In a family of serious over-achievers, Shayne Mahoney has always been the laid-back, easy-going rebel. But running Sky High Air-a charter airline catering to the rich and famous-is a dream come true, in-flight specials included. Like kissing his client’s beautiful, brainy daughter in a coat closet. But before Shayne can say ‘Fasten Your Seatbelts’, Dani claims to witness a murder, gets stalked in her own apartment, and as added bonus, gets them both shot at by a mystery sniper. Normally Shayne would be running from the obviously crazy woman, and yet he finds himself trying to help her, leaving him to doubt his own sanity. There’s a reason Dani never attends her mother’s high society parties. The fake people, the shallow conversation-and the fact that she doesn’t fit in. She’s a zoologist, not a starlet, and happy about it, even if she wishes men like ruggedly handsome Shayne Mahoney would spare her a second glance. Of course, dodging bullets isn’t exactly what she’d call the perfect follow-up to their heated kiss, but Shayne makes it clear she can depend on him. All she has to do is hold on tight to his delicious hard body until the ride is over.

A groundbreaking work that identifies the real culprit behind one of the great economic crimes of our time–the growing inequality of incomes between the vast majority of Americans and the richest of the rich. We all know that the very rich have gotten a lot richer these past few decades while most Americans haven’t. In fact, the exorbitantly paid have continued to thrive during the current economic crisis, even as the rest of Americans have continued to fall behind. Why do the “have it- alls” have so much more? And how have they managed to restructure the economy to reap the lion’s share of the gains and shift the costs of their new economic playground downward, tearing new holes in the safety net and saddling all of us with increased debt and risk? Lots of so-called experts claim to have solved this great mystery, but no one has really gotten to the bottom of it–until now. In their lively and provocative Winner-Take-All Politics, renowned political scientists Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson demonstrate convincingly that the usual suspects–foreign trade and financial globalization, technological changes in the workplace, increased education at the top–are largely innocent of the charges against them. Instead, they indict an unlikely suspect and take us on an entertaining tour of the mountain of evidence against the culprit. The guilty party is American politics. Runaway inequality and the present economic crisis reflect what government has done to aid the rich and what it has not done to safeguard the interests of the middle class. The winner-take-all economy is primarily a result of winner-take-all politics. In an innovative historical departure, Hacker and Pierson trace the rise of the winner-take-all economy back to the late 1970s when, under a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress, a major transformation of American politics occurred. With big business and conservative ideologues organizing themselves to undo the regulations and progressive tax policies that had helped ensure a fair distribution of economic rewards, deregulation got under way, taxes were cut for the wealthiest, and business decisively defeated labor in Washington. And this transformation continued under Reagan and the Bushes as well as under Clinton, with both parties catering to the interests of those at the very top. Hacker and Pierson’s gripping narration of the epic battles waged during President Obama’s first two years in office reveals an unpleasant but catalyzing truth: winner-take-all politics, while under challenge, is still very much with us. Winner-Take-All Politics–part revelatory history, part political analysis, part intellectual journey–shows how a political system that traditionally has been responsive to the interests of the middle class has been hijacked by the superrich. In doing so, it not only changes how we think about American politics, but also points the way to rebuilding a democracy that serves the interests of the many rather than just those of the wealthy few.

Want to have a wonderful wedding away from home? Destination Weddings For Dummies is your all-in-one guide to getting married out of town, giving you savvy tips on everything from making travel arrangements to hiring vendors to dressing the wedding party. Fron Vegas to the Vatican, this hands-on, practical resource helps you arrange a unique, unforgettable wedding anywhere in the world. Focusing on the various ways you can use the Internet in your planning, Destination Weddings For Dummies is filled with Web tips, shortcuts, and URLs, as well as instructions for creating your own digital wedding planner. You’ll see how to establish a realistic wedding budget and get your friends and family on board. Then, you’ll choose the perfect location; from Europe to the tropics to the open sea, we’ve done the scouting for you! You’ll also discover how to: Get married legally around the world Know who, when, and how to invite Create your own destination wedding Web site and blog Fit all the basics into your budget? from flowers and catering to the rings, photography, and music Hire wedding pros from a distance Decide on your ceremony’s style Dress the bride, groom, and the wedding party Communicate your plans to invited guests Compare wedding packages Save money on travel arrangements Test-drive your destination wedding site Organize fun wedding activities Handle various wedding emergencies If money is no object, you’ll also see how to host a blowout wedding and make a splash when you splurge. Whether it’s a small, intimate ceremony in a Hawaiian garden or a large gathering on a yacht in the Mediterranean, Destination Weddings For Dummies is all you need to get married anywhere you choose with ease and in style!

