Search results for ""author bill"

The first consumer credit bureaus appeared in the 1870s and quickly amassed huge archives of deeply personal information. Today, the three leading credit bureaus are among the most powerful institutions in modern life-yet we know almost nothing about them. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are multi-billion-dollar corporations that track our movements, spending behavior, and financial status. This data is used to predict our riskiness as borrowers and to judge our trustworthiness and value in a broad array of contexts, from insurance and marketing to employment and housing. In Creditworthy, the first comprehensive history of this crucial American institution, Josh Lauer explores the evolution of credit reporting from its nineteenth-century origins to the rise of the modern consumer data industry. By revealing the sophistication of early credit reporting networks, Creditworthy highlights the leading role that commercial surveillance has played-ahead of state surveillance systems-in monitoring the economic lives of Americans. Lauer charts how credit reporting grew from an industry that relied on personal knowledge of consumers to one that employs sophisticated algorithms to determine a person's trustworthiness. Ultimately, Lauer argues that by converting individual reputations into brief written reports-and, later, credit ratings and credit scores-credit bureaus did something more profound: they invented the modern concept of financial identity. Creditworthy reminds us that creditworthiness is never just about economic "facts." It is fundamentally concerned with-and determines-our social standing as an honest, reliable, profit-generating person.

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The most notorious poet-critic of his generation, William Logan has defined our view of poets good and bad, interesting and banal, for more than three decades. Featured in the New York Times Book Review, the Times Literary Supplement, and the New Criterion, among other journals, Logan's eloquent, passionate prose never fails to provoke readers and poets, reminding us of the value and vitality of the critic's savage art. Like The Undiscovered Country: Poetry in the Age of Tin, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, Our Savage Art features the corrosive wit and darkly discriminating critiques that have become the trademarks of Logan's style. Opening with a defense of the critical eye, this collection features essays on Robert Lowell's correspondence, Elizabeth Bishop's unfinished poems, the inflated reputation of Hart Crane, the loss of the New Critics, and a damning-and already highly controversial-indictment of an edition of Robert Frost's notebooks. Logan also includes essays on Derek Walcott and Geoffrey Hill, two crucial figures in the divided world of contemporary poetry, and an attempt to rescue the reputation of the nineteenth-century poet John Townsend Trowbridge. Short reviews consider John Ashbery, Anne Carson, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Louise Gluck, Jorie Graham, Robert Hass, Seamus Heaney, and dozens of others. Though he might be called a cobra with manners, Logan is a fervent advocate for poetry, and Our Savage Art continues to raise the standard of what the critic can do.

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Legendary Silicon Valley visionary and one of the world's greatest business leaders, John Chambers shares the playbook and philosophy that transformed Cisco into a global tech titan and now inspire a new generation of leaders. With numerous start-ups moving from zero to a billion to bankruptcy in a matter of years, it’s clear that sustaining a business in the digital age is no walk in the park. Over 20 years, John Chambers transformed a company with 400 employees and one toaster-sized product (a router) into a tech giant that's the backbone of the Internet. Along the way, he's outlasted and outmaneuvered practically every rival that ever tried to take Cisco on-Nortel, Lucent, Alcatel, IBM, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard, to name a few-and turned more than 10,000 employees into millionaires, more than any company in history. When Chambers stepped down as executive chairman in December of 2017, he left a company that didn't just shape the first Internet era but is leading the next wave of innovation in areas from cyber-security to self-driving cars. Now, in collaboration with award-winning journalist Diane Brady, Chambers shares the stories and strategies that helped his company win again and again through multiple market shifts. Posing a unique mode of thought proven to attain success, the message of this book is clear; it is not the biggest or the richest players who win, but the ones who are able to stay ahead of the trend by connecting the dots. Both enlightening and practical, this is essential reading to inspire a new generation of leaders.

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Following Rizzoli’s best-selling Pharrell: Places and Spaces I’ve Been, this volume documents the continuing adventures in art and design of one of the most influential figures in contemporary music and popular culture. Lavishly illustrated with 250 photographs and illustrations, this book features Pharrell Williams’s prolific and ever-expanding body of work in a graphic language all his own. Straddling art, design, and hip-hop, Pharrell’s creative output is without peer or precedent. By playing off different disciplines—music, fashion, and contemporary art—Pharrell has redefined the role of the contemporary artist, blazing a trail for other musicians and cultural figures. Expanding on themes covered in Places and Spaces I’ve Been, this book gathers a new group of collaborators. Engaging Pharrell in conversation, talents as diverse as Karl Lagerfeld and Takashi Murakami position Pharrell’s work within contemporary visual and material culture. The worldwide success of the song “Happy” to his soundtrack and production credit for the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures bookend a volume devoted to Pharrell’s mastery of artistic collaboration. Featuring work with artists as diverse as JR, Alex Katz, Mr., and Daniel Arsham, the book highlights recent projects and designs for Chanel, Moncler, Moynat, and Adidas. But at the heart is the visual language that Pharrell has built around his Ice Cream/Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, which integrates streetwear into the design of apparel, accessories, limited-edition toys, and skate graphics. This alone makes the book a must-have collectible.

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King Copper is the first full treatment of the impact of the copper industry upon society and environment in south Wales. For the whole of the eighteenth century and much of the nineteenth a belt of coastal smelters using local coals and ores from Cornwall, Cuba and Chile produced virtually all of Britain's copper and much of the worlds. It was a remarkable industrial concentration that brought wealth to Swansea, the centre of the industry, and to neighbouring towns. But there was a price for prosperity. Copper ores are notoriously impure and the many roastings and meltings required to drive out the impurities and separate the metal from the ore produced mountains of slag and furnace ash and billowing clouds of toxic, foul-smelling smoke. Laced with sulphur and arsenic, the smoke killed all but the hardiest plants, ruining crops and killing and disabling grazing animals. This continual chafing of a farmed and settled countryside set farmers against townsmen, the Welsh-speaking Cymry Cymraeg against their Anglo-Welsh cousins in the towns. The conflict culminated in a series of dramatic 'smoke' trials in which farmers and landowners sued the copper companies for damage to crops, grazing and stock. Seldom has the rural-urban dichotomy been so exposed. The smoke disputes centred on damage to property but they also raised questions about public health and the loss of attractive and loved landscapes.

