Search results for ""author mark"

An innovative guide that identifies what distinguishes the best financial risk takers from the rest From 1987 to 1992, a small group of Wall Street quants invented an entirely new way of managing risk to maximize success: risk management for risk-takers. This is the secret that lets tiny quantitative edges create hedge fund billionaires, and defines the powerful modern global derivatives economy. The same practical techniques are still used today by risk-takers in finance as well as many other fields. Red-Blooded Risk examines this approach and offers valuable advice for the calculated risk-takers who need precise quantitative guidance that will help separate them from the rest of the pack. While most commentators say that the last financial crisis proved it's time to follow risk-minimizing techniques, they're wrong. The only way to succeed at anything is to manage true risk, which includes the chance of loss. Red-Blooded Risk presents specific, actionable strategies that will allow you to be a practical risk-taker in even the most dynamic markets. Contains a secret history of Wall Street, the parts all the other books leave out Includes an intellectually rigorous narrative addressing what it takes to really make it in any risky activity, on or off Wall Street Addresses essential issues ranging from the way you think about chance to economics, politics, finance, and life Written by Aaron Brown, one of the most calculated and successful risk takers in the world of finance, who was an active participant in the creation of modern risk management and had a front-row seat to the last meltdown Written in an engaging but rigorous style, with no equations Contains illustrations and graphic narrative by renowned manga artist Eric Kim There are people who disapprove of every risk before the fact, but never stop anyone from doing anything dangerous because they want to take credit for any success. The recent financial crisis has swelled their ranks, but in learning how to break free of these people, you'll discover how taking on the right risk can open the door to the most profitable opportunities.

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The Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry described Kendel Hippolyte as 'perhaps the outstanding Caribbean poet of his generation'. Until now his poetry has only been available in anthologies and slim collections which have been little seen outside St. Lucia. Birthright reveals him as a poet who combines acute intelligence and passion, a barbed wit and lyrical tenderness.He writes with satirical anger from the perspective of an island marginalised by the international money markets in a prophetic voice whose ancestry is Blake, Whitman and Lawrence, married to the contemporary influences of reggae, rastafarian word-play and a dread cosmology. He writes, too, with an acute control of formal structures, of sound, rhythm and rhyme - there are sonnets and even a villanelle - but like 'Bunny Wailer flailing Apollyon with a single song', his poetry has 'a deepdown spiritual chanting rising upfull-I'. Whilst acknowledging a debt of influence and admiration to his fellow St. Lucian, Derek Walcott, Kendel Hippolyte's poetry has a direct force which is in the best sense a corrective to Walcott's tendency to romanticise the St. Lucian landscape and people."It is clear that Hippolyte's social consciousness is subordinated to his fascination with words, with the poetics of language, and so in the end we are left with a sense of having taken a journey with a poet who loves the musicality of his words. His more overtly craft conscious neo-formalist pieces are deft, efficient and never strained. Villanelles, sonnets and interesting rhyming verse show his discipline and the quiet concentration of a poet who does not write for the rat race of the publishing world, but for himself. One gets the sense of a writer working in a laboratory patiently, waiting for the right image to come, and then placing it there only when it comes. This calm, this devotion is enviable for frenetic writers like myself who act as if there is a death wish on our heads or a promise of early passing. Our poetry, one suspects, suffers. Hippolyte shows no such anxiety and the result is verse of remarkable grace and beauty."Kwame Dawes.Kendel Hippolyte was born in St.Lucia in 1952, he studied and lived in Jamaica in the 1970s, where he explored his talents as a poet, playwright and director.

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Operating out of a tiny office on Madison Avenue in the early 1960s, a struggling company called Marvel Comics presented a cast of brightly costumed characters distinguished by smart banter and compellingly human flaws. Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, Daredevil - these superheroes quickly won children's hearts and sparked the imaginations of pop artists, public intellectuals, and campus radicals. Over the course of a half century, Marvel's epic universe would become the most elaborate fictional narrative in history and serve as a modern American mythology for millions of readers. Throughout this decades-long journey to becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise, Marvel's identity has continually shifted, careening between scrappy underdog and corporate behemoth. As the company has weathered Wall Street machinations, Hollywood failures, and the collapse of the comic book market, its characters have been passed along among generations of editors, artists, and writers-also known as the celebrated Marvel Bullpen. Entrusted to carry on tradition, Marvel's contributors-impoverished child prodigies, hallucinating peaceniks, and mercenary careerists among them-struggled with commercial mandates, a fickle audience, and, over matters of credit and control, one another. For the first time, Marvel Comics reveals the outsized personalities behind the scenes, including Martin Goodman, the self-made publisher who forayed into comics after a get-rich-quick tip in 1939; Stan Lee, the energetic editor who would shepherd the company through thick and thin for decades; and Jack Kirby, the World War II veteran who'd co-created Captain America in 1940 and, twenty years later, developed with Lee the bulk of the company's marquee characters in a three-year frenzy of creativity that would be the grounds for future legal battles and endless debates. Drawing on more than one hundred original interviews with Marvel insiders then and now, Marvel Comics is a story of fertile imaginations, lifelong friendships, action-packed fistfights, reformed criminals, unlikely alliances, and third-act betrayals - a narrative of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and beleaguered pop cultural entities in America's history.

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“This book provides the first book-lengthy study focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Chinese characteristics, in line with China’s open ambition of becoming an AI superpower by 2030. China’s unique domestic politics has developed distinct characteristics for its AI approach. By analysing national strategy, security and governance aspects of AI in China, this book argues that China’s AI approach is sophisticated and multifaceted, and it has brought about both considerable benefits and challenges to China. First, many characterize China’s AI approach as a nationally concerted top-down geopolitical strategy to advance Beijing’s unified objective. This book argues that this view is mistaken. It shows that China’s AI politics is largely shaped by economically rather than geopolitically motivated domestic stakeholders. In addition, China’s national AI plan is an upgrade of existing local AI initiatives to the national level, reflecting a bottom-up development. Thus, China’s AI strategy is more of a political manifesto rather than a concrete policy plan. The second part of the book discusses how the Chinese central government has been securitizing AI in order to mobilize local states, market actors, intellectuals and the general public. This security discourse is built on China’s historical anxieties about technology, regime security needs and the growing tension caused by great power competition. Despite its help in convincing domestic actors, however, this securitization trend may undermine key AI objectives. The third part of the book studies the Chinese governance approach to the use of AI. It argues that China’s bold AI practices are part of its broad and incoherent adaptation strategy to governance by digital means. AI is part of a digital technology package that the Chinese authoritarian regime has actively employed not only to improve public services but also to strengthen its authoritarian governance. While China’s AI progress benefits from its unique political and social environment, its ambitious AI plan contains considerable risks. China’s approach is gambling on its success in (a) delivering a booming AI economy, (b) ensuring a smooth social transformation to the age of AI, and (c) proving ideological superiority of its authoritarian and communist values. This book suggests that a more accurate understanding of AI with Chinese characteristics is essential in order to inform the debate regarding what lessons can be learnt from China’s AI approach and how to respond to China’s rise as the AI leader if not superpower.”

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For nearly eighty years, a huge portion of coastal South Africa was closed off to the public. With many of its pits now deemed “overmined” and abandoned, American journalist Matthew Gavin Frank sets out across the infamous Diamond Coast to investigate an illicit trade that supplies a global market. Immediately, he became intrigued by the ingenious methods used in facilitating smuggling particularly, the illegal act of sneaking carrier pigeons onto mine property, affixing diamonds to their feet, and sending them into the air. Entering Die Sperrgebiet (“The Forbidden Zone”) is like entering an eerie ghost town, but Frank is surprised by the number of people willing—even eager—to talk with him. Soon he meets Msizi, a young diamond digger, and his pigeon, Bartholomew, who helps him steal diamonds. It’s a deadly game: pigeons are shot on sight by mine security, and Msizi knows of smugglers who have disappeared because of their crimes. For this, Msizi blames “Mr. Lester,” an evil tall-tale figure of mythic proportions. From the mining towns of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, through the “halfway” desert, to Kleinzee’s shores littered with shipwrecks, Frank investigates a long overlooked story. Weaving interviews with local diamond miners who raise pigeons in secret with harrowing anecdotes from former heads of security, environmental managers, and vigilante pigeon hunters, Frank reveals how these feathered bandits became outlaws in every mining town. Interwoven throughout this obsessive quest are epic legends in which pigeons and diamonds intersect, such as that of Krishna’s famed diamond Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light, and that of the Cherokee serpent Uktena. In these strange connections, where truth forever tangles with the lore of centuries past, Frank is able to contextualize the personal grief that sent him, with his wife Louisa in the passenger seat, on this enlightening journey across parched lands. Blending elements of reportage, memoir, and incantation, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is a rare and remarkable portrait of exploitation and greed in one of the most dangerous areas of coastal South Africa. With his sovereign prose and insatiable curiosity, Matthew Gavin Frank “reminds us that the world is a place of wonder if only we look” (Toby Muse).