Robustness analysis addresses the question “Is a control system sufficiently stable under all admissible operating condtions?” Robust Control (second edition) presents parametric methods and tools for control design catering for several representative operating conditions and design specifications simultaneously, thus reducing the performance effects of parameter uncertainty in both time and frequency domains. The author’s graphical parameter space methods guarantee the desired properties for all possible values of plant uncertainty. These methods also help the reader to deal with unstructured disturbances being particularly well-suited for sequences of design steps each having a few uncertain parameters. Kharitonov and edge results and tree-structured decompositions deal with simple structures with many uncertain parameters. Scalar measurement for the distance from an instability and the robustness of sampled-data control are introduced.? In addition to a general large-scale rewriting and editing of existing material, the following specific changes are featured in the second edition:? new results, in particular on frequency-domain specifications for unstructured uncertainties and disturbances, on PID controller design and on singular frequencies;? new chapters dealing with novel applications in car steering (skid and rollover avoidance and automatic steering) and flight control (flutter suppression and engine-out control for unstable aircraft in divers operating conditions);? streamlined more didactic presentation;? author-created downloadable Paradise MATLAB? toolbox with detailed commentary in an appendix. Requiring only an undergraduate background in feedback control, Robust Control (second edition) keeps the mathematics of an important subject simple. The book shows mechanical and electrical engineers who have to design robust mechatronic systems how to adapt its new tools to solve their problems and its solid theoretical development based on historical foundations will be of profit to the control systematician.

- Mexico has become a popular family vacation destination, with resorts catering to parents and children of all ages – Over 5.3 million tourists visit Mexico annually. The Everything Family Guide to Mexico is the travel handbook for the adventurous and cautious family alike. With a historical and cultural overview of Mexico and special attention given to family-friendly destinations, this is the all-in-one travel planner for any family. With extensive coverage on: – Finding deals online – Cruising to Mexico – Budgeting – Arranging outdoor and rainy-day activities The Everything Family Guide to Mexico is a one-stop resource packed with exciting ideas and useful tips for the perfect family vacation!

Food and beverage is the largest portion of a meeting budget, but most meeting and event planners have no formal background in purchasing and managing this expense. This guide helps event, meeting, and convention planners save money, negotiate contracts, deal with catering managers, and successfully manage the food and beverage aspect of their event. Covering everything from styles of service to on-premise and off-premise considerations to food and beverage contract negotiation, this book is a comprehensive and accessible reference for event planners and students.

As butler to William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon castle, Christian Benediktsson lives quietly, almost invisibly. He completes his tasks efficiently and with aplomb, catering to the whims of the volatile Chief and overseeing the running of the hectic household. Privy to the goings-on of the celebrity guests who visit as well as to Hearst’s intimate relationship with his mistress, the actress Marion Davies, he is the picture of discretion. An extremely private man, those around him know nothing of him or his life. And so it is in his thoughts and in unsent letters to his wife back in Iceland that we witness the unraveling of his former life, which began when he abandoned her and their children for an actress in New York City. Once a successful businessman, he erases his past and himself after a sudden tragic death and his financial ruin, the result of a jilted lover’s vengeance. Walking into the Night is a stunning portrait of a man wrestling with guilt and secret passions.

