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Business Analytics with R and Python (AI for Risks)
by David L. Olson Desheng Dash Wu Cuicui Luo Majid NabaviThis book provides an overview of data mining methods in the field of business. Business management faces challenges in serving customers in better ways, in identifying risks, and analyzing the impact of decisions. Of the three types of analytic tools, descriptive analytics focuses on what has happened and predictive analytics extends statistical and/or artificial intelligence to provide forecasting capability. Chapter 1 provides an overview of business management problems. Chapter 2 describes how analytics and knowledge management have been used to better cope with these problems. Chapter 3 describes initial data visualization tools. Chapter 4 describes association rules and software support. Chapter 5 describes cluster analysis with software demonstration. Chapter 6 discusses time series analysis with software demonstration. Chapter 7 describes predictive classification data mining tools. Applications of the context of management are presented in Chapter 8. Chapter 9 covers prescriptive modeling in business and applications of artificial intelligence.
A Woman's Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot
by Mary WaltonAlice Paul began her life as a studious girl from a strict Quaker family in New Jersey. In 1907, a scholarship took her to England, where she developed a passionate devotion to the suffrage movement. Upon her return to the United States, Alice became the leader of the militant wing of the American suffrage movement. Calling themselves "Silent Sentinels," she and her followers were the first protestors to picket the White House. Arrested and jailed, they went on hunger strikes and were force-fed and brutalized. Years before Gandhi's campaign of nonviolent resistance, and decades before civil rights demonstrations, Alice Paul practiced peaceful civil disobedience in the pursuit of equal rights for women. With her daring and unconventional tactics, Alice Paul eventually succeeded in forcing President Woodrow Wilson and a reluctant U.S. Congress to pass the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Here at last is the inspiring story of the young woman whose dedication to women's rights made that long-held dream a reality.
Advanced Krav Maga: The Next Level of Fitness and Self-Defense
by David KahnGet in the best shape of your life and master real fighting techniques with Advanced Krav Maga Based on the principles of enhancing natural instincts and using appropriate force for self-protection and weapons defense, anyone can master the moves of krav maga – the international self-defense Martial Arts and physical fitness sensation designed by the Israel Defense Forces. This follow up to Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method - for Fitness and Self-Defense, explores essential combative tactics including standing, clinch, and extensive groundwork from yellow, orange and green belt levels, to help you update and improve your skills. In this guide to advance techniques and training, David Kahn will teach you: *How krav maga saved Ernest Kovary, Imi Lichtenfeld's oldest living student, the day World War II began*The mindset of effective self-defense*Upper and lower body combatives and defenses*Powerful retzev workouts*New techniques for mastering escapes against chokes, grabs, and takedowns*Krav maga groundwork and instruction*Women's self-defense principlesRegardless of strength, size, age, or gender, you can learn advanced techniques for fending off any attacker – swiftly, powerfully, and simply. And the conditioning you will achieve by practicing these techniques will tone your muscles, improve your reflexes, and get you fighting fit. From the American expert and Israeli Grandmaster Haim Gidon's United States representative in the fitness and combat techniques of krav maga, this is the most up to date, authoritative, and advanced guide to real fighting techniques and rigorous conditioning.
I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier
by Howard E. Wasdin Stephen TemplinWhen the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a secret unit made up of the finest soldiers in the country, if not the world. This is the dramatic tale of how Howard Wasdin overcame a tough childhood to live his dream and enter the exciting and dangerous world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers. His training began with his selection for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin saw combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. But he was driven to be the best of the best—he wanted to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, and at long last he reached his goal and became one of the best snipers on the planet. Soon he was fighting for his life in Africa, hunting the Somalian warlord Aidid. But the mission fell apart when his small band of soldiers found themselves cut off from help and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded.This is Howard Wasdin's story of overcoming numerous obstacles to become an elite American warrior.
Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child's Developing Immune System
by Sandra Blakeslee Jack Gilbert Rob KnightFrom two of the world’s top scientists and one of the world’s top science writers (all parents), Dirt Is Good is a q&a-based guide to everything you need to know about kids & germs.“Is it OK for my child to eat dirt?” That’s just one of the many questions authors Jack Gilbert and Rob Knight are bombarded with every week from parents all over the world. They've heard everything from “My two-year-old gets constant ear infections. Should I give her antibiotics? Or probiotics?” to “I heard that my son’s asthma was caused by a lack of microbial exposure. Is this true, and if so what can I do about it now?” Google these questions, and you’ll be overwhelmed with answers. The internet is rife with speculation and misinformation about the risks and benefits of what most parents think of as simply germs, but which scientists now call the microbiome: the combined activity of all the tiny organisms inside our bodies and the surrounding environment that have an enormous impact on our health and well-being. Who better to turn to for answers than Drs. Gilbert and Knight, two of the top scientists leading the investigation into the microbiome—an investigation that is producing fascinating discoveries and bringing answers to parents who want to do the best for their young children. Dirt Is Good is a comprehensive, authoritative, accessible guide you've been searching for.
Risking It All: A Novel
by Nina DarntonIn the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and Jodi Picoult comes a novel from critically-acclaimed author Nina Darnton about a woman who'll go to any lengths to become a mother.When Marcia, a driven, successful editor in New York with a loving husband, finds she can’t conceive a child, it rips the heart out of her seemingly-perfect life. Her desire to be a mother has become her obsession, and after trying and failing to become pregnant by every known method, she focuses all of her energy on her one remaining option: surrogacy. Her husband resists, and tries to convince her that they can be happy without a child; but faced with her unyielding determination, he relents, and reluctantly goes along with the idea. Everything looks good…until an unexpected tragedy occurs that changes their plans, their marriage, and their lives forever.Praise for The Perfect Mother:“A fast-paced thriller with the kind of emotional impact that transcends a simple whodunit." —Kirkus Reviews“This haunting page-turner will keep you up all night and be long remembered after the last page has been read." —Mary Higgins Clark
Cosmonaut Keep: The Opening Novel In An Astonishing New Future History (The Engines of Light #1)
by Ken MacLeodRanging from a gritty near-future Earth to a distant alien world, Ken MacLeod's Cosmonaut Keep is contemporary science fiction at its highest level.A visionary epic filled with daring individuals seeking a place for themselves in a vast, complex, and enigmatic universe. Matt Cairns is a 21st-century outlaw Programmer who takes on the shady jobs no one else will touch. Against his better judgment, he accepts an assignment to crack the Marshall Titov, a top-secret orbital station operated by the European Space Agency. But what Matt will discover there will propel him on an extraordinary and quite unexpected journey.Gregor Cairns is an exobiology student and descendant of one of Terra Nova's first families. Hopelessly infatuated with a lovely young trader's daughter, he is unaware that his research partner, Elizabeth, has fallen in love with him. Together, Gregor and Elizabeth confront the great work his family began three centuries earlier-to rediscover the secret of interstellar travel.Cosmonaut Keep is a 2002 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reckoning of Fallen Gods: A Tale Of The Coven (Tales of the Coven #2)
by R. A. SalvatoreThe new Coven series from the bestselling creator of Drizzt Do’Urden, continues with New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore's Reckoning of Fallen Gods.The winds of change are blowing upon Fireach Speur. Aoelyn risked her life to save the trader Talmadge and it cost her everything that is dear to her, but Talmadge survived and can’t forget the amazing woman that killed a god.Little do they realize, war is coming to the mountain. Far to the west, a fallen empire stirs. One that sees a solar eclipse as a call to war. Their empire once dominated the known world and they want it back.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The American Creed: A Biography of the Declaration of Independence
by Forrest ChurchWhat makes us all Americans--whatever our differences--is adherence to a creed, a creed based upon cornerstone truths the founders believed "self-evident." From the earliest days, the survival of the new republic hinged not merely upon the expression of these grand principles of liberty and equality but upon their spiritual underpinnings. Freedom and faith were intertwined. America, as a foreign observer once put it, is a nation with the soul of a church.In this stirring and timely book, Forrest Church charts the progress of this creed from the America's beginnings to the present day by evoking those whose words-whether in declarations, songs, inaugural addresses, speeches, or prayers-have expressed its letter and captured its spirit. What emerges is our shared destiny. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream that this country might someday "rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed," echoes Thomas Jefferson's belief that "equal and exact justice to all" is the "creed of our political faith." Our connection with the past represents our commitment to the future and vice versa. A "spiritual and patriotic primer," The American Creed distills the essence of American history while also matching its sweep. Church lets the story of the Declaration of Independence unfold before our eyes, giving us both the big picture and the details that place it into brilliant focus. Those steeped in our nation's heritage will find fresh insight and renewed purpose. Those still discovering its riches could have no finer introduction. In its scope and embrace, this is a book for us all.
