Will a perennial favorite like Duke win? Or will it be a dark horse like Gonzaga? The phenomenon known as March Madness galvanizes a nation of viewers as few other sports events can. The reason? Bracketology. America eagerly watches as 64 teams become 32, then 16, then 8, then 4, then 2, and finally #1. Now it's time to use the same rigorous method for everything that really matters in culture, people, history, the arts and more. In The Enlightened Bracketologist the editors have organized the world's most haunting and maddeningly subjective questions into a scheme of binary pairings that finally reveal what is truly the best in its class: La Tache or Chateau Latour? (1) Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens? (2) "Vissi d'arte" or "Dove Sono"? (3) OJ verdict or JFK assassination? (4) "Top of the world, Ma" or "Nobody's perfect"? (5) Two by two, The Enlightened Bracketologist pits our cultural mainstays against each other; only the finest survive. Every double-page spread of this book will contain a series of brackets compiled by experts and celebrities, with text call-outs that highlight the reason why one competitor moves on and another doesn't. Already committed are Elvis Costello on popular songs; David Bouley on cookbooks; Leon Fleisher on piano music; Reneé Fleming on opera arias; Henry Beard on French phrases; Joseph Ward on wine.

    Since bursting onto the international trail-running scene by winning the first multistage race he ever entered – the brutal Gobi March – Ryan has gone on to win various other multistage and single-day races around the globe. Written with bestselling author and journalist Steve Smith, Trail Blazer – My Life as an Ultra-distance Trail Runner recounts the life story of this intrepid sportsman, from his experiences as a rudderless party animal to becoming a world-class athlete, and includes details on his training regimes, race strategies and aspirations for future sporting endeavours.Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the adrenaline-inducing trials and tribulations of one of South Africa’s most awe-inspiring athletes, while endurance-sport participants – from beginners to aspirant pros – will benefit from his insights and advice. As Professor Tim Noakes says in the Foreword to this book: ‘However much we might think we know and understand, there are some phenomena which now, and perhaps forever, we will never fully comprehend. We call such happenings “enigmas”. Or even miracles. Ryan Sandes is one such.’

    At the start of the fourth and final lap was a pitch of rocky, loose trail that went straight up the face of a ski run.... My Swiss rival had been dismounting and running this climb while I stayed on my bike. On previous laps, I'd opened a little gap, so I knew this would be my chance. I attacked when Thomas got off again. He never caught me.... To ride that steep trail, I had to use five climbing techniques. There's no reason why you can't make them part of your arsenal, too."

    Book

    Expedition leader John Hunt's account of the first ascent of Mount Everest's summit in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

    It has inspired songs, poetry and imaginations across the globe – as well as providing a very real service for the nation’s seafarers who might fall prey to storms and gales. In 1995, a plan to move the late-night broadcast by just 12 minutes caused a national outcry and was ultimately scrapped.Published with Radio 4 and the Met Office, The Shipping Forecast is the official miscellany for seafarers and armchair travellers alike. From the places themselves – how they got their names, what’s happened there through the ages – to the poems and parodies that it’s inspired, this is a beautifully evocative tribute to one of Britain's – and Radio 4's – best-loved broadcasts.

    Simultaneous.

    A key factor in the diet's success is the meal plan, with its healthy, great-tasting, easy recipes featuring the Abs Diet 12 Powerfoods. Now, to meet the demands of today's time-strapped society, Zinczenko and coauthor Ted Spiker present The Abs Diet 6-Minute Meals for 6-Pack Abs to help readers make the right food choices--in less time than it takes to pick up a meal at a drive-thru.The Abs Diet 6-Minute Meals for 6-Pack Abs features:- 101 6-minute recipes: fast and easy recipes like Barbecue Chicken Pizza, Smokehouse Salad, Summer Vegetable Couscous, and more- the 12 Abs Diet Powerfoods, plus what makes them nutritional powerhouses and how they increase lean muscle mass and discourage storing fat- shopping lists, appliance recommendations, and more- a 7-day meal plan (for those who prefer not to mix-and-match)- a bonus chapter with 60-minute Sunday creations and 15-minute meals when you have more timeThis user-friendly cookbook is the perfect resource for followers of The Abs Diet as well as anyone who wants to change their body to improve their health, their looks, or their athletic performance.

