Showing results by narrator "Eric Jason" in All Categories

In Too Far on a Whim, Tyler A. Pitrof presents a high-spirited revision of the US Navy's commitment to high-steam propulsion systems, the mainstay of its World War II fleets. Pitrof's research persuasively demonstrates that in its war against the Imperial Japanese Navy, the US Navy succeeded despite its high-steam propulsion systems rather than because of them. Pitrof provides an account that extends far beyond technology and into matters of naval hierarchies and bureaucracy, strategic theory, and ego.

Throughout history there has always been a need, in military forces, for special units. In the past, these units have usually been ad hoc formations that were disbanded after their mission was complete. It has only been since the early 1950s that such units have remained active, but even in recent times special purpose, special mission units have been organized and used for a period of time or for a specific mission and then either deactivated or replaced by other units.

In Entrepreneurial Marketing: Beyond Professional Marketing, a renowned team of marketing leaders, including the "Father of Modern Marketing," professor Philip Kotler, delivers a groundbreaking and incisive redefinition of entrepreneurial marketing. In the book, some of the marketing sector's brightest minds explore the increasingly essential initiative to build new capabilities beyond the mainstream marketing approach that also consider the effect of digital connectivity on consumers and companies everywhere.

The Myth of Mirror Neurons, neuroscientist Gregory Hickok reexamines the mirror neuron story and finds that it is built on a tenuous foundation - a pair of codependent assumptions about mirror neuron activity and human understanding. Drawing on a broad range of observations from work on animal behavior, modern neuroimaging, neurological disorders, and more, Hickok argues that the foundational assumptions fall flat in light of the facts.

Most of us have heard of such popular butterflies as the Monarch or Painted Lady. But what about the Fender's Blue? Or the St. Francis' Satyr? Because of their extreme rarity, these butterflies are not well-known, yet they are remarkable species with important lessons to teach us. The Last Butterflies spotlights the rarest of these creatures - some numbering no more than what can be held in one hand.

In this incisive, personal account, David Brock disarms the major tentacles of the Republican Leviathan: the Koch Brothers, the Clinton haters, and the Fox noise machine. With the acumen of a seasoned political player, Brock takes listeners inside his Democratic war rooms and their 24/7 battles with right-wing forces for control of the story lines and messages that will decide the 2016 election. And he chronicles his own evolution from lead Clinton attack dog to one of Hillary Clinton's fiercest defenders as he knocks down the conservative case against her.

By the winter of 1811, the armies of Napoleon had overrun most of Spain, and Joseph Bonaparte sat on the throne in Madrid. But the Spanish government had found refuge in the fortress-port of Cadiz, and the Spaniards refused to admit that they had been conquered. With a British army under Sir Thomas Graham helping to defend Cadiz, the Spanish cause seemed certain to prevail. But then the Spaniards wanted to throw Graham’s force into a reckless battle against the French. If the battle was won, the siege of Cadiz would be lifted; if the battle was lost, Cadiz would be rendered defenseless.

An empowering, forward-thinking solution for creating intentional and healthy social media habits from an expert on media, technology, and health.

Helping the Good Do Better pulls back the curtain on the corridors of power in Washington to reveal how social change really happens. This book offers lessons from the trenches on how some of this generation's most defining social issues - AIDS, disabilities, global poverty, cancer, human trafficking, national service, early childhood education, and social entrepreneurship - engendered landmark federal policies. Each chapter tells the story of how a particular issue was shaped by the movements and legislation at the center of public debate.

So you want a brilliant cut for your rough diamond? In that case, you should get on with the cutting! That’s how I found myself looking for a suitable lapidarist. Since I was anything but your run-of-the-mill little rock, the master crafter also had to be special. The one fitting the bill happened to be truly excellent, but, alas, he did have his quirks, too. A recluse living on top of a tall, barren mountain, he did not take kindly to most uninvited intruders, sending them back rolling down the hill in the most unceremonious of manners. And he had plenty of secrets, too.

Equal parts music criticism, cultural and comedy history, autobiography, and comic meditation on nostalgia, television, consumerism, childhood, technology, and food, The Weird Accordion to Al does justice to a musical legend and comic genius, the extent of whose remarkable achievements are only now being fully understood and appreciated.

They had all—the artificial intelligences of Sol and the sailors of the Third Expeditionary Fleet alike—believed the Starless Horrors were mindless monsters: little more than beasts driven by eldritch desires, lashing out from their unknown depths to kill and destroy. But that naïve perception was thoroughly crushed after an encounter with a terrifying entity who called itself the Executor.

The curse of the lost goddess Inanna would not allow Lukas Aguilar to hide out in obscurity for long. To become the conquering invader, the protective monster, and the selfish Outsider who would risk the end of the world itself, he must instead embrace audacity.

In a ruined future split between those who have and those who do not, America has contracted like a singularity into a single city. There, citizens live under a divided society, split by five walls. At the center, their depraved leader, Gideon, rules with the iron fisted reach of propaganda and an oppressive governmental agency.

Former detective Elijah Wade faces a two thousand mile trek across a lawless, decimated country to rescue his daughter. If she's still alive. Meanwhile, astronomer Hannah Redman must survive this brutal new world while she attempts to unravel the startling truth behind the appearance of the deadly aurora. Two sisters struggle to survive at their family cabin deep in the woods, having rescued a potential killer. An old woman finds she's not quite as prepared for the end of the world as she thought. Mankind is on its knees, and the clock is ticking.

L. Sandy Maisel and Jennifer A. Yoder lay out the variety of electoral systems in the broadest terms-single-member district plurality systems; proportional systems; and mixed systems. They discuss voting and the various electoral institutions used to implement the ways in which voting occurs and how votes are tabulated across electoral systems.

The Galactic Legacy Federation thought the Cataclysm was over. The Starless Horrors, which decimated most sentient life, vanished over a century ago. Only, the retreat was a lie, and in a small system deep in the Dead Zone, the war against the eldritch threat has raged on, led by a group of sentient AI.

In the first months of 1936, Adolf Hitler risked everything by ordering his untrained military to reoccupy the Rhineland. It was a bluff. The Germans would have been forced to retreat if the French or British had offered the slightest opposition. But the bluff succeeded. History changed decisively. Hitler quieted the opposition at home, and marched the world relentlessly on, to the edge of destruction and beyond.

From the cup of coffee that jump-starts the day to dangerously addictive drugs, the recreational use of plants with psychoactive properties has a long history among humans. But, as with many things, it turns out that other animals got there first. From parrots to primates, consuming medicinal chemicals is an instinctive behavior that helps countless organisms fight infection and treat disease. But the similarities don't end there: Like us, many creatures also consume substances that have no apparent benefit...except for inducing intoxication.

The tale of St. Josaphat, a prince who gave up his wealth and kingdom to follow Jesus, was widely told and read in the Middle Ages, translated into a dozen languages, and even cited by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Only in the 19th century did scholars note the parallels between the lives of Buddha and Josaphat. In Search of the Christian Buddha traces the Buddha’s story from India to Persia to Jerusalem and then throughout Europe, as it was rewritten by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian authors, illustrating its unsuspected integration into European culture.