Extremely Pale Rosé: A Very French Adventure
by Jamie IveyOn a sunny day in the South of France, over a typically langorous French lunch, Jamie Ivey, his wife, Tanya, and their friend, Peter, discover the distinct pleasures of drinking a bottle of cool, pale rosé in the Mediterranean sun. Far from the plonk he's used to in England, Jamie is entranced by a blushing wine that is seen as no more than an aperitif by the French, but one that is rising in popularity all over the world. Owing to a translation mishap, Jamie finds himself challenged to the task of finding the palest bottle of rosé in France. Rising to the occasion, Jamie sets off with Tanya and Peter in tow through the vineyards of France to find the elusive bottle. They visit the main rosé producing areas, trawl through every tiny bar and sample the local bistros. Peter noses out the local specialties, as well as the best purveyors for threateningly odoriferous cheeses. "Extremely Pale Rosé" is food and travel writing in the best tradition as Jamie and his fellow travelers eat, sip, and taste with the colorful vintners, chefs, bakers and townspeople who live in and among the vineyards. Readers will be delighted. It's the perfect book to read on a summer day while sipping a glass of icy Bandol, nibbling on a bit of baguette and dreaming of the south of France.
The 6th Day: A Novel
by Terry BissonHugo and Nebula Award-winning author Terry Bisson's thrilling sci-fi novel The Sixth Day, now a major motion picture starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Rapaport!Cloning humans is illegal—that is until family man Adam Gibson comes home from work one day to find a clone has replaced him. Taken from his family and plunged into a sinister world he doesn't understand, Gibson must not only save himself from the assassins who must now destroy him to protect their secret, but uncover who and what is behind the horrible things happening to him.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
My Life as a Seer: The Lost Memoirs
by Edgar CayceFor over seventy-five years, the prophecies and readings of Edgar Cayce-- The Sleeping Prophet-- have inspired millions of people around the world, and been the subject of hundreds of books. Over fifty years after his death, Cayce is still regarded as the father of the new age movement, and the foremost psychic of the twentieth century. His thoughts on the soul's journey, past lives, dreams, ancient civilizations, and astrology are still closely studied and followed by practitioners in these fields. But until now, only those who knew and studied him have been able to tell Cayce's story and philosophy. From Jess Stearn's The Sleeping Prophet to Thomas Sugrue's There Is a River, many bestselling books have sold millions of copies and touched many lives.Now, for the first time, Edgar Cayce tells his story in his own words. Only recently discovered, this new memoir delivers Cayce's important message to the world at a most crucial time, the dawn of the twenty-first century. In this personal, moving story, readers learn how Cayce felt about his amazing powers. Here Cayce speaks about the angelic presence that visited his childhood Kentucky home and told him that he would become a healer to millions. We also learn about his extraordinary childhood ability to learn his school lessons simply by sleeping on his books. Cayce also addresses the devastating throat paralysis that he miraculously overcame, and how he ultimately realized that his powers could only be used to help and enable people, and not for personal profit. Cayce even gives a "behind the scenes" glimpse at his many psychic readings.The combination of ability and humility, compassion and caring turned Cayce from social outcast to world-renowned psychic healer. Throughout his life, Edgar Cayce's was the voice people turned to for advice on issues as diverse as health and healing and philosophy and world issues. Now, Cayce speaks once more on these issues and delivers his ultimate message to humanity for the first time. My Life as a Seer brings to life the emotional frustrations, motivations, fears, and visions of the century's premier spiritualist.
