. . or a New Positive Force Helping to Drive the Economy . . .   The untold story of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone, the financier and his financial powerhouse that avoided the self-destructive tendencies of Wall Street. David Carey and John Morris show how Blackstone (and other private equity firms) transformed themselves from gamblers, hostile-takeover artists, and ‘barbarians at the gate’ into disciplined, risk-conscious investors. The financial establishment—banks and investment bankers such as Citigroup, Bear Stearns, Lehman, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley—were the cowboys, recklessly assuming risks, leveraging up to astronomical levels and driving the economy to the brink of disaster. Blackstone is now ready to break out once again since it is sitting on billions of dollars that can be invested at a time when the market is starved for capital.  The story of a financial revolution—the greatest untold success story on Wall Street: Not only have Blackstone and a small coterie of competitors wrested control of corporations around the globe, but they have emerged as a major force on Wall Street, challenging the likes of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for dominance. Great human interest story: How Blackstone went from two guys and a secretary to being one of Wall Street’s most powerful institutions, far outgrowing its much older rival KKR; and how Steve Schwarzman, with a pay packet one year of $398 million and $684 million from the Blackstone IPO, came to epitomize the spectacular new financial fortunes amassed in the 2000s. Controversial: Analyzes the controversies surrounding Blackstone and whether it and other private equity firms suck the lifeblood out of companies to enrich themselves—or whether they are a force that helps make the companies they own stronger and thereby better competitors. The story by two insiders with access: Insightful and hard-hitting, filled with never-before-revealed details about the workings of a heretofore secretive company that was the personal fiefdom of Schwarzman and Peter Peterson. Forward-looking: How Blackstone and private equity will drive the economy and provide a model for how financing will work.

    BioShock and Philosophy: Irrational Game, Rational Book presents expert reflections by philosophers (and Bioshock connoisseurs) on this critically acclaimed and immersive fan-favorite. Reveals the philosophical questions raised through the artistic complexity, compelling characters and absorbing plots of this ground-breaking first-person shooter (FPS) Explores what BioShock teaches the gamer about gaming, and the aesthetics of video game storytelling Addresses a wide array of topics including Marxism, propaganda, human enhancement technologies, political decision-making, free will, morality, feminism, transworld individuality, and vending machines in the dystopian society of Rapture Considers visionary game developer Ken Levine's depiction of Ayn Rand's philosophy, as well as the theories of Aristotle, de Beauvoir, Dewey, Leibniz, Marx, Plato, and others from the Hall of Philosophical Heroes

    A strategy that’s not pie-in-the-sky and not just a bunch of theory, but rather a systematic plan that is backed up with real numbers showing it clearly beating the S&P 500 over time. A trading strategy that’s understandable, repeatable, that works and works simply.Anyone can do this. In simple-to-understand language, you’ll discover---- The six ETFs that power the strategy, and why.-- The simple technique for identifying which of those ETFs to buy, and which to sell. And most importantly, when.-- How $5,000 can end up $1,000,000 in your retirement portfolio.-- How to protect your portfolio during market downturns with a simple cash trigger.-- In short, how to earn an average of 12% annually in the stock market with minimal trading, less volatility, and less risk.Beat "The Street" in just 20 minutes.If you have 20 minutes a month and a computer, you can turn any investment amount into a steadily growing compounding machine that will make you the envy of Mad Money’s Jim Cramer and 99% of all mutual fund managers.Make just 2-4 trades one day a month. The strategy tells you what ETFs to buy and what to sell. That’s it. Then turn off the computer and go live your life.

    Visit the SEO Made Simple (fourth edition) page for more information. http: //www.amazon.com/SEO-Made-Simple-4th-Ed... More Than 30,000 Copies Sold! The original SEO Made Simple: Strategies for Dominating the World's Leading Search Engine, is a tell-all guide for anyone trying to reach the highly coveted #1 ranking on Google for their Web site or Blog. Learn from a leading Webmaster the specific SEO techniques that deliver top rankings in less than 30 days. Whether you're a search engine optimization expert or new to Web site rankings, the techniques revealed in SEO Made Simple will give you everything you need to dominate the leading search engines. Generate tons of traffic to your website absolutely FREE with top search engine placement on Google, Yahoo! and MSN. SEO Made Simple is the only resource on search engine optimization that you'll ever need.

    As a result, many people are left with an incomplete understanding of this transformative new technology and its massive implications for the future. The goal of this book is not to plumb the depths of the mathematical wizardry used to code blockchain-based applications, but rather to serve as an introduction to the broader architecture and conceptual background behind blockchain technology. We will take a practical approach, examining how Blockchains are used in the real world. In this short, concise guide you will learn: A Brief History of Blockchain Technology Blockchain Basics: Managing Digital Transactions What is a Distributed Ledger? Blockchain Beyond Bitcoin Implications Of Blockchain: Big Data, Privacy & Personal Data Profiting from Blockchain Technologies Limitations & Challenges of Blockchain The Future of Blockchain For Centuries, people have relied on corrupt Centralized Institutions like banks and Governments to serve as intermediaries when it comes to storing and transacting financial assets. This is ALL About To Change... Make sure you take action and join the Financial Revolution by reading this book!

