 2000 -- Lucky necessities -- A control theory of luck -- Séances and rubber hands -- Wimbledon 2012 -- Synchronic and diachronic luck -- 4. Moral Luck -- The Kantian puzzle -- The Egg of Columbus -- The accidental Nazi and the museum of medical oddities -- Equalizing fortune -- Privilege -- Essential origins -- 5. Knowledge and Serendipity -- Finding Meno -- Discover " forget -- The man who sold the Eiffel Tower and other skeptical threats -- The Overton Window -- Serendipity -- Divide and conquer -- 6. The Irrational Biases of Luck -- The frame shop -- Dueling vignettes -- Optimism vs. pessimism -- Sailing stones and flying witches -- Machine gambling -- Against luck -- Go luck yourself -- Notes -- Bibliography Index.
A charmingly twisted reminder that everything could be so much worse Face your fears and discover new ones with The Little Book of Horrors! From chilling true-crime tales to unnerving everyday events, this satisfying feast for the morbidly curious is teeming with hundreds of terrifying facts. These cautionary tales might fuel your nightmares for years to come, but they could also save your life. - Discover how eating licorice, chewing gum, indulging inpastry, and even drinking water can kill. - Explore your odds of dying by train, plane, automobile, parachute, rocket, and kayak. (Yes, kayak!) - Learn about the world’s sneakiest predators, from adorable slow-moving primates to men pretending to be werewolves. - Put that bad day at the office into perspective with work-related woes involving radiation, explosions, chocolatey suffocation, and killer robots. This thrilling compendium of the many things that can kill, maim, and shock will make you grateful for every breath you manage to take and better equipped to dodge any disaster that comes your way.
Ever since the caveman gazed longingly at the winged creatures above him, mankind has been enamored with the idea of flight—of just taking off and soaring away. Steven A. Ruffin celebrates that spirit, that sense of wonder, with Aviation’s Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Winged Wonders, Lucky Landings, and Other Aerial Oddities. With dozens of top-ten lists focusing on notable flights, memorable planes, famous and infamous aviators, aircraft combat, air travel—even space travel—and so much more, Ruffin provides a treasure trove of fun facts and amazing anecdotes celebrating the world’s love affair with flight, plus the hurt that accompanies any deep love. Will Rogers died in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, with aviation legend Wiley Post at the controls. Rogers was writing an article at the time of the crash; eerily, the last word he typed was “death.” Isoroku Yamamoto, who masterminded the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, met his fate in similarly sneaky fashion. U.S. forces intercepted and decoded information on Yamamoto’s travel plans and “Pearl Harbored” his plane, shooting it down into the island jungle of Bougainville. The safest seat in a crash depends on if you crash on takeoff or on landing—so flip a coin! You’ll read about the first and worst of flight, aces and races, and everything from crimes, sex, and controversy to planes so fast they can outrun the sun. With Aviation’s Most Wanted™ you’ll get the history of flight from the early balloon adventures of the eighteenth century until the present, laid out with trivia and tales to amuse and amaze!
Great Dates, FUN Dates — for Less! Let's face it: Coming up with a creative yet affordable night out can be a challenge. But there are ways to put a charge in your dating life without putting a big charge on your credit card. If you're looking for entertaining, adventurous, or just plain fun dating ideas that won't break the bank, this refreshing guide is your ideal companion. Steve Smith's Top 3 Cheap Dates: 3. Sidewalk Cafe Date — What sets this date apart from any ordinary lunch date is that this Cafe's location is truly on a sidewalk—outside your own residence! Surprise your date with a bistro for two complete with a cozy table, centerpiece, menu, food cart and your own server (ask a friend for help). This lunch is sure to win a rave review from your date. 2. Dazzling Dessert Date — Surprise your date with a post-dinner scavenger hunt that leads to a fun location for a creative dessert. Once your date has collected all the clues and found your hiding spot, impress your date with a wonderful gourmet dessert that you have prepared-- a sweet ending to a delightful evening! 1. Your Lucky Day Date — Add a little flair with this date! Prior to picking up your date go to each place that you will be taking him or her and pay in advance. As the evening unfolds, enjoy the surprised look on your date's face when, time after time, the two of you become the winner of "free" dinners, "free" movie passes, and so on. Have an employee greet you and your date with the "good news" such as "Congratulations, this is your lucky day! You have just won a free dinner." Whether you are a young adult looking for new ideas for fun, a married couple looking for some spark, or someone new to the dating scene, inside is everything from energizing first dates to sizzling romantic dates-and each is a date to remember. ·Fun and frugal dates ·Romantic dates ·Sport and leisure dates ·Outdoor dates ·Splurge dates
There are two things young Jonathan Anthony Russo loves: football and girls. These help him deal with his dysfunctional family: his mother, a drunk and cocaine user; his father, a wannabe gangster; and seven older sisters whom he despises. Hes been a fairly happy-go-lucky kid until hes raped and beaten at age ten. This tragedy affects the choices he makes in life. During his teenage years, Jonathan is broken, bruised, and berated at the hands of everyone he encounters. As he battles his past, he takes on the very demons he tried to run from. Choosing not to be a victim anymore, he leaves in his wake 234 dead bodies. Despite the blood on his hands, there is a possibility for redemption. Jonathan just wants to do whats right and protect himself and those he loves, no matter the cost. A coming-of-age story, Yet Still I Stand, offers insight into the mind of a mass murder while following the story of one boys struggles to overcome his violent, dysfunctional childhood.