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***A New York Times pick for best wine book of 2023!***'A tour de force!' - Jancis Robinson'Henry Jeffreys, who used to work in the wine trade, is an amiable and entertaining guide to 'the English wine revolution'' - Daily Mail'A fascinating and superbly told adventure' - Independent 'A tremendously gossipy but adroitly helmed examination of where English wine istoday and how it got there' - Telegraph'An invaluable guide' - Evening Standard'Delightful details make the book sing' - Times Literary Supplement'A page-turner' - Financial Times'Mr. Jeffreys, an English drinks writer, has done an excellent job of telling the story of the quirky characters and visionaries behind the first wave of modern English wines in the 1980s and '90s' - New York TimesThe definitive story of the extraordinary and surprising success of English wine - and the people who transformed our reputation on the global stage from that of a joke to world-class in 30 years.From an amateur affair made by retirees to a multi-million-pound industry with quality to rival Champagne, the rise of English wine has been one of the more unexpected wine stories of the past 30 years. In this illuminating and accessible account, award-winning drinks writer Henry Jeffreys takes you behind the scenes of the English wine revolution. It's a story about changing climate and technology but most of all it's about men and women with vision, determination and more than a little bloody-mindedness. From secretive billionaires to the single mother farming a couple of hectares in Kent, these are the people making wine in a cold climate.

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You don’t need to follow the rules to find the path to happiness . . .Upside Down is a powerful story of unconventional romance, bold choices and second chances, from the billion copy bestseller, Danielle Steel. Oscar-winning actress Ardith Law is a Hollywood icon. A stunning beauty at sixty-two, her star is as bright as ever. Widowed at a young age by a philandering husband, Ardith is in no hurry to marry again. Her daughter, Morgan, a successful cosmetic surgeon, has always blamed her mother for a lonely childhood while Ardith was away on location, and the relationship remains strained despite Ardith’s efforts to strengthen their bond.While Ardith’s long-time partner is away filming in London, Josh Gray, an actor waiting for his big break, is employed as Ardith’s assistant at her Bel Air home. When tragedy strikes he becomes an invaluable support, stirring up conflicting feelings in her for this younger man.In New York, Morgan is swept off her feet by Ben Ryan, one of the country’s most famous TV news reporters. Though more than two decades her senior, she falls headlong for his charm and attention. But, when a blackmail scheme puts his career—and their relationship—on the line, she doesn’t know where to turn.It’s time for Morgan to decide whether she can bury the hurt of the past and forgive, and for Ardith to find a way to follow her heart – because finding true happiness with the right partner has nothing to do with age . . .

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Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards 2022Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2021Sport has an extraordinary, unique capacity to challenge and change society – to bring joy and hope; to improve physical and mental health, reduce loneliness and build self-esteem and happiness. It’s also a multi-billion-pound commercial industry that can transform lives, businesses, nations and regions. Why has half the population been deprived of access to something so culturally powerful?In recent years, the landscape for women’s sport has finally begun to shift. We’ve seen significant increases in investment, spectators and media coverage. More women as professional athletes and taking influential roles as board directors, editors, officials and CEOs.Yet female athletes still don’t get equal opportunities or funding. In many sports, women receive less prize money, lower sponsorship revenues and a tiny fraction of the media coverage. Drawing on her own experiences, and interviews with high profile Olympic and Paralympic champions, broadcasters, journalists, sports scientists, CEOs, officials and sponsors, Sue Anstiss investigates why women have been excluded from the world of sport for centuries – and why we are now witnessing positive change as never before.Game On is a celebration of the trailblazing women opening doors for others and a manifesto for women’s sport – a rallying cry to ensure the progress we are currently seeing goes from strength to strength.

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'A tour de force' - Guardian'Forensic ... Strong on financial detail' - Financial TimesA Financial Times Book of the Year 2023The untold story of post-war Britain. Told through the lives of the two men who helped shape it: Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay.You May Never See Us Again is the only definitive story of David and Frederick Barclay - commonly known as the Barclay brothers. Born poor, these enigmatic twins built one of the biggest fortunes in Britain together from scratch and spent six decades at the epicentre of British business, media and politics. Their empire, said to be worth £7bn at its height, included Littlewoods, the Ritz Hotel, The Daily Telegraph and the channel island of Brecqhou. They were major advocates for Brexit and well-connected with influential politicians including Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage.And yet despite their fortune and influence, their fiercely guarded desire for privacy has meant that their story remained largely unknown - until a very public family dispute pitched Barclay against Barclay in the High Court.Journalist Jane Martinson unravels the fascinating story of these once inseparable billionaire brothers. Through their lives she offers compelling insights into post-war Britain, from the conditions that enabled their way of doing business to thrive through to the tightly enmeshed webs of influence between capitalism, politics and the media that shape Britain today.

