Download or read book The White Glove War written by Katie Crouch and published by Hachette+ORM. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Money, beauty, power, and love -- the youngest members of the Magnolia League have it all. Some may call them lucky, but the truth is they're charmed. Armed with spells, potions, and conjures from the powerful Buzzard family, the Magnolias have bought their luck...at a price. Ensconced in the League's headquarters on Habersham street, golden girl Hayes Anderson would never dream of leaving Savannah, where there's no problem that can't be solved with a cup of Swamp Brew tea. But when danger lurks and family secrets are unearthed, Hayes learns that magic can't fix everything. Across town at an old mansion on Forsyth Park, recent California transplant Alexandria Lee is on a quest to free her mother's spirit from a hoodoo spell. As dark magic sweeps through Savannah's historic squares and misty backwaters, will Hayes and Alex have the strength to save the people they love -- and themselves? Katie Crouch's second Magnolia League novel is a beguiling story about family, friendship, and the magical ties that bind.

Download or read book Making Virtual Worlds written by Thomas Malaby and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-15 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past decade has seen phenomenal growth in the development and use of virtual worlds. In one of the most notable, Second Life, millions of people have created online avatars in order to play games, take classes, socialize, and conduct business transactions. Second Life offers a gathering point and the tools for people to create a new world online. Too often neglected in popular and scholarly accounts of such groundbreaking new environments is the simple truth that, of necessity, such virtual worlds emerge from physical workplaces marked by negotiation, creation, and constant change. Thomas Malaby spent a year at Linden Lab, the real-world home of Second Life, observing those who develop and profit from the sprawling, self-generating system they have created. Some of the challenges created by Second Life for its developers were of a very traditional nature, such as how to cope with a business that is growing more quickly than existing staff can handle. Others are seemingly new: How, for instance, does one regulate something that is supposed to run on its own? Is it possible simply to create a space for people to use and then not govern its use? Can one apply these same free-range/free-market principles to the office environment in which the game is produced? "Lindens"—as the Linden Lab employees call themselves—found that their efforts to prompt user behavior of one sort or another were fraught with complexities, as a number of ongoing processes collided with their own interventions. Malaby thoughtfully describes the world of Linden Lab and the challenges faced while he was conducting his in-depth ethnographic research there. He shows how the workers of a very young but quickly growing company were themselves caught up in ideas about technology, games, and organizations, and struggled to manage not only their virtual world but also themselves in a nonhierarchical fashion. In exploring the practices the Lindens employed, he questions what was at stake in their virtual world, what a game really is (and how people participate), and the role of the unexpected in a product like Second Life and an organization like Linden Lab.

Download or read book The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic written by Jessica Hopper and published by Featherproof Books. This book was released on 2015-05-12 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jessica Hopper's music criticism has earned her a reputation as a firebrand, a keen observer and fearless critic not just of music but the culture around it. With this volume spanning from her punk fanzine roots to her landmark piece on R. Kelly's past, The First Collection leaves no doubt why The New York Times has called Hopper's work "influential." Not merely a selection of two decades of Hopper's most engaging, thoughtful, and humorous writing, this book documents the last 20 years of American music making and the shifting landscape of music consumption. The book journeys through the truths of Riot Grrrl's empowering insurgence, decamps to Gary, IN, on the eve of Michael Jackson's death, explodes the grunge-era mythologies of Nirvana and Courtney Love, and examines emo's rise. Through this vast range of album reviews, essays, columns, interviews, and oral histories, Hopper chronicles what it is to be truly obsessed with music. The pieces in The First Collection send us digging deep into our record collections, searching to re-hear what we loved and hated, makes us reconsider the art, trash, and politics Hopper illuminates, helping us to make sense of what matters to us most.

Download or read book The Pan Industrial Revolution written by Richard D'Aveni and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Strategic Capitalism presents a provocative new vision of global industry in the age of 3-D printing: “essential business reading” (Kirkus, starred review). With books like Hypercompetition and Strategic Capitalism, Richard D’Aveni has established himself as a business strategist of uncanny prescience. In The Pan-Industrial Revolution, he demonstrates how the advent of industrial‑scale 3‑D printing is already happening under the radar, and that it will have a far‑reaching impact that most corporate and governmental leaders have yet to anticipate or understand. 3-D printing, now called additive manufacturing, has moved far beyond a desktop technology used by hobbyists to churn out trinkets and toys. In this eye-opening account, D’Aveni reveals how recent breakthroughs have been secretly adapted by Fortune 500 companies to revolutionize the manufacture jet engines, airplanes, automobiles, and so much more. D’Aveni explains how this technology will transform the landscape of manufacturing, and the dramatic effect this change will have on the world economy. A handful of massively powerful corporations—what D’Aveni calls pan‑industrials—will become as important as any tech giant in re-structuring the global order.