It's anchors away for Ella the elephant, as her magic red hat takes her on an ocean adventure that shows her what it truly means to be lucky. Ella loves the annual Elephant Island Carnival for its rides, its cotton candy and the fun she always has with her friends. But this year isn't looking promising: Belinda's being a pest, Ella's allowance is all gone, and it looks like a storm's coming. Has Ella's luck finally run out? Then a great gust of wind blows Ella's special hat out to sea, and she hops into a paddle boat to save it. A storm races in, and the wild ocean strands poor Ella on an island she's never seen before. Is Ella in for a miserable time, or is she going to learn what REAL luck is all about?The fourth charming adventure starring Ella the Elephant, now the inspiration for an animated series on Disney Junior.
Presents a collection of the author's poems. This work also includes a cover painting by the author's son, Stevie II, which somehow manages to illustrate the poems.
A thought-provoking exploration of Bruce Springsteen’s iconic album, Born in the U.S.A.—a record that both chronicled and foreshadowed the changing tides of modern America On June 4, 1984, Columbia Records issued what would become one of the best-selling and most impactful rock albums of all time. An instant classic, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. would prove itself to be a landmark not only for the man who made it, but rock music in general and even the larger American culture over the next 40 years. In There Was Nothing You Could Do, veteran rock critic Steven Hyden shows exactly how this record became such a pivotal part of the American tapestry. Alternating between insightful criticism, meticulous journalism, and personal anecdotes, Hyden delves into the songs that made—and didn’t make—the final cut, including the tracks that wound up on its sister album, 1982’s Nebraska. He also investigates the myriad reasons why Springsteen ran from and then embraced the success of his most popular (and most misunderstood) LP, as he carefully toed the line between balancing his commercial ambitions and being co-opted by the machine. But the book doesn’t stop there. Beyond Springsteen’s own career, Hyden explores the role the album played in a greater historical context, documenting not just where the country was in the tumultuous aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate, but offering a dream of what it might become—and a perceptive forecast of what it turned into decades later. As Springsteen himself reluctantly conceded, many of the working-class middle American progressives Springsteen wrote about in 1984 had turned into resentful and scorned Trump voters by the 2010s. And though it wasn’t the future he dreamed of, the cautionary warnings tucked within Springsteen’s heartfelt lyrics prove that the chaotic turmoil of our current moment has been a long time coming. How did we lose Springsteen’s heartland? And what can listening to this prescient album teach us about the decline of our country? In There Was Nothing You Could Do, Hyden takes readers on a journey to find out.
When Lucian “Lucky” Spark is caught attempting to assassinate members of the Establishment—including his former lover, Cassius—Lucky finds himself facing the worst kind of punishment. It’s Recruitment season. Instead of choosing who will die, Lucky will be an Incentive, a sacrificial lamb on the wrong side of the Establishment’s brutal competition.
INSPIRING, HILARIOUS, based on actual events, The Good Book: the true story of Y'ALL is the autobiography of a very out-of-the-ordinary singing duo.James Dean Jay Byrd was born October 28, 1967, in the broom closet of the Okey-Dokey, Texas, VFW hall during a preaching contest in which his father was competing. Steven CheslikDeMeyer was born March 22, 1968, in the upstairs bedroom of his parent's unfinished farmhouse in Kornflake, Indiana.Being the son of an itinerant tent revivalist, Jay Byrd grew up traveling Texas with his family. Being the son of farmers, Steven spent his early years on the farm. But a vision of biblical proportions sent Jay Byrd, in his Uncle Joe's lucky green dress, on a journey to a pumpkin patch in Circleville, Ohio, where Steven -- on his own journey -- was waiting.A terrible thunderstorm brought Jay Byrd and Steven together, but music kept them together. They found that the songs they wrote and the way they sang together was special so they made their way together to New York City and started performing together as the duo Y'ALL.The Good Book: the true story of Y'ALL tells the story of how two voices that were born to sing together found each other.
This book is a collection of advice and wisdom from a couple of average American dads who shared with their sons their thoughts on family, education, business, religion, and service to their communities. These dads, shaped by events from The Great Depression to World War II, heped create the great American dream - one child at a time.
