Contains a series of papers selected from the peer-reviewing process for STAIRS-08: the fourth European Starting Artificial Intelligence Researcher Symposium, an international meeting intended for AI researchers from all countries, at the beginning of their career - PhD students or people holding a PhD for less than one year.
Frieda and her five brothers (each of whom had different fathers) grew up within the inner cities of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanian. Thier wayward mother had an admitted "drinking problem," and spent most of her days in liquor bars. This neglect often left the five siblings to fend for themselves amongst often harsh and unforgiving elements of their city's urban streets. At age seven, as Frieda walked home one late-Spring afternoon, she felt the presence of God, forewarning her of difficult trails ahead. This presence encouraged the child to persevere, despite pending obstacles. Soon, Frieda's faith was tested, as the world around her turned into a series of relentless nightmares ... most of which occurred within the families. A disturbling, though ultimately inspiring, true life account of a young girl's struggle to maintain faith, overcome abuse, sexual assault and the host of demons these crimes introduced. Faith that a better life is possible, if she could escape her dysfunctional environment, was all she had.
During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she is forced to live with her grandfather’s large traditional family, where the women live apart from the men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible. Vidya’s only refuge becomes her grandfather’s upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidya’s brother makes a choice the family cannot condone, and when Raman seems to want more than friendship, Vidkya must question all she has believed in. Padma Venkatraman’s debut novel poignantly shows a girl struggling to find her place in a mixedup world. Climbing the Stairs is a powerful story about love and loss set against a fascinating historical backdrop. Read Padma Venkatraman's posts on the Penguin Blog.
I'm falling - falling down steep, narrow stairs - if I hit the bottom asleep, I know I'll never wake. Every night Kirsty wakes up screaming. Every night she has the same terrible nightmare - of falling downstairs. But does she fall? Or is she pushed? Then Kirsty discovers that her grandma died falling downstairs and she begins to wonder: is the dream hinting at a dark secret in her family? She has to know the truth. But tracking a murderer is a dangerous game, and as she delves into the past, Kirsty uncovers a secret more terrible than anything she can imagine. A terrifying read from one of today's master storytellers. WINNER OF THE SHEFFIELD CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD FOR BEST SHORTER NOVEL 'Cleverly put together - funny as well as gripping' The Sunday Times
Do you ride the escalator-or take the stairs? No matter how you define success, it always requires one thing: self-discipline. But as popular speaker and strategist Rory Vaden explains, we live in an "escalator world"-one that's filled with shortcuts, quick fixes, and distractions that make it all too easy to slide into procrastination, compromise, and mediocrity. What seems like an easier path is really much harder in the end-and, most important, it won't take you where you want to go. How do successful people stay focused and achieve results? This lively and insightful guide presents a simple program for taking the stairs-that is, for overcoming the temptations of quick fixes and procrastination, conquering creative avoidance, and transcending personal setbacks in order to tackle the work that leads to real success. Whatever your goals are, Rory Vaden's proven approach will get you there-one stair at a time.
A compelling and colourful memoir that takes the reader inside the forgotten world of domestic service. Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret's life in service was about to begin... As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlourmaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress' nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation.
Set in Transjordan just before the 1967 war with Israel, Staircase of a Thousand Steps is a "remarkably well-written...thoroughly absorbing novel" (Arizona Daily Sun) that takes us to a place where memory whispers like fear, where visions of a long-ago forbidden love affair haunt a precocious young girl — and where the flare of old rivalries can be as sudden as searing as the desert wind.
Here in a new, updated edition is the famous story of an ex-GI named Stuart Brent who turned his passion for reading into a bookstore that became a mecca for book lovers across America. His exuberant memoir reveals the strategies and beliefs that made him one of the nation's most colorful and revered independent booksellers. Filled with personal anecdotes about celebrated authors, pioneering publishers and editors, and illustrious customers such as Katharine Hepburn and Ernest Hemingway, The Seven Stairs provides a rare window on the world of books. For everyone who believes in the power of literacy and the joy of reading, the story shines with conviction and inspiration. Book jacket.