    Will take 25-35 days

    There are no complicated physics lessons here. Rather, conceived in the “take dead aim” spirit of Harvey Penick’s classic instructional on golf, The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing offers a simple, digestible primer on the basic elements of fly fishing: the cast, presentation, reading water, and selecting flies. The Table of Contents includes:Part One: The Cast: 45 Tips to Help You Cast Straighter, Longer, and More AccuratelyPart Two: Presentation: 60 Tips to Help you Place and Drift Your Flies So that Trout Will Want to Eat ThemPart Three: Reading Water: 37 Tips to Help You Find Trout in a Rive and Effectively Cast to themPart Four: 43 Tips to Help You Select, Rig, and Fish the Right Fly at the Right Time in the Right WayPart Five: Miscellaneous: 65 Tips on Fighting Fish, Wading, Choosing Ger, and Everything Else That MattersIn the end, this collection of 240 tips is one of the most insightful, plainly spoken, and entertaining works on this sport—one that will serve both novices and experts alike in helping them reflect and hone-in their approaches to fly fishing.

    Covering southeastern California, the southern half of Arizona, most of Baja California, and much of the state of Sonora, Mexico, this vast area is home to an amazing variety of plants and animals. Its terrain varies dramatically, from parched desert lowlands to semiarid tropical forests and frigid subalpine meadows. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert provides the most complete collection of Sonoran Desert natural history information ever compiled and is a perfect introduction to this biologically rich desert of North America.The authors—experts in many fields—begin with a general look at the region's geology, paleoecology, climate, human ecology, and biodiversity. The book then looks in depth at hundreds of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, native fishes, and invertebrates that live in the northern part of the Sonoran Desert. Throughout, the text is supplemented with anecdotes, essays, color and black-and-white photographs, maps, diagrams, and 450 finely-rendered drawings. This comprehensive, accessible natural history is written for nonscientists and will surely become an invaluable companion for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, hikers, students, and anyone interested in the desert Southwest.A copublication with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

    Chris Santella, along with top expedition leaders, explores the world’s greatest walking adventures. Some, such as the Lunana Snowman Trek in Bhutan and the Kangshung Valley Trek in Tibet, are grueling multiweek adventures at high altitudes. Others, such as Japan’s Nakesando Trail, move leisurely from village to village, allowing walkers to immerse themselves in the local culture. Whether it’s climbing the Rwandan mountains to view mountain gorillas or strolling through bistros along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, there’s a memorable hike at everyone’s level within these 50 chapters. With commentaries from expert trekkers and insider tips that lead the reader off the beaten path, Santella has again captured the special characteristics that make these must-visit destinations.

    Not the space where I sleep or the walls that surround me, but instead, the people that surround me. The ones that make me feel like me. Like I don't need to hide. My brothers, my best friend. It's a small bubble, sure, but one I'm damn happy with. I might be a little lost at times-I mean, who isn't?-but I always know where to go when I need to find myself. It's safe, comfortable, familiar. My home.Until he falls into my lap. No, literally. Into my lap. That beer I spent the last of my money on? Gone. All over me. Damnit. I'm wet, and I'm...oh.Oh dear God.Tall and broad. That surfer hair and those sparkly blue eyes. Cheeky grin and southern drawl that makes a girl wanna drool. All those rippling, tattooed muscles. Oh, yes.Mitchell Hudson, baseball superstar, you may fall into my lap any day, kind sir.Except then he starts making a home inside my heart, and that vital organ? Well, I'm not sure we're ready for what he has to offer. His home is tied to a place thousands of miles away, and mine? Well...mine's right here.The man hits more homeruns than I can count, and that's exactly what I'm afraid he's going to do: run home, and take a piece of my heart with him when he goes.** You do not need to know anything about baseball or even really like the sport to read this story. But if you like athletic men who like to throw their strength and alpha sides (and their women) around, this might be the story for you! **

    Written and edited by ten climber-physicians who specialize in various fields of medicine, this fully updated edition offers expert information on preventing, diagnosing, and treating major and minor medical emergencies in the backcountry.

    He watched day by day, crisis by crisis, as McCloskey, coach Chuck Daly, and a handful of immensely talented and ambitious basketball players--the Bad Boys of Detroit--won the NBA championship. Illustrated.