Download or read book Deepwoods written by Honor Raconteur and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-09 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I was stopped by a messenger from Blackstone," Sylvie said simply and held out a folded sheet of paper that had been sealed with black wax, the crest of the main guild of the city impressed into it. "Seems urgent."Siobhan broke the seal with a quick twist of her fingers before unfolding the paper. Deepwoods had strong ties to Blackstone, the master guild of Goldschmidt, and often took on minor jobs for them. To be given a message like this wasn't unusual. To get it this late in the day, however, spoke of impending trouble. She scanned through the letter quickly and unease coiled into a cold lump in her stomach."Listen up," she called to the table, not taking her eyes from the letter. A hush instantly descended. "This came directly from Guildmaster Darrens. His daughter Lirah has gone missing.""Missing?!" several people repeated in shock."She apparently was going to Sateren to negotiate something for her father but she never got there. He's verified that she went through Island Pass so she at least got to Wynngaard, but it's now three days past when she was meant to arrive and there's no sign of her." She raised her head and looked around the table, stating what everyone had already guessed. "He's asked us to go after her."

Download or read book Beyond the Best Dressed written by Esther Zuckerman and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore two dozen of the most glamorous, scandalous, and history-making Oscar looks in Beyond the Best Dressed, film and culture critic Esther Zuckerman's personality-filled romp through red carpet fashion, complete with original fashion drawings from illustrator Montana Forbes. From the show-stoppingly elegant (Halle Berry winning the award for Monster’s Ball in a breathtaking Elie Saab) to the decidedly kooky (Adam Rippon in a formal harness), the Academy Awards Telecast is one of the few nights of the year devoted entirely to glamor (in all its forms). Even in the age of streaming, millions upon millions of people sit down at the same time, turn on their televisions, and watch celebrities strut down the red carpet (and, sure, win some awards). Now fans can relive the glamor, drama, and lasting legacy of some of the most influential outfits from more than ninety years of the Oscar in Beyond the Best Dressed: A Cultural History of the Most Glamorous, Radical, and Scandalous Oscar Fashion. In twenty-five essays, culture writer Esther Zuckerman explores the iconic fashion choices that made history on the most elegant stage of all, and analyzes the cultural impact of wardrobe decisions both absurd and wonderful. Beginning with Hattie McDaniel’s historic and trendsetting turquoise gown in 1940 (worn at a table segregated from her white agent), Zuckerman goes beyond the “best of” lists to shine a deserved spotlight on the truly unforgettable outfits–and deciphers what those outfits represented. Beyond the Best Dressed is a first-of-its-kind commemoration of Oscar fashion that perfectly captures the glitz and the glamor for anyone who has ever been to an Oscar watch party (or texted their friends while they watched alone). Fully illustrated with whimsical fashion drawings of the outfits–including Michelle Williams' golden Versace, Sharon Stone's iconic Gap t-shirt, and Rita Moreno's groundbreaking dress worn in both 1962 and 2018–this book is a joyful and vivid odyssey that doesn’t stop at the hem of the dress, delving deeper into the cultural effect of these fashion flash points with research and original reporting.