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Winner of the Booker PrizeWinner of 'Book of the Year' at the British Book Awards A BBC 'Big Jubilee Read'A heart-wrenchingly moving novel set in Glasgow during the Thatcher years, Shuggie Bain tells the story of a boy's doomed attempt to save his proud, alcoholic mother from her addiction.'An amazingly intimate, compassionate, gripping portrait of addiction, courage and love.' – The judges of the Booker PrizeIt is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves.It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest. Shuggie is different, he is clearly no’ right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart lays bare the ruthlessness of poverty, the limits of love, and the hollowness of pride. For fans of A Little Life and Angela's Ashes, it is a heartbreaking novel by a brilliant writer with a powerful and important story to tell.'A heartbreaking novel' – The Times'Tender and unsentimental . . . The Billy Elliot-ish character of Shuggie . . . leaps off the page.' – Daily Mail'Douglas Stuart has written a first novel of rare and lasting beauty.' – Observer

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'A great writer' 'A music journalist of integrity' 'There's only one Ted Kessler!'Paul Weller Billy Childish Liam GallagherPaper Cuts is the inside story of the slow death of the British music press. But it's also a love letter to it, the tale of how music magazines saved one man's life. Ted Kessler left home and school around his seventeenth birthday, determined 'to be someone who listened to music professionally'. Paper Cuts tells how Kessler found redemption through music and writing and takes us on a journey alongside the stars he interviewed and the work-place dramas he navigated as a senior staffer at NME through the boom-time '90s and on to the monthly Q in 2004, where he worked for sixteen years before it folded with him at its helm as editor in 2020.We travel in time alongside musical heroes Paul Weller, Kevin Rowland, Mark E Smith, and to Cuba twice, first with Shaun Ryder and Bez, then with Manic Street Preachers. We spend long, mad nights out with Oasis and The Strokes, quality time with Jeff Buckley and Florence Welch, and watch Radiohead deliver cold revenge upon Kessler in public. A story about love and death, about what it's like when a music writer shacks up with a conflict of interest, and what happens when your younger brother starts appearing on the cover of the magazines you work for, this is the memoir of "a delinquent doofus" whose life was both rescued and defined by music magazines.

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The first decade of the twenty-first century marked the demise of the current world order. Despite widespread acknowledgement of these disruptive crises, the proposed response from the mainstream remains the same. Against the confines of this increasingly limited politics, a new paradigm has emerged. Fully Automated Luxury Communism claims that new technologies will liberate us from work, providing the opportunity to build a society beyond both capitalism and scarcity. Automation, rather than undermining an economy built on full employment, is instead the path to a world of liberty, luxury and happiness. For everyone.In his first book, radical political commentator Aaron Bastani conjures a new politics: a vision of a world of unimaginable hope, highlighting how we move to energy abundance, feed a world of nine billion, overcome work, transcend the limits of biology and build meaningful freedom for everyone. Rather than a final destination, such a society heralds the beginning of history.Fully Automated Luxury Communism promises a radically new left future for everyone.

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Apple isn’t just a design and innovation powerhouse. It’s also the greatest sales machine you’ve never heard of. In twenty-two years with the Cupertino band, Michael Hageloh saw it all. The era of beige boxes and clueless CEOs. The company’s near death. The return of Steve Jobs. Triumphs like the iPod, iTunes, and the iPhone. But you know that story. What you don’t know is that it was a sales operation built around music, storytelling, and passion that let Apple not only survive the hard times, but eventually change the world. Now Michael—engineer, drummer, raconteur, and closer of nearly one billion dollars in Apple sales—takes you inside the sales culture that made Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar corporation. The big secret? Music. Music has been part of Apple’s DNA since the beginning, and in Live from Cupertino, Michael takes you inside a one-of-a-kind selling culture that&rsq

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Back pain is no joke. If you've ever had a serious back injury, you know that simple things like tying your shoes, standing up straight, and even being able to take a deep breath can become major tasks. And you're not alone. Up to a hundred million Americans suffer and spend approximately $86 billion each year trying to fix back issues. Western medicine believes that back pain comes from age, prolonged sitting, your occupation, being overweight, and even diabetes. But after working with thousands of clients, international Qigong expert Chris Shelton tells a different story. In Chris Shelton's Easy Guide To Fix Neck and Back Pain, Shelton lays out step-by-step how to get immediate relief on your own, without painful, invasive, and expensive surgeries, and provides crucial lifestyle adjustments that can help prevent your back pain from sneaking up again in the future. Grounded in the five-thousand-year-old Chinese principles of Qigong, a time-tested body-m

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Murder, dark family secrets, and the unwavering bond of sisterhood-regardless of the cost Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party-especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show. After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she'd talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait-was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: Don't ask. Don't follow. Lindsay is unreachable for days, and when Beth starts to come under suspicion for the crime, she decides that waiting is impossible. While retracing Lindsay's steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose-corru

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International development is big business. Official global aid flows from North to South are over $100 billion annually. China and India, former aid recipients, are rapidly entering the field as aid providers themselves, and international charity is being redefined with the resources of private donors like the Gates Foundation, for example, outstripping the annual budget of long-time donors like the UK, Canada or the World Health Organization. Lacking in the literature on international development is an introductory text that provides an overview of the practices of the 'business' of development. ""How the Aid Industry Works"" provides a basic description of what aid practices are and how they evolved. The arguments of both proponents and opponents of aid are presented and analyzed, along with real-life examples of projects and programs in context. Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students encountering the subject of development for the first time, the book also serves as an overview for development practitioners who want a handy reference covering the universe they inhabit.

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Becoming Abraham Lincoln: The Coming of Age of Our Greatest President tells the true story of how this great American hero grew up and became a man. The story begins with Lincoln’s cousin describing the murder of Abe’s grandfather in 1782 by the Wabash Indians in the Kentucky wilderness. It ends as Lincoln turns twenty-five, downcast and debt-ridden after the failure of his first business venture, as he earns his first election victory to take his seat in the Illinois State Legislature. This vivid, authentic account of Abraham Lincoln in his formative years is told by those who were there—his friends and family. Supported by rigorous research, Becoming Abraham Lincoln is an authentic account of Lincoln’s childhood and adolescence in the actual words of those who knew him best. We see Lincoln as he was, according to law partner Billy Herndon, “just as he lived, breathed, ate and laughed in this world.” The historic eyewitness testimony in these pages forms a rich, detailed narrative unmatched in all Lincoln literature.

