Off Road is a journey into the uniquely American world of God, guns, big trucks, family ... and the new American civil war of progressives vs traditionalists.Paul Archer thinks he's grown beyond his redneck family, until he's forced on an off-road camping trip with his Bible-thumping brother and chain smoking father. But why all the guns? If this is a hunting trip, it sure ain't rabbit season!

An utterly wild, debauched, romantic, and violent ride inspired by the 18th-century Irish pirate Anne Bonny, reimagined here as Amethyst "Meeks" Connell, one of the most extraordinary outlaws of any age. For readers of George Saunders, Percival Everett, and Maggie O'Farrell.“This fiercely imaginative, blood-soaked, starry-eyed, and exuberant epic will capture the dreams and nightmares of any daring reader.” (Shelf Awareness

Optimization techniques are at the core of data science, including data analysis and machine learning. An understanding of basic optimization techniques and their fundamental properties provides important grounding for students, researchers, and practitioners in these areas. This text covers the fundamentals of optimization algorithms in a compact, self-contained way, focusing on the techniques most relevant to data science. An introductory chapter demonstrates that many standard problems ...

Air Force officers of all ranks, from cadets to generals, both active duty and reserves, will find this revised edition essential reading for a successful career.

In a post-Christian modern world, skepticism and skeptics abound. Christian belief once depended upon faith alone, but skeptics require more, insisting upon proof before belief. If believers today are to evangelize these skeptics, Christians must marshal proof of the Christian concept. This book does that. Using overlooked history and well-known Scripture, the author sets about to convince the skeptic through novel, eye-opening proof.

In Shadows of the Past, Stephen Wright explores humanity's enduring fascination with hauntings, tracing their roots in culture, history, and folklore. From eerie urban legends to the evolution of ghost stories in literature, film, and modern media, Wright examines how hauntings reflect collective fears, unresolved traumas, and the desire to connect with the past.The book delves into the emotional impact of ghostly encounters, the role of paranormal investigations, and the ...

First full-length history of the largest and most successful airborne offensive ever. Scores of eyewitness accounts from paratroopers, glidermen, pilots, and infantrymen plus details on planes, gliders, and equipment. Recounts the actions for which participants won two Medals of Honor, a Victoria Cross, and a Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

This volume of thirteen original essays provides a timely analysis of African foreign policies in a post–Cold War environment where African marginalization from the global economy appears to be increasing. Three thematic essays give an overview of critical changes occurring in African foreign policies, and ten country-by-country case studies provide specific analyses of decisionmaking, intraregional relations, and the struggles over policy with external agencies, including the World Bank a...

If you are thinking, "What another book on the parables?" then think again! Here's a single volume that judiciously surveys parables research, sketches the significance of Jesus' parables for each of the synoptic Gospels, analyzes the importance of the parables for understanding Jesus' ministry, and discusses how these parables would have been heard in their own contexts - all of this in readable prose that is fully conversant with scholarly discussion without bogging us down in that discu...

While it is widely acknowledged that Jesus told stories, there has not been much focus on why he did so and how these stories contributed to his ministry. Stephen Wright approaches this topic afresh to analyze how considering the parables as "stories" can help our understanding of Jesus and his mission. Wright begins by looking for insights in scholarship from recent decades on the parables and the historical Jesus. He goes on to imagine how these stories would have resonated with hearers ...

In John Grisham’s book “The Rainmaker” he tells the story of a once moral attorney, and I paraphrase, who crosses the line into deception and that line soon disappears. This seemingly suggests that if you are introduced to an idea or concept long enough, it becomes normal. A norm that is now introduced as truth. The bigger picture is the serpent introduced an alternative view of the tree to Adam and Eve in the garden that has since become a norm. Sin is progressive. I heard this saying “Si...

Operation Tonga – The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944 is an account of the Glider Pilot Regiment’s role in Operation Tonga, the first stage of the airborne assault in the Normandy landings in June 1944. The story is told through the eyes of those who were there – glider pilots, paratroopers, pathfinders, tug crews and passengers – and covers the operation from training through to evacuations after D-Day.Operation Tonga was vital to the success of D-Day and included the now famous attac...