Download or read book Nevertheless We Persisted written by In This Together Media and published by Ember. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful collection of essays from actors, activists, athletes, politicians, musicians, writers, and teens, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, actress Alia Shawkat, actor Maulik Pancholy, poet Azure Antoinette, teen activist Gavin Grimm, and many, many others, each writing about a time in their youth when they were held back because of their race, gender, or sexual identity—but persisted. "Aren't you a terrorist?" "There are no roles for people who look like you." "That's a sin." "No girls allowed." They've heard it all. Actress Alia Shawkat reflects on all the parts she was told she was too "ethnic" to play. Former NFL player Wade Davis recalls his bullying of gay classmates in an attempt to hide his own sexuality. Teen Gavin Grimm shares the story that led to one of the infamous "bathroom bills," and how he's fighting it. Holocaust survivor Fanny Starr tells of her harrowing time in Aushwitz, where she watched her family disappear, one by one. What made them rise up through the hate? What made them overcome the obstacles of their childhood to achieve extraordinary success? How did they break out of society's limited view of who they are and find their way to the beautiful and hard-won lives they live today? With a foreword by Minnesota senator and up-and-coming Democratic party leader Amy Klobuchar, these essays share deeply personal stories of resilience, faith, love, and, yes, persistence. An International Latino Book Award Winner A National Council for Social Studies Selection "Each tale is a soulful testament to the endurance of the human spirit and reminds readers that they are not alone in their search for self. . . . An unflinchingly honest book that should be required reading for every young person in America." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review "An invaluable collection of snapshots of American society." —VOYA, starred review "[A] gem of a book. . . . There's a lot to study here and talk about on the way to becoming kinder, more empathetic, and most important, compassionate." —Booklist "Readers encountering injustice in their own lives may be compelled to take heart—and even action." —Publishers Weekly "A powerful collection of voices." —SLJ "The sheer variation in writing styles, subject-matters, and structure to these narratives provides readers with inspiration in assorted forms and a complex interpretation of what it means to persist." —The Bulletin

Download or read book Hypercompetition written by Richard A. D'aveni and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-05-11 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General Motors and IBM have been battered to their cores. Jack Welch, the chairman of General Electric, called the frenzied competition of the 1980's "a white knuckle decade" and said the 1990s would be worse. In this pathbreaking book that will define this new age of "hypercompetition," Richard D'Aveni reveals how competitive moves and countermoves escalate with such ferocity today that the traditional sources of competitive advantage can no longer be sustained. To compete in this dynamic environment, D'Aveni argues that a company must fundamentally shift its strategic focus. He constructs a brilliant operational model that shows how firms move up "escalation ladders" as advantage is continually created, eroded, destroyed, and recreated through strategic maneuvering in four arenas of competition. Using this "Four Arena" analysis, D'Aveni explains how competitors engage in a struggle for control by seeking leadership in the arenas of "price and quality," "timing and know-how," "stronghold creation/invasion," and "deep pockets." Winners set the pace in each of these four competitive battlegrounds. Using hundreds of detailed examples from hypercompetitive industries such as computers, software, automobiles, airlines, pharmaceuticals, toys and soft drinks, D'Avenie demonstrates how hypercompetitive firms succeed in dynamic markets by disrupting the status quo and creating a continuous series of temporary advantages. They seize the initiative, D'Aveni explains, by employing a set of strategies he calls the "New 7-S's" Superior Stakeholder Satisfaction, Strategic Soothsaying, Speed, Surprise, Shifting the Rules of Competition, Signaling Strategic Intent, and Simultaneous and Sequential Thrusts. Paradoxically, firms must destroy their competitive advantages to gain advantage, D'Aveni shows. Long-term success depends not on sustaining an advantage through a static, long-term strategy, but instead on formulating a dynamic strategy for the creating, destruction, and recreation of short-term advantages. America must embrace the new reality of hypercompetition, D'Aveni concludes in a compelling analysis of the potential chilling effect of American antitrust laws on competitiveness. This masterful book, essentially an operating manual of strategy and tactics for a new era, will be required reading for managers, planners, consultants, academics, and students of hypercompetitive industries.

Download or read book Elusion written by Claudia Gabel and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-03-18 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mind-blowing beginning of a futuristic series about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions. A new technology is sweeping the country. To enter Elusion®, you need an app, a visor, and a wristband, and you'll be virtually transported to an exotic destination where adventure comes without the complications or consequences of real life. When there are accusations that Elusion is addictive and dangerous, Regan is determined to defend it and is pulled into incredible new worlds to discover deeply buried truths—and to make the ultimate choice between love and loyalty. . . . Full of thrilling mystery, romance, and intriguing technology, this Inception-inspired thriller is perfect for fans of dystopian and sci-fi novels such as Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Matched by Ally Condie, and Partials by Dan Wells, and is continued in the sequel, Etherworld.