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For nearly eighty years, a huge portion of coastal South Africa was closed off to the public. With many of its pits now deemed “overmined” and abandoned, American journalist Matthew Gavin Frank sets out across the infamous Diamond Coast to investigate an illicit trade that supplies a global market. Immediately, he became intrigued by the ingenious methods used in facilitating smuggling particularly, the illegal act of sneaking carrier pigeons onto mine property, affixing diamonds to their feet, and sending them into the air. Entering Die Sperrgebiet (“The Forbidden Zone”) is like entering an eerie ghost town, but Frank is surprised by the number of people willing—even eager—to talk with him. Soon he meets Msizi, a young diamond digger, and his pigeon, Bartholomew, who helps him steal diamonds. It’s a deadly game: pigeons are shot on sight by mine security, and Msizi knows of smugglers who have disappeared because of their crimes. For this, Msizi blames “Mr. Lester,” an evil tall-tale figure of mythic proportions. From the mining towns of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, through the “halfway” desert, to Kleinzee’s shores littered with shipwrecks, Frank investigates a long overlooked story. Weaving interviews with local diamond miners who raise pigeons in secret with harrowing anecdotes from former heads of security, environmental managers, and vigilante pigeon hunters, Frank reveals how these feathered bandits became outlaws in every mining town. Interwoven throughout this obsessive quest are epic legends in which pigeons and diamonds intersect, such as that of Krishna’s famed diamond Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light, and that of the Cherokee serpent Uktena. In these strange connections, where truth forever tangles with the lore of centuries past, Frank is able to contextualize the personal grief that sent him, with his wife Louisa in the passenger seat, on this enlightening journey across parched lands. Blending elements of reportage, memoir, and incantation, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is a rare and remarkable portrait of exploitation and greed in one of the most dangerous areas of coastal South Africa. With his sovereign prose and insatiable curiosity, Matthew Gavin Frank “reminds us that the world is a place of wonder if only we look” (Toby Muse).

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Fifteen percent or more of the population have learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), or both. These individuals, who are often perceived by career counselors and employers as frustrating or difficult, are uniquely vulnerable in a competitive job market. Because LD and ADD individuals have "invisible handicaps," their job performance and social behaviors can be interpreted incorrectly. As a consequence, problems arise that could be avoided. Mapping Careers with LD and ADD Clients is a user-friendly guidebook for career counselors and employers to help them deal productively with LD/ADD adults. For this reason, the book is useful as a supplementary text for graduate courses in career counseling. Raizi Abby Janus synthesizes the two fields of LD/ADD diagnosis and career assessment into a comprehensive methodology. She provides the necessary background knowledge to enable social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, guidance counselors, and human resources personnel to * Recognize when an employee or client has a learning disability. * Provide relevant guidance to these individuals. * Optimize their job performance and productivity. * Help clients attain a clarified sense of identity. * Know when to refer clients to other professionals for further evaluation. * Be able to suggest reasonable accommodations on the job in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For employers and career counselors, rich anecdotal insights give the feel and look of the LD and ADD syndromes in daily life and at work. For researchers in the field of adult LD and ADD, the case studies in Mapping Careers make a major contribution by providing * Thorough psychometric documentation of the cognitive, emotional, and personality profiles of adult LD and ADD individuals. * Commonly encountered profiles, as well as those of a more complex nature. Janus addresses the pitfalls of indiscriminately using normative tests of intellectual and personality functions, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, 16 PF, and MMPI-2. She emphasizes the ways in which the application of normative methodologies to the LD/ADD client can be useless, misleading, or counterproductive. She also provides a useful methodology for interpreting these tests tailored to LD/ADD needs. Janus has crystallized twenty years of experience in career counseling. In assessing a variety of clients, she has identified and worked with those whose LD/ADD is the source of their difficulties, as distinct from other causes.

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A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the Foiled Quarto Journals combine high-quality production and FSC pages with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift, and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers, list-makers, travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published throughout the year. A NEW SERIES. The Quarto format is named after the earliest form of European printed publication, dating back to the 1400s when Gutenberg invented the first moveable-type printing press, heralding a revolution in mass communication, spreading ideas of literature, science and philosophy of the Renaissance. We celebrate this with our range of fine art and contemporary illustrations. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped, complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk, table, in the hand and in your bag. PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical features too: the high-quality, 120-gsm lined pages are FSC, Acid Free and Bleed Proof – suitable for all pen types, such as gel and rollerball. A pocket at the back for scraps and receipts, two ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list, and a magnetic side flap helps keep everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. The most notable period in printmaker and painter Katsushika Hokusai's artistic life was the latter part of his career, beginning in 1830 when he was 70 years old. He began the series of woodblock print landscapes he is most famous for: 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji', which included The Great Wave, off Kanagawa, probably his most iconic image. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

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A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the Foiled Quarto Journals combine high-quality production and FSC pages with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift, and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers, list-makers, travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published throughout the year. A NEW SERIES. The Quarto format is named after the earliest form of European printed publication, dating back to the 1400s when Gutenberg invented the first moveable-type printing press, heralding a revolution in mass communication, spreading ideas of literature, science and philosophy of the Renaissance. We celebrate this with our range of fine art and contemporary illustrations. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped, complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk, table, in the hand and in your bag. PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical features too: the high-quality, 120-gsm lined pages are FSC, Acid Free and Bleed Proof – suitable for all pen types, such as gel and rollerball. A pocket at the back for scraps and receipts, two ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list, and a magnetic side flap helps keep everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. Vincent van Gogh is considered one of the world's greatest painters, his work having had a huge and far-reaching influence on 20th-century art as well as remaining visually and emotionally powerful to this day. Van Gogh painted Almond Blossom as a gift in celebration of the birth of his nephew. He had previously been greatly inspired by flowering trees, and appreciated their power as symbols of rebirth. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

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Farmers face ever-changing production systems, markets and regulations. This means they must constantly review their long-term plans to ensure continuing economic and environmental sustainability. The challenge for the future is for farmers to assess opportunities strategically as they appear and overcome the temptation of just meeting the demand of day-to-day tactical decision-making. This long-term view is the world of strategic planning. Farm owners and managers must constantly review the future and systematically assess likely future scenarios in order to make adjustments to suit prevailing needs. Any manager or owner thinking about purchasing a new farm business either to expand, or replace, an existing property must conduct similar assessments. This book addresses these issues and provides methods and procedures that enable the development and assessment of future strategies. This book explains how to be a "strategic farmer" in an unusual way. Rather like a novel, it tells the story of a newly reconstituted farming couple who are searching for a new property on which to carry out their primary production plans following their departure from a family farm which was being assigned to the next generation. In a previous book in this series (Farm Business Management: The Decisive Farmer), this same couple were involved in a team approach to improving decision-making. This book covers the couple's efforts to find a suitable property meeting all their strategic needs having analysed the expected future scenarios. In this process the couple interacts with many of their farmer friends and advisors who also featured as characters in the previous books. Each chapter is devoted to one of the common issues facing the modern farmer when trying to create a long-term strategic plan. To assess each issue, tried-and-tested strategic planning procedures are demonstrated with full explanations of their logic and methods. Each topic is fully referenced to provide further reading and discussion. Lecture guides, case studies and exercises are also provided online on the CABI Digital Library. This book is a valuable resource for all farmers and students of farm management and agribusiness.

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Emission trading schemes have become instruments of choice in climate change policy across many jurisdictions, and this has led to massive experimentation across very different contexts. The scale and urgency of the climate change problem and the real-life complexity of emission trading schemes combine to make high quality, detailed studies necessary, important, and sometimes fascinating. This book scores on all these fronts. By putting practical implementations within a sound theoretical framework, it will be of value both for seasoned and not so seasoned scholars and policymakers.'- Javier de Cendra de Larragán, IE Law School, SpainEmissions trading is becoming an increasingly popular policy instrument with growing diversity in design. This book examines emissions trading design, emissions trading implementation problems and how to address them.In an easily accessible way, the book examines advantages and disadvantages of emissions trading and presents policy considerations that designers should not neglect. Stefan Weishaar reviews the main implementation challenges emissions trading faces and assesses how they can be addressed in an effective, efficient and acceptable way. By reviewing existing and emerging emissions trading systems around the world, the book describes why emissions trading systems are used in an environmental policy mix, how an emissions trading system can be designed, what special design issues should be duly considered, and with whom emissions trading systems can be linked.Written from both a legal and an economic perspective, this book will appeal to academic researchers and postgraduate students in environmental law and policy, and those focused on energy and climate change issues. It will also be essential reading for policymakers, managers and consultants working in this field.Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Emission Trading and Alternative Instruments 3. Design Variants of Emissions Trading 4. Real-life Applications of Emissions Trading Systems 5. Implementation Issue 1: Initial Allocation of Emission Rights 6. Implementation Issues 2: Secondary Market for Emissions Rights 7. Implementation Issue 3: Operational Aspects of Emission Rights 8. Implementation Issue 4: Lawsuits Following from Emissions Trading 9. Linking Emissions Trading Schemes 10. Concluding Remarks References Index

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In 1893, after a major British bank failure, a run on U.S. gold reserves, and a late-June stock-market crash, America was in the throes of a serious economic depression. Unemployment rose, foreclosures climbed, and popular unrest mounted. By the following spring, businessman and Populist agitator Jacob S. Coxey was fed up with government inactivity in the face of the crisis. With the help of eccentric showman Carl Browne, he led a group of several hundred unemployed wage earners, small farmers, and crossroads merchants on a march from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., to present a "petition in boots" for government-financed jobs building and repairing the nation's roads. On May 1, the Coxeyites descended on the center of government, where Coxey attempted to deliver a speech on the Capitol steps. The police attacked, a melee ensued, and Coxey and Browne spent a month in jail. Meanwhile, other Coxey-inspired contingents were on their way east from places as far away as San Francisco and Portland. Some of them even hijacked trains along the way. Who was Coxey, and what motivated him-along with the angry marchers who joined his cause? What did other Americans think of the protesters? Was there ever any chance that the protesters' demands would be met? Where did the agitators fit in with the politics of their day, and how did their actions jibe with the other labor-related protests happening that year? In this concise and gripping narrative, Benjamin F. Alexander contextualizes the march by vividly describing the misery wrought by the Panic of '93. Alexander brings both Coxey and his fellow leaders to life, along with the reporters and spies who traveled with them and the diverse group of captivated newspaper readers who followed the progress of the marches and train heists. Coxey's Army explains how the demands of the Coxeyites-far from being the wild schemes of a small group of cranks-fit into a larger history of economic theories that received serious attention long before and long after the Coxey march. Despite running a gauntlet of ridicule, the marchers laid down a rough outline of what, some forty years later, emerged as the New Deal.

