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No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks Review

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(More customer reviews)There are 14 mountain peaks in the world that tower to 8,000 meters (26,247 feet), and when Ed Viesturs finally conquered Annapurna, a peak on which one climber dies for every two who try, he joined an elite group of five people who have accomplished that feat without using supplemental oxygen. He's the only American to have done so. It took 18 years and 30 expeditions to the 8,000ers; on 10 trips he turned back short of the summit, once when he was only 100 feet away, exercising extraordinary willpower to follow his "deepest article of faith" that "getting to the top is optional; getting down is mandatory." Not bad for a man who in 1992 at the age of 33 had quit his practice as a vetinarian, was living in a windowless basement apartment, had $25,000 of school debt, and was banging nails as a construction worker to make ends meet.
No Shortcuts is a fun read because it is about more than mountain climbing, which, of course, almost none of his readers will ever attempt. But everyone has their personal Annapurna, as he says in the final pages of the book, whether battling cancer or conquering a fear. Failure, perseverance, passion, patience, risk management, teamwork, self-sacrifice for others, endurance and death are all life lessons that easily emerge from the book. His chapter on the 1996 disasters on Mount Everest when a dozen people died, including world class mountaineers Scott Fischer and Rob Hall, ads his personal perspective to Krakauer's Into Thin Air. In the last few pages Viesturs reflects upon whether his pursuit was selfish, adventure addiction, growing older and realizing he cannot climb like he could twenty years ago, feeling letdown after such a remarkable accomplishment, and how climbing has impacted his marriage. For movie versions see the IMAX film Everest (the highest grossing IMAX movie ever made) or the documentary Everest: The Death Zone.

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Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Review

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(More customer reviews)I will continue to buy textbooks from Amazon. The textbook was CHEAP compared to how much my on-campus bookstore was asking for it. The book is in great condition (I bought it new). I would highly recommend ordering textbooks from Amazon. The delivery was also right on time!

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INTRODUCTION TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, 10th edition provides readers with comprehensive information on both law enforcement and the criminal justice system, all in one convenient book. This very practical, applied book not only examines the role of police within the larger criminal justice system but it also introduces readers to the other components of that system such as the courts, corrections, and juvenile justice. INTRODUCTION TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, 10th edition has a uniquely accessible writing style with many real-world examples and has a "boots on the street" perspective. This new edition includes an extensive discussion of data-driven strategies and policing, such as CompStat policing, intelligence-led policing and evidence based policing. Readers will also learn about controversies surrounding immigration law enforcement and several new Supreme Court cases affecting law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

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Camelback Falls (David Mapstone Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this author. If anyone living in the Arizona area or anyone spending time in the Arizona area loves mysteries, then you will love all of this author's books. I have read them all and love each and every one of them.

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""In the quiet of my forgotten office in the old country courthouse, behind the plastic doorplate that reads 'Deputy David Mapstone, Sheriff's Office Historian, ' I fiddled with the tribal fashion of cops. The tan uniform blouse with epaulets and pocket flaps, the opening above the pocket made for a cheap Cross pen, and the gold-plated 'MCSO' letters running parallel on each side of the collars. ... An off-white felt Stetson sat on my desk. We might be one of the largest urban counties in the United States, but we kept our Old West traditions. ...""Historian-turned-deputy-sheriff David Mapstone returns in this exciting sequel to Jon Talton's "Concrete Desert," When his friend Peralta, newly sworn in as sheriff, is shot by a sniper, "History Shamus" Mapstone can't keep a cool, academic distance. And he'd better not: while Peralta lies comatose in the hospital, the powers-that-be appoint Mapstone acting Sheriff in his place. Peralta feels unqualified, but he's the only person who's temporary appointment won't infuriate all the other candidates who want the Sheriff's position permanently. Meanwhile, a cryptic note scrawled by Peralta before the shooting forces Mapstone to confront his own personal history, which has drawn him unwittingly into danger. As Mapstone discovers, the past has deadly consequences. The mean streets of the New West have never been more sinister.