Download or read book Strategic Supremacy written by Richard A. D'Aveni and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HYPER-COMPETITION, 'the modern-day analogue to The Art of War' (Fortune), gave managers no holds barred strategies to create chaos, seize control of their industries, and rout rivals. Now, Richard D'Aveni shows how managers in large and mid-size global companies can defend themselves from these hyper-competitive attacks, squash revolutionary upstarts, and fashion a favourable world for themselves. Throughout history, great powers have built and reshaped their territory, absorbeed or deflected revolutions (most of which fail anyway), and managed their relations with one overriding aim: strategic supremacy. Here, D'Aveni demonstrates how global corporations can do likewise in a hyper-competitive world. They must reconceptualize traditional portfolios into powerful competitive arsenals he calls 'spheres of interest' (like Disney and Microsoft); douse disruptions using counter-revolutionary tactics (Anheuser-Busch bought the microbrew industry); contain competitors of equal size (like NBC did ABD; and master the art of competitive configuration (like Proctor & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson).

Download or read book A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends written by Esther Zuckerman and published by Running Press Adult. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba to Timothe Chalamet, A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends is the ultimate celebration of the suave, sexy, sensitive, and silly celebrities who have captured our hearts and memes! Handsome and heartfelt, with winning smiles and pinnable Tweets -- this is what Internet Boyfriends are made of. But who are these meme-able men, and what makes them catch fire online? Discover the answers to these questions and more in A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends, an interactive exploration of our collective crushes. Entertainment journalist Esther Zuckerman breaks down the world of Internet Boyfriends -- and even a few Internet Girlfriends -- from documentary-style "spotting guides" to discussions on the key categories of boyfriend, like Sensitive Souls, Beautiful Boys and Daddys. A playful, teen magazine-style quiz -- to help readers find their ideal crush -- and in-depth profiles of some of the most beloved Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends, from Ryan Gosling (the original) to Harry Styles (the Gen Z icon) to Janelle Monae (the space queen), round out this fully-illustrated romp through the celebs behind the memes.

Download or read book Strategic Capitalism The New Economic Strategy for Winning the Capitalist Cold War written by Richard Anthony D'Aveni and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2012-08-24 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for Strategic Capitalism “Richard D’Aveni understands that managing competition between the United States and China—and their quite different forms of capitalism—will occupy leaders on both sides of the Pacific for decades to come and will shape the first half of the 21st century more than any other factor. This book is a welcome addition to a vitally important debate.” —Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and author of Every Nation for Itself “Understanding the pluses and minuses of modern ‘capitalism,’ in more than a sloganeering way, is the great challenge for corporations and for government from North America to Europe to East Asia. Strategic Capitalism is a valuable contribution to clear thinking about this imperative.” —James Fallows, The Atlantic, and author of China Airborne “Professor D’Aveni is a business provocateur extraordinaire. He tells you the straight scoop and will never cave to conventional wisdom unless there is proof that it is right. Strategic Capitalism is another example of D’Aveni’s ability to synthesize a complex topic down to its key elements.” —Bill Achtmeyer, Founder, Chairman, and Managing Partner of The Parthenon Group The Capitalist Cold War Has Begun The United States and its economic allies are under attack by a force unlike any they have ever faced. China and other emerging nations are competing for markets around the world using their own versions of capitalism—and, thus far, they are winning handily. In Strategic Capitalism, one of the world’s leading authorities on global business strategy, Richard D’Aveni, describes how the “economic cold war” began, how it is being played out now, and how the West can change the course of events in its favor. Brilliantly conceived—and sure to ignite passions on both sides of the political aisle—Strategic Capitalism calls for an end to the economic idealism that dominates the national dialog. It also calls for a cold, hard focus on reality, which is this: government-managed capitalist systems consistently outmaneuver and outperform the traditional laissez-faire capitalism of the West. With refreshing levels of thoroughness, knowledge, and detachment, D’Aveni describes the competitive landscape today. These are the facts: The world’s best competitors—with China in the lead—have adopted elements of managed capitalism, in which government and businesses work together toward a single aim. China’s objective is clear—to displace the United States as the world’s economic leader by becoming the global rule maker. If the West does not act soon, it stands to lose everything it holds most dear: financial prosperity, economic freedom, geopolitical power, national security, and even democratic values. This is disruptive innovation on a global scale. But instead of companies using breakthrough products and brands to gain market share, nations are devising “game-changing” economic systems to seize influence over—and beyond—the global economy. Bleak as the situation may be, D’Aveni contends that the West can reverse the trends currently tilting the global balance of power. In order to meet the challenges of the future, America must revisit long-held assumptions about economics and economies, seriously consider radical alternative policies, and embrace the concept of Strategic Capitalism.