Lent: A Novel of Many Returns
by Jo WaltonFrom Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning Jo Walton comes Lent, a magical re-imagining of the man who remade fifteenth-century Florence—in all its astonishing strangenessYoung Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will. It’s a miracle that he’s friends with Pico della Mirandola, the Count of Concordia. It’s a miracle that when Girolamo visits the deathbed of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” the dying Medici is wreathed in celestial light, a surprise to everyone, Lorenzo included. It’s a miracle that when Charles VIII of France invades northern Italy, Girolamo meets him in the field, and convinces him to not only spare Florence but also protect it. It’s a miracle than whenever Girolamo preaches, crowds swoon. It’s a miracle that, despite the Pope’s determination to bring young Girolamo to heel, he’s still on the loose…and, now, running Florence in all but name.That’s only the beginning. Because Girolamo Savanarola is not who—or what—he thinks he is. He will discover the truth about himself at the most startling possible time. And this will be only the beginning of his many lives."Rendered with Walton's usual power and beauty...It's this haunting character complexity that ultimately holds the reader captive to the tale." —N. K. Jemisin, New York Times, on My Real ChildrenAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Angel Fire
by Andrew M. GreeleySomeone to watch over me? Sean Seamus Desmond, newly-announced Nobel Prize winner, relishes the unknowns of science, but a real-life mystery of love and passion. . . in the form of a beautiful woman who says she's his guardian angel? Impossible. Yet there in his New York hotel room is an enchanting creature named Gabriella Light, who inexplicably and dramatically has just saved his life.Voluptuous and exquisitely dressed, sexy Gabriella, angel or not, is determined to keep him alive as a terrifying web of intrigue closes around him. Pursued by a very real and present danger, Sean Desmond will question his own sanity and his deepest beliefs, as he experiences what cannot be rationalized away as anything other than a powerful, radiant, and transcendent love. . . one that will test him as a man too long afraid of human and divine fires within himself!A wonderful, electrifying novel, Angel Fire, will delight readers with the storytelling magic that Andrew Greeley does best. Again he has created a tale rich with suspense, breathless entertainment, compelling ideas--and fascinating charaters we love, cherish, and never forget.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Ladies of Managua: A Novel
by Eleni N. GageLushly evocative of Nicaragua, its tumultuous history, and vibrant present, Eleni N. Gage's The Ladies of Managua brings you into the lives of three strong and magnetic women, as they uncover the ramifications of the choices they made in their pasts and begin to understand the ways in which love can shape their futures.When Maria Vazquez returns to Nicaragua for her beloved grandfather's funeral, she brings with her a mysterious package from her grandmother's past—and a secret of her own. And she also carries the burden of her tense relationship with her mother Ninexin, once a storied revolutionary, now a tireless government employee. Between Maria and Ninexin lies a chasm created by the death of Maria's father, who was killed during the revolution when Maria was an infant, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother Isabela as Ninexin worked to build the new Nicaragua. As Ninexin tries to reach her daughter, and Maria wrestles with her expectations for her romance with an older man, Isabela, the mourning widow, is lost in memories of attending boarding school in 1950's New Orleans, where she loved and lost almost sixty years ago. When the three women come together to bid farewell to the man who anchored their family, they are forced to confront their complicated, passionate relationships with each other and with their country—and to reveal the secrets that each of them have worked to conceal.
Jupiter: A Novel (The Grand Tour)
by Ben BovaGrant Archer only wanted to study astrophysics. But the forces of the "New Morality," the coalition of censorious do-gooders who run 21st-century America, have other plans for him. To his distress, Grant is torn from his young bride and sent to a research station in orbit around Jupiter, to spy on the scientists who work there. Their work may lead to the discovery of higher life forms in the Jovian system-with implications the New Morality doesn't like at all.What Grant's would-be controllers don't know is that his loyalty to science may be greater than his desire for a quiet life. But that loyalty will be tested in a mission as dangerous as any ever undertaken-a mission to the middle reaches of Jupiter's endless atmosphere, a place where hydrogen flows as a liquid, and cyclones larger than planets rage for centuries at a time.What lurks there is more than anyone has counted on...and stranger than anyone could possibly have imagined.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer
by Patsy RodenburgIn The Actor Speaks, Patsy Rodenburg takes actors and actresses, both professional and beginners, through a complete voice workshop. She touches on every aspect of performance work that involves the voice and sorts through the kinds of vexing problems every performer faces onstage: breath and relaxation; vocal range and power; communication with other actors; singing and acting simultaneously; working on different sized stages and in both large and small auditoriums; approaching the vocal demands of different kinds of scripts. This is the final word on the actor's voice and it's destined to become the classic work on the subject for some time to come.