    In this day and age, young people can't afford to repeat the financial mistakes made by their parents. Thankfully, there is a way for the middle class of today to build wealth and be happy. This practical guide will lead you through the life-long journey of financial independence, free from money related stress and empowered to live life the way you want. In Building Wealth And Being Happy: A Practical Guide To Financial Independence, you'll learn:- How to slowly get rich over many years and retire early- How to have a positive, healthy relationship with money- Whether you should use a financial advisor or DIY- Whether you should rent or buy the place you live in- Whether you should partake in socially responsible and green investments- If you can trust the stock market- If you should invest in real estate or gold- And much, much more...

    Should the blame fall on Wall Street, Main Street, or Pennsylvania Avenue? On greedy traders, misguided regulators, sleazy subprime companies, cowardly legislators, or clueless home buyers?According to Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, two of America's most acclaimed business journalists, the real answer is all of the above-and more. Many devils helped bring hell to the economy. And the full story, in all of its complexity and detail, is like the legend of the blind men and the elephant. Almost everyone has missed the big picture. Almost no one has put all the pieces together.All the Devils Are Here goes back several decades to weave the hidden history of the financial crisis in a way no previous book has done. It explores the motivations of everyone from famous CEOs, cabinet secretaries, and politicians to anonymous lenders, borrowers, analysts, and Wall Street traders. It delves into the powerful American mythology of homeownership. And it proves that the crisis ultimately wasn't about finance at all; it was about human nature.Among the devils you'll meet in vivid detail:• Angelo Mozilo, the CEO of Countrywide, who dreamed of spreading homeownership to the masses, only to succumb to the peer pressure-and the outsized profits-of the sleaziest subprime lending.• Roland Arnall, a respected philanthropist and diplomat, who made his fortune building Ameriquest, a subprime lending empire that relied on blatantly deceptive lending practices.• Hank Greenberg, who built AIG into a Rube Goldberg contraption with an undeserved triple-A rating, and who ran it so tightly that he was the only one who knew where all the bodies were buried.• Stan O'Neal of Merrill Lynch, aloof and suspicious, who suffered from "Goldman envy" and drove a proud old firm into the ground by promoting cronies and pushing out his smartest lieutenants.• Lloyd Blankfein, who helped turn Goldman Sachs from a culture that famously put clients first to one that made clients secondary to its own bottom line.• Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae, who (like his predecessors) bullied regulators into submission and let his firm drift away from its original, noble mission.• Brian Clarkson of Moody's, who aggressively pushed to increase his rating agency's market share and stock price, at the cost of its integrity.• Alan Greenspan, the legendary maestro of the Federal Reserve, who ignored the evidence of a growing housing bubble and turned a blind eye to the lending practices that ultimately brought down Wall Street-and inflicted enormous pain on the country.Just as McLean's The Smartest Guys in the Room was hailed as the best Enron book on a crowded shelf, so will All the Devils Are Here be remembered for finally making sense of the meltdown and its consequences.

    "C++ For Dummies, 5th Edition," debunks the myths, blasts the barriers, shares the secrets, and gets you started. In fact, by the end of Chapter 1, you'll be able to create a C++ program. OK, it won't be newest, flashiest video game, but it might be a practical, customized inventory control or record-keeping program.Most people catch on faster when they actually DO something, so "C++ For Dummies" includes a CD-ROM that gives you all you need to start programming (except the guidance in the book, of course), including: Dev-C, a full-featured, integrated C++ compiler and editor you install to get down to businessThe source code for the programs in the book, including code for BUDGET, programs that demonstrate principles in the bookDocumentation for the Standard Template LibraryOnline C++ help filesWritten by Stephen Randy Davis, author of "C++ Weekend Crash Course, C++ for Dummies, " takes you through the programming process step-by-step. You'll discover how to: Generate an executableCreate source code, commenting it as you go and using consistent code indentation and naming conventionsWrite declarations and name variables, and calculate expressionsWrite and use a function, store sequences in arrays, and declare and use pointer variablesUnderstand classes and object-oriented programmingWork with constructors and destructorsUse inheritance to extend classesUse stream I/OComment your code as you go, and use consistent code indentation and naming conventionsAutomate programming with the Standard Template Library (STL)"C++ for Dummies 5th Edition" is updated for the newest ANSI standard to make sure you're up to code.Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    This book gives readers the opportunity to understand and profit from these economic indicators.