Looking for ways to escape or shift blame is a fundamental part of life. Here’s a survival guide full of ready-made excuses, from the student’s classic “My dog ate my homework,” to the motorist’s “Was that sign the speed limit, Officer? I thought it was the town’s population,” to the dieter’s “I wasn’t getting enough to eat on one diet, so I had to go on three.” You’ll welcome these ready-made alibis and cop-outs for business, school, sports, family, romance, and other situations where you might find yourself in hot water.
This book is based on first-hand personal experiences; nevertheless it is not about guilt or innocence. It is a handbook; guidance for those Americans, who may one day have to go to prison. This is a directory to the idiosyncrasies of the American ‘Justice Industry’ and to inmates, guards, lawyers, judges, prosecutors and incarceration facilities within it. By and large the workings of this self-perpetuating ‘industry’ are little known to the general public. Here is a detailed guide for all those unfortunate Americans who one day may fall into the hands of this relentless ‘industry’. It is a known fact that the United States has the highest number of incarcerated people in the world, hence mathematically speaking any American, including you the reader could easily be part of this sad statistics. By reading about events, persons and places described in this book, you the reader will be prepared (somewhat) to face this special section of society that (so far) had been locked away from you and the American public. ***** “There are two kinds of people my friends: The one who gets caught and the one yet to be caught..... every son of a bitch out there is guilty of something, including the judge and the jury who convicted me.” A quote from Orlando – a federal inmate serving a life sentence.
Although named Mudville, the main character, Pinky, who could be one of many people who have meandered through our life, will bring out laughter in any with his antics and personality; Only Pinky could find it handy to have been born with a fly rod for an arm. No, sireee, wont catch me using any puny, pool-stick-of-a-fly-rod sums up how he viewed the changing world and chose to follow his own path. His essence embodies a way of living. Not bound by time or location, Pinky, finds a way to capture the spirit and essence of our childhood. Mudville is not only a place in time but a sensory memory that gets evoked when we suddenly remember a point in our lives when it was fun to have fun. Timeless and sometimes ageless, these stories strike home for all ages. They help us to go back to a simpler point when being home on time was directed by the streetlights coming on, when the only worries we had were whether the monofilament we had chosen would hold that big bass. Pinky himself sums it up best: Sometimes, if you aint good you gotta be lucky! Pinky would be along any time now, and an old, cut-off stump under an overhanging cedar limb would provide a front row seat to the show. The river glowed in the mixture of rain and intermittent moonlight. Undaunted by the shower, bats swooped and wheeled about close enough that I could feel their delicate wings brush my hat brim. The fish were still actively feeding also. An owl hooted mournfully behind me, and another answered from somewhere on the opposite bank. The stage was set. From out of the swirling mist Pinky appeared. Just a ghostly outline at first, like some spirit fisherman, forever banished to eternally wade the river.
She's younger than Babar, shyer than Lily, and every bit as cute as Olivia. Look out! Here's ELLA! Ella's counting the days until the first day of school ... but not because she's eager to start! On the contrary, as the littlest elephant on Elephant Island, she's terribly nervous about the other kids she'll meet. Then she receives a beautiful red hat that belonged to her grandmother -- her new lucky charm. Big mean Belinda at school teases her for it, calling her "Ella the Elegant Elephant." But Ella's brave enough to hold on to her hat, and in the end, the hat (and her heart) save the day. With warm, rich pictures and a charming main character, ELLA is sure to be a new favorite.
The only dictionary of its kind, this greatly expanded second edition lists objects, concepts, traits and situations ancient and modern and gives their appropriate symbols. A companion to Symbolism: A Comprehensive Dictionary (2012), this volume presents symbols and their referents in reverse association (but is not simply a reconfiguring of information). Examples: a symbol for "hell" is descending stairs; an attribute of Saint Benedict is a raven; joy after sorrow is signified by the gemstone amber. Ethnic, literary, artistic, religious, heraldic, numerological, folkloric, occult and psychological usages are included.
Satan's Diary is a fictional, theological-lesson, in how Satan uses temptation to destroy humanity. In the pages of his diary, Satan lays out his motivations, strategies, and descriptions of successes and failures in his quest to convince people to turn away from God. How did Satan's lust for power and authority lead to war? How did he beguile Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit? How did Christ's redemptive act upsurge Satan's anger toward God and mankind? Satan covets power and authority, and he has no moral code when trying to carry out his objectives. Explore how he uses every trick at his disposal, to gain a competitive advantage in spiritual warfare. Even if it means to destroy a church leader and his family with lures of envy, pride, greed, and lust.