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By outlining how reliability engineering practices fit within a product development program, the reader will have a better understanding of how roles and goals align with the program and how this applies to their specific role.Reliability Culture: How Leaders Build Organizations that Create Reliable Products, will help readers develop a deep understanding of reliability, including what it really means for organizations, how to implement it in daily operations, and, most importantly, how to build a culture that is centered around reliability and can generate impressive profits. When senior leaders work toward reliability, product details often get lost in translation. This book will enable organizations to overcome this problem by showing leaders how their actions truly affect product development. They will be introduced to new methods that will immediately enable them to have carefully crafted product specifications translated into matching, highly reliable products. This book will also be a breath of fresh air for reliability engineers and managers; they will see their daily struggle identified and will learn new methods for advancing their passionate struggle. These new methods will be clearly explained, so readers can begin the important process of incorporating and promoting reliability in their organizations. Benefits of this book include: For the organizational leader, this book provides tools for aligning reliability objectives and methods with the company�s business and brand goals For the reliability engineer, this book identifies and proposes solutions for integrating their discipline within the larger program objective and activities Engineers and leaders alike will benefit from detailed discussions of product negotiation, program assessment, culture change methods, and more All readers will understand the progression of product design methods over the previous decades, including how market acceptance is changing Reliability Culture: How Leaders Build Organizations that Create Reliable Products is intended for a broad audience that includes organizational leaders, engineers of all disciplines, project managers, and business development partners. The book is aimed at outlining how reliability engineering practices fit with all program activities, so any team members will benefit.

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Statistics is confusing, even for smart, technically competent people. And many students and professionals find that existing books and web resources don’t give them an intuitive understanding of confusing statistical concepts. That is why this book is needed. Some of the unique qualities of this book are: • Easy to Understand: Uses unique “graphics that teach” such as concept flow diagrams, compare-and-contrast tables, and even cartoons to enhance “rememberability.” • Easy to Use: Alphabetically arranged, like a mini-encyclopedia, for easy lookup on the job, while studying, or during an open-book exam. • Wider Scope: Covers Statistics I and Statistics II and Six Sigma Black Belt, adding such topics as control charts and statistical process control, process capability analysis, and design of experiments. As a result, this book will be useful for business professionals and industrial engineers in addition to students and professionals in the social and physical sciences. In addition, each of the 60+ concepts is covered in one or more articles. The 75 articles in the book are usually 5–7 pages long, ensuring that things are presented in “bite-sized chunks.” The first page of each article typically lists five “Keys to Understanding” which tell the reader everything they need to know on one page. This book also contains an article on “Which Statistical Tool to Use to Solve Some Common Problems”, additional “Which to Use When” articles on Control Charts, Distributions, and Charts/Graphs/Plots, as well as articles explaining how different concepts work together (e.g., how Alpha, p, Critical Value, and Test Statistic interrelate). ANDREW A. JAWLIK received his B.S. in Mathematics and his M.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Michigan. He held jobs with IBM in marketing, sales, finance, and information technology, as well as a position as Process Executive. In these jobs, he learned how to communicate difficult technical concepts in easy - to - understand terms. He completed Lean Six Sigma Black Belt coursework at the IASSC - accredited Pyzdek Institute. In order to understand the confusing statistics involved, he wrote explanations in his own words and graphics. Using this material, he passed the certification exam with a perfect score. Those statistical explanations then became the starting point for this book.

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Up South traces the efforts of two generations of black Philadelphians to turn the City of Brotherly Love into a place of promise and opportunity for all. Although Philadelphia rarely appears in histories of the modern civil rights struggle, the city was home to a vibrant and groundbreaking movement for racial justice in the years between World War II and the 1970s. By broadening the chronological and geographic parameters of the civil rights movement, Up South explores the origins of civil rights liberalism, the failure of the liberal program of antidiscrimination legislation and interracial coalition-building to deliver on its promise of racial equality, and the subsequent rise of the Black Power movement. The Philadelphia movement occurred in three stages. During the 1940s and 1950s, liberal civil rights groups in the city successfully campaigned for Philadelphia's new City Charter to be the first in the nation to include a ban on racial discrimination in municipal employment, services, and contracts. Within a decade, however, black activists in the city were leading consumer boycotts and street protests against the city's liberal establishment for failing to overcome entrenched structures of racial inequality in labor markets, residential neighborhoods, and public schools. These protests set the stage both for some of the earliest experiments in affirmative action and for the emergence of the Black Power movement in Philadelphia. Challenging the view that it was the inflammatory rhetoric of Black Power and the rising demands of black activists that derailed the civil rights movement, Up South documents the efforts of Black Power activists in Philadelphia to construct a vital and effective social movement that combined black nationalism's analysis of racism's constitutive role in American society with a program of grassroots community organizing and empowerment. On issues ranging from public education and urban renewal to police brutality and welfare, Philadelphia's Black Power movement remade the city's political landscape. And, in contrast to the top-down middle-class leadership of traditional civil rights groups, Black Power in Philadelphia fundamentally altered the composition of black leadership in the city to include a new cohort of neighborhood-based working-class and female black community activists.

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In this landmark work, the culmination of 30 years of systematic, comprehensive comparison of 19 rich democracies, Wilensky answers two basic questions: What is distinctly modern about modern societies - in what ways are they becoming alike? How do variations in types of political economy shape system performance? He specifies similarities and differences in the structure and interplay of government, political parties, the mass media, industry, labor, professions, agriculture, churches, and voluntary associations. He then demonstrates how differences in bargaining arrangements among these groups lead to contrasting policy profiles and patterns of taxing and spending, which in turn explain a large number of outcomes: economic performance, political legitimacy, equality, job security, safety and risk, real health, the reduction of poverty and environmental threats, and the effectiveness and fairness of regulatory regimes. Drawing on quantitative data and case studies covering the last 50 years and more than 400 interviews he conducted with top decision-makers and advisors, Wilensky provides a richly detailed account of the common social, economic, and labor problems modern governments confront and their contrasting styles of conflict resolution. The result is new light on the likely paths of development of rich democracies as they become richer. Assessing alternative theories, Wilensky offers a powerful critique of such images of modern society as 'post-industrial' or 'high-tech', 'the information age' or the alleged dominance of 'globalization'. Because he systematically compares all of the rich democracies with at least three million population, Wilensky can specify what is truly exceptional about the United States, what it shares with Britain and Britain abroad (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and what it shares with all or almost all of the West European democracies, Israel, and Japan. He gives careful attention to which successful social and labor policies are transferable across nations and which are not. "Rich Democracies" will interest both scholars and practitioners. It combines the perspectives of political economy (the interplay of markets and politics) and political sociology (the social bases of politics). It will be especially useful in courses on comparative political economy, comparative politics, European politics, public policy, political sociology, the welfare state, American government, advanced industrial societies, and industrial relations.

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"Sony vs. Samsung is business history at its best! It explores the divergent fortunes of these two electronics giants in the last decade and identifies the true reasons behind Sony's decline and Samsung's rise. Contrary to popular belief, Chang shows that success (or failure) does not simply arise from different strategies. Rather, it emerges from major decisions that are deeply rooted in the companies' organizational processes and their executives' political behavior. This book is a must-read for any senior executive." —Constantinos Markides, Robert P. Bauman Professor of Strategic Leadership and Chairman, Strategy Department, London Business School "Sea-Jin Chang has produced that rarity in a business book--one that is as valuable to practicing managers as it is insightful to academic researchers. In this fascinating comparison of two modern global giants, he applies his high resolution research microscope to their changing fortunes by dissecting their contrasting strategies, and providing interesting insights into their divergent organizational processes and management practices. This is a very valuable contribution to the international business literature. It will end up in as many corporate boardrooms as faculty seminars." —Christopher A. Bartlett, Thomas D. Casserly Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School "Sea-Jin Chang has written a fascinating comparison of Sony and Samsung that will be valuable to anyone interested in strategy, organizations or international business. The interwoven and very detailed case studies of two very different companies in overlapping industries illuminate problems such as adaptation to technological change (analog to digital), organizational flexibility and globalization. His attempt to analyze both strategic development and implementation is successful and very useful. Both academics and practitioners will learn a lot from this book." —Stephen J. Kobrin, William Wurster Professor of Multinational Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania "Refreshingly original and entertaining, this book analyzes major strategic decisions of Samsung and Sony and highlights organizational processes and top management leadership that have shaped their performances. This is a must-read for all executives who want to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Asian competitors. It also provides penetrating insights to other Asian companies with global ambitions." —Myoung Woo Lee, President and CEO, iriver

