On this island, with its cruel legacy of slave trade and Latin revolution, and its turbulent present of marijuana millionaires, threadbare illegal immigrants, and hard-luck treasure hunters, lives St. Cloud, an American expatriated in his own country, a fugitive from the unresolved anguish of his generation. Chronicling St. Cloud's dangerous reawakening, Mile Zero illuminates the inward and outward tumult of our time in a huge, startling, and profoundly felt novel.

    And learning these idioms and phrases will not only help you speak English better, it'll help you understand Americans better!Idioms are presented in 25 lively dialogues which tell the entertaining story of an American family, complete with illustrations. The book comes with an audio CD of all of the dialogues. Contains dozens of helpful exercises & six crossword puzzles to reinforce the material, with convenient answer key for self-study. About the AuthorAmy Gillett has taught ESL (English as a Second Language) in both the United States and Europe. She holds a BA degree in literature fromStanford University, an MA from Stanford in Russian & East European Studies, and an MBA from Cornell. She speaks several foreign languages.Her writing has appeared in many national magazines and newspapers, including MAD Magazine, Family Circle, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

    Krishna begins his sweeping exploration ofthe tradition of Karnatik music with a fundamental question: what is music? Takingnothing for granted and addressing readers from across the spectrum - musicians, musicologists as well as laypeople - Krishna provides a path-breaking overviewof south Indian classical music.

    Crucially, for 2019, it provides pointers to look out for, to see if the incumbent government will win or lose. Written by Prannoy Roy, renowned for his knack of demystifying electoral politics, and Dorab Sopariwala, this book will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in politics and elections in India.

    ·      Discover something new every day – this guide will show you what special things you can do each day of the year, right down to the best time to do it so that you don’t miss a thing. ·      Detailed furniture catalog – see how to acquire each piece of furniture for customizing your house and each accessory for your character. ·      Checklists for everything – keep track of items you get with checklists that cover each type of collectable. ·      Smaller trim size for portability and over 400 pages of content.

    Her curious nature and enthusiastic probing have translated into a thriving resale business in the university housing complex where she lives with her husband and two young children. Flan's venture helps pay the bills while her husband works on his dissertation, work that lately seems to involve more loafing on the sofa watching soap operas than reading or writing. The secret of her enterprising success: unique and everyday treasures bought from the auctions of forgotten and abandoned storage units.When Flan secures the winning bid on a box filled only with an address and a note bearing the word "yes," she sets out to discover the source of this mysterious message and its meaning. Armed with a well-worn copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass that she turns to for guidance and solace, Flan becomes determined to find the "yes" in her own life. This search inward only strengthens her desire to unearth the hidden stories of those around her-in particular, her burqa-clad Afghan neighbor. Flan's interest in this intriguing and secretive woman, however, comes at a formidable price for Flan and her family.Set during the year following the September 11 attacks, Self Storage explores the raw insecurities of a changed society. With lush writing, great humor, and a genuine heart, Gayle Brandeis takes a peek into the souls of a woman and a community-and reveals that it is not our differences that drive us apart but our willful concealment of the qualities that connect us.

    It all starts with customers. For the past several years, Seybold has been working with electronic commerce pioneers who have made life easier for their customers by figuring out what they want and designing their Internet strategy accordingly. Seybold's guide is packed with insights on how both Fortune 500 giants and smaller companies have created e-commerce initiatives that place them well ahead of their competitors.

    Biography, memoir, narrative history, reportage, the travel account: all these forms now have their interesting and original practitioners in India. In this Granta issue they tackle questions ranging from rape in village India to scandal in Mumbai clubs. And there is room, as always, for the best of India's fiction.

    For the families who live on Connors Lane in Washington DC, life is still defined by what one did during WWII. Behind each door lives a possible spy or Nazi sympathizer, the family of a foreign diplomat, or someone who escaped the conflagration in Europe just in time.But it is also the summer of an inexplicable spider infestation--surely evidence of "insect warfare" by the Russians, thinks our young narrator John, and his best friends, Ivan and Max. When a rare, scorpion-like vinegaroon is discovered and sequestered for museum study, the boys, along with their tomboy accomplice, Beatriz, hatch a risky midnight plan to steal the poisonous creature for their own devious purposes.At the same time, under the tutelage of Ivan's glamorous aunt Elena, they plan to forge a spirit of bonhomie in the neighborhood by throwing a party in John's grandparents' backyard. Fueled by punch the boys doctor with a jug of Brazilian rum, the adults let down their defenses until Elena, already a lightning rod for her Ukrainian birth, swinging social life, and outspokenness on behalf of refugees, roars off with a stranger on his motorcycle. What happens next will change John's life forever.