Where the Cherry Tree Grew: The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington's Boyhood Home
by Philip LevyNoted historian pens biography of Ferry Farm—George Washington's boyhood home—and its three centuries of American historyIn 2002, Philip Levy arrived on the banks of Rappahannock River in Virginia to begin an archeological excavation of Ferry Farm, the eight hundred acre plot of land that George Washington called home from age six until early adulthood. Six years later, Levy and his team announced their remarkable findings to the world: They had found more than Washington family objects like wig curlers, wine bottles and a tea set. They found objects that told deeper stories about family life: a pipe with Masonic markings, a carefully placed set of oyster shells suggesting that someone in the household was practicing folk magic. More importantly, they had identified Washington's home itself—a modest structure in line with lower gentry taste that was neither as grand as some had believed nor as rustic as nineteenth century art depicted it.Levy now tells the farm's story in Where the Cherry Tree Grew. The land, a farmstead before Washington lived there, gave him an education in the fragility of life as death came to Ferry Farm repeatedly. Levy then chronicles the farm's role as a Civil War battleground, the heated later battles over its preservation and, finally, an unsuccessful attempt by Wal-Mart to transform the last vestiges Ferry Farm into a vast shopping plaza.
Draw People in 15 Minutes: How To Get Started In Figure Drawing
by Jake SpicerYes, you can draw! And Draw People in 15 Minutes will show you how. By the time you finish this book you'll have all the skills and the confidence you need to sketch people on the move or on the couch.Professional art instructor Jake Spicer takes you through every aspect of drawing from life, from sketching bodies in a busy public space to drawing a model from real life or a photograph. Carefully crafted exercises break down the drawing process into easily digestible parts, while step-by-step tutorials demonstrate how you can create a full-length portrait in just 15 minutes. With advice on everything from materials to use to how to get a person's proportions right, including how to draw hands, feet, and fabric, this is the complete course for anyone who's ever wanted to draw people.
Two Good Dogs: A Novel
by Susan WilsonSusan Wilson, the bestselling author of One Good Dog delivers another powerful novel of loyalty and love. Single mom Skye Mitchell has sunk her last dime into a dream, owning the venerable, if run-down LakeView Hotel in the Berkshire Hills. It’s here where she believes she’ll give her fourteen-year-old daughter Cody a better life. But being an innkeeper is more challenging than she imagined, and Cody still manages to fall in with the wrong crowd. In addition, Cody is keeping an earth-shattering secret that she’s terrified to reveal. The once loving, open girl has now become completely withdrawn, and Skye is both desperate and helpless to reach her.When Adam March and his pit bull Chance check into the hotel, it becomes the first of many visits. Here in these peaceful mountains he finds an unexpected relief from his recent bereavement. He and the beleaguered innkeeper form a tentative friendship. Adam knows the struggles of raising a difficult teenager and Skye understands loneliness.And then there is Mingo, a street kid with a pit bull dog of his own. When Cody discovers an overdosed Mingo, Adam takes the boy’s dog not just for safekeeping, but to foster and then rehome. But the dog isn’t the only one who needs saving. A makeshift family begins to form as four lost people learn to trust and rely on each other, with the help of two good dogs.
Mystical Experiences in 30 Days: The Higher Consciousness Program (In 30 Days)
by Pamela Weintraub Keith HararyThe exercises in Mystical Experiences in 30 Days by Keith Harary, PhD, and Pamela Weintraub teach readers to pay attention to subtle feelings, ideas, and capabilities just beneath everyday awareness. By shifting consciousness from mundane concerns, readers can learn to experience life from the vantage point of the sage.