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In The Cemeteries of New Orleans, Peter B. Dedek reveals the origins and evolution of the Crescent City's world-famous necropolises, exploring both their distinctive architecture and their cultural impact. Spanning centuries, this fascinating body of research takes readers from muddy fields of crude burial markers to extravagantly designed cities of the dead, illuminating a vital and vulnerable piece of New Orleans's identity.Where many histories of New Orleans cemeteries have revolved around the famous people buried within them, Dedek focuses on the marble cutters, burial society members, journalists, and tourists who shaped these graveyards into internationally recognizable emblems of the city. In addition to these cultural actors, Dedek's exploration of cemetery architecture reveals the impact of ancient and medieval grave traditions and styles, the city's geography, and the arrival of trained European tomb designers, such as the French architect J. N. B. de Pouilly in 1833 and Italian artist and architect Pietro Gualdi in 1851.As Dedek shows, the nineteenth century was a particularly critical era in the city's cemetery design. Notably, the cemeteries embodied traditional French and Spanish precedents, until the first garden cemetery- the Metairie Cemetery- was built on the site of an old racetrack in 1872. Like the older walled cemeteries, this iconic venue served as a lavish expression of fraternal and ethnic unity, a backdrop to exuberant social celebrations, and a destination for sightseeing excursions. During this time, cultural and religious practices, such as the celebration of All Saints' Day and the practice of Voodoo rituals, flourished within the spatial bounds of these resting places. Over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, however, episodes of neglect and destruction gave rise to groups that aimed to preserve the historic cemeteries of New Orleans- an endeavor, which, according to Dedek, is still wanting for resources and political will.Containing ample primary source material, abundant illustrations, appendices on both tomb styles and the history of each of the city's eighteenth- and nineteenth-century cemeteries, The Cemeteries of New Orleans offers a comprehensive and intriguing resource on these fascinating historic sites.

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This textbook provides an overview of the digital information landscape and explains the implications of the technological changes for the information industry, from publishers and broadcasters to the information professionals who manage information in all its forms. This fully-updated second edition includes examples of organizations and individuals who are seizing on the opportunities thrown up by this once-in-a-generation technological shift providing a cutting-edge guide to where we are going both as information consumers and in terms of broader societal changes. Each chapter explores aspects of the information lifecycle, including production, distribution, storage and consumption and contains case studies chosen to illustrate particular issues and challenges facing the information industry. One of the key themes of the book is the way that organizations, public and commercial, are blurring their traditional lines of responsibility. Amazon is moving from simply selling books to offering the hardware and software for reading them. Apple still makes computer hardware but also manages one of the world’s leading marketplaces for music and software applications. Google maintains its position as the most popular internet search engine but has also digitized millions of copies of books from leading academic libraries and backed the development of the world’s most popular computing platform, Android. At the heart of these changes are the emergence of cheap computing devices for decoding and presenting digital information and a network which allows the bits and bytes to flow freely, for the moment at least, from producer to consumer. While the digital revolution is impacting on everyone who works with information, sometimes negatively, the second edition of Information 2.0 shows that the opportunities outweigh the risks for those who take the time to understand what is going on. Information has never been more abundant and accessible so those who know how to manage it for the benefit of others in the digital age will be in great demand. Readership: Students taking courses in library and information science, publishing and communication studies, with particular relevance to core modules exploring the information society and digital information. Academics and practitioners who need to get to grips with the new information environment.

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The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary healthcare. This past decade has obviously witnessed a tremendous surge in acceptance and public interest in natural therapies both in developing and developed countries, with these herbal remedies being available not only in drug stores, but now also in food stores and supermarkets. The use of herbal remedies has also been widely embraced in many developed countries with complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) now becoming mainstream in the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as in North America and Australia. In the developed countries, the most important among many other reasons for seeking herbal therapy is the belief that it will promote healthier living. Herbal medicines are, therefore, often viewed as a balanced and moderate approach to healing and individuals who use them as home remedies and over-the-counter drugs spend huge amount of money (in excess of billions of dollars) on herbal products. As the global use of herbal medicinal products continues to grow and many more new products are introduced into the market, public health issues, and concerns surrounding their safety are also increasingly recognized. Although some herbal medicines have promising potential and are widely used, many of them remain untested and their use also not monitored. This makes knowledge of their potential adverse effects very limited and identification of the safest and most effective therapies as well as the promotion of their rational use more difficult. It is also common knowledge that the safety of most herbal products is further compromised by lack of suitable quality controls, inadequate labeling, and the absence of appropriate patient information. It has become essential, therefore, to furnish the general public including healthcare professionals with adequate information to facilitate better understanding of the risks associated with the use of these products and to ensure that all medicines are safe and of suitable quality.

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“A hot-rod joy ride through mid-20th-century American history” (The New York Times Book Review), this one-of-a-kind narrative masterfully recreates the rivalry between the two men who innovated the electric guitar’s amplified sound—Leo Fender and Les Paul—and their intense competition to convince rock stars like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton to play the instruments they built.In the years after World War II, music was evolving from big-band jazz into rock ’n’ roll—and these louder styles demanded revolutionary instruments. When Leo Fender’s tiny firm marketed the first solid-body electric guitar, the Esquire, musicians immediately saw its appeal. Not to be out-maneuvered, Gibson, the largest guitar manufacturer, raced to build a competitive product. The company designed an “axe” that would make Fender’s Esquire look cheap and convinced Les Paul—whose endorsement Leo Fender had sought—to put his name on it. Thus was born the guitar world’s most heated rivalry: Gibson versus Fender, Les versus Leo. While Fender was a quiet, half-blind, self-taught radio repairman, Paul was a brilliant but headstrong pop star and guitarist who spent years toying with new musical technologies. Their contest turned into an arms race as the most inventive musicians of the 1950s and 1960s—including bluesman Muddy Waters, rocker Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton—adopted one maker’s guitar or another. By 1969 it was clear that these new electric instruments had launched music into a radical new age, empowering artists with a vibrancy and volume never before attainable. In “an excellent dual portrait” (The Wall Street Journal), Ian S. Port tells the full story in The Birth of Loud, offering “spot-on human characterizations, and erotic paeans to the bodies of guitars” (The Atlantic). “The story of these instruments is the story of America in the postwar era: loud, cocky, brash, aggressively new” (The Washington Post).

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For almost a hundred years from the 1860s, the City of London's overseas banks financed the global trade that lay at the core of the British Empire. Foremost among them from the beginning were two start-up ventures: the Standard Bank of South Africa, which soon developed a powerful domestic franchise at the Cape, and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. This book traces their stories in the nineteenth century, their glory days before 1914 - and their remarkable survival in the face of global wars and the collapse of world trade in the first half of the twentieth century.The unravelling of the Empire after 1945 eventually forced Britain's overseas banks to confront a different future. The Standard and the Chartered, alarmed at the expansion of American banking, determined in 1969 on a merger as a way of sustaining the best of the City's overseas traditions. But from the start, Standard Chartered had to grapple with the fading fortunes of its own inherited franchise - badly dented in both Asia and Africa - and with radical changes in the nature of banking. Its British managers, steeped in the past, proved ill-suited to the challenge. By the late 1980s, efforts to expand in Europe and the USA had brought the merged Group to the brink of collapse.Yet it survived - and then pulled off a dramatic recovery. Standard Chartered realigned itself, just in time, with the phenomenal growth of Asia's 'emerging markets', many of them in countries where the Chartered had flourished a century earlier. In the process, the Group was transformed. Trebling its workforce, it brushed aside the global financial crisis of 2008 and by 2012 could look back on a decade of astonishing growth. Recent times have added an eventful postscript to a long and absorbing history.Crossing Continents recounts Standard Chartered's story with a wealth of detail from one of the richest archives available to any commercial bank. The book also affords a rare and compelling perspective on the evolution of international trade and finance, showing how Britain's commercial influence has actually worked in practice around the world over one hundred and fifty years.

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Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Since the financial crisis of 2008, the anthropological study of economic activity has profoundly changed. A Research Agenda for Economic Anthropology poses new questions for anthropologists about the post-recession world, interrogating common social and political assumptions and stimulating innovative directions for research in economic anthropology. Employing a broad range of intellectual orientations, this comprehensive book tackles the most pressing developments in economic anthropology. The stimulating and thought-provoking chapters engage with the major features of modern economies, including inequality, debt, financialisation, neoliberalism and the ethics of economic practice, as well as with the effects of social mobilisation and activism. The contributors shed light on previously overlooked topics, reassess familiar subjects that need a fresh approach and share their own predilections concerning the modern economic world. With contributors ranging from senior academics to those early in their career, this work is critical reading for any anthropologist concerned with the economy and economic activity. Those searching for novel questions or for a sense of the direction of the discipline will particularly benefit from this book's broad, inquisitive approach. Economic sociologists and geographers will also gain from the comprehensive coverage of the many facets of modern economies. 'The chapters in James Carrier's provocative new collection give us stimulating ideas that set us well on the way to a new kind of economic anthropology. Anybody who finds themselves simultaneously fascinated and yet puzzled by what seems to be the ever more ''economized'' kind of society we live in will find much to attract them in these wide-ranging pages. And this won't just be anthropologists (or broad-minded economists), but students old and young, some seeking a new take on an old issue - markets and the state, inequality, or ethical action; others instead urged to reach toward new challenges - expanding our ideas of ''management'', thinking about resources along a time dimension, or reflecting on how politics is expressed in the language of finance. And there is much more. The opposite of a comprehensive ''wrapping-up'' exercise, this lively collection provides us with a distinct set of starting points that take us into exciting new fields within, and well beyond, economic anthropology. Lively, challenging and rewarding reading.' - Gavin Smith, University of Toronto, Canada and the National University of Ireland

