An intriguing look at Bernie Madoff the man, and his scamMadoff with the Money is a deeply disturbing portrait of Bernie Madoff based on dozens of exclusive, news-making interviews. From the values Madoff was taught growing up in the working class town of Laurelton, Queens to his high-life on Wall Street and the super-rich enclaves of Palm Beach and the French Riviera, bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer follows the disgraced money manager's trail as he works his way up the social and economic ladder, and eventually scams his trusting clients in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.Through Oppenheimer's in-depth reporting, you'll discover new revelations in this startling case, and become familiar with the trusting victims-ranging from non-profit Jewish charities to the likes of seemingly sophisticated individuals such as actress Jane Fonda who would "like to shake Madoff until his teeth fall out," the scion of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire who lost a bundle and... Views: 59
Praise for Squiggle and Billy and the Birdfrogs:"The characters are exceptional, weird, true to life, funny, scary, different, and definitely perk the story . . . an exceptional job. . . . Children will truly enjoy this book."Midwest Book Review"Billy survives by the sheer weight of its own insane internal logic. . . . For those funny-book junkies out there, Billy fulfills a need. Downright weird, and that's a-okay with me, it's worth a gander."School Library Journal"One of the best books we have read this year . . . intelligent, well composed, with a strong narrative, likable characters, and just enough scariness and tension to make it hard to put down."BooksForKids.com"Mystery, suspense, and conflict build a plot of nonstop adventure. Character development is superb . . . clever illustrations, delightful humor, and a marvelous story. . . . Entertaining, downright funny, and highly imaginative... Views: 59
Now available as a novel based on the screenplay written by Kieth Merrill, this story is destined to become a classic for young readers during the holiday season.The film centers around 12-year-old Emma O'Connor as she is sent to live with her "aunt" in the small town of Doverville. Emma soon finds herself in the middle of a "dog-fight" with the mayor and town dogcatcher. In order to strike down their "no-dogs" law, Emma must bring together a group of schoolmates, grown-ups, and adorable dogs of all shapes and sizes in a spectacular holiday pageant. The 12 Dogs of Christmas is a fun, heartwarming story, featuring a diverse canine cast and is perfect for all those who love dogs, kids, and Christmas.The 12 Dogs of Christmas was first introduced as a picture book and board book with companion CD written by then 8-year-old, Emma Kragen. Now with over 500,000 books sold, the story has been expanded into a feature-length film. Views: 59
Judith Hilford flees from a ten-year-long emotionally abusive relationship and accepts temporary lodging arranged by a friend until she can set her life on a new course. Lizzy Mayfield, an independent filmmaker who lost her lover three years ago, comes home from a business trip to find Judith and her child unexpectedly living in her apartment.Lizzy wants nothing more than to be left alone, but as Judith has nowhere else to go, Lizzy allows her to stay. While Judith struggles to create a new life for her daughter and herself, Lizzy is confronted with the vibrancy their presence brings to her emotionally barren existence. As Lizzy and Judith gradually become involved in each other's lives, they are both forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts.Set in the center of Amsterdam, Awakening to Sunlight is a tender love story about two women brought together by fate who, while struggling to come to terms with the painful realities of their lives, discover a future they never... Views: 59
The Merkabah Rider continues his journey across the American Southwest of 1880
in search of the renegade teacher who destroyed his mystic Jewish order in the
second volume (containing novella episodes 5-8) of this acclaimed weird western
series.In this installment the Rider unravels more of the mystery
of Adon's Hour of the Incursion plot and quickly learns that demons are the
least of his troubles. He defends a remote settlement against a gang of
half-demon gunmen in 'The Infernal Napoleon,' joins forces with Doc Holliday to
hunt down an invisible creature in 'The Damned Dingus,' aids a group of Indians
against the mindbending horror of 'The Outlaw Gods,' and takes his hunt to hell
itself in 'The Pandæmonium Ride.' Views: 59
Life in Abney, Texas is predictable and safe—until the night a massive solar flare wipes out all modern technology. As the brilliant northern lights give way to deep shadows, single mom Shelby Sparks, her former sweetheart, and their entire small-town community must find a way to survive. Views: 59