    He can teach anybody."-- Gay Talese, bestselling author of "Honor Thy Father""Scott Speck is a great communicator of classical music.... Concert audiences and readers alike can't help getting caught up in the joy of his subject."-- David Styers, American Symphony Orchestra LeagueOpera is weird. Everybody wears makeup and sings all the time. Even when they're singing your language, which is rare, you still can't understand the words. Women play men, men play women, and 45-year-olds play teenagers. All the main characters seem to get killed off. And when somebody dies, he takes ten minutes to sing about it. Yet, for all its weirdness, an operatic experience is an experience in breathtaking beauty. When you hear a soprano float a soft high C, or a tenor singing a love song, or a full-throated chorus in the climax of a scene's dramatic finale, you can't help getting goosebumps.Want to experience all that beauty for yourself, but don't know where to begin? "Opera For Dummies" is an excellent place to start. Written by an acclaimed conductor and a musical director, this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to: Understand opera from the Baroque and Roman periods through todayInterpret characters, orchestra, chorus, and other playersUnderstand what's happening, both on stage and offChoose the best seatsIdentify famous operasBuild a great collection of opera recordingsLocate opera sites and chat groups onlineWhether you're interested in attending a live opera, want to build a collection of recordings, or just want to be able to talk about opera intelligently, "Opera For Dummies" is for you. Among other things, you'll explore: The words, the music, and the people who sing itThe history of opera and the lives of the great composersGoing to the opera -- including tips for getting tickets, preparing for the opera, dressing for the opera, and moreMusical and theatrical conventions used in operaIn-depth synopses of the world's most beloved operasOn the bonus CD you'll find: More than 60 minutes of music compiled especially for the bookA multimedia piece for PC or MACWonder what it is about opera that can make a grown person cry like a baby? Find out in "Opera For Dummies.

    All the icons of this greatest of cities swirl and flash through these pages: taxis and subways, bridges and skyscrapers, ghettos and roof gardens and fire escapes, from the South Bronx to Coney Island to Broadway to Central Park, and from Langston Hughes’s Harlem to James Merrill’s Upper East Side. Wallace Stevens, e. e. cummings, W. H. Auden, Dorothy Parker, Elizabeth Bishop, Allen Ginsberg, and Audre Lorde are just a few of the poets gathered here, alongside a host of new young voices. Encompassing as many moods, characters, and scenes as this multifaceted, ever-changing metropolis has to offer, Poems of New York will be treasured by literary lovers of New York everywhere.

    Three secrets.One chance at redemption. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Frey delivers a mesmerizing new thriller where life and death are played out against the backdrop of America's favorite game. Sarasota, Florida: Forced to retire from his job as a scout for the New York Yankees, Jack Barrett is just getting by in a small Florida town when his daughter drags him to watch the local minor-league team play. It's a night that will change his life. Jack spots a remarkable player named Mikey Clemant, a kid whose amazing natural skill on the field is overshadowed by his bad attitude and solitary habits. In Clemant, Jack thinks he might have found his ticket back to the big time. But the young man has a secret that will put all of Jack's plans — and maybe even his life — in jeopardy.Queens, New York: Johnny Bondano is the premier hit man for the Lucchesi crime family. Ruthless and cold-blooded but with a strict moral code, Johnny is given instructions to find and kill a man who took the life of a crime boss's only grandson. He suspects the family isn't telling him everything about his latest assignment, but to question his orders is tantamount to suicide.As these three men's destinies converge, loyalties are tested and dreams collide with violent and unpredictable results. Forced Out is a nonstop, tightly wrought tale of suspense by a true master of page-turning fiction.

    Some of these words appeal because of their aptness, some for their obscurity, some for their euphony, and some for their quirkiness.

    These people try your patience, sap your energy, and add an entirely unhealthy dynamic to workplace productivity. The bestselling author of Emotional Vampires and Dinosaur Brains shows you how to spot and deal effectively with these dysfunctional elements in the workplace:ANTISOCIALS, who crave excitement in all its forms, including aggression If your boss or a coworker is trying to push you around . . . Learn that the most important battle to fight with a bully is in your own mind.HISTRIONICS, who believe that what it looks like is more important than what it is If your boss thinks any problem can be solved with a motivational seminar . . . Learn how to get a manager wannabe to actually manage.NARCISSISTS, who believe that the universe revolves around them If your CEO makes Louis XVI look like Gandhi . . . Learn techniques that diplomats have used throughout history to teach infantile monarchs to act like grown-ups.OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVES, who can't seem to see the forest for the trees If there is absolutely no task that your boss considers too small to micromanage . . . Learn to be a Control-Freak Whisperer by seeing your boss's fear rather than your own irritation.PARANOIDS, who think they've found the simple truths that explain everything If you work in a place where you can't get ahead unless you drink the Kool-Aid . . . Learn how to recognize a toxic belief system before it poisons you.VAMPIRE CULTURES: when vampires get promoted to positions of power, they remake organizations in their own image . . . Learn the 15 warning signs that tell you to get out before sunset.PRAISE FOR EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES: We love so much about this book! A great complement to Dealing with People You Can't Stand, it goes beyond dealing with the merely difficult behavior to the truly pathological. Bernstein offers believable examples and useful descriptions. This is the book to recommend when the topic of truly horrible behavior comes up! -- Dr. Rick Kirschner and Dr. Rick Brinkman, authors of the international bestseller Dealing with People You Can't StandThis book equips individuals with the tools to identify and defend against a wide array of emotional vampires at work. It offers well-developed tactics for navigating the most difficult people in any organization. -- Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, bestselling authors of Working with You Is Killing Me and Mean Girls at WorkIt's amazing how one manipulative, territorial, or otherwise self-serving boss or employee can make the lives of everyone around miserable. In Emotional Vampires at Work, Albert Bernstein offers concrete, step-by-step guidance to manage life around these misfits. You'll learn to take care of your and your valued colleagues' needs, while contributing your best to your organization--with maturity and sanity. -- Nancy Ancowitz, author of Self-Promotion for Introverts

    The weavers he serves soon riot in protest against reductions in their wages and harsh working conditions.