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This volume in the series has big objectives: describe the bad science practices now in use in most studies in business-to-business marketing strategy and describe a true paradigm shift to good science practices by replacing the variable-based linear-symmetric null hypothesis testing (NHST) approach in theory construction and testing—with case-based asymmetric models with somewhat precise outcome testing (SPOT). Whether the question refers to success or failure, wise executives ask, how did we get here? What’s in store for the next decade? Unfortunately, the majority of scholarly articles examining the causes of success and failure offers scant useful information that is accurate in forecasting success or failure strategy outcomes. The majority of studies on strategy performance outcomes focus on variable relationships and testing for the directionality (positive or negative relationships) and effect size of relationships—using multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling (MRA/SEM) using null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST). Research on the value of NHST indicates that such studies are worse than useless: such research does not focus on case-based outcomes and achieving a statistically significant relationship greatly depends on the sample size of firms in the studies. Researchers using NHST are answering the wrong questions in examining the net effects of independent variables on dependent variable of interest (e.g., net earnings per revenue). Here are the right questions to ask. What configurations of antecedent conditions combine to generate positive outcomes for our firm and similar firms? What configurations of antecedent conditions combine to generate negative outcomes for firms in our industry? Sound reasoning and empirical evidence supports the wisdom of business executives ignoring the scholarly empirical literature on forecasting successful and unsuccessful management strategies using the NHST of the size and directionality of relationships. Good science practice relies on the complexity theory tenets covered in the chapters in this volume. Good science practice includes matching case-focused theory with case-focused data analytic tools and using somewhat precise outcome tests (SPOT) of asymmetric models. Good science practice achieves requisite variety necessary for deep explanation, description, and accurate prediction. The fear of submission rejection is another reason for rejecting case-based asymmetric modeling and SPOT. Overcome such fear by learning to apply complexity theory tenets, constructing separate case-based, mid-range, models of successful versus unsuccessful outcomes, and testing for accuracy via SPOT. This volume provides tools necessary for you to accomplish this task.

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This extraordinary book proposes a new theory of colonization and of its economic effects in leading to continued underdevelopment of formerly colonized countries. It brilliantly attributes those effects to a simple source: colonial monopolization that systematically affected consumers, labor, and related industries, creating a structure of domination that continues today. The book is comparable to Thomas Piketty's best-selling Capital in the 21st Century, but substantially goes beyond and is deeper than Piketty because it explains the economic and structural forces leading to increasing inequality. The book also shows that these same forces are affecting modern economies which will inhibit development into the future. It should be read by all interested in the economic and social effects of colonialism as well as by all interested in the economic future of the world.'- George L. Priest, Yale Law School, US'This bold, original and learned book proposes what might be termed a global, interdisciplinary theory of poverty. It identifies the cause of under-development of impoverished economies in the structural concentration of economic power inherited from their colonial past, then goes on to show how various fields of knowledge (economics, but also law, philosophy and the social sciences) still work today to support the same monopolistic socio-economic structures. Drawing lessons from this analytical framework, it offers a series of ideas for transformative action. In this respect, it provides highly instructive - if sobering - reading while also offering a remarkable methodological model for future research on issues which might be described as global justice.'- Horatia Muir Watt, Sciences Po, Paris, FranceThis ambitious analysis is centered on the evolution of economic structures in colonized economies, showing the effects of these structures on today's global reality for all economies, whether they are considered 'developed or 'underdeveloped.'With a comprehensive scope encompassing economic structures and their influence on the growth of nations from past to present, Calixto Salomão Filho delves into issues of development, economic structures, social problems, monopolies, globalization, and poverty. This book features a unique combination of economic and legal analysis of development, including the examination of underdevelopment trends based on monopoly growth and the triple drain effects of monopolies on national economies. The result is an illuminating study of historical restriction and exploitation and its impact on present day markets around the world.Monopolies and Underdevelopment will capture the interest of scholars and readers of the economic theory of development, economic history of underdeveloped countries, and law and development; as well as those involved in Latin American and South Asian studies, international comparative law, and legal history.

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Save time and trouble as you search the Internet for safe and reliable information on cosmetic procedures In a culture where everyone wants to look younger, more and more men are going under the knife for surgical cosmetic procedures in an effort to turn back the clockor at least slow it down a little. The Internet Guide to Cosmetic Surgery for Men is an essential handbook for any man concerned about aging and how his appearance might affect his standing in the workforce or in the social world. Comprehensive, well-organized, and very easy-to-use, this invaluable book helps you sort through the overwhelming amount of medical information that’s available online to find the reliable resources you need about general and specific surgeries, and the physicians who perform them.More than one million cosmetic procedures are performed in the United States each year on men who have found that looking younger can have benefits in the job market and elsewhere. And with so many surgeries, procedures, and over-the-counter therapies available, it’s easy to get lost in the sheer volume of health care information that’s being transmitted via the Internet. The Internet Guide to Cosmetic Surgery for Men saves you valuable time and effort navigating commercial, not-for-profit, and educational Web sites maintained by professional associations, the government, educational institutions, physicians advertising their own practices, companies selling their products, physician locator services, and much, much more. M. Sandra Wood, editor of the Internet Guide to Cosmetic Surgery for Women and Men’s Health on the Internet, guides you in your search for information you can trust about cosmetic procedures (nose reshaping, hair transplants, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and male breast reduction), minimally-invasive procedures (Botox injections, microdermabrasion, laser hair removals, and chemical peels), and physician qualifications. This unique book also covers Internet basics, including site evaluation and basic search methods. The Internet Guide to Cosmetic Surgery for Men will help you find reliable information about: basic cosmetic plastic surgery facts financial concerns credentials and board certification body contouring (liposuction, augmentation, lifts, and implants) surgery of the face, head, and neck (cheek, chin, ear, lip, forehead, jaw, eye, and nose) cosmetic procedures of the skin (cellulite, scars, wrinkles, tattoo removal, and more) hair transplantation cosmetic dentistry international and multinational surgery associations and much more The Internet Guide to Cosmetic Surgery for Men is essential for men who are considering having a cosmetic procedure done.

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Gain the medical insurance skills you need to succeed in today's outpatient and inpatient settings! Fordney's Medical Insurance and Billing, 16th Edition helps you master the insurance billing specialist's role and responsibilities in areas such as diagnostic coding, procedural coding, billing, and collection. Using clear, easy-to-understand explanations, this book covers all types of insurance coverage commonly encountered in hospitals, physicians' offices, and clinics. Step-by-step guidelines lead you through medical documentation and administrative procedures. Written by coding specialist and educator Linda M. Smith, this market-leading text is a complete guide to becoming an efficient insurance billing specialist. Coverage of medical documentation, diagnostic coding, and procedural coding provides you with the foundation and skills needed to work in a physician's office as well as outpatient and inpatient settings. Coverage of the role and responsibilities of the insurance billing specialist emphasizes advanced job opportunities and certification. Step-by-step procedures detail common responsibilities of the insurance billing specialist and coder. Key terms and abbreviationsare defined and emphasized, reinforcing your understanding of new concepts and terminology. Color-coded icons denote and clarify information, rules, and regulations for each type of payer. Privacy, Security, and HIPAA chapter and Compliance Alerts throughout the book highlight important HIPAA compliance issues and regulations. NEW! Insights From The Field includes short interviews with insurance billing specialists who have experience in the field, providing a snapshot of their career paths and offering advice to the new student. NEW! Scenario boxes help you apply concepts to real-world situations. NEW! Quick Review sections summarize chapter content and also include review questions. NEW! Discussion Points provide the opportunity for students and instructors to participate in interesting and open dialogues related to the chapter's content. NEW! Expanded Health Care Facility Billing chapters are revised to provide the latest information impacting the insurance billing specialist working in a variety of healthcare facility settings. NEW! Insights From The Field includes short interviews with insurance billing specialists who have experience in the field, providing a snapshot of their career paths and offering advice to the new student. NEW! Scenario boxes help you apply concepts to real-world situations. NEW! Quick Review sections summarize chapter content and also include review questions. NEW! Discussion Points provide the opportunity for students and instructors to participate in interesting and open dialogues related to the chapter's content. NEW! Expanded Health Care Facility Billing chapters are revised to provide the latest information impacting the insurance billing specialist working in a variety of healthcare facility settings.