On the red moon will come the firestorm . . . Wielding the Sword of Truth, Richard Rahl has battled death itself and come to the defense of the D’Haran people. But now the power-mad Emperor Jagang confronts Richard with a swift and inexorable foe: a mystical plague cutting a deadly swath across the land and slaying thousands of innocent victims. To quench the inferno, he must seek remedy in the wind . . . To fight it Richard and his beloved Kahlan Amnell will risk everything to uncover the source of the terrible plague—the magic sealed away for three millennia in the Temple of the Winds. Lightning will find him on that path . . . But when prophecy throws the shadow of betrayal across their mission and threatens to destroy them, Richard must accept the Truth and find a way to pay the price the winds demand . . . or he and his world will perish. Terry Goodkind, author of the brilliant bestsellers Wizard’s First Rule and Stone of Tears , has created his most masterful epic yet, a sumptuous feast of magic and excitement replete with the wonders of his unique fantasy vision. Views: 59
Review"A fascinating book. . . . Adam Smith finally has the biography that he deserves, and it could not be more timely."—Jeffrey Collins, Wall Street Journal(Jeffrey Collins Wall Street Journal )"An unabashedly intellectual biography . . . [written] in graceful prose. . . . For all that subsequent generations, no less our own, have taken from Smith''s economic contributions, it is indeed enlightening to understand the broader sweep of his vision."--Nancy F. Koehn, New York Times (Nancy F. Koehn New York Times )“Lively [and] well-observed. . . . It would take a ‘skilful pencil’ to bring Smith to life, warned one of his friends. In bringing Smith’s ideas to life, Phillipson shows that his pencilwork is skilful indeed. ”—The Economist (The Economist )"Remarkable, often brilliant. . . stuffed with acute philosophical observations. But no less fascinating is the portrait of the milieu in which Smith lived. . . . Phillipson''s exposition of [Smith''s] ''enlightened life'' can scarcely be bettered."—The Times (London)(The Times (London) )"[Nicholas Phillipson] tries, very successfully, to pull together the two Smiths, letting us see how the man of feeling became the little god of finance. . . making it plain that Smith was more moral-man than market-man."—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker(Adam Gopnik The New Yorker )"One good reason to read Nicholas Phillipson''s excellent intellectual (Michael Dirda Washington Post )"This year, my favorite business book was Nicholas Phillipson''s biography of Adam Smith. It showed that Smith is still the greatest economist of all time, wise about human nature, and that he understands the power of capitalism."—Tyler Cowen, NPR''s "Marketplace"(Tyler Cowen NPR's Marketplace )Named a Favorite Business Book of 2010 by James Pressley, Bloomberg BusinessWeek (James Pressley Bloomberg Business Week )Named a Best Book of 2010 by the Atlantic (The Atlantic )Named a Critics'' Favorite Book of 2010—The New Yorker (The New Yorker )Named a Best Business Book of 2010 by Tyler Cowen, NPR''s "Marketplace" (Tyler Cowen NPR's Marketplace )"In a feast of both writing and erudition, Nicholas Phillipson has recreated the intellectual and mercantile world of Adam Smith, and shows how it shaped Smith''s two masterpieces, the Theory of Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations. He sets Smith''s economics firmly in the philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment – and especially of his great friend David Hume – and argues compellingly that for Smith material improvement was not an end in itself, but a necessary condition for human ennoblement, which was the grand aim of his life''s work. A wonderful, thought-provoking book."—Robert Skidelsky, biographer of John Maynard Keynes(Robert Skidelsky )"Nicholas Phillipson''s lifelong study of Adam Smith has been well worth waiting for. Phillipson treats Smith''s The Wealth of Nations as the sequel to his Theory of Moral Sentiments. Political economy and the history of society were handmaids to the moral philosophy which Enlightenment thinkers intended as the replacement of religion. This story has never been better told than in this deeply sympathetic biography of an intellectually ambitious but personally modest man, and it is a superb portrait of the Scotland, Britain and Europe he lived in."— J.G.A. Pocock, Johns Hopkins University(J.G.A. Pocock )"This stylish biography brings to life Adam Smith''s breathtaking ambition to create a Science of Man. Phillipson''s elegant prose and erudition make clear the necessary relationship between Smith''s moral philosophy and his political economy. The reader is left with a deeper appreciation for Smith''s project and for the eighteenth-century Scottish world in which he lived. This book is both a delight to read and agenda-setting. A real achievement!"—Steve Pincus, Yale University (Steve Pincus )"This is easily the best book on Smith I’ve read: a wonderfully accessible, thoroughly researched, full-bodied drama examining the philosopher and economist. Phillipson’s biography presents Smith as a living personality, not just an imposing intellect, tracking his social, economic, and political moves from his birthplace Kirkcaldy, to Glasgow and Oxford, through his various lectures and professorships, travels around Europe, preparation of The Wealth of Nations, and finally to his work for the government. In doing so, it makes a strong case for the importance and complexity – perhaps primacy – of the Scottish Enlightenment and the men who contributed to it. In clean and clear prose, Phillipson explains what Smith was writing and why he was writing it, whether moral philosophy, jurisprudence, rhetoric or political economy. This beguiling blend of Smith’s intellection and experience should appeal to anyone interested in the making of the modern world."