But few of us understand the engineering mindset. It’s the mindset that came up with flatpack furniture, disposable nappies, and the postal code; that solved Stockholm’s traffic and the problem of bank closing times (the hole-in-the-wall); and whose seemingly simple ideas have saved countless lives, with innovations such as painting a line behind traffic lanes and combining GPS with 999. It’s a mindset much like a Swiss-army knife – multipurpose, combining structured and abstract thinking, common sense and great imagination, and cross-pollinating information from every possible sector.With the help of a cast of star engineers and fascinating, unexpected real world examples, Madhavan offers a framework for thinking creatively, systematically and strategically so that we can all learn to make better decisions in a complex world.

    In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women's clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations.Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. In this edition, with a new preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and details how much of the same problems still exist.

    The book examines one quality of leadership per chapter, enabling students to apply concepts and skills to their leadership development. It provides self-assessment questionnaires, observational exercises, and reflection and action worksheets in each chapter. A new chapter on handling conflict has been added to the Second Edition, giving a multi-faceted view of conflict and methods for resolving conflict in leadership situations. Case studies have been added to the end of each chapter, including more global examples, and followed by questions to stimulate class discussion.

    This social world is filled with paradox, mystery, suspense, and outright absurdity. Explore how social psychology can help you make sense of your own social world with this engaging and accessible book. Roy F. Baumeister and Brad J. Bushman's SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND HUMAN NATURE can help you make sense of the always fascinating and sometimes bizarre and baffling diversity of human behavior-and it's also just plain interesting to learn about how and why people act the way they do.

    Schwartz tells the epic story of gambling, beginning with its early emergence from divination rituals and ending with today’s global gaming culture. In a sweeping, rollicking narrative, Schwartz looks at the betting games people have played since the dawn of history, and argues convincingly that gambling has always been a crucial part of the human experience. The book begins with the rolling of knucklebones in prehistoric times, progresses through the casting of lots portrayed in the Bible and sacred Hindu writings, and traces gaming through the heights of the Greek and Roman civilizations. Schwartz continues through the Middle Ages, investigating the mysterious invention of playing cards in twelfth-century China, the birth of the casino and table games such as baccarat in Venice, and the British Empire’s work in spreading gambling throughout the world. Schwartz describes how lotteries financed some of the first American colonies, how gambling prospered in the Civil War and the Old West, how organized crime exploded in the twentieth century by running illegal gambling operations, and how gambling dollars transformed Las Vegas into the world’s number-one tourist destination. Packed with colorful characters from Julius Caesar to Casanova, George Washington to Steve Wynn, Roll the Bones is an all-in history of humanity’s fascination with chance. BACKCOVER: Advance Praise for Roll the Bones “Roll the Bones is a comprehensive and compelling look at the history of risk-taking—a necessary book in our age of plutonium poker, state lotteries, and billion-dollar Internet gaming sites. David Schwartz, a serious historian writing for a general audience, illuminates an urge we feel deep in our cells.” —From the Foreword by James McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street “Simultaneously entertaining, informative, and provocative, Roll the Bones looks through the veils of luxury, elegance, and pleasure that surround mankind’s obsession with lady luck, to give a panoramic view of generations of gamblers, from the Caesars of Imperial Rome to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Behind the lively narrative is a mass of information on the origin and rules of most popular games of chance, and a thoughtful analysis of the place of gambling in the 21st century.” —Iain Gately, author of Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization “David Schwartz has written a masterful and encyclopedic history of gambling, from hunter- gathering peoples to the tourists on the twenty-first-century Las Vegas Strip. Throughout Schwartz maintains an accessible writing style with plenty of enjoyable anecdotes. Both the professional historian and the average reader will find the work rewarding.” —Larry Gragg, author of Englishmen Transplanted and The Salem Witch Crises “Roll the Bones is an impressive telling of our journey with gambling, from its evolutionary beginnings to today—a great read for both the serious student of gambling history and the merely curious. This book will become the ‘gold standard’ of gambling history.” —Crandell Addington, championship poker legend and member of the Poker Hall of Fame

    Now, its gifted author delivers another sweeping historical novel. Davinsky Labor Camp, Siberia, 1933: Only two things in this wretched place keep Sofia from giving up hope: the prospect of freedom, and the stories told by her friend and fellow prisoner Anna, of a charmed childhood in Petrograd, and her fervent girlhood love for a passionate revolutionary named Vasily. After a perilous escape, Sofia endures months of desolation and hardship. But, clinging to a promise she made to Anna, she subsists on the belief that someday she will track down Vasily. In a remote village, she's nursed back to health by a Gypsy family, and there she finds more than refuge, she also finds Mikhail Pashin, who, her heart tells her, is Vasily in disguise. He's everything she has ever wanted but he belongs to Anna. After coming this far, Sofia is tantalizingly close to freedom, family?even a future. All that stands in her way is the secret past that could endanger everything she has come to hold dear.