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Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why Review

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(More customer reviews)Laurence Gonzales has written a riveting book, not about survival technique, but survival philosophy. The points he makes can be applied to any situation in which you find yourself endangered physically, mentally, or emotionally. He weaves together the tao te ching, chaos theory, musings on Roman military tactics, biological lessons on how the brain works to help us preserve the species by preserving ourselves, true-life experiences from people who have endured some of the more bizarre "accidents", and his own taste for thrills.
Gonzales bookends the essays with the story of his father, a scientist who, as a young flier during WWII, was shot down over Germany. He FELL out of his plane--he didn't parachute, he literally fell--and lived through a harrowing recovery as a POW.
Why did his dad make it when the rest of his crew was killed?
Some of this has to do with events you can't control, and some of it has to do with how to control yourself so that you can find a way out of dire straits. He points out that some people can make every correct decision and end up being killed, while others make every wrong decision and walk out of the woods (or off a mountain...) unscathed. But, you can learn to THINK like a survivor, and greatly increase your chances of getting through what may seem, even to others in the same sinking boat, like a no-win situation.
Gonzales's dad taught him, "Plan the flight. Fly the plan, but don't fall in love with the plan." Being prepared is only part of the equation; being able to adjust to changing circumstances is what a lot of us forget about.
Reading this book is an adventure in itself. If you're a city dweller, like me, and don't anticipate not having the Sears Tower in your line of sight if you get disoriented, it's still enjoyable, and applicable to what you will eventually experience.
This book should be on every high school reading list. (Preferably BEFORE the kid takes driver's ed.)
I also recommend Gavin DeBecker's books, such as THE GIFT OF FEAR. He discusses some of what Gonzales does, insofar as honing your inner resources so they work FOR you, but he is also very specific regarding cases of direct threats from other people. Gonzales does discuss how non-survivors can compromise a survivor, but most of what he talks about is environmental.
If you are planning a wilderness trip or just a seemingly innocuous weekend hike, this book is a great reality check. It's also an inspiration. Some of these stories are just amazing, and they prove how tough, and sometimes dumb, a species we are.

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Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil Review

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(More customer reviews)Bayou Gavotte, Louisiana, is much like any other town. However, there a re a few residents who have a gene that has caused them to sprout fangs during puberty. Ophelia Beliveau is one of those vampires. After years of having to deal with guys who are irresistibly drawn to her, due to her allure, and being constantly stalked by those who believe they cannot survive without her, Ophelia has kept her distance from me. However, her self-imposed exile must end when a neighbor vandalizes her precious garden. Normally Ophelia would deal with the problem herself or call upon the aid of the underworlders who often acted as protectors. But this time Ophelia simply calls the cops.
When Gideon O'Toole arrives to deal with the destroyed garden, he is also on his cellular phone trying to convince his sister to have her friend come forward to report that someone is blackmailing her. In fact, blackmail has been spreading all over town, but no one will step forward. Therefore, the police can do nothing. Gideon is drawn to Ophelia immediately - of course. Yet his will is strong enough for him to keep a polite distance and not act like all the other men have. That did not mean he wasn't going to try his best to get the lady to date him - and hopefully more. Soon dead bodies start showing up and someone is trying to frame Ophelia for a rash of crimes. If Gideon cannot clear Ophelia and arrest the real villain quickly, he has no doubt that one of the town's vigilantes will kill him for the failure. ***** FIVE STARS! Definitely one of the best paranormal romances I have read this year. Author Barbara Monajem has made an instant fan out of me. The story grabbed me immediately and never let go. I admit that I did not even try to resist its pull either. The main character of Ophelia came across to me as strong, stubborn, independent, and self-sufficient. However, she showed a bit of vulnerability too. There are also several secondary characters that I could not resist. I hope Zelda (Ophelia's thirteen-year-old niece) and Constantine (a handsome-as-sin vampire rock star) will get their own stories told someday. They managed to steal the spotlight more than once. Downright phenomenal! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

