When Officer Charlie Willis pulls over a speeding Rolls-Royce hell-bent for Neiman Marcus, he's surprised to see TV's kindly Miss Agatha leveling a .45 at his stomach. He's even more surprised when she guns him down and keeps on driving. Charlie wakes up in the hospital to find a William Morris agent and a network executive at his bedside. The next thing Charlie knows, he's the star of the cop show My Gun Has Bullets and embroiled in a mob takeover of network television. And so begins an uproarious but deadly romp through the wonderful world of TV make-believe...with real bullets. To make it to sweeps week, Charlie will have to survive two homicidal stuntmen, a rabid star-dog, a hit man turned producer, a psychotic old lady, a sex-crazed blackmailer, and vicious ratings...with only a stunning Baywatch beauty to help him. This wickedly funny paean to absurdity lays to rest the scurrilous rumor that people in television know what they are doing.

In the High Bay at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, Segways scoot across the floor chasing soccer balls while other robots hunt for treasure. Nursebots, developed to care for hospital patients, mingle with a robotic Lara Croft look-alike. Lee Gutkind immersed himself in this frenzied subculture and, in Almost Human, introduces us to Zoë, Groundhog, Grace, and Sandstorm -- robots designed to help, or in some cases replace, humans -- as well as to the colorful cast of researchers attempting to create language to talk not only to machines but also to one another across their disciplines. - from publisher description

The successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 created both hope and hype with regard to advancements in medical therapies. The delineation of precise genetic information suggested the possibility of predicting an individual's future health as well as the theoretical ability to intervene and fix it. Nearly a decade later, Gutkind and Kennedy (writers who are well versed in exploring both the technical and personal sides of science and medicine) chronicle the growing pains of personalized medicine, a genomic-driven, individualized type of preventive health care with uniquely targeted treatments. Interviews with researchers, patients, physicians, and others in the genomic business lead the authors to conclude that although personalized medicine has plenty of power and promise, it has a long way to go before becoming the standard of medical care. Sequencing your own genome is already quite accessible and getting cheaper all the time. Managing and making sense of vast amounts of genetic data remain daunting." (Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.).--

Pittsburgh has always been—despite its industrial reputation—a great city in which to be a writer. Its active, close-knit writing community has seen the rise of several luminaries with Pittsburgh connections, such as Annie Dillard and Stewart O'Nan, and the caliber of Pittsburgh's writing community today is better than ever. Lee Gutkind has assembled a reunion of sorts with writers from across the nation, as well as the up-and-coming stars on the local scene—each of whom has a Pittsburgh connection. Many grew up in the region, others attended college here: all of them have an association with the city. The resulting collection of essays is both gentle and jarring, eclectic and persuasive, covering a range of topics—from a stripper's work ethic to West Virginia's famed Matewan shootout, Atlantic City's Boardwalk before Donald Trump, and the uses of poetry to better understand one's own life. Although Pittsburgh is not the subject of most of the essays, these writers are bound by their affinity for the written word and their collective fondness for Pittsburgh.

In the twenty-one nonfiction narratives collected in Our Roots Are Deep with Passion, established and emerging writers with family ties to Italy reflect on the ways that their lives have been accented with uniquely Italian-American flavors. Several of the essays breathe new life into the time-honored theme of familyLouise DeSalvo honors her grandfather, nick-named "the drunk" because he spent his life of hard work drinking wine instead of water, and James Vescovi portrays the close of the stormy relationship between his father and grandmother. Other stories tackle the mystical side of Italian-American life, like Laura Valeri's account of a summer vacation se;ance in Sardinia that goes eerily awry. And elsewhere, Stephanie Susnjara charts the history of garlic in society and her kitchen, and Gina Barreca offers an unabashed confession of congenital jealousy. --Publisher description.

12 essays describe the anger and frustration patients and families often feel towards the health care system.

A father and son travel across North America in a pick-up truck--talking, laughing, fighting, and bonding. After years of thinking he'd never have kids, Lee Gutkind became a father at forty-seven and, following his divorce, soon found himself taking over more and more of the primary care responsibilities for his son, Sam. As one of a growing number of "old new dads" (recent studies have shown that one in ten children are born to fathers over forty), Gutkind realized that he faced challenges-both mental and physical-not faced by younger dads, not the least of which was how to bond with a son who was so much younger than himself. For the past five years, Gutkind's approach to this challenge has been to spend several weeks of every summer "truckin'" with Sam, a term they define as a metaphor for spontaneity, a lack of restriction: "Truckin' means that you can what you want to do sometimes; you don't always need to do what's expected." What began as long, cross-country journeys in a pick-up truck, including one memorable trip up the Alaska-Canadian Highway en route to a writer's conference in Homer, Alaska, have in more recent years ranged farther afield, to Europe, Australia, and Tibet. Whether listening to rock and roll music, entertaining themselves with their secret jokes and code words, fishing for halibut, or fighting over tuna fish sandwiches and how best to butter one's toast, Lee and Sam have learned to respect one another. In the process of their travels and their adventures, Lee has also come to grips with the downside of middle age and the embarassment of "senior moments," while Sam has inevitably begun to assert himself and shape his own life. Interspersed with Sam's own observations and journal entries, Truckin' with Sam is an honest, moving, and often hilarious account of one father's determination to bond with his son, a spontaneous travelogue that will appeal to old dads, new dads, and women who want to know more about how dads (and sons) think and behave.