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A former love makes a lasting impression in a warm and sexy romance from Nancy Herkness. Kyra Dixon, a blue-collar girl from the boondocks, is dedicated to her job at a community center that matches underprivileged kids with rescue dogs. When she runs into Will Chase—Connecticut blue blood, billionaire CEO, and her old college crush—she’s surprised that he asks a favor from her: to be his date for his uptight family’s dreaded annual garden party. If his parents don’t approve, all the better. Kyra’s not about to say no. It’ll give her a chance to be oh-so-close to her unrequited love. What begins as a little fling turns so mad hot, so fast, that Kyra finds herself falling all over again for a fantasy that won’t come true. How can it? She doesn’t belong in Will’s world. She doesn’t want to. But Will does want to belong in hers. All he has to do now is prove it. Will is prepared to give up whatever is necessary to get what his heart most desires.

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An award-winning reporter chronicles the calamitous story of Washington Mutual, the single-largest bank failure in American history, in a fast-paced, compelling, and gripping saga of greed and excess.During the most dizzying days of the financial crisis, Washington Mutual, a bank with hundreds of billions of dollars in its coffers, suffered a crip­pling bank run. The story of its final, brutal collapse in the autumn of 2008, and its controversial sale to JPMorgan Chase, is an astonishing account of how one bank lost itself to greed and mismanagement, and how the entire financial industry—even the entire country—lost its way as well. Written as compellingly as the finest fiction, The Lost Bank introduces readers to the regulators and the bankers, the home buyers and the lenders who together created the largest bank failure in American history. The result is a magisterial and gripping account of the incredible rise and the precipitous collapse of not only an institution but of trust, fortunes, and the marketplaces for risk across the world.

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Former poet laureate Donald Hall selects his essential work from a moving and brilliant life in poetry.“When I was twelve I wrote my first poem, and by fourteen I decided that’s what I’d do my whole life. I don’t regret it.” — from the afterword by Donald HallDonald Hall was an American master, one of the nation’s most beloved and accomplished poets. Here, having taken stock of the body of his work—rigorous, gorgeous verse that is the result of seventy years of “ambition and pleasure”—he strips it down. The Selected Poems of Donald Hall reflects the poet’s handpicked, concise selection, showcasing work rich with humor and Eros and “a kind of simplicity that succeeds in engaging the reader in the first few lines” (Billy Collins).From the enduring “My Son My Executioner” to “Names of Horses” to “Without,” Donald Hall’s best poems deliver “a banquet in the mouth” (Charles Simic) and an “aching elegance” (Baltimore Sun). For the first-time reader or an old friend, these are, above all others, the poems to read, reread, and remember.

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Those extraordinary little events in your life happen for a reason.A coincidence-sometimes a silly little thing-changes the course of your day . . .or even your life. Is it chance, or is God communicating with you?When God Winks at You is packed with true stories demonstrating that God does communicate with us, making incredible things happen in our lives every single day. As you read the riveting accounts of everyday and famous people-including Tim Conway, Rudolph Giuliani, Billy Graham, and Don Knotts-you will begin to recognize the godwinks in your own life, both past and present. Through these tangible signposts from God, we receive personalized messages that reassure us, stop us from worrying, chart our path in life, and help us keep the faith.When God winks, He is reaffirming that there is absolutely nothing about us that He does not know-our every hurt, our every desire.And that to me is very comforting. -SQuire RushnellGod Winks® is a registered trademark of SQuire Rushnell

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The future is looking old. We are currently at the threshold of the largest demographic transformation of modern times, the advent of the age of the senior citizen. What awaits us – what kinds of products, what kinds of houses? The fifty-and-over generation represents an enormous potential: in Germany alone, twenty million seniors have hundreds of billions of euros, but they hardly spend them for lack of suitable products. This book provides answers from a sociological and design perspective for architects, designers, decision-makers, and firms who wish to respond to the demands of this diverse and discriminating target group. It investigates the various aspects of senior citizens’ lives from tip to toe and offers technical articles as well as authentic case studies and reports. Attractively laid out, fully illustrated, and with pointedly written texts, it is also aimed at the silver agers themselves, especially those who would like to find out what architecture and design can do to make their lives as pleasant and independent as possible.

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In this updated edition of the bestseller published ten years ago, Oprah shares what she has come to know for sure in the last decade.After film critic Gene Siskel asked her, 'What do you know for sure?' Oprah Winfrey began writing the 'What I Know For Sure' column in O, The Oprah Magazine. Saying that the question offered her a way to take 'stock of her life,' Oprah has penned one column a month over the last twenty-four years, years in which she retired The Oprah Winfrey Show (the highest-rated program of its kind in history), launched her own television network, became America's only black billionaire, was awarded an honorary degree from Harvard University and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, watched friends and colleagues come and go, and celebrated milestone birthdays. Throughout it all, she's continued to offer her profound and inspiring words of wisdom in her 'What I Know For Sure' column in O, The Oprah Magazine.Now, for

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London, babyFalling for the Foster Mum by Karin BaineBurns specialist Dr Matthew McGrory is finally living the bachelor life after years of raising his siblings alone. But he can't ignore the pull he feels towards beautiful Quinn Grady, foster mum to his favourite young patient. Quinn is very protective of little Simon and her heart. But as Matthew's hero status grows in the eyes of her young charge, she might not be able to stop herself from falling in loveThe Redemption of Darius Sterne by Carole MortimerTycoon Darius Sterne is a man who gets what he wants. Always. And right now he wants ex-ballerina Miranda Jacobsin his bed! Miranda can't resist the allure of the brooding billionaire. But the closer he pulls her, the more Darius threatens the barriers she's carefully constructed to conceal the scars of her past. And Miranda isn't the only one with pain to hide Can her love redeem the dark Darius Sterne?Falling for the Secret Millionaire by Kate HardyAfter her ex's betrayal, Nicole