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Transform your personal Bible devotions into intimate, ongoing conversations with God with various Scripture engagement approaches that keep Bible reading fresh and new.“Abide in Me.” John 15:4Do you yearn for life-giving, intimate communion with God? The Abide Bible is designed to help you experience the peace, hope, and growth that comes from encountering the voice and presence of God in Scripture. Every feature in Abide is designed to teach and develop Scripture-engagement habits that help you know the power and spiritual nourishment of abiding in Christ.Created in partnership with Bible Gateway and the Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement, The Abide Bible’s features include articles, book introductions, and practical Scripture engagement prompts based on five ways of engaging deeply with the Bible: Praying Scripture: Pattern your prayers after biblical texts, personalizing the prayer and gaining language for the thoughts and emotions you want to express. Picture It: Place yourself in a biblical narrative as a bystander or participant in important events. Journaling: Focus and reflect on Scripture and its meaning for your life, opening yourself to God’s voice as you ponder. Engage Through Art: Consider a classic piece of art—photograph, sculpture, painting—and let it deepen your meditations on scriptural truths. Contemplate: Follow the church’s longstanding practice of reading, meditating on, praying, and contemplating a passage of Scripture in order to experience God’s presence through the words of the Bible. Features include: Bible book introductions provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read 365 Day Bible Reading Plan guiding you through the entire Bible in a year Line-matched, single-column Scripture text for improved readability Smyth-sewn binding lays flat in your hand or on your desk Two satin ribbon markers allows you to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading Easy-to-read 9-point NET Comfort Print

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Transform your personal Bible devotions into intimate, ongoing conversations with God with various Scripture engagement approaches that keep Bible reading fresh and new.“Abide in Me.” John 15:4Do you yearn for life-giving, intimate communion with God? The Abide Bible is designed to help you experience the peace, hope, and growth that comes from encountering the voice and presence of God in Scripture. Every feature in Abide is designed to teach and develop Scripture-engagement habits that help you know the power and spiritual nourishment of abiding in Christ.Created in partnership with Bible Gateway and the Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement, The Abide Bible’s features include articles, book introductions, and practical Scripture engagement prompts based on five ways of engaging deeply with the Bible: Praying Scripture: Pattern your prayers after biblical texts, personalizing the prayer and gaining language for the thoughts and emotions you want to express. Picture It: Place yourself in a biblical narrative as a bystander or participant in important events. Journaling: Focus and reflect on Scripture and its meaning for your life, opening yourself to God’s voice as you ponder. Engage Through Art: Consider a classic piece of art—photograph, sculpture, painting—and let it deepen your meditations on scriptural truths. Contemplate: Follow the church’s longstanding practice of reading, meditating on, praying, and contemplating a passage of Scripture in order to experience God’s presence through the words of the Bible. Features include: Bible book introductions provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read 365 Day Bible Reading Plan guiding you through the entire Bible in a year Line-matched, single-column Scripture text for improved readability Smyth-sewn binding lays flat in your hand or on your desk Two satin ribbon markers allows you to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading Easy-to-read 9-point NET Comfort Print

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Interactive and experiential journal introducing prayer practices to teenagers. Space for teenagers to record their own thoughts on the practice and to read what other people have said Ideal confirmation gift Fresh, contemporary design. This book is based on a blog run by Revd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and her teenage son, Noah, www.TeenagePrayerExperiment.blogspot.co.uk. Miranda and Noah developed the blog and book as they could find nothing on the market to introduce teenagers to different ways of praying. Each chapter of the book introduces a prayer practice, e.g using labyrinths, Lego Bible modelling, prayer beads, prayer walking. It also includes comments by teenagers who have tried it out and plenty of space for the young person to record their own thoughts. Each experiment is divided into 4 parts: 1. An introduction to the prayer idea being suggested and the context of the tradition 2. The experiment - how to do it and what you need 3. Space for notes on how it went/ what you thought 4. Notes from other teens who have tried out the experiment and their thoughts about it Packed full of experiments in prayer this is a resource to get stuck into and try for yourself.

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Marco Polo Pocket Guide Florence: the Travel Guide with Insider Tips Explore Florence with this handy, pocket-sized, authoritative guide, packed with Insider Tips. Discover boutique hotels, authentic restaurants, the city's trendiest places, and get tips on shopping and what to do on a limited budget. There are plenty of ideas for travel with kids, and a summary of all the festivals and events that take place. Let Marco Polo show you all this wonderful Italian city has to offer… Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is a wonderfully preserved city with a wealth of unique artistic and architectural treasures. And beyond this glorious cultural heritage you can explore elegant shopping streets, soak up the sun in the beautiful squares, gather round to listen to street musicians or enjoy the incredible local cuisine. A weekend in Florence is a feast for all the senses and no one leaves disappointed…This is Florence! Your Marco Polo Florence Pocket Guide includes: Insider Tips – we show you the hidden gems and little-known secrets that offer a real insight into the city. Visit the Market and join the Florentines for a stand-up lunch at Nerbone, or head to the old Teatro del Sale for a real culinary treat. Best of – find the best things to do for free, the best ‘only in’ Florence experiences, the best things to do if it rains and the best places to relax and spoil yourself. Sightseeing – all the top sights are organised by area of the city so you can easily plan your trip. Discovery Tours – specially tailored tours will get you to the heart of Florence. From magnificent art to delightful cafes, you can experience all of Florence’s unique character with these personal tours. Florence in full-colour – Marco Polo Pocket Guide Florence includes full-colour photos throughout the guide bringing the region to life offering you a real taste of what you can see and enjoy on your trip. Touring App – download any of the Discovery Tours to your smartphone, complete with the detailed route description and map exactly as featured in the guide, free of charge. The maps can be used offline too, so no roaming charges. The perfect navigational tool with distance indicators and landmarks highlighting the correct direction to travel in as well as GPS coordinates along the way. Enjoy stress-free sightseeing and never get lost again! Street Atlas and pull-out map – we’ve included a detailed street atlas and a handy, pull-out map so you can pop the guide in your bag for a full-on sightseeing day or head out with just the map to enjoy your Discovery Tour. Useful Italian phrases – the essential words and phrases are included to help you get by. Trust Marco Polo Pocket Guide Florence to show you around this fabulous Italian city. The comprehensive coverage and unique insights will ensure you experience everything Florence has to offer and more. The special tips, personal insights and unusual experiences will help you make the most of your trip - just arrive and enjoy.

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Discover the Biblical Foundations of living a spirit-led lifestyle. The KJV Life in the Spirit Study Bible will help guide you into a Christ-centered, righteous and Spirit-led lifestyle. In a culture that requires believers to depend strongly on God and his Word, this Bible will help you cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit as the source of the Church’s power. The Themefinder icons included throughout the text tell at a glance which theme a given passage addresses, including Baptized in/Filled with the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Fruit of the Holy Spirit, Healing, Salvation, Witnessing and more.Wonderful as it is to be saved for all eternity, we also long to walk with the Lord today. We want to hear his voice, know his heart, receive his gifts, and participate in what he is doing. We desire what the early church had that Jesus promised would be ours as well: lives lived in the intimacy, vision and power of his Spirit. Based on the common underpinnings of Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, the Life in the Spirit Study Bible is designed as an important Biblical resource for all Christians, regardless of church background, who long to deepen their connection with the Holy Spirit. If you are hungry for greater intimacy with Jesus, if what you’ve read in the Bible suggests amazing possibilities for your personal relationship with God, if you long to experience the message, faith, devotion and power described in the book of Acts, then this KJV study Bible will help you build a bedrock of spiritual understanding and faith for living a down-to-earth life equipped with the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Features: Complete text of the timeless and trustworthy King James Version (KJV) translation Themefinder icons located by Scripture passages tell at a glance which theme a given passage addresses Study notes offer insights that help you understand and apply the Scriptures 77 Articles address a wide variety of topics surrounding life in the Spirit Word studies shed light on the meanings of key words in their original Greek and Hebrew contexts 5 Custom-designed mega-charts visually portray “Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ,” “The Kingdom of God Versus the Kingdom of Satan,” “The Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” “The Work of the Holy Spirit,” and “The Last Days of History” Book introductions provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read In-text maps and charts Full-color map section show a visual representation of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Concordance for looking up a word’s occurrences throughout the Bible Words of Christ in red help you quickly identify Jesus’ teachings and statements Subject and Themefinder indexes Reading plan for an easy-to-follow structure for consistent Bible reading Tables of contents to quickly locate articles, maps and charts Ribbon marker for you to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading Easy-to-read 8.8-point type size

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The digital age is a modern stage of the development of society and economy, which started with the wide use of the first digital technologies (Internet, mobile communication) and reached its peak amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution due to the dissemination of smart technologies (the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence). The digital age has the highest rate of technological progress in the entire history of industrial revolutions, which predetermines two specific features of this age. The first specific feature is as follows: unlike the previous industrial revolutions, when, despite certain companies' transition to new technologies, other companies -- due to the traditional thinking of society -- preserved the previous technological mode for a long time, the society progressed together with economy. Digital technologies transform not only the processes of production but also the processes of distribution and consumption of products. The growing demand for digital innovations is strong pressure on the market, which does not allow companies to remain aside from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The second specific feature is that digitalization takes place in waves -- continuously and over-and-over again. This is the difference between the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the previous revolutions when the technological transition was momentary and single-step. Due to this specific feature, there emerged a hypothesis that the digital age could have not one but several industrial revolutions. Followers of this hypothesis suggest considering technological progress in the macro-scale, distinguishing the pre-digital age, which was the time of the first three industrial revolutions, and the digital age, which was opened by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Regardless of the level of the view of the digital age, it is obvious that it requires continuous, step-by-step digital innovations. This book's contribution to the literature on digital innovations is due to offering a new scientific and methodological approach to managing innovative development in the digital age. The main feature of the new approach is active, continuous, and comprehensive interaction between government, society, and entrepreneurship. The advantage of the new approach is the increase of effectiveness of state and corporate management of innovative development, as well as accelerated and well-balanced adaptation of society to the digital age. This book is aimed primarily at scholars studying digital innovations. For them, the book offers fundamental developments, empirical overview, case studies, and scientific and methodological recommendations in the sphere of innovative development of state and law, society, and economy in the digital age. Due to its multidisciplinary character, the book will also be of interest to the representatives of various humanitarian disciplines: legal, social, and economic. The book will be also of interest for practicing experts involved with the practice of corporate management and for bodies of public administration of innovative development in the digital age. For them, the book offers various issues of economic and legal regulation of innovative development in the digital age, due to which it could be a theoretical and methodological guide for improving this management.

