Most Popular Books by Richard B

On September 10, 1934, grizzled reliever Burleigh Grimes helped the Pittsburgh Pirates to an inconsequential 9-7 win over the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds. For Grimes, the September contest marked his 270th and final win. For baseball, it marked the last time a legal spitballer would win a major league contest. Though the pitch had been banned in 1920, the American and National leagues both agreed to grant two exemptions per team to spitballers who were already in the majors. In 1921, both leagues agreed to extend grandfather provisions to cover the veteran spitball pitchers for the remainder of their careers. Under the extended rule, 17 pitchers were granted exemptions for their careers. This work looks at the lives and careers of these 17: Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Jack Quinn, Urban Shocker, Stan Coveleskie, Bill Doak, Ray Caldwell, Clarence Mitchell, Dutch Leonard, Ray Fisher, Dick Rudolph, Allen Sothoron, Phil Douglas, Allan Russell, Doc Ayers, Dana Fillingim and Marvin Goodwin.

Theories of human development characteristically include a series of stages through which individuals are expected to pass if they are to achieve wholeness and happiness. Whether explicitly or not, such theories privilege "normalcy." Heroes, on the other hand, are commonly wounded individuals whose developmental "disabilities" are ultimately the source of their personal success and heroism. The Wounds that Heal examines developmental theory in the light of the heroic narrative and argues that such theory should be adjusted to accommodate the experience of those who are, in many ways, our principal role models. Four individuals are examined in depth: Jane Austen, T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, and George S. Patton, Jr. The study draws on the experience of a host of other individuals, both historic and fictional, and includes materials designed to aid readers in defining their own views of the heroic as well as to become heroes or heroines in their own lives.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Viewed from above, Greenland offers an endless vista of whiteness interrupted only by scattered ponds of azure-colored melt water. Ninety percent of Greenland is covered by ice; its ice sheet, the largest outside Antarctica, stretches almost 1,000 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west. But this stark view of ice and snow is changing--and changing rapidly. Greenland's ice sheet is melting; the dazzling, photogenic display of icebergs breaking off Greenland's rapidly melting glaciers has become a tourist attraction. The Fate of Greenland documents Greenland's warming with dramatic color photographs and investigates Greenland's climate history for clues about what happens when climate change is abrupt rather than gradual. Geological evidence suggests that Greenland has already been affected by two dramatic changes in climate: the Medieval Warm Period, when warm temperatures in Northern Europe enabled Norse exploration and settlements in Greenland; and the Little Ice Age that followed and apparently wiped out the settlements. Greenland's climate past and present could presage our climate future. Abrupt climate change would be cataclysmic: the melting of Greenland's ice shelf would cause sea levels to rise twenty-four feet worldwide; lower Manhattan would be underwater and Florida's coastline would recede to Orlando. The planet appears to be in a period of acute climate instability, exacerbated by carbon dioxide we pour into the atmosphere. As this book makes clear, it is in all of our interests to pay attention to Greenland.--Publisher description.

This is a revision and an updating of the first edition, published in 2000. Presidents from Washington to Obama (not included are William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield because of very short terms) are rated in five categories: Foreign Relations, Domestic Programs, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations, Leadership and Decision Making, and Presidential Comportment. Each president is evaluated on his effectiveness in each area and a final analysis is provided for the scores combined. The presidents are then ranked overall. The most overrated and underrated chief executives are identified. Each entry includes biographical and political information, as well as an analysis of their overall behavior and status.

Schwartz speculates that Johnson - who revered hard facts, a wide cultural base, and common sense - would have exhibited scant patience with the heavily academic approaches currently favored in the study of literature. He considers it probable that the combatants in the early struggles of the culture wars are losing energy and that, in the wake of Alvin Kernan's declaration of the death of literature, new battlegrounds are developing. Ironically admiring the orchestration and staging of battles old and new - "superb" he calls them - he characterizes the entire culture war as a "battle between straw men, carefully constructed by the combatants to sustain a pattern of polarization that could be exploited to provide continuing professional advancement."