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A first-of-its-kind history, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir tells the epic story of how an all-volunteer group founded by persecuted religious outcasts grew into a multimedia powerhouse synonymous with the mainstream and with Mormonism itself. Drawing on decades of work observing and researching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Michael Hicks examines the personalities, decisions, and controversies that shaped "America's choir." Here is the miraculous story behind the Tabernacle's world-famous acoustics, the anti-Mormonism that greeted early tours, the clashes with Church leaders over repertoire and presentation, the radio-driven boom in popularity, the competing visions of rival conductors, and the Choir's aspiration to be accepted within classical music even as Mormons sought acceptance within American culture at large. Everything from Billboard hits to TV appearances to White House performances paved the way for Mormonism's crossover triumph. Yet, as Hicks shows, such success raised fundamental concerns regarding the Choir's mission, functions, and image.

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From WEBTOON, the #1 digital comic platform, comes the 2nd book in the unOrdinary series one of the site's biggest and most exciting comics, with an incredible 1.2 BILLION VIEWS and 5.8 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS!The action-packed series from the #1 digital comic platform WEBTOON continues as high schooler John confronts his troubled past and lurking dangers from the outside world both of which threaten to topple Wellston's strict power hierarchy.Ever since Wellston High's Ace, Seraphina, was suspended, the hierarchy of the school has been unstable. Not only are the high-tiers on edge, but the carefully crafted persona John has built to survive his bullying is crumbling, and Arlo is beginning to suspect that John may be a real threat to the social order.But when a new danger from the outside world hits too close to home, everyone has to put their differences aside to save one of their own and uncover a conspiracy that threatens them all.

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The explosive new book from Britain's leading investigative biographer, Tom BowerAs one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, David and Victoria Beckham have attained iconic status. The ultimate power couple have together built a multi-billion-dollar global brand. For decades, adoring fans have been captivated by the glamorous world they have created, while their unrivalled fusion of showbiz, fashion, football and celebrity has been cultivated alongside the image of a strong marriage.When the much-trailed Netflix documentary Beckham aired in 2023, viewers were offered an even more intimate insight into their private lives. Produced by the Beckhams themselves, the series raised many questions, not only about their success and personal relationship, but also about the ruthlessly successful management of their image in the media. Are their lives really as perfect as the Beckhams would like the world to believe?Through extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews w

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This book provides an insight into the life of a professional lighting designer, through interviews with lighting designers at different stages of their careers plus a group interview with the designer and lighting team of the hit musical Billy Elliot. The designers featured are The interviewees are: Neil Austin, Natasha Chivers, Jon Clark, Paule Constable, Rick Fisher, Richard Howell, Howard Hudson, Jessica Hung Han Yun, Mark Jonathan, Amy Mae, Ben Ormerod, Bruno Poet, Jackie Shemesh and Johanna Town. Between them, they have worked all over the world on shows of every genre collecting many awards for their work along the way. They share inspiration and practical advice, useful to anyone embarking on a career in lighting, fascinating to anyone who enjoys going to the theatre, offering insights into: > approaching a new design; > dealing with the challenges each new show brings, from working with a new director to being part of a creative team in realising a piece; > the use of ligh

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''Beautifully written'' Daily Mail''[An] empathetic, emotional reckoning'' Mail on SundayIn a small seaside town, autumn is edging into winter, gulls ride winds over the waves, and two women pass each other on the promenade, as yet unaware of each other''s existence.In the nineties Lydia was a teen pop star, posed half naked on billboards everywhere with a lollipop between her lips and no idea how to live, letting the world happen to her. Now, three decades later, Lydia is less and less sure that what happened to her was in the least bit okay. The news cycle runs hot with #MeToo stories, and a famous former lover has emerged with a self-serving apology, asking her to forgive him. Suddenly, the past is full of trapdoors she is desperately trying not to fall through.Joyce, in middle age, has never left home. She still lives with her mother Betty. With their matching dresses, identical hairdos and makeup, they are the l

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The sequel nobody wants. After a decade of the Tories, could it get any worse? Spoiler it does. Towards the end of 2021, Britain had been frogmarched into an escalating series of surreal calamities. Brexit was a disaster, the NHS was in crisis, the government was bathed head-to-toe in impropriety, senior Tories were still acting as though the public purse was their personal feed-trough, and the air crackled with anger about PartyGate. All of which led to an inglorious start to 2022: the year the UK saw two monarchs, three prime ministers and four chancellors. From Boris Johnson, who trashed our international reputation and handed billions to his mates so they could ineptly fight a pandemic while he stayed at home, shagging and acting as a super-spreader; to Liz Truss, a drive-by prime minister who managed to kill off the queen and crash the economy in a single week. And now we're led by Rishi Sunak, who doesn't know how to use a credit card,

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In Oxford Street, Accra, Ato Quayson analyzes the dynamics of Ghana's capital city through a focus on Oxford Street, part of Accra's most vibrant and globalized commercial district. He traces the city's evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. He combines his impressions of the sights, sounds, interactions, and distribution of space with broader dynamics, including the histories of colonial and postcolonial town planning and the marks of transnationalism evident in Accra's salsa scene, gym culture, and commercial billboards. Quayson finds that the various planning systems that have shaped the city—and had their stratifying effects intensified by the IMF-mandated structural adjustment programs of the late 1980s—prepared the way for the early-1990s transformation of a largely residential neighborhood into a kinetic shopping district. With an intense commercialism overlying, or coexisting with, stark economic inequalities, Oxford Street is a microcosm of historical and urban processes that have made Accra the variegated and contradictory metropolis that it is today.

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Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.It was not his war.The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.