Download or read book It Never Ends written by Tom Scharpling and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From cult comedy icon and beloved radio host Tom Scharpling, an inspiring, funny, and thoughtful memoir It Never Ends is Tom Scharpling’s harrowing memoir of his coming of age, a story he has never told before. It’s the heartbreaking account of his attempt at suicide, two stays in a mental hospital, and the memory-wiping electroshock therapy that saved his life. After his rehabilitation, Scharpling committed himself to reinvention through the world of comedy. In this book he will lift the curtain on the turmoil that still follows him, despite all of his accolades and achievements. In the vein of candid memoirs from comedians like Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk with Me and Norm Macdonald's Based on a True Story, It Never Ends is a revealing book by a beloved comedy icon.

Download or read book River Crossings written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Published on the occasion of the landmark exhibition River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home, on view at Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, New York and Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill, New York from May 3 to November 1, 2015."

Download or read book Yukikaze written by Ch hei Kambayashi and published by VIZ Media LLC. This book was released on 2010-01-19 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than thirty years ago, a hyper-dimensional passageway suddenly appeared over the continent of Antarctica, the first stage of an attempted terrestrial invasion by an enigmatic alien host. Humanity, united by a common enemy, managed to push the invaders back through the passageway to the strange planet nicknamed "Faery." A special air-combat force was then created to go there and eliminate the alien bases once and for all. Now, in the midst of a war with no end in sight, Second Lieutenant Rei Fukai carries out his missions in the perilous skies over Faery. Attached to the 5th Squadron of the FAF's Special Air Force, an elite tactical combat and surveillance unit, his duty is to gather information on the enemy and bring it back--no matter the cost. His only constant companion in this lonely task is his fighter plane, the sentient FFR-31 Super Sylph: YUKIKAZE. -- VIZ Media

Download or read book You Are An Amazing Leader Simply Fantastic All the Other Leaders Total Disasters Everyone Agree Believe Me written by Laugh House Press and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-05-16 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You Are An Amazing Leader Simply Fantastic All the Other Leaders Total Disasters Everyone Agrees Believe Me is a 6"x9" softcover, blank lined Donald Trump journal you can give to your favorite Leader to let them know how much you appreciate them. Details 110 pages of high-quality paper. Professional glossy cover. Date line at the top to help organize ideas. The perfect Donald Trump gag gift idea for a lucky recipient. Better than a card!

Download or read book Master Thieves written by Stephen Kurkjian and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2015-03-10 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive story of the greatest art theft in history. In a secret meeting in 1981, a low-level Boston thief gave career gangster Ralph Rossetti the tip of a lifetime: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was a big score waiting to happen. Though its collections included priceless artworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, and others, its security was cheap, mismanaged, and out of date. And now, it seemed, the whole Boston criminal underworld knew it. Nearly a decade passed before the Museum was finally hit. But when it finally happened, the theft quickly became one of the most infamous art heists in history: thirteen works of art valued at up to 500 million, by some of the most famous artists in the world, were taken. The Boston FBI took control of the investigation, but twenty-five years later the case is still unsolved and the artwork is still missing. Stephen Kurkjian, one of the top investigative reporters in the country, has been working this case for over nearly twenty years. In Master Thieves, he sheds new light on some of the Gardner's most abiding mysteries. Why would someone steal these paintings, only to leave them hidden for twenty-five years? And why, if one of the top crime bosses in the city knew about this score in 1981, did the theft happen in 1990? What happened in those intervening years? And what might all this have to do with Boston's notorious gang wars of the 1980s? Kurkjian's reporting is already responsible for some of the biggest breaks in this story, including a meticulous reconstruction of what happened at the Museum that fateful night. Now Master Thieves will reveal the identities of those he believes plotted the heist, the motive for the crime, and the details that the FBI has refused to discuss. Taking you on a journey deep into the gangs of Boston, Kurkjian emerges with the most complete and compelling version of this story ever told.