Supervisory Skills for the Technical Manager: A Guide to Success focuses exclusively on the dynamics of being a technical manager such as a scientist, programmer, or engineer. An R&D environment demands modified management techniques and this book explores how to do so. Drawing of years of experience to provide technical managers with various tools and ways to apply them in supervisory situation, this essential title includes exercises, templates and checklists to accelerate their uses and applications on the job. In addition, case studies are included throughout to thoroughly explain and explore the concepts discussed. Key topics include handing the transition to supervising others in research and development, the characteristics needed to motivate personnel in a R&D environment as compared to other areas of business are detailed. The pitfalls and challenges of managing technical personnel, how delegating can build an effective team that can produce superior results, and how to monitor the work of previously independent personnel are also discussed.
School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools, 3rd Edition prepares future teachers and administrators to conduct effective and equitable programs of family and community engagement that contribute to student success in school. Renowned authors Joyce L. Epstein and Steven B. Sheldon present the theories, research, policies, and practices that have been shown to improve the design and conduct of partnership programs in diverse communities and at all grade levels. Chapters include a historic overview of early research, recent studies with advanced methods, and many examples of research-based approaches for district leadership and school improvement. All chapters include discussion questions and classroom assignments that professors may use to provoke thinking and help future educators understand that family and community engagement is part of their professional work. New in this 3rd Edition: Updated, streamlined readings make it easy for students to explore early, influential studies that framed the field and recent studies of multilevel effects of leadership for partnerships. Comments, discussion topics, and classroom activities challenge students to think deeply about many aspects and issues of school, family, and community partnerships. Interview assignments enable students to hear the voices and views on partnerships of practicing educators, parents, students, and others in the community. Readings and activities across chapters help colleges and universities meet new standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for graduates to "demonstrate their ability to effectively work with diverse P-12 students and their families." After decades of research and exemplary practice that confirm that family and community engagement is an essential component of good school organization, most new teachers and administrators still are unprepared to partner with all families to support student learning and development. This book will help professors in Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education (SCDE) prepare their graduates to understand, organize, and continually improve partnership programs in all schools, with all families, and for all students.
Five thousand years out of the Labryinth that held him captive the Minotaur finds himself struggling to negotiate the American South with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
A man lies unconscious in a hospital bed, the victim of a violent assault the police are calling "road rage." If he recovers, prosecutors are waiting to indict him for conspiracy, eager to send him to prison for the rest of his life. And he's the lucky one . . . Private investigator Graham Gage believes the injured man—his closest friend Jack Burch—had no part in the ever-widening criminal conspiracy surrounding the collapse of defense contractor SatTek Industries. But Gage's search for the truth is rocketing him to hot spots around the globe—and dragging him into a deadly morass of lies, greed, and terror alongside traitors, killers, and international gangsters. As the plot slowly unravels the body count soars, and Gage finds himself in an impossible race to prevent the unimaginable. Because the first target was his friend . . . but the final target is his country.
Reading the Bible with Rene GirardWhen René Girard introduced the Bible back into conversation with anthropology in 1978, it was all a bit scandalous. Here, for the first time, Girard weaves his life story and that of the mimetic theory with his own faith reflections and interpretation of Scripture. These interviews are a great introduction for the person new to Girard's writings and will delight Girardian scholars and aficionados alike."One of the many gifts of René Girard is his ability to unfold his theory in interviews...many of these dialogues open new perspectives on mimetic theory. Reading the Bible with Rene Girard is a wonderful example of this" ~ Wolfgang Palaver, Universität Innsbruck, Austria, past COV&R President"Reading the Bible with René Girard is an important contribution both to understanding the Bible as a "work in progress" that continues into our own lives and to introducing the ground-breaking insights of René Girard on the human condition and the love of God that breaks through to us in the historical process." ~ James G. Williams, Syracuse University, past COV&R President"This is a wonderful introduction to René Girard's work. Through it one can follow the unfolding of his theory in the context of his life. We are lucky to have this!" Jeremiah Alberg, International Christian University, Tokyo, COV&R President"Very often René Girard is at his best when he talks freely in a relaxed interview style. Reading the Bible With Rene Girard provides the master of mimetic theory with one more chance to show this strength. It is indeed hearing the master's voice." ~ Niki Wandinger, University of Innsbruck"One comes away from Reading the Bible with René Girard unable to view the Bible-or the modern world that has been so decisively shaped by it-in quite the same way ever again." ~ George A. Dunn, University of Indianapolis "Clear, conversational, and as always brilliantly insightful. There are few more accessible introductions as this little gem." ~ Jarrod McKenna Australian peace award-winning pastor, cofounder of First Home Project "In this excellent book, you are invited to sit in on a series of conversations with one of the leading thinkers of our time, concerning matters of the utmost philosophical, theological, and practical significance. This is a very important volume indeed." ~ Dr Chris Fleming, University of Western Sydney
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