—David Hancock, author of Oceans of Wine: Madeira and the Emergence of American Trade and Taste(David Hancock )"[A] great achievement. . . . Few books have shed better light on what Smith ''meant'' and why he wrote as he did."—Scotland on Sunday(Scotland on Sunday )"The myth of Adam Smith is that he was the hard-nosed high priest of self-interested capitalism. [Phillipson] shows that his intellectual goals were far greater and nobler. . . . Phillipson has portrayed an Adam Smith for our times."—New Statesman(New Statesman )"The Smith who emerges from this thoughtful study. . . had an intellect of extraordinary brilliance, and it is the life of that intellect that is finely portrayed in this book."—Sunday Telegraph (London)(Sunday Telegraph (London) )"Phillipson''s path-breaking biography shines new light on the complex development of this much-misunderstood thinker."—The Independent (London)(The Independent (London) )"Phillipson has been studying [the Scottish Enlightenment], this explosion of genius, all his life, and is a trustworthy guide to the life of Adam Smith."—Financial Times(Financial Times )"Having failed so royally to predict or ameliorate our present distress, some economists may come to examine their assumptions and be drawn to this fine book and its mighty subject."—The Guardian (London)(The Guardian (London) )"Drawing on Smith''s published works and student notes from his lectures, Phillipson shows how Smith''s thinking on social theory and ethics influenced his system of economics. . . . what Phillipson calls a ''vast intellectual project.'' "—Bloomberg Business Week(Bloomberg Business Week )"An unabashedly intellectual biography. . . . It is indeed enlightening to understand the broader sweep of [Adam Smith''s] vision."—Nancy F. Koehn, New York Times (Nancy F. Koehn New York Times )"An absorbing and elegant account of Smith''s mind and of the Scottish context, social and intellectual, that produced it."—Blair Worden, The Spectator (London)(Blair Worden The Spectator )"For scholars. . . Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life should prove a very valuable resource. For more general audiences there is much to appreciate here--fine prose, erudite consideration of Enlightenment thought, and a consistently engaging narrative."—PopMatters(PopMatters ) Product DescriptionAdam Smith is celebrated all over the world as the author of The Wealth of Nations and the founder of modern economics. A few of his ideas - that of the 'Invisible Hand' of the market and that 'It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest' - have become icons of the modern world. Yet Smith saw himself primarily as a philosopher rather than an economist, and would never have predicted that the ideas for which he is now best known were his most important. This book, by one of the leading scholars of the Scottish Enlightenment, shows the extent to which The Wealth of Nations and Smith's other great work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, were part of a larger scheme to establish a grand 'Science of Man', one of the most ambitious projects of the European Enlightenment, which was to encompass law, history and aesthetics as well as economics and ethics.Nicholas Phillipson reconstructs Smith's intellectual ancestry and formation, of which he gives a radically new and convincing account. He shows what Smith took from, and what he gave to, the rapidly changing and subtly different intellectual and commercial cultures of Glasgow and Edinburgh as they entered the great years of the Scottish Enlightenment. Above all he explains how far Smith's ideas developed in dialogue with those of his closest friend, the other titan of the age, David Hume. This superb biography is now the one book which anyone interested in the founder of economics must read. Views: 59
It's only been several months since the hospital was rescued from financial disaster, so why is receiving yet another dreaded memo? Unfortunately, the hospital isn't completely out of the red yet: This time, to address budget deficits, the staff is receiving a 10 percent pay cut. The news is particularly difficult for James Bell who, between helping his wife Fern with her multiple sclerosis, raising two teenage sons, and serving as his son's Scout leader, depends on that much-needed income.The cuts reverberate far and wide as Elena Rodriguez, so close to her savings goal, reconsiders her long-held dream of travelling to Spain, and Candace Crenshaw's daughter begins to look for ways to save money. Meanwhile, Anabelle Scott copes with her empty nest by adopting a rambunctious puppy. Can her home be a happy one when her husband is opposed to having a dog?As word spreads about the pay cut, James steps forward to rally the struggling community and to remind everyone that... Views: 59
A lady disguises herself as a maid to avoid a marriage that would snatch away her inheritance, only to be aided in her escape by a seeming servant who is in fact the legendary Regency Robin Hood, the Saint of Seven Dials. Love is the last thing either of them needs just now, but when was love ever wise? Views: 59
This first volume of Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs encompasses the whole of her time as Prime Minister — the formation of her goals in the early 1980s, the Falklands, the General Election victories of 1983 and 1987 and, eventually, the circumstances of her fall from political power. She also gives frank accounts of her dealings with foreign statesmen and her own ministers. [Best viewed with CoolReader.] Views: 59
