“A savvy female lead, a best friend crush, and twenty-four hours to save the world... LOVED IT!” —New York Times bestselling author Julie Cross I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life... 24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear. I can't trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize. My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking...
Late in 2017, the global significance of the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) changed forever. China put the world on alert when it released a plan to dominate all aspects of AI across the planet. Only weeks later, Vladimir Putin raised a Russian red flag in response by declaring AI the future for all humankind, and proclaiming that, "Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world." The race was on. Consistent with their unique national agendas, countries throughout the world began plotting their paths and hurrying their pace. Now, not long after, the race has become a sprint. Despite everything at stake, to most of us AI remains shrouded by a cloud of mystery and misunderstanding. Hidden behind complicated and technical jargon and confused by fantastical depictions of science fiction, the modern realities of AI and its profound implications are hard to decipher, but crucial to recognize. In T-Minus AI: Humanity's Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit of Global Power, author Michael Kanaan explains AI from a human-oriented perspective we can all finally understand. A recognized national expert and the U.S. Air Force's first Chairperson for Artificial Intelligence, Kanaan weaves a compelling new view on our history of innovation and technology to masterfully explain what each of us should know about modern computing, AI, and machine learning. Kanaan also dives into the global implications of AI by illuminating the cultural and national vulnerabilities already exposed and the pressing issues now squarely on the table. AI has already become China's all-purpose tool to impose its authoritarian influence around the world. Russia, playing catch up, is weaponizing AI through its military systems and now infamous, aggressive efforts to disrupt democracy by whatever disinformation means possible. America and like-minded nations are awakening to these new realities—and the paths they're electing to follow echo loudly the political foundations and, in most cases, the moral imperatives upon which they were formed. As we march toward a future far different than ever imagined, T-Minus AI is fascinating and crucially well-timed. It leaves the fiction behind, paints the alarming implications of AI for what they actually are, and calls for unified action to protect fundamental human rights and dignities for all.
It's the boldest conquest of our time—the colonization of Mars. Of the thousands who clamored for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet, only a fraction remain in the running. Now they're converging on Hawaii’s Big Island for a nail-biting competition to be the first to launch. Mila Todorov has prepared for this moment throughout her young life. With her revolutionary propulsion design already built into the Mars vessel, she likes her chances—especially if she can team with her all-time idol, Major Jancey Beaumont, a former NASA astronaut whose last space mission made her a worldwide hero. Jancey is desperate for a return to space, but the margin for error is razor-thin. Can she afford to gamble her destiny on a woman so distracting as Mila? Lambda Literary Award Winner – KG MacGregor
"F Minus is a strip short on life lessons, precious moments, and pearls of wisdom. It tackles life's serious issues, pins them to the ground, and steals their lunch money. Then it feels a little bit guilty and gives some of it back. 'I draw my material from my experiences at a wide array of failed careers,' says Carrillo. 'Over time, I have worked as a pizza cook, Web site designer, dancing costumed character, portrait artist, insurance drone, waiter, custom framer, camel ride attendant at the zoo, and the guy at the airport that waves orange wands at the airplanes. As varied as these jobs were, eventually I had the profound realization that they all had two important things in common: each offered a wealth of comedic inspiration and there was always a creepy guy named Larry.' Life isn't fair. But it sure is funny in F Minus."--Amazon.com.
Some kids are naturally exuberant and outgoing, while others find it more difficult to interact in social settings. The transition from shyness to comfort and confidence around others can be slow and exasperating--but there are techniques to ease the process. Let the elves guide you and your child through this complicated situation. Filled with both useful tips to draw your child our and reminders to nurture the thoughtful, creative qualities he or she possesses, this book will help you see that Shyness Isn't a Minus!
Knowing who you are in Christ is your key to victory in life. Do you often wonder what God thinks of you or whether He thinks of you at all? Do you have a negative self-image--a low opinion of yourself and life in general--that you would love to overcome? You can do it! You can turn your life around and never look back. The one and only key is to understand who God wants you to be. That's the heart of Neil Anderson's breakthrough freedom-in-Christ message. Every last one of us--no matter how much we suffer from low self-esteem, insecurity, or abusive behavior--can be free from our pain and problems, experience victory in Jesus, and become an overcomer in life!
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IS NOW A MAJOR-MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD AND STARRING AMY ADAMS, GLENN CLOSE, AND GABRIEL BASSO "You will not read a more important book about America this year."—The Economist "A riveting book."—The Wall Street Journal "Essential reading."—David Brooks, New York Times Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history. A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.