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'Top Bins! A personal best, a lap record and a hole in one for when rain has stopped play.' ALAN DAVIESHop, skip and jump into this wonderfully curious grand tour of the world of sports, brought to you by QI Elves James Harkin and Anna Ptaszynski.From sport's weirdest rules to its most unlikely heroes, via comically large cricket bats, pole-vaulting priests, creative football chants and exploding billiard balls, each chapter of Everything to Play For is brimming with surprising facts and intriguing stories.Even if you've never asked yourself what David Attenborough has to do with yellow tennis balls, why Victorian doctors feared the outbreak of 'bicycle face' or what led ancient Egyptian athletes to have their spleens removed, this book will give you the astonishing answers - and plenty more besides.**For more from the team behind QI's hit TV show, check out the QI FACTS series of books, @qikipedia, their weekly podcast at nosuchthingasafish.com or visit qi.com.

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLERUtterly brilliant. We all need to read this book' CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN''Patrick's book is fascinating and sobering and makes a compelling argument for going back to basics' JOE LYCETTWe used to care a lot about our clothes. We didn't have many but those we had were important to us. We'd cherish them, repair them and pass them on. And making them provided fulfilling work for millions of skilled people locally. ?Today the average person has nearly five times as many clothes as they did just 50 years ago. Last year, 100 billion garments were produced worldwide, most made from oil, 30% of which were not even sold, and the equivalent of one bin lorry full of clothing is dumped in landfill or burned every single second. Our wardrobes are full to bursting with clothes we never wear so why do we keep buying more?In this passionate and revealing book about loving clothes but despairing of a broken global system Patrick Grant considers the crisis of consumption and quality

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The must-have Back to School dictionary for Year 10. The most up-to-date and information-packed dictionary of its size available. With spelling, grammar and pronunciation help, plus a practical writing guide, the Pocket Dictionary gives you all the everyday words you need – at your fingertips. Up-to-date language coverage along with practical guidance on effective English for everyday use. The text is compiled using the latest information on current English from Collins Corpus – our unique and constantly updated 4.5-billion-word database – ensuring the most up-to-date language coverage available. And, with all entry words and spelling forms in clear type, modern definitions, you can be sure to find all the information you need in the quickest time possible. 85,000 words, meanings, and phrases Collins have been pioneers in dictionary publishing since 1819. We are proud to offer an extensive range of dictionaries in multiple formats and languages for all leisure, travel and educational needs.

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FOLLOWING FROM THE ENORMOUS SUCCESS OF WORDS AND PICTURES AND BEYOND THE PAGE , THIS THIRD VOLUME CONTINUES A NARRATIVE OF VISUAL ADVENTURES OF UNUSUAL DIVERSITY. Pens Ink & Places contains a wealth of new material, ranging from touching series of vignettes for Great Ormond Street Hospital to gigantic drawings for the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings; from the sombre apocalyptic landscapes of Riddley Walker to the energetic fantasy of Billy and the Minpins. This beautiful volume also includes Blake's unique illustrations made to accompany accompany the works of John Ruskin, La Fontaine, Lucius Apuleius and Beatrix Potter. Blake's commentary - straight, as it were, from the drawing board - explores the challenges and opportunities in the creation of drawings known around the world, as well as others seen here for the first time. It is clear from every page of this informative and richly illustrated volume that there has been no slackening of brio in the scratchy pen nib of an artist who has been called the `Godfather of Illustration'.

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Forty thousand people died trying to cross international borders in the past decade, with the high-profile deaths along the shores of Europe only accounting for half of the grisly total.Reece Jones argues that these deaths are not exceptional, but rather the result of state attempts to contain populations and control access to resources and opportunities. "We may live in an era of globalization," he writes, "but much of the world is increasingly focused on limiting the free movement of people."In Violent Borders, Jones crosses the migrant trails of the world, documenting the billions of dollars spent on border security projects and their dire consequences for countless millions. While the poor are restricted by the lottery of birth to slum dwellings in the aftershocks of decolonization, the wealthy travel without constraint, exploiting pools of cheap labor and lax environmental regulations. With the growth of borders and resource enclosures, the deaths of migrants in search of a better life are intimately connected to climate change, environmental degradation, and the growth of global wealth inequality.

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The warring states of this day are warming around the new fires of a grand war, freed from half a decade in shackles of so-called peace. On such seven great lands and seas of deranged humanity are all but controlled by two elements. Eifer and kei. They give birth to the wrath of the species. In life. In battle. And had bred new sin. With the ever growing threat of the prosperous Confederate titan looming over Yurupe, the ailing alliance of Aelon lies on an endless path of futile resistance in the face of the vastest invasion. Of the billions, Arminius Reichner, a schoolboy, is trapped in the casing of shells and corpses. There is but one exit. That is into the pits of No Man's Lands. For every sane person desired the praise of heroism they would endure for the people of their kingdoms, none knew how a childish dream would shatter the most resolute of minds. Victory has become a forgotten word. In a cruel world called paradise, hell sits not so far.

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'Shirley is a time traveller, a conduit for essential human aches, one of the greatest artists who ever lived' Stewart Lee'Without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures' Billy BraggIn America Over the Water, celebrated English folksinger Shirley Collins offers an affecting account of her year-long stint as assistant to legendary musical historian and folklorist Alan Lomax. Together, they travelled to Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia, discovering Mississippi Fred McDowell and many others, in their tireless work to uncover the traditional music of America's heartland. Blending the personal story of Shirley Collins' relationship with Lomax and offering a unique first-hand account of a country on the brink of the civil rights era, America Over the Water cuts right to the heart of the blues in a fascinating account of Collins' and Lomax's ground-breaking journey across the southern states of the USA to record the music that started it all. Originally published over fifteen years ago, this definitive edition includes a new introduction by Shirley Collins.