The Disciple III Remember Who You Are: Study Manual combines direction and information enabling study of the text – the Bible. Two titles in the commentary section of the manual reflect ideas central to the prophets and Paul's letters. "The Word of the Lord" picks up a familiar phrase from the prophets – a clear statement of their calling: They spoke (and speak) for God. Each member of the group needs a study manual and a Bible. The Bible is the text for the study and the study manual will guide group members in their study and preparation for the weekly group session. The study manual also includes suggestions for individual research and study-related activities. Space is provided for taking notes while reading Scripture, for recording thoughts and questions arising out of daily study, and for notes during the weekly group session. The titles of the sessions along with theme words and theme verses, and major persons, events, and topics will set the sequence of the biblical story in the minds of the participants. The principal Scripture for each session follows the chronological movement of the biblical story. Disciple III Remember Who You Are is the third study in the four-phase DISCIPLE program. The driving idea in this study is the connection between memory and identity as the people of God. The word You in the title is meant to be heard both in its singular form (the individual) and its plural form (the community). We are a community of memory. Participants in this 32 week study will read the major and minor Old Testament prophets, with the exception of Daniel, and will read the thirteen Letters traditionally attributed to Paul. To establish the historical context in which the prophets spoke for God, daily reading assignments draw also on the books of Deuteronomy through Chronicles. Several themes weave their way through the study – the call to remember; the call to repentance; the need for renewed vision; and the place of community. The prophets and Paul are continually calling hearers and readers back to their God and to a sense of who they are as a people"set apart." Commitment and Time Involved 32 week study Three and one-half to four hours of independent study each week (40 minutes daily for leaders and 30 minutes daily for group members) in preparation for weekly group meetings. Attendance at weekly 2.5 hour meetings

Aleister Crowley is best known today as a founding father of modern occultism and his influence can be found everywhere in popular culture. Crowley, also known as the Great Beast, has been the subject of several biographies, some painting him as a misunderstood genius, others as a manipulative charlatan. None of them have looked seriously at his career as an agent of British Intelligence. Using documents gleaned from British, American, French and Italian archives, Secret Agent 666 sensationally reveals Crowley's role in many government plots.

The Organic Chemistry of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions is not a book on enzymes, but rather a book on the general mechanisms involved in chemical reactions involving enzymes. An enzyme is a protein molecule in a plant or animal that causes specific reactions without itself being permanently altered or destroyed. This is a revised edition of a very successful book, which appeals to both academic and industrial markets. - Illustrates the organic mechanism associated with each enzyme-catalyzed reaction - Makes the connection between organic reaction mechanisms and enzyme mechanisms - Compiles the latest information about molecular mechanisms of enzyme reactions - Accompanied by clearly drawn structures, schemes, and figures - Includes an extensive bibliography on enzyme mechanisms covering the last 30 years - Explains how enzymes can accelerate the rates of chemical reactions with high specificity - Provides approaches to the design of inhibitors of enzyme-catalyzed reactions - Categorizes the cofactors that are appropriate for catalyzing different classes of reactions - Shows how chemical enzyme models are used for mechanistic studies - Describes catalytic antibody design and mechanism - Includes problem sets and solutions for each chapter - Written in an informal and didactic style

A comprehensive, scientific look at creatine--the supplement of choice for today's serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts--what it is, how it works, how to use it, and what it can do for an athlete. 19 photos.

Since the first edition of this book appeared, professors have praised Weiten's scholarship as exemplary and the accessibility of his prose as unparalleled. PSYCHOLOGY: THEMES AND VARIATIONS redefined the way Introductory Psychology is taught by using integrative themes to develop the connections among different areas of psychological research. In this revitalized and thoroughly updated Fifth Edition, not only has Weiten continued to refine and improve the scholarship, outstanding art program, and readability of the text, but he has also added a new critical thinking feature to each chapter. This critical thinking feature is designed to encourage students to examine the process of effective questioning and analysis of key issues in psychology. Using integrative themes to emphasize connections among different areas of research in psychology, and built from the ground up using original sources, Weiten challenges students to grapple with the big issues and tough questions while mastering the basic concepts of psychology. Throughout the Fifth Edition, Weiten emphasizes the unity in psychology's intellectual heritage (the themes), as well as psychology's immense diversity (the variations). Offering the strongest integration of technology aids for students and instructors, Weiten's text includes icon links to the innovative PSYK.TREK CD-ROM, providing students with a powerful way to explore psychological concepts through experiments, interactivities, animation, audio, video, and printable quizzing.