The goal of this book is to deal, in a provocative way, with a number of key issues involvingthe increased participation of the private sector within cultural tourism. My goal is notto write a complete overview of the field. Instead, this short book deals with a fairly circumscribedset of issues involving contemporary changes within cultural tourism. Sincemodern business largely focuses on serving customers, a major focus of this book concernsmarketing thought and its implications in regard to cultural tourism. In large measure, thisbook seeks to help host communities and their advocates to become familiar with andcomfortable within a private sector context as well as being able to interact in such anenvironment.The book starts with a two-chapter introduction that focuses upon the distinctive role of cultural tourism. As emphasized inchapter 1, a dilemma arises because cultural tourism must simultaneously serve multiple stakeholders and do so in equitableways. This is much more complex than the more typical task of concentrating upon the needs, wants, and desires of customers.These ideas are refined in chapter 2 where the discussion centers primarily upon the importance of serving hostcommunities, in addition to customers. Certainly, catering to customers continues to be an issue, but it should be envisionedas an ad hoc method of serving the host community.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, a job search can take many months. Now, in 150 Jobs You Can Start Today, Deborah Jacobson reveals 150 ways you can take charge of your career, start making money, and put your unique skills and talents to work?right now. From Real Estate Appraiser to Wedding Planner, these flexible, off-the-beaten-path professions can be tailored to suit your personality and schedule, whether you’re looking to bridge the gap between jobs, launch a new career, pay your way through school, or simply make some extra cash. Each job profiled includes a detailed overview of the necessary skills, expected salary or income, real-world benefits and pitfalls, and easy-to-use resources for getting started. The ultimate handbook for today’s economy, 150 Jobs You Can Start Today gives you everything you need to beat the job market and fuel your own prosperity and success.Massage Therapist ? Wedding Planner ? Apartment Manager ? Real Estate Appraiser ? Private Tutor ? Web Designer ? Seasonal Tax Accountant ? Party Promoter ? Personal Shopper ? Focus Group Organizer ? Home Clothing Sales ? Music Teacher ? Start Your Own 900 Number ? Catering ? Artist’s Model ? Telemarketing ? Cruise Ship Entertainer ? Personal Assistant ? Script Reader ? Web Page Designer ? Yoga Teacher ? House Painter ? Personal Trainer ? Home Remodeler ? Sports Referee ? City Tour Guide ? Traffic School Teacher ? Pet Care ? Professional Companion ? Proofreader

An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structures is an introduction to seismology and its role in the earth sciences, and is written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students.The fundamentals of seismic wave propagation are developed using a physical approach and then applied to show how refraction, reflection, and teleseismic techniques are used to study the structure and thus the composition and evolution of the earth. The book shows how seismic waves are used to study earthquakes and are integrated with other data to investigate the plate tectonic processes that cause earthquakes. Figures, examples, problems, and computer exercises teach students about seismology in a creative and intuitive manner. Necessary mathematical tools including vector and tensor analysis, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, statistics of errors, signal processing, and data inversion are introduced with many relevant examples. The text also addresses the fundamentals of seismometry and applications of seismology to societal issues. Special attention is paid to help students visualize connections between different topics and view seismology as an integrated science. An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure gives an excellent overview for students of geophysics and tectonics, and provides a strong foundation for further studies in seismology.Multidisciplinary examples throughout the text – catering to students in varied disciplines (geology, mineralogy, petrology, physics, etc.). Most up to date book on the market – includes recent seismic events such as the 1999 Earthquakes in Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan). Chapter outlines – each chapter begins with an outline and a list of learning objectives to help students focus and study. Essential math review – an entire section reviews the essential math needed to understand seismology. This can be covered in class or left to students to review as needed. End of chapter problem sets – homework problems that cover the material presented in the chapter. Solutions to all odd numbered problem sets are listed in the back so that students can track their progress. Extensive References – classic references and more current references are listed at the end of each chapter. A set of instructor’s resources containing downloadable versions of all the figures in the book, errata and answers to homework problems is available at: http://levee.wustl.edu/seismology/book/. Also available on this website are PowerPoint lecture slides corresponding to the first 5 chapters of the book.