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Ed McQuarrie has been a leading light among sociological consumer researchers for a long time, his research devoted to deep and interdisciplinary exploration. This book is a much-needed development of the vast new terrain of consumers' online behaviors. From megaphone effects to soapbox imperatives, from Bourdieu to Goffman, cultural capital to trust, McQuarrie builds on his prior work to provide exciting new thinking to help us understand the radical and important changes that the Internet continues to spur. Highly recommended!'- Robert Kozinets, York University, CanadaIt's a new world online, where consumers can publish their writing and gain a public presence, even a mass audience. This book links together blogging, writing reviews for Yelp, and creating pinboards for Pinterest, all of which provide ordinary people the opportunity to display their tastes to strangers. Edward McQuarrie shows how the operation of taste in consumption has been changed by the Internet and offers a fresh perspective on why websites like Yelp and Pinterest have become so successful.Drawing on Bourdieu and Campbell to support his thesis, Edward McQuarrie uncovers what is new online by:- presenting a sociological perspective on what consumers do online and contrasting it to more familiar economic, psychological and ethnographic views- reinterpreting Bourdieu s idea of cultural capital to understand the success of fashion bloggers- showing how the meaning of taste and what it means to dress fashionably have changed with the Web- explaining why online reviews cannot be considered word-of-mouth and therefore cannot be understood using that idea- examining why Pinterest is so attractive to female consumers while relating Pinterest to Walter Benjamin's ideas about how mechanical reproduction changes the meaning of art.This book will be valuable to students and scholars interested in consumer research, marketing, and sociology, specifically those who seek an alternative to purely psychological and economic explanations for what consumers do online.

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Design and build innovative, custom, data-driven Alexa skills for home or business. Working through several projects, this book teaches you how to build Alexa skills and integrate them with online APIs. If you have basic Python skills, this book will show you how to build data-driven Alexa skills. You will learn to use data to give your Alexa skills dynamic intelligence, in-depth knowledge, and the ability to remember. Data-Driven Alexa Skills takes a step-by-step approach to skill development. You will begin by configuring simple skills in the Alexa Skill Builder Console. Then you will develop advanced custom skills that use several Alexa Skill Development Kit features to integrate with lambda functions, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Internet data feeds. These advanced skills enable you to link user accounts, query and store data using a NoSQL database, and access real estate listings and stock prices via web APIs.What You Will Learn Set up and configure your development environment properly the first time Build Alexa skills quickly and efficiently using Agile tools and techniques Create a variety of data-driven Alexa skills for home and business Access data from web applications and Internet data sources via their APIs Test with unit-testing frameworks throughout the development life cycle Manage and query your data using the DynamoDb NoSQL database engines Who This Book Is ForDevelopers who wish to go beyond Hello World and build complex, data-driven applications on Amazon's Alexa platform; developers who want to learn how to use Lambda functions, the Alexa Skills SDK, Alexa Presentation Language, and Alexa Conversations; developers interested in integrating with public APIs such as real estate listings and stock market prices. Readers will need to have basic Python skills.

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This fascinating cultural history of the personal computer explains how user-friendly design allows tech companies to build systems that we cannot understand.Modern personal computers are easy to use, and their welcoming, user-friendly interfaces encourage us to see them as designed for our individual benefit. Rarely, however, do these interfaces invite us to consider how our individual uses support the broader political and economic strategies of their designers.In Transparent Designs, Michael L. Black revisits early debates from hobbyist newsletters, computing magazines, user manuals, and advertisements about how personal computers could be seen as usable and useful by the average person. Black examines how early personal computers from the Tandy TRS-80 and Commodore PET to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh were marketed to an American public that was high on the bold promises of the computing revolution but also skeptical about their ability to participate in it. Through this careful archival study, he shows how many of the foundational principles of usability theory were shaped through disagreements over the languages and business strategies developed in response to this skepticism. In short, this book asks us to consider the consequences of a computational culture that is based on the assumption that the average person does not need to know anything about the internal operations of the computers we've come to depend on for everything.Expanding our definition of usability, Transparent Designs examines how popular and technical rhetoric shapes user expectations about what counts as usable and useful as much as or even more so than hardware and software interfaces. Offering a fresh look at the first decade of personal computing, Black highlights how the concept of usability has been leveraged historically to smooth over conflicts between the rhetoric of computing and its material experience. Readers interested in vintage computing, the history of technology, digital rhetoric, or American culture will be fascinated in this book.

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Generic drugs are now familiar objects in clinics, drugstores, and households around the world. We like to think of these tablets, capsules, patches, and ointments as interchangeable with their brand-name counterparts: why pay more for the same? And yet they are not quite the same. They differ in price, in place of origin, in color, shape, and size, in the dyes, binders, fillers, and coatings used, and in a host of other ways. Claims of generic equivalence, as physician-historian Jeremy Greene reveals in this gripping narrative, are never based on being identical to the original drug in all respects, but in being the same in all ways that matter. How do we know what parts of a pill really matter? Decisions about which differences are significant and which are trivial in the world of therapeutics are not resolved by simple chemical or biological assays alone. As Greene reveals in this fascinating account, questions of therapeutic similarity and difference are also always questions of pharmacology and physiology, of economics and politics, of morality and belief. Generic is the first book to chronicle the social, political, and cultural history of generic drugs in America. It narrates the evolution of the generic drug industry from a set of mid-twentieth-century "schlock houses" and "counterfeiters" into an agile and surprisingly powerful set of multinational corporations in the early twenty-first century. The substitution of bioequivalent generic drugs for more expensive brand-name products is a rare success story in a field of failed attempts to deliver equivalent value in health care for a lower price. Greene's history sheds light on the controversies shadowing the success of generics: problems with the generalizability of medical knowledge, the fragile role of science in public policy, and the increasing role of industry, marketing, and consumer logics in late-twentieth-century and early twenty-first century health care.

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The ultimate study package for the new PMI-ACP exam The PMI-ACP Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner Exam Study Guide is an all-in-one package for comprehensive exam preparation. This up-to-date guide is fully aligned with the latest version of the exam, featuring coverage of 100 percent of the exam domains. Expanded coverage of AGILE includes the basic principles, value-driven delivery, stakeholder engagement, team performance, adaptive planning, problem detection and resolution, and continuous improvement to align with the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® 6th Edition) and its increased emphasis on agile, adaptive and iterative practices. In-depth discussion merges with hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios to provide a well-rounded review of essential exam concepts, while the online learning center provides an assessment test, chapter tests, a practice exam, and study aids to help you ensure complete preparation for the big day. Master 100 percent of the exam objectives, including expanded AGILE coverage Reinforce critical concepts with hands-on practice and real-world scenarios Test your knowledge with challenging chapter review questions One year of FREE access to the Sybex online test bank featuring practice tests, flashcards, a glossary, and more Project management is one of the most in-demand skills in today's job market, making more and more employers turn to AGILE methodologies to enhance delivery and results. The PMI-ACP certification shows employers that you have demonstrated mastery of essential project management skills and a practical understanding of adaptive, iterative processes; this validation puts you among the ranks of qualified project management professionals employers are desperately seeking, and the PMI-ACP Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner Exam Study Guide is your one-stop resource for exam success.

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Strategic Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Events is the must-have text for students approaching this subject for the first time. It introduces students to fundamental strategic management principles in a tourism, hospitality and events context and brings theory to life by integrating a host of industry-based case studies and examples throughout.This fourth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the major changes in strategic direction for these industries due to the most significant global crisis ever, as well as significant technology advances and issues related to sustainability.New features and topics in this fourth edition include: New international tourism, hospitality and events case studies from both SMEs and large-scale businesses are integrated throughout to show applications of strategic management theory. New Technology Focus short cases are included, as well as longer combined sector case studies on topics such as COVID-19 impacts A new chapter on sustainability and corporate social responsibility explores how the principles of sustainability can be incorporated into the strategy of tourism, hospitality and events organizations Technology is integrated into all chapters, looking at big data, artificial intelligence, the external political environment, social media and e-marketing, absorptive capacity and innovation Impacts and implications of COVID-19 are discussed, considering industry responses, financial implications and future emergent strategies A contemporary view incorporates the broad range of academic literature and industry developments that have emerged in recent years and provides a particular focus on smaller organizations, recognizing their key role Web support for tutors and students provides explanations and guidelines for instructors on how to use the textbook and case studies, additional exercises and video links for students This book is written in an accessible and engaging style and structured logically, with useful features throughout to aid students’ learning and understanding. It is an essential resource for tourism, hospitality and events students.

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In the first five centuries of the common era, the kiss was a distinctive and near-ubiquitous marker of Christianity. Although Christians did not invent the kiss—Jewish and pagan literature is filled with references to kisses between lovers, family members, and individuals in relationships of power and subordination—Christians kissed one another in highly specific settings and in ways that set them off from the non-Christian population. Christians kissed each other during prayer, Eucharist, baptism, and ordination and in connection with greeting, funerals, monastic vows, and martyrdom. As Michael Philip Penn shows in Kissing Christians, this ritual kiss played a key role in defining group membership and strengthening the social bond between the communal body and its individual members. Kissing Christians presents the first comprehensive study of the ritual kiss and how controversies surrounding it became part of larger debates regarding the internal structure of Christian communities and their relations with outsiders. Penn traces how Christian writers exalted those who kissed only fellow Christians, proclaimed that Jews did not have a kiss, prohibited exchanging the kiss with potential heretics, privileged the confessor's kiss, prohibited Christian men and women from kissing each other, and forbade laity from kissing clergy. Kissing Christians also investigates connections between kissing and group cohesion, kissing practices and purity concerns, and how Christian leaders used the motif of the kiss of Judas to examine theological notions of loyalty, unity, forgiveness, hierarchy, and subversion. Exploring connections between bodies, power, and performance, Kissing Christians bridges the gap between cultural and liturgical approaches to antiquity. It breaks significant new ground in its application of literary and sociological theory to liturgical history and will have a profound impact on these fields.