    In this brilliant book, labor historian Erik Loomis recounts ten critical workers' strikes in American labor history that everyone needs to know about (and then provides an annotated list of the 150 most important moments in American labor history in the appendix). From the Lowell Mill Girls strike in the 1830s to Justice for Janitors in 1990, these labor uprisings do not just reflect the times in which they occurred, but speak directly to the present moment.For example, we often think that Lincoln ended slavery by proclaiming the slaves emancipated, but Loomis shows that they freed themselves during the Civil War by simply withdrawing their labor. He shows how the hopes and aspirations of a generation were made into demands at a GM plant in Lordstown in 1972. And he takes us to the forests of the Pacific Northwest in the early nineteenth century where the radical organizers known as the Wobblies made their biggest inroads against the power of bosses. But there were also moments when the movement was crushed by corporations and the government; Loomis helps us understand the present perilous condition of American workers and draws lessons from both the victories and defeats of the past.In crystalline narratives, labor historian Erik Loomis lifts the curtain on workers' struggles, giving us a fresh perspective on American history from the boots up.Strikes includeLowell Mill Girls Strike (Massachusetts, 1830-40)Slaves on Strike (The Confederacy, 1861-65)The Eight-Hour Day Strikes (Chicago, 1886)The Anthracite Strike (Pennsylvania, 1902)The Bread and Roses Strike (Massachusetts, 1912)The Flint Sit-Down Strike (Michigan, 1937)The Oakland General Strike (California, 1946)Lordstown (Ohio, 1972)Air Traffic Controllers (1981)Justice for Janitors (Los Angeles, 1990)

    Local examples have been used as often as possible to give students a more thorough understanding of the principles involved. Maps, diagrams, graphs and photographs assist students in their interpretation of geographical facts. Questions and exercises are included to enable students to test their own understanding of the subject.

    With 1.5 million employees operating more than 3, 500 stores, Wal-Mart is now the world'¬?s largest private employer. In this third edition of How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America (and the World), intrepid Texas newspaperman Bill Quinn continues the fight. Featuring detailed accounts of Wal-Mart'¬?s questionable business practices and the latest information on Wal-Mart lawsuits, vendor issues, and efforts to stop expansion, Quinn shows why Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is arguably the most feared and despised corporation in the world. Whether you'¬?re a customer fed up with Wal-Mart'¬?s false claims, a vendor squeezed by strong-arm tactics, a worker pushed to increase the Waltons'¬? bottom line, or a concerned citizen trying to save your hometown, this book will show you how to get Wal-Mart off your back and out of your backyard.BILL QUINN is a World War II veteran, retired newspaperman, and certified anti-Wal-Mart crusader. He lives with his wife, Lennie, in Grand Saline,Texas.

    These two highly-respected economists and educators have revised this best-selling MICRO FIRST book to include more current topics and events while maintaining its hallmark feature of teaching economics through stories, graphs, and equations; relevant to students with various learning styles (verbal, visual, and numerical).

     From the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, the first real factories in America, to the triumph of unions in the twentieth century and their waning influence today, the con­test between labor and capital for their share of American bounty has shaped our national experience. Philip Dray’s ambition is to show us the vital accomplishments of organized labor in that time and illuminate its central role in our social, political, economic, and cultural evolution. There Is Power in a Union is an epic, character-driven narrative that locates this struggle for security and dignity in all its various settings: on picket lines and in union halls, jails, assembly lines, corporate boardrooms, the courts, the halls of Congress, and the White House. The author demonstrates, viscerally and dramatically, the urgency of the fight for fairness and economic democracy—a struggle that remains especially urgent today, when ordinary Americans are so anxious and beset by eco­nomic woes.

    Length: 80,600 wordsTrust, respect, and love. Three little words—that's all. But these words are powerful, and if we ignore any one of them, then three other little words take their place: jealousy, insecurity, and heartbreak.Schoolteacher Gemma Hughes is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. Disorganised and clumsy, she soon finds herself in the capable hands of the beautiful Dr Maria Moran. Everything goes wonderfully until Gemma starts doubting Maria's intentions and begins listening to the wrong people.But has Maria something to hide, or is it a case of swapping trust for insecurity, respect for jealousy and finishing with a world of heartbreak and deceit? Can Gemma stop her actions before it's too late? Or will she ruin the best thing to happen in her life?Given her track record, anything is possible...

    These will challenge the way you think, introduce you to new ways to look at problems, and expand your mind.Even if you are new to riddles and brain teasers this book will be a fun and exciting read, it will help you become a better problem solver and become more comfortable with thinking outside the box. The problems in this book range in difficulty from light & easy to hard to very hard and will provide a challenge for even the sharpest mind. In this book you will find puzzles that incorporate: Discrete Reasoning Mathematical Reasoning Practical Reasoning Classical Logic No Word Play! Definite & Satisfying Answers Convention-defying Solutions Enjoy it! ...and remember, once you peek at the solution you will never be able to unsee it!

    Chapters also deal with key constituencies - students and faculty - in the context of a changing academic environment. While the contributors agree with critics who argue for ongoing reassessment of public institutions, they provide a more balanced perspective. They take issue with the crisis culture that has emerged among critics of current higher education practices, pointing out that higher education has faced challenges through its history. By illuminating the complex interplay between institutions and external forces, the book provides a key to guide the endeavors of faculty, students, and administrative leaders. Fully revised and updated, the second edition includes a new chapter on higher education markets.

    Manufacturing Engineering and Technology describes both time-tested and modern methods of manufacturing engineering materials, and sets the standard for introducing readers to the scope and variety of manufacturing processes.