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Dark secrets abound in the town of Bayou Gavotte, Louisiana, from blackmail to fetish clubs to murder, and when blood-and-love starved vampire Ophelia Beliveau calls the police to scare away whoever is desecrating her garden, Detective Gideon O'Toole unearths more than he ever dreamed.--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach (with Economic Applications, Data Sets, Student Solutions Manual Printed Access Card) Review

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(More customer reviews)I teach a first course in regression analysis to graduate students from a variety of disciplines. With rare exceptions, they take this course under duress, and their background in basic statistics is usually weak. This means that I use a lot of relatively simple examples, gradually becoming more complex as we move through the material. Functional redundancy -- saying the same thing in a variety of ways -- is also indispensable. Furthermore, I spend very little time on derivations, and try to begin doing simple problems with SPSS software by the second or third meeting.
Given this approach to fairly complex material, it is difficult to find a suitable textbook. For several years I used Gujarati's basic econometrics text and found it useful. Gujarati, however, takes a very long time to get to multiple regression, first covering the assumptions which apply to all applications of OLS regression and offering only simple regression equations for illustrative purposes.
A primary virtue of Wooldridge's basic text is that he introduces substantively interesting problems -- those using more than one independent variable -- early on. The OLS assumptions and remedies for their violation are still given excellent coverage, but this is integrated effectively throughout the book.
Wooldridge's text is a bit more difficult than Gujarati's, but it's not densely mathematical, focusing instead on practical problems. With a little guidance students acquire a very thorough grounding in regression analysis with Wooldridge's basic text. It covers a sufficiently broad range of topics, moreover, that I have found it valuable for self-instructional purposes. (If only it weren't so expensive.)
Given the foregoing, I think it is worth noting that Wooldridge's more advanced text, Econometric Analysis of Cross-Section and Panel Data, is not written in the same spirit as his introductory text. Most readers who do not use econometrics every day will, I think, find it quite difficult, presupposing a good deal of mathematical preparation, including practiced facility in using matrix algebra.

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INTRODUCTORY ECONOMETRICS: A MODERN APPROACH, 4e illustrates how empirical researchers think about and apply econometric methods in real-world practice. The text's unique approach reflects the fact that undergraduate econometrics has moved beyond just a set of abstract tools to being genuinely useful for answering questions in business, policy evaluation, and forecasting environments. The systematic approach, which reduces clutter by introducing assumptions only as they are needed, makes absorbing the material easier and leads to better econometric practices. Its unique organization separates topics by the kinds of data being analyzed, leading to an appreciation for the important issues that arise in drawing conclusions from the different kinds of data economists use. Packed with relevant applications, INTRODUCTORY ECONOMETRICS offers a wealth of interesting data sets that can be used to reproduce the examples in the text or as the starting point for original research projects.

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U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is packed with useful information. It makes a great study guide or even just as an informational book. It includes illustrations and surprisingly detailed instructions for just about everything in the wild. It has everything from lashing and knots to wild plants and maps.The back of the book says it includes "First aid for illness and injury, finding your way without a map, building a fire, finding food and water, using ropes and tying knots, mountain survival, concealment techniques, signaling for help, survival at sea, building shelters, animal tracking, predicting the weather and much more"... and I've looked through the book, there really IS much more.

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A comprehensive manual of proven wilderness survival tactics for every situation.
Written for use in formal United States Air Force survival training courses, the U.S. Air Force Survival Handbookiis the bible for pilots who want to stay alive-no matter what.Assuming, as the Air Force does, that flight personnel may be faced atany time with a bailout or crash landing in hostile territory withoutsupplies, the advice here is superlatively practical, but alsosurprisingly readable and interesting. Detailing specific survivalthreats at sea, in the tropics, in the desert, in Arctic conditions,and the psychological perils of imprisonment and torture, this handbookis replete with fascinating and useful (if unsettling) information.Precisely written, profusely illustrated, and completely authoritative,this is an essential book for anyone-soldier or civilian-looking forknowledge that could prove to be the difference between life and deathin a dangerous situation. 1000 black-and-white illustrations

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