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There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as "le weekend" has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: "The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic." Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. Richard Kuisel shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. They ask: how can we be modern like the Americans without becoming like them? France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed America's "jungle capitalism" while liberalizing its own economy; attacked "Reaganomics'" while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. Kuisel examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States--in the reunification of Germany and in military involvement in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia--but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, Kuisel asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization. Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, The French Way delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.

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Digital signal processing plays a central role in the development of modern communication and information processing systems. The theory and application of signal processing is concerned with the identification, modelling and utilisation of patterns and structures in a signal process. The observation signals are often distorted, incomplete and noisy and therefore noise reduction, the removal of channel distortion, and replacement of lost samples are important parts of a signal processing system. The fourth edition of Advanced Digital Signal Processing and Noise Reduction updates and extends the chapters in the previous edition and includes two new chapters on MIMO systems, Correlation and Eigen analysis and independent component analysis. The wide range of topics covered in this book include Wiener filters, echo cancellation, channel equalisation, spectral estimation, detection and removal of impulsive and transient noise, interpolation of missing data segments, speech enhancement and noise/interference in mobile communication environments. This book provides a coherent and structured presentation of the theory and applications of statistical signal processing and noise reduction methods. Two new chapters on MIMO systems, correlation and Eigen analysis and independent component analysis Comprehensive coverage of advanced digital signal processing and noise reduction methods for communication and information processing systems Examples and applications in signal and information extraction from noisy data Comprehensive but accessible coverage of signal processing theory including probability models, Bayesian inference, hidden Markov models, adaptive filters and Linear prediction models Advanced Digital Signal Processing and Noise Reduction is an invaluable text for postgraduates, senior undergraduates and researchers in the fields of digital signal processing, telecommunications and statistical data analysis. It will also be of interest to professional engineers in telecommunications and audio and signal processing industries and network planners and implementers in mobile and wireless communication communities.

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Semiconductor-based Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices –a key technology for the next generation of ultrahigh bandwidth optical communication systems! The introduction of ultra-fast communication systems based on all-optical signal processing is considered to be one of the most promising ways to handle the rapidly increasing global communication traffic. Such systems will enable real time super-high definition moving pictures such as high reality TV-conference, remote diagnosis and surgery, cinema entertainment and many other applications with small power consumption. The key issue to realize such systems is to develop ultra-fast optical devices such as light sources, all-optical gates and wavelength converters. Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices discusses the state of the art development of semiconductor-based ultrafast all-optical devices, and their various signal processing applications for bit-rates 100Gb/s to 1Tb/s. Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices: Provides a thorough and in-depth treatment of the most recent achievements in ultrafast all-optical devices Discusses future networks with applications such as HD-TV and super-high definition moving screens as a motivating background for devices research Covers mode-locked semiconductor lasers, electro-absorption modulator based 160Gb/s signal sources, SOA based symmetric Mach-Zehnder type all-optical gates, intersubband transition gate device, and more Explains the technical issues behind turning the ultra-fast optical devices into practical working tools Examples of above 160Gb/s transmission experiments Discusses future prospects of the ultra-fast signal processing devices This invaluable reference will provide device researchers and engineers in industry, researchers at universities (including graduate students, and post doctorial researchers and professors) and research institutes with a thorough understanding of ultrahigh bandwidth optical communication systems. Device and communication market watchers will also find this book useful.

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Multimedia Signal Processing is a comprehensive and accessible text to the theory and applications of digital signal processing (DSP). The applications of DSP are pervasive and include multimedia systems, cellular communication, adaptive network management, radar, pattern recognition, medical signal processing, financial data forecasting, artificial intelligence, decision making, control systems and search engines. This book is organised in to three major parts making it a coherent and structured presentation of the theory and applications of digital signal processing. A range of important topics are covered in basic signal processing, model-based statistical signal processing and their applications. Part 1: Basic Digital Signal Processing gives an introduction to the topic, discussing sampling and quantization, Fourier analysis and synthesis, Z-transform, and digital filters. Part 2: Model-based Signal Processing covers probability and information models, Bayesian inference, Wiener filter, adaptive filters, linear prediction hidden Markov models and independent component analysis. Part 3: Applications of Signal Processing in Speech, Music and Telecommunications explains the topics of speech and music processing, echo cancellation, deconvolution and channel equalization, and mobile communication signal processing. Covers music signal processing, explains the anatomy and psychoacoustics of hearing and the design of MP3 music coder Examines speech processing technology including speech models, speech coding for mobile phones and speech recognition Covers single-input and multiple-inputs denoising methods, bandwidth extension and the recovery of lost speech packets in applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) Illustrated throughout, including numerous solved problems, Matlab experiments and demonstrations Companion website features Matlab and C++ programs with electronic copies of all figures. This book is ideal for researchers, postgraduates and senior undergraduates in the fields of digital signal processing, telecommunications and statistical data analysis. It will also be a valuable text to professional engineers in telecommunications and audio and signal processing industries.

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As a result of immigration from Asia in the wake of the passage of the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act, the fastest-growing religions in America-faster than all Christian groups combined-are Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. In this remarkable book, a leading scholar of religion asks how these new faiths have changed or have been changed by the pluralist face of American civil society. How have these new religious minorities been affected by the deep-rooted American ambivalence toward foreign traditions? Bruce Lawrence casts a comparativist eye on the American religious scene and explores the ways in which various groups of Asian immigrants have, and sometimes have not, been integrated into the American polity. In the process, he offers several important correctives. Too often, Lawrence argues, profiles of Asian American experience focus exclusively on immigrants from East Asia, to the exclusion of South Asian and West Asian voices.New Faiths, Old Fears seeks to make all Asians equally important and to break free of traditional geographic markers, most reflecting nineteenth-century imperial values, that artificially divide the people of the "Middle East" from the rest of Asia, with whom they share certain religious and cultural ties. Iranian Americans, in particular, emerge as a vital bridge group whose experience tells us much about how Asians of many different backgrounds have found their way in their new nation. Beyond simply expanding and refining our conception of who Asian Americans are, Lawrence draws instructive comparisons between Asian Americans' experience and those of Native, African, and Hispanic Americans, exposing undercurrents of racial and class antagonisms. He concludes that we cannot fully comprehend the contours and valences of culture and religion in America without understanding how this racialized class prejudice shapes the views of the dominant class toward immigrants and other marginal groups.

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Babar the elephant, one of the most beloved and classic characters in children’s literature, showcases his favorite parts of the City of Lights in this memorable trip to Paris, France. Laurent de Brunhoff’s Paris is filled with charming elephants on every page as they enjoy all the sights and sounds of one of Europe’s most popular cities. This all-new full-color picture book, rendered in beautiful watercolors, evokes the classic feel of the bestselling Babar’s Museum of Art, and it will become a must-have read for fans of Babar, those planning a family trip to Paris, and anyone new to the wondrous world of Babar. When Babar’s youngest daughter, Isabelle, heads to Paris on her own for the first time, he tells her how to enjoy the iconic city to the fullest. An expert Francophile, Babar recommends food, including cafes, street markets, and brassieres; he also offers the best sightseeing tips, especially observing the Eiffel Tower from every angle, walking along the banks of the Seine, visiting the Louvre and Orangerie museums, and exploring the Luxembourg Gardens. There’s even a postcard-perfect opening scene that features the Babar family visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral on a previous vacation. Babar also gives local advice. He tells Isabelle how apartment buildings work, why an elephant may be surprised by the size of an elevator, how to take the metro, how to find a restaurant to call your own, and to walk—walk as much as possible to see everything that Paris has to offer. In the end, Isabelle is encouraged to enjoy her travels, but she is also lovingly reminded to always come home to Celesteville and her family. Like other classic children’s books featuring international adventures, including Madeline in London and Eloise in Paris, readers will be eager to take the trip to Paris with Babar.

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In his much-anticipated memoir, The Company I Keep: My Life in Beauty, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies Leonard A. Lauder shares the business and life lessons he learned as well as the adventures he had while helping transform the mom-and-pop business his mother founded in 1946 in the family kitchen into the beloved brand and ultimately into the iconic global prestige beauty company it is today.In its infancy in the 1940s and 50s, the company comprised a handful of products, sold under a single brand in just a few prestigious department stores across the United States. Today, The Estée Lauder Companies constitutes one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of prestige skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. It comprises more than 25 brands, whose products are sold in over 150 countries and territories. This growth and success was led by Leonard A. Lauder, Estée Lauder’s oldest son, who envisioned and effected this expansion during a remarkable 60-year tenure, including leading the company as CEO and Chairman.In this captivating personal account complete with great stories as only he can tell them, Mr. Lauder, now known as The Estée Lauder Companies’ “Chief Teaching Officer,” reflects on his childhood, growing up during the Great Depression, the vibrant decades of the post-World War II boom, and his work growing the company into the beauty powerhouse it is today. Mr. Lauder pays loving tribute to his mother Estée Lauder, its eponymous founder, and to the employees of the company, both past and present, while sharing inside stories about the company, including tales of cutthroat rivalry with Charles Revson of Revlon and others. The book offers keen insights on honing ambition, leveraging success, learning from mistakes, and growing an international company in an age of economic turbulence, uncertainty, and fierce competition.

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An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture's teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The NKJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is printed in the NKJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the New King James Version (NKJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read.Features: Complete text of the New King James Version (NKJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Exclusive NKJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 9.5

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