One of the chief tasks facing the interpreter in any investigation of Second Temple Judaism involves sorting out the relationship between Judaism and Hellenism. How much influence did Greco-Roman culture exert on Diaspora Judaism? To what extent did Hellenism affect the material culture of Judaism and its social and religious practices? Hebrew University professor Lee Levine looks at literary, epigraphical, and archaeological evidence in an effort to sift through the relevant issues. His assessments argue against oversimplification and instead encourage a more nuanced and balanced view. This volume not only introduces the fundamental issues but supplies an informed reading of the sources as well. Anyone wrestling with the relationship between Judaism and Hellenism will find this essential reading.

Lee Konitz, for decades, has left a legacy of true, spontaneous jazz improvisations. Alex Oliverio, who recently completed his bachelor's degree in jazz studies at Arizona State University, with this collection of transcribed Lee Konitz solos, has given us the opportunity to look into the creative process of one of the great jazz masters. Of particular interest, Alex has chosen Lee's solos from his early period with Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh, from the "Motion" trio of 1961 and from more recent recordings with Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden. For all improvisers, Alex's work is an important contribution to our learning process and to published jazz pedagogy.GARY FOSTER JANUARY 2014.

Contains a guide to parenting, in which parents must make being a parent their top priority, from conception throughout the child's life, and discusses topics including role models, honesty, language, education, and religion.

Edited from 20 years of the author's teaching in both the USA and Europe, The Alchemy of Love and Sex articulates the immense conflict and confusion surrounding love, sex, the genders and tantric spirituality. Lozowick provides straightforward but not always comfortable or polite advice for those seeking clarity in their spiritual exploration. This nonfiction consciousness expanding book may revea[Bokinfo]

Never before published transcripts from Lee Strasberg's teachings at his school in New York City in the last ten years of his life.

Vampire Academy Mad Libs is our newest original Mad Libs featuring 21 original stories inspired by Vampire Academy, the best-selling series by Richelle Mead. At only $4.99, it’s the perfect gift to buy for your favorite vampire, half-blood, or friend.

As the Talmud says, God made people because God loves stories... The God Stories is a celebration of the spellbinding stories that some readers first meet, in part, in the Bible. Through her research of the Talmud and of folklore, Berg lyrically and successfully reclaims these stories for everyone, religious and irreligious, aged nine to ninety.

Journey to heaven invites readers to rediscover some of the basic tenets of Jewish belief concerning the hereafter: resurrection, immortality, judgment, messianism, and the World to Come. Starting with the Bible's references to Sheol and allusions to resurrection, this comprehensive survey explores immortality and bodily resurrection in Second Temple literature; the Mishnah's discussions of olam ha-ba, the World to Come, and how to merit entertering it; and the Talmud's depictions of Gan Eden (paradise), Gehinnom (hell), and the soul's journey through these metaphysical landscapes. Bronner also explores the views of medieval scholars such as Maimonides and Nahmanides, Jewish mystical teachings about reincarnation, and modern views of faith and belief. A separate chapter is devoted to views of the Messiah over the course of Jewish history. Bronner demonstrates that the afterlife is indeed a vital part of Judaism, as she reveals how generations of Jews, from biblical times to the present, have grappled with its core ideas and beliefs about the hereafter

The 1995 edition of the Year Book of the Leo Baeck Institute for the study of German-speaking Central European Jewry commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Institute, and contains papers on the fight of German and Austrian Jews against National-Socialist Germany; responses to the persecution of Jews in the 1930s; Jewish conversion from the 17th to the 19th century; German Jews in the Age of Emancipation; the precedent of the Prague Organ; German-Jewish silver in the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam; and a review of GDR historiography on persecution and the Holocaust. It also includes an extensive annotated bibliography for 1994.

Argues against the myth of Jews and Arabs living peacefully side by side before the advent of Zionism and the creation of Israel. The enmity of Arabs and Muslims dates from the time of Muhammad, and the inequality of Jews in Muslim societies is embedded in Islamic law. It is not only the Covenant of Omar which has determined the Jews' inferior status, but also local laws and customs of Islamic societies. The rise of Arab nationalism and the beginning of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel exacerbated Arab-Jewish relations. Argues that, initially, the Nazis and the antisemites in other European countries favored the idea of Jewish mass emigration from Europe to Palestine; however, the Nazis abandoned this idea for the sake of an alliance with the Arab nationalists. During the Holocaust, the Land of Israel could have become a refuge for Jews, but this possibility was thwarted by British restrictions of Jewish immigration. Contends that Arab pressure on British authorities prevented the immigration of hundreds of thousands of European Jews to the Land of Israel. After the establishment of the State of Israel, Arab antisemitism reached a peak. In the present-day Arab and Muslim world, anti-Zionism, traditional Muslim anti-Judaism, modern antisemitism, and Holocaust denial (while extolling Hitler for the Holocaust) have merged together into one dangerous complex.

A study of antisemitism in Poland in the 20th century. Describes the increase in antisemitism between 1918-39. Reflects on the question of the role of Polish antisemitism in the Holocaust. During the war, most Poles either collaborated with the Nazis or at least approved of the economic measures against the Jews. The rightist anti-German resistance (e.g. Narodowe Sily Zbrojne) regarded Jews as enemies of Poland and sometimes cooperated with the Nazis in the murders. The Armia Krajowa was also antisemitic, and sometimes killed Jews. Many Poles profited from the Holocaust. The Catholic Church was silent. Discusses, also, the Poles who rescued Jews and their motivations. At the end of the war there was a wave of murders of Jews who had survived the Holocaust or were repatriated from the USSR. Antisemitism remained a political factor in Poland both in the communist and post-communist periods.

THE PATH OF A PIONEER: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LEO JUNGThe authors career from Moravia to America.