A tell-all book on and by Pakistan cricket's fastest and most controversial bowlerOne of the most talented and certainly one of the most colourful players in the history of cricket, Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest delivery ever, clocking in at 11.2 mph. Having taken more than 400 wickets in his international career, Shoaib has seen it all-the best matches, the most exciting tournaments, the highs and lows of personal achievement and failure. Controversially Yours is his take on the game, on his peers, on the fraught tussles between bowlers and batsmen and, of course, the institutions that control the sport, including the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board. From the early days of struggle to the 2011 World Cup, this is Shoaib's story in his own words, straight from the heart.
In 1987, Dr Digpal Dharkar, freshly trained at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, dreamt of setting up a world-class institution for head and neck oncology that offered the latest cancer treatment, particularly to the indigent in India, where cancer is the second-and fourth-highest killer of adults across urban and rural areas. With a majority of people in rural areas facing economic difficulties only a few were able to afford cancer treatment and often diagnosis was left until it was too late, leading to unnecessary fatalities. With grave hurdles to overcome and the odds stacked against him, Dr Dharkar summoned his deep resolve - and the commitment of like-minded medical professionals - to establish a charitable trust, the Indore Cancer Foundation (ICF), which would help make a difference in head and neck cancer care in India. Inspiring and deeply moving, The Power of Hope is the compelling tale of Dr Dharkar's journey into the depths of human empathy and a testimony to just how much we can achieve if only we hold on to hope.
How entrepreneurs find the next big thing-and make it huge. The era of easy money and easy jobs is officially over. Today, we're all entrepreneurs, and the tides of change threaten to capsize anyone who plays it safe. Taking risks is the name of the game-but how can you tell a smart bet from a stupid gamble? Andy Kessler has made a career out of seeing the future of business, as an analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. He evaluated the business potential of the likes of Steve Jobs and Michael Dell before they were Steve Jobs and Michael Dell. His eye for what's next is unparalleled. Now Kessler explains how the world's greatest entrepreneurs don't just start successful companies-they overturn entire industries. He offers twelve surprising and controversial rules for these radical entrepreneurs, such as: ? Eat people: Get rid of worthless jobs to create more wealth for everybody ? Create artificial scarcity for virtual goods ? Trust markets to make better decisions than managers Whether you're at a big corporation or running a small business, you're now an entrepreneur. Will you see change coming and grab on to opportunity or miss the boat?
From the authors of Manifesta, an activism handbook that illustrates how to truly make the personal political. Grassroots is an activism handbook for social justice. Aimed at everyone from students to professionals, stay-at-home moms to artists, Grassroots answers the perennial question: What can I do? Whether you are concerned about the environment, human rights violations in Tibet, campus sexual assault policies, sweatshop labor, gay marriage, or the ongoing repercussions from 9-11, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards believe that we all have something to offer in the fight against injustice. Based on the authors' own experiences, and the stories of both the large number of activists they work with as well as the countless everyday people they have encountered over the years, Grassroots encourages people to move beyond the "generic three" (check writing, calling congresspeople, and volunteering) and make a difference with clear guidelines and models for activism. The authors draw heavily on individual stories as examples, inspiring readers to recognize the tools right in front of them--be it the office copier or the family living room--in order to make change. Activism is accessible to all, and Grassroots shows how anyone, no matter how much or little time they have to offer, can create a world that more clearly reflects their values.
"Time travel, UFOs, mysterious planets, stigmata, rock-throwing poltergeists, huge footprints, bizarre rains of fish and frogs-nearly a century after Charles Fort's Book of the Damned was originally published, the strange phenomenon presented in this book remains largely unexplained by modern science. Through painstaking research and a witty, sarcastic style, Fort captures the imagination while exposing the flaws of popular scientific explanations. Virtually all of his material was compiled and documented from reports published in reputable journals, newspapers and periodicals because he was an avid collector. Charles Fort was somewhat of a recluse who spent most of his spare time researching these strange events and collected these reports from publications sent to him from around the globe. This was the first of a series of books he created on unusual and unexplained events and to this day it remains the most popular. If you agree that truth is often stranger than fiction, then this book is for you"--Taken from Good Reads website.
A theologian explores the holidays and rituals of his wife’s Jewish faith in an “accessible and engaging” memoir told “with humor and a scholar’s insight” (Los Angeles Times). As a member of an interfaith household, eminent Christian theologian, and religion scholar, National Book Award finalist Harvey Cox has had ample opportunity to reflect upon the essence of Judaism and its complex relationship to Christianity. Organized around the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashanah to Yom ha-Atzmaíut, Common Prayers illuminates the meanings of Jewish holidays as well as traditions surrounding milestone events such as death and marriage. Describing in elegant, accessible language the holidays’ personal, historical, and spiritual significance and the lessons they offer us, Cox “is instructive and enlightening, revealing the depth and passion of his religious thought and practice” (Boston Herald). As seen through his eyes, the Jewish holidays offer a wellspring of discovery and reflection for every reader, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. “Cox not only provides a clear guide to Judaism for ‘perplexed gentiles’ but convincingly argues that ‘appreciating Judaism, both its history and its present manifestation, is essential to a full understanding of Christianity’ . . . An important new book by a major theologian; highly recommended.” —Library Journal “Cox’s insights into Judaism and Christianity, as both an insider and an outsider, are dazzling.” —Orlando Sentinel
The definitive biography of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and all-rounder - the Oxbridge graduate and vociferous campaigner; the devout Muslim whose kaleidoscopic social life flooded the gossip columns; the man who raised $60 million for cancer research and who is now one of the most important political figures in Pakistan.
How our collective intelligence has helped us to evolve and prosper Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains—on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations. Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology. Our early capacities for learning from others produced many cultural innovations, such as fire, cooking, water containers, plant knowledge, and projectile weapons, which in turn drove the expansion of our brains and altered our physiology, anatomy, and psychology in crucial ways. Later on, some collective brains generated and recombined powerful concepts, such as the lever, wheel, screw, and writing, while also creating the institutions that continue to alter our motivations and perceptions. Henrich shows how our genetics and biology are inextricably interwoven with cultural evolution, and how culture-gene interactions launched our species on an extraordinary evolutionary trajectory. Tracking clues from our ancient past to the present, The Secret of Our Success explores how the evolution of both our cultural and social natures produce a collective intelligence that explains both our species' immense success and the origins of human uniqueness.