The Athlete's Way: Training Your Mind and Body to Experience the Joy of Exercise
by Christopher Bergland"The Athlete's Way is amazingly informative and complete with a program to get and keep you off the couch. Bravo, for another exercising zealot who has written a book that should be read on your elliptical or stationary bike. He pushed me to go farther on a sleepy Sunday."- John J. Ratey, M.D., author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science in Exercise and the Brain, and co-author of Driven to Distraction
"I": The Creation of a Serial Killer
by Jack OlsenPrize-winning journalist Jack Olsen, armed with unprecedented access to one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a murderer in the killer's own words . . . In February 1990, Oregon State Police arrested John Sosnovke and Laverne Pavlinac for the vicious rape and murder of Taunja Bennet, a troubled 23-year-old barfly who had suffered mild retardation since birth. Pavlinac had come forth and confessed, implicating her boyfriend and producing physical evidence that linked them to the crime. Authorities closed the case.There was just one problem. They had the wrong people. And the real killer wasn't about to let anyone take credit for his kill. Keith Hunter Jesperson was a long haul truck driver and the murderer of eight women, including Taunja Bennet. As the case wound through police precincts and courts--ending in life sentences for both Sosnovke and Pavlinac--Jesperson began a twisted one man campaign to win their release. To the editors of newspapers and on the walls of highway rest stops, Jesperson scribbled out a series of taunting confessions: I killed Tanya Bennett . . . I beat her to death, raped her and loved it. Yes I'm sick, but I enjoy myself too. People took the blame and I'm free . . ..Look over your shoulder. I may be closer than you think.At the end of each confession, Jesperson drew a happy face, earning for himself the grisly sobriquet "The Happy Face Killer." Based on access to interviews, diaries, court records, and the criminal himself, I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is Jesperson's chilling story. It chronicles his evolution from angry child to sociopathic murderer, from tormentor of animals to torturer of women. It is also the story of the fate that befell him after two innocent citizens were imprisoned four years for one of his killings.Edgar Award winner Jack Olsen lets the killer to tell his story in his own words, offering unprecedented insight into the twisted thought process of a serial murderer. Olsen takes his readers along on Jesperson's vicious cross-country killing spree, letting him describe how he played his "death game" with eight innocent victims and how he finally came to grips with the fate he deserved.I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is one of the most revealing and insightful pieces of crime reporting ever published.
Fighting Blind: A Green Beret's Story of Extraordinary Courage
by Jim DeFelice Ivan CastroFighting was a practiced routine for Lieutenant Ivan Castro. But when a mortar round struck the rooftop of his sniper’s post in Iraq, he found himself in a battle more difficult than even he could have imagined. The direct hit killed two other soldiers and nearly claimed Castro’s life as well. Mangled by shrapnel and badly burned, Castro was medevac’d to Germany more dead than alive. His lungs were collapsed. He couldn’t hear. One eye had been blown out, the nerve to the other severed.In the weeks and months that followed, Castro would find that physical darkness was nothing compared to the emotional darkness of loss and despair. Desperate for a reason to live, he eventually fought his way back to health through exercise and a single-minded goal: running a marathon. Once he set his course, there was no stopping him. Stubborn to a point that at times bordered on insanity, he managed not only to recover but to return to active duty. Since 2007, he has run over two dozen marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2013, where he was one of the runners diverted when the bombs exploded.Today, Castro helps prepare soldiers for combat, working exactly as if he were “sighted.” Fighting Blind, this frankly told account of his struggle through adversity, the highs and lows and the always bumpy road in between, is a story of hope and perseverance against the odds: an Unbroken for the present generation.
California Babylon: A Guide to Site of Scandal, Mayhem, and Celluloid in the Golden State
by Anneli Rufus Kristan LawsonCalifornia: the whole world knows it as the mother lode of scandal and celebrity, mayhem and miracles, a place where nearly anything can happen - and does. Giving the lowdown on the most notorious locations across the state, California Babylon redefines tourism for the 21st century by guiding you to the places you actually want to see, whether you'll admit to it or not.Packed with photographs and with easy-to-follow directions to each site, California Babylon unveils the real-life filming locations; scenes of rock-'n'-roll debauchery; homes and hotspots where the stars lived, dined, made love and died - and where they still do today. With this detailed, up-to-date guide, you can revisit some of the most shocking, puzzling, glamorous and tragic moments the world has ever known.Spend the night in the very hotel rooms where Janis Joplin, John Belushi, or Hawaii's King Kamehameha died. See the site where People's Temple leader Jim Jones whipped hundreds of followers into a frenzy. Visit the orphanage where little Norma Jeane Baker dreamed of stardom. Follow in the footsteps of serial killers. Recreate the camera angles for dozens of your favorite films, from Vertigo to Pee Wee's Big Adventure. With California Babylon's help, you can also see:*infamous crime scenes*the homes of screen legends*graves of the rich and famous*assassination sites*abandoned utopias*restaurants and bars frequented by celebritiesForget the endless malls and beaches! Wouldn't you rather see JFK's secret love-nest, the stage where Michael Jackson's hair burst into flames, or the alley that was the epicenter of prostitution in gold-rush era San Francisco? These are the guilty pleasures you'll actually write home about, and they're what make California the wacky, world-famous, and truly unbelievable place it is today.