    Packed with savvy tips on today's best investment opportunities, this book provides a down-to-earth, straightforward approach to making money on the market without the fancy lingo. Soon you'll have the power to optimize your returns by:Recognizing and minimizing the risks Gathering information about potential stocks Dissecting annual reports and other company documents Analyzing the growth and demand of industries Playing with the politicians Approaching uncertain markets Using corporate stock buybacks to boost earnings Handling the IRS and other obligations With a different strategy for every investor--from recent college grad to married with children to recently retired--this valuable reference is a must-have. It also features tips and tricks on how to tell when a stock is on the verge of declining or increasing, how to protect yourself from fraud, and common challenges that every investor must go through, along with resources and financial ratios.

    . . a welcome addition to the bookshelf of anyone who wants to take control of his or her financial life.­­United Press InternationalThe bestselling hardcover edition of How to Think Like Benjamin Graham and Invest Like Warren Buffett was widely hailed for its straightforward approach to making wise investment choices. This paperback version makes these same tools and tactics available to a wider audience. Explaining how to analyze investment targets based on honest value instead of hype and mirrors, Lawrence Cunningham's top-ranked book reveals:How to ask valuable questions, and demand meaningful answersMarket-proven methods for evaluating managers and CEOsValue investing techniques that made Warren Buffett a billionaire­­and today's number one investor

    Reingold was part of the "Street" and believed in it.But in this action-packed, highly personal memoir written with accomplished Fast Company senior writer Jennifer Reingold the author describes how his enthusiasm gave way to disgust as he learned how deeply corrupted Wall Street and much of corporate America had become during the roaring stock market bubble of the 1990s.Confessions of a Wall Street Analyst provides a front-row seat at one of the most dramatic -- and ultimately tragic -- periods in financial history. Reingold recounts his introduction to the world of Wall Street leaks and secret deal-making; his experiences with corporate fraud; and Wall Street's alarming penchant for lavish spending and multimillion-dollar pay packages.Reingold spars with arch rival Grubman; fends off intense pressures from Wall Street bankers and corporate CEOs; and is wooed by Morgan Stanley's CEO, John Mack, and CSFB's über-banker Frank Quattrone.Reingold describes instances in which confidential deals are whispered days before their official announcement. He recalls the moment he learns that Bernie Ebbers's WorldCom was massively cooking its books. And he is shocked to have been an unwitting catalyst for a series of sexually explicit e-mails that would rock Wall Street; bring Jack Grubman to his knees; and contribute to the stepping aside of Grubman's boss, Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill.Some of Reingold's stories are outrageous, others hilarious, and many are simply absurd. But, together, they provide a sobering exposé of Wall Street: a jungle of greed and ego, a place brimming with conflicts and inside information, and a business absurdly out of touch with the Main Street it claims to serve.He shows how government investigators, headlines notwithstanding, never got to the heart of the ethical and legal transgressions of the era. And how they completely overlooked Wall Street's pervasive use of inside information, leaving investors -- even sophisticated professionals -- cheated. The book ends with a series of important policy recommendations to clean up the investing business.In the tradition of Liar's Poker and Den of Thieves, Confessions of a Wall Street Analyst is a no-holds-barred insider's account that will open the eyes of every investor.

    The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Kent has been there to record the craze from the very beginning.This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews with hundreds of industry luminaries, you'll read firsthand accounts of how yesterday's games like Space Invaders, Centipede, and Pac-Man helped create an arcade culture that defined a generation, and how today's empires like Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have galvanized a multibillion-dollar industry and a new generation of games. Inside, you'll discover:·The video game that saved Nintendo from bankruptcy ·The serendipitous story of Pac-Man's design ·The misstep that helped topple Atari's $2 billion-a-year empire·The coin shortage caused by Space Invaders ·The fascinating reasons behind the rise, fall, and rebirth of Sega ·And much more! Entertaining, addictive, and as mesmerizing as the games it chronicles, this book is a must-have for anyone who's ever touched a joystick.

    You’ve probably heard both good and bad things about it. Still, you want to learn more about the stock market. It could also be that you want to start investing but don’t know where to begin or how much to invest. If you’re already investing, you want to learn better ways to grow your investments, because you want to be more confident about your financial future. Up until now, you probably didn’t have enough time to learn about investing and it might seem too confusing, because there is so much information out there about investing. You also don’t want to lose your money or don’t have enough money to begin investing. What if you had the confidence to start investing on your own, so you could show off your investment performance to family and friends? Leave the stress of an insecure financial future behind you and create sustainable wealth, which you can pass down to your family. In this book I give you a quick overview about what you need to know about the stock market, how to begin, what to do if you don’t have enough cash, how to generate passive income, and how to analyze companies. I also give you a list of companies I personally invest in and I try to answer all the questions you might have that are stopping you from getting started or progressing in your investing journey. I'll show you why you need to watch out with investment vehicles such as the 401K and index funds. This book is a quick read and great to keep as a reference. Best of all, you can get started immediately after reading it. **Don’t wait and buy the book now. It’s on sale, but the price will increase in the near future.**