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'A novel full of surprises... It's vintage Paretsky, and hard to put down' - The Sunday Times Named Top 10 Thriller of 2020 by KirkusChicago is the city of broad shoulders, but V.I. Warshawski knows its politics: "Pay to Play". Money changes hands in the middle of the night; by morning, buildings and parks have been replaced by billion-dollar projects.Private investigator V.I. gets pulled into one of these clandestine deals when her impetuous goddaughter Bernie tries to rescue a famed singer-songwriter, now living on the streets. Thanks to Bernie, V.I. finds herself in the path of some developers whose negotiating strategy is simple: they bulldoze - or kill - any obstacle in their way.Questions pile up almost as fast as the dead bodies. When she tries to answer them, the detective finds a terrifying conspiracy stretching from Chicago's parks to a cover-up of the dark chapters in the American government's interference in South American politics. Before finds answer, V.I. will be pushed closed to breaking point. People who pay to play take no prisoners.

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NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING JULIETTE BINOCHE AND ANTONIO BANDERASTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST'Riveting ...The best book I've read all year.' Ann Patchett'An astonishing tale of survival' Spectator THE STORY THAT GRIPPED THE GLOBEAugust 2010: the San Jose mine in Chile collapses trapping 33 men half a mile underground for 69 days. Faced with the possibility of starvation and even death, the miners make a pact: if they survive, they will only share their story collectively, as 'the 33'.1 billion people watch the international rescue mission. Somehow, all 33 men make it out alive, in one of the most daring and dramatic rescue efforts even seen.Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Héctor Tobar is the man they choose to tell their story.' An eloquent testament to the human spirit' The Times'A masterful account of exile and human longing, of triumph in the face of all odds.' Los Angeles Times

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A retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for early readers from Ladybird.Based on the traditional fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this vibrantly illustrated story is sure to become a favourite in every home. Follow the naughty Goldilocks into the house of the three bears, and see what happens when they come home and find her! This hardback book contains lots of funny rhythm and rhyme to delight young children. Ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds.This book is part of Ladybird's First Favourite Tales series - these retellings are perfect for introducing young children to classic stories and fairy tales, and the books are just right for those just learning to read.Look out for other books in the series:The Elves and the Shoemaker; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; The Gingerbread Man; Little Red Riding Hood; The Three Little Pigs; The Three Billy Goats Gruff

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A professional's guide to the world of hedge fund investing Throughout the financial crisis of 2008, many hedge funds suffered massive losses and were often blamed for the extreme market upheavals. In the wake f the crisis, hedge funds remain a source of fascination for the media, legislators, and investors, mostly due to misunderstanding. Historically portrayed as risky investment funds for the very wealthy run by swashbuckling traders, the truth is hedge funds are simply an investment vehicle designed to generate superior returns and reduce an investor's overall portfolio risk. Investors have good reasons to remain fascinated with hedge funds. Although many individual funds have underperformed or collapsed, hedge funds as a whole have provided solid returns while reducing risks. Savvy institutions have invested in hedge funds for many years and have made them a large and powerful force in the markets. Investing in hedge funds requires sophisticated knowledge, understanding, skill, access, and experience. Individuals and institutions, whether they are new to hedge funds or need to improve, can find those attributes in the stories of the successful hedge fund investors profiled in Hedge Fund Investors. Hedge Fund Investors chronicles the challenges and rewards these investors face, in selecting hedge fund managers, managing risks, and constructing portfolios. In revealing conversations, leading hedge fund investors who place hundreds of billions of dollars in hedge funds, share their philosophies, strategies, and advice. Profiles a variety of different investors from the pioneers in hedge fund investing to managers for high net-worth individuals and fund of funds investors Discusses winners and losers in the recent market decline, problematic hedge fund strategies, and how these current events will change future strategies Provides lessons, insights, and advice beneficial to all hedge fund investors Engaging and informative, Hedge Fund Investors will prove valuable to anyone involved in placing money with hedge funds, as well as hedge funds who seek to better understand their clients.

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George Soros Ends the Speculation "The outcome [of this book] is a summing up of my life's work. . . As I finish the book, I feel I have succeeded."-George Soros from the Preface Critical praise for Soros on Soros "If you have ever wanted to sit down for a candid conversation with a phenomenal financial success, George Soros's book provides the opportunity. You will meet a complex man and a first-rate mind."-Henry A. Kissinger "The best expert on Soros is undoubtedly George Soros! After all, who is better equipped to tell us what he really thinks and how he thinks, a matter of some importance given the fact that he has translated a remarkable personal financial success into a truly generous and historically significant effort to promote postcommunist democracy." -Zbigniew Brzezinski "The best X-ray of the mind of the master yet." -Barton M. Biggs "George Soros brings a lot more to the world of finance than the intuition and nerve of a born trader-and in Soros on Soros he's no longer bashful about telling us about it. A philosopher at heart, George attributes his success at investing to a theory of the interaction of reality and human perception. What really drives the man now, with a personal fortune beyond all personal need, is a different kind of strategic investing-investment to build in Eastern Europe the kind of open societies he came to value in his own life." -Paul A. Volcker Financial guru George Soros is one of the most colorful and intriguing figures in the financial world today. Now in Soros on Soros, readers are given their most intimate and revealing look yet into the life and mind of the one BusinessWeek dubbed, "The Man Who Moves Markets." Soros on Soros interweaves financial theory and personal reminiscence, political analysis and moral reflection to offer a compelling portrait of the world (and its markets) according to Soros. In an interview-style narrative with Byron Wien, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and with German journalist Krisztina Koenen, Soros vividly describes the genesis of his brilliant financial career and shares his views on investing and global finance, politics and the emerging world order, and the responsibility of power. Speaking with remarkable candor, he traces his progress from Holocaust survivor to philosophy student, unsuccessful tobacco salesman to the world's most powerful and profitable trader and introduces us to the people and events that helped shape his character and his often controversial views. In describing the investment theories and financial strategies that have made him "a superstar among money managers" (The New York Times), Soros tells the fascinating story of the phenomenally successful Soros Fund Management and its $12 billion flagship, Quantum Fund. He also offers fresh insights into some of his most sensational wins and losses, including a firsthand account of the $1 billion he made going up against the British pound and the fortune he lost speculating on the yen. Plus: Soros's take on the devaluation of the peso and currency fluctuations internationally. He tells of the personal and professional crises that more than once threatened to destroy him and of the personal resources he drew upon to turn defeat into resounding victory. And he explains his motivations for establishing the Soros Foundation and the Open Society Institute through which he worked to build open societies in postcommunist countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Finally, turning his attention to international politics, Soros offers keen insights into the current state of affairs in Russia and the former communist bloc countries and analyzes the reasons behind and likely consequences of the West's failure to properly integrate them into the free world. He also explores the crisis of the ERM and analyzes the pros and cons of investing in a number of emerging markets. Find out what makes one of the greatest financial wizards of this or any age tick. Soros on Soros is a must read for anyone interested in world finance and international policy.

