This books contains articles adapted into book form that have been designed for all levels of player: by starting with the basics on the topic and gradually filling in details up to expert level, I hope to frame the issues in a way all can understand and also raise issues for a partnership to discuss. The techniques in this book are sustainable and can be incorporated into any bidding system. Learn from the best and see instant improvement in your results at the bridge table.
Highly anticipated follow-up to the winner of the 2019 ABTA (American Bridge Teachers Association) Book of the Year Award! The latest installment of the Insights on Bridge series contains hundreds more carefully crafted mini-lessons designed to turn aspiring players into good players. The material in this book is devoted to situations and problems you will see at the table but are hard to find in books.Note From Mike Lawrence: AFTER WRITING OVER 25 books on bridge that discuss certain aspects of play, defense, system, or general bidding, I've begun a series of books aimed at turning aspiring players into good players. Note I don't say expert players. That will be the next step. Bridge isn't a game where you can immerse yourself for six months and become a good player. There's just too much to learn. You have to start somewhere and then move in the right direction. Typically, when you start playing in a club, you feel lost. After you get your feet on the ground, you still recognize that you aren't moving very fast. Going forward requires that you get good guidance. Many players at your club will offer advice. Much of that advice, unfortunately, isn't very good.This series of books includes hundreds of mini-lessons, complete with insights and advice you can count on. The material is devoted to situations and problems you will see at the table but not in other books. This book (#2 in a series) won't make you an expert. But these books will start you on the path to being a good player and a good partner.Enjoy the trip.Mike Lawrence
“Who hasn't wondered what alternate versions of their lives might look like?...As relatable as it is suspenseful cleverly exploring adulthood, identity, and shifting realities.” —Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Oona Out of Order An inventive page-turner about the choices we make and the ones made for us. One minute Kelly’s a free-spirited artist in Chicago going to her best friend’s art show. The next, she opens a door and mysteriously emerges in her Michigan hometown. Suddenly her life is unrecognizable: She's got twelve years of the wrong memories in her head and she's married to Eric, a man she barely knew in high school. Racing to get back to her old life, Kelly's search leads only to more questions. In this life, she loves Eric and wants to trust him, but everything she discovers about him—including a connection to a mysterious tech startup—tells her she shouldn't. And strange things keep happening. The tattoos she had when she was an artist briefly reappear on her skin, she remembers fights with Eric that he says never happened, and her relationships with loved ones both new and familiar seem to change without warning. But the closer Kelly gets to putting the pieces together, the more her reality seems to shift. And if she can't figure out what happened on that fateful night, the next change could cost her everything...
Ten lessons for the beginner. Mechanics, notrump bidding & play, opening bids, responses, overcalls, slam bidding, responses to 1 NT, doubles, preemptive bids and basic reference charts.
Twenty years ago, Mike Lawrence published a series of short booklets entitled Topics on Bridge, offering tips on various aspects of cardplay and bidding for intermediate players. Now this material is being republished as a three-book series - revised, updated, and with new topics added. Included in this volume: Avoiding Common Errors, How Long is Partner's Suit? The Three-card Raise, Reverses, The Splinter Bid, Bidding after an Opponent's Takeout Double, Weak Two-bids, Preempts, Drury, Passed Hand Bidding, The Fine Art of Hanging Partner Book jacket.
This is a collection of several applications for condition monitoring and damage identification in bridge structures. Bridge structural condition monitoring is essential since it can provide early warning of potential defects in bridges, which may induce catastrophic accidents and result in huge economic loss. Such bridge condition monitoring relies on sensing techniques, especially advanced sensing techniques that can provide detailed information on bridge structures. Additionally, postprocessing systems can interpret the captured data and warn of any potential faults. This book will give students a thorough understanding of bridge condition monitoring.
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Faith is the ability to believe in the authority of a divine plan, even when society and history are against you. We as a nation believed in inherent inequality, but we knew that it was not real, and we knew people would even kill to maintain that belief. #2 We, as African Americans, had experienced the equality of all humankind first-hand, and we knew that it was not a dream. We believed that if we stood together based on faith, the forces of the universe would come to our aid. #3 The problems we face in the trials of our lives, whether we are protesting against injustice or battling cancer, can help us grow beyond our personal limits. As we command our spirit to find a way to overcome these obstacles, we are forced to break past any false trappings of the identity. #4 The same power you activate in the midst of adversity can be used to bring about the kind of change or transformation you wish to see in your own life. When you reject the idea that you are powerless, worthless, and incapable of counteracting the force of an unjust government, you can feel your faith building.
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 On Memorial Day 2009, two children fell into the river in Portland, Oregon. They were rescued by police and taken to the hospital, but one died. In Milwaukie, twelve-year-old Gavin Stott could not sleep, wondering if his mother was with his siblings. #2 At 1:33 a. m. , Kathy Stott called Amanda’s estranged husband, Jason Smith, asking if he had spoken with Amanda. He had not, not since he left their two children with her at around eight o’clock the previous evening. #3 The trial of Stott-Smith was quick. She was charged with murdering her children, and the three defendants were charged with different crimes, all within eight minutes. #4 The judge read the charges to Amanda: one count of aggravated murder, and one of attempted aggravated murder. The aggravated designation indicated that the crimes were committed intentionally. If Amanda went to trial, she would face the death penalty.
Effective maintenance of bridge structures comprises a broad spectrum of plans for repairs and services implemented to enable bridges to perform their intended function. These include in-depth inspection, fatigue analysis, design of mitigation measures and construction to avert component deterioration. Several incidents of in-service and under construction bridge failures have recently taken place. These dramatic failures emphasize the importance of risk-based inspections and analysis of real-life data to evaluate reliability of bridges. To effectuate benefits of reliability analysis in bridge maintenance, work on theoretical reliability must be equipped with practical analytical tools. Such an approach must underscore risk elements and identify processes to manage risk and avoid unexpected outcomes of failures and service disruption of bridges. The devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023, in the southern region of Turkey near the northern border of Syria, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, caused enormous structural damage and staggering economic losses. These seismic events brought to focus on the vitality of instilling infrastructure routes that must accommodate emergency management plans to integrate the influx of medical and rescue response teams. The safe operation of bridges along these routes is indispensable for mobilization and deployment of rescue teams, medical personnel, humanitarian assistance, and the supply of food and water. The reliability of access routes and bridges is defined by their ability to adequately function as planned to effectuate emergency management plans, in the event of a similar seismic event, anywhere in the world. Risk-Based Strategies for Bridge Maintenance contains selected papers presented at the 11th New York City Bridge Conference (New York City, USA, 21-22 August 2023), and discusses issues of reliability, risk assessment, management, maintenance, inspection, monitoring, design, preservation, and rehabilitation of bridges. The book is aimed at bridge engineers.