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A funny and touching story about how to deal with the struggles of adulthood, how to live a good life, and how money can complicate it all.Michael Baughman’s hope was to send his oldest grandson off to his first year of college in the fall of 2012 with an informed and thoughtful attitude toward what has long been a powerful American fixation: the frantic quest for money. Complicating the issue was the fact that income disparity in America was increasing alarmingly, and a political campaign featuring a wealthy Republican presidential candidate who told transparent lies on a daily basis was well underway.Baughman, now an emeritus professor of English, has visited forty-nine states. As a youth he attended Punahou, the private Honolulu prep school that graduated Barack Obama. During subsequent travels he washed dishes, pumped gas, butchered meat, sold women’s lingerie at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and served as an enlisted man in the Army.Because of these diverse experiences, Baughman’s friends and acquaintances have included the very poor as well as the very rich. Throughout most of his adult life his own income has been close to the national average. He brought all of this, and more, into his parting conversations with his grandson Billy.Money Sucks is the culmination of those discussions, rumination on the haves and the have-nots and a frank, thought-provoking look at some of the toughest questions life throws our way: What makes us happy? How much is enough? Funny and inspiring in equal measures, it’s a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of their children, grandchildren, and the friends and family they love.

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Increase your business fitness and break world sales records You can do it! You can increase your sales power. You can become more persuasive and effective in your business and your personal life. Most of all, you can learn the secrets of transforming fear, failure, and adversity into victory. Many people today recognize a powerful correlation between physical health and business success. Tony Little is living proof of this connection. Having worked his way up from poverty and sickness to become, as Jay Leno called him, "America′s personal trainer," he is also the most successful and recognizable salesman on the planet today, selling a record–breaking 3 billion dollars worth of retail product on TV. Now, in There′s Always a Way, Tony reveals how he′s used the hard knocks in his own life to develop unique selling strategies that make him a living brand. Tony explains how to use fears and insecurities to sharpen one′s selling game and build self–confidence Tony demonstrates dynamite secrets for self–motivation, overcoming negativity, and thinking out of the box Tony explains how to build a positive mind set, create a buzz, exploit humor, find a niche, set goals, ask the right questions, close the sale, make the customer into a star, achieve peak selling performance, and turn oneself into a lean, mean selling machine Having grown his business in a tough market, Tony explains how to stand out in these down times There′s Always a Way is a perfect read for goal setters, for movers and groovers moving up, for businesspersons who want to learn to win. Read it and be motivated to make every sales opportunity into a formula for success.

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In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. What we’ve learned of these key migrations—how billions of birds circumnavigate the globe, flying tens of thousands of miles between hemispheres on an annual basis—is nothing short of extraordinary. Bird migration entails almost unfathomable endurance, like a sparrow-sized sandpiper that will fly nonstop from Canada to Venezuela—the equivalent of running 126 consecutive marathons without food, water, or rest—avoiding dehydration by "drinking" moisture from its own muscles and organs, while orienting itself using the earth’s magnetic field through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy. Crossing the Pacific Ocean in nine days of nonstop flight, as some birds do, leaves little time for sleep, but migrants can put half their brains to sleep for a few seconds at a time, alternating sides—and their reaction time actually improves. These and other revelations convey both the wonder of bird migration and its global sweep, from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus. This breathtaking work of nature writing from Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul also introduces readers to those scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges. Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork, in A World on the Wing Weidensaul unveils with dazzling prose the miracle of nature taking place over our heads.

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Named Best Baseball Book of 2020 by Sports Collectors Digest 2021 SABR Seymour Medal Finalist In the summer of 1932, at the beginning of the turbulent decade that would remake America, baseball fans were treated to one of the most thrilling seasons in the history of the sport. As the nation drifted deeper into the Great Depression and reeled from social unrest, baseball was a diversion for a troubled country—and yet the world of baseball was marked by the same edginess that pervaded the national scene. On-the-field fights were as common as double plays. Amid the National League pennant race, Cubs’ shortstop Billy Jurges was shot by showgirl Violet Popovich in a Chicago hotel room. When the regular season ended, the Cubs and Yankees clashed in what would be Babe Ruth’s last appearance in the fall classic. After the Cubs lost the first two games in New York, the series resumed in Chicago at Wrigley Field, with Democratic presidential candidate Franklin Roosevelt cheering for the visiting Yankees from the box seats behind the Yankees’ dugout. In the top of the fifth inning the game took a historic turn. As Ruth was jeered mercilessly by Cubs players and fans, he gestured toward the outfield and then blasted a long home run. After Ruth circled the bases, Roosevelt exclaimed, “Unbelievable!” Ruth’s homer set off one of baseball’s longest-running and most intense debates: did Ruth, in fact, call his famous home run? Rich with historical context and detail, The Called Shot dramatizes the excitement of a baseball season during one of America’s most chaotic summers.

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