In this gripping sequel to "The Loner," self-made, pretty boy millionaire Nathan Kirkland has murdered his wife and must now pay for his crime of passion, locked behind the walls of maximum security at the Arizona State Prison. Six years after being incarcerated with mass murderers and other violent offenders, Kirkland is paroled early for good behavior. Though his ability to empty himself of emotion helps him survive behind prison walls, it is facing a life in the outside world which proves more challenging. Nathan soon realizes he must learn not only how to rejoin society, but also how to be accepted. In his quest to regain all he has lost, he discovers there are those who have not forgotten his past and are determined to stand in his way of moving on with his life. Nathan's determination and strength of character are ultimately tested as he wonders if he will ever live a peaceful existence again. Only time will tell if Nathan's desire for retribution will cause him to kill again. By proving himself in ways he never imagined, Nathan realizes that physical wounds can heal, but psychological scars stay forever.

An abusive childhood has forged Nathan Kirkland into the man he has become-a hard-working, strong-minded, self-made millionaire. Add to that his extraordinary good looks, and he appears to have it all. There's just one problem: to blunt the pain of his past, Nathan has walled himself into isolation, both emotional and physical. Social interactions unnerve this intentional loner, and Nathan is convinced that the only way to avoid hurt is to be the one doing the hurting. While many around him fall for his chameleon-like personalities, there are some who know the destruction of which Nathan is capable and are determined to bring it to light. Threatened, Nathan becomes merciless in his quest for revenge and frantic in his struggle to maintain the facade of his life. But when confronted with an unattainable woman, Nathan can no longer hide behind his pretense of perfection, and his long-sequestered vulnerability unfolds. His all-too-flawless world turns upside down, opening emotions Nathan thought he'd buried long ago and leading to chilling consequences. "The Loner" is a tightly woven tale of a man who is not what he seems to be and a fascinating probe into the psyche of a person who discovers the inevitable price of fleeing the past.

No one should play with the dead, especially when Raymond Faustanetti is around. For twenty-four years, the veteran cremator has burned bodies at the old cemetery; it's a job he takes very seriously. However, not everyone shares his dedication to the deceased. His new boss, Everett Cochran, pompous son of the wealthy, new owner, doesn't get Ray at all and insists on aggravating his freak employee whenever possible. But the cremator won't back down. And that dark determination often creates sparks between them that rival the flames roasting the corpses.

When an attractive girl named Alex wanders among the tombstones, both men are drawn to her. Ray refuses his primal urges to keep his haunted past buried. But nothing stops Everett who is determined to have her. With Dad's money as bait, he seems to get his wish.

Soon, a twisted relationship develops, and Ray senses impending trouble for the girl. All he wants is to be left alone, but circumstances thrust him into real life with every bit of evil that goes with it. As the demons of his past are reawakened, Ray must decide if vengeance is truly history or whether protecting the dead requires eliminating the living.

Mathias Margolis is a politically incorrect nerd with little social skills and a nasty mouth. When he gets a job as a junior accountant at a new firm, he meets up with his arch nemesis: the high school quarterback who beat him up on a regular basis. Immediately, the old fears arise in Mathias, and his first intuition is survival. But when he finds out that Griffin Taylor, ex-jock and handsome stud, has turned into a nice guy, he still isn't convinced and is determined to get him back for all the former torment.

Despite Mathias's unforgiving nature, Griffin tries hard to repair the past and befriend him. So he gives the nerd a make-over he'll never forget. Suddenly, the new and improved accountant is discovering what it's like to have women falling for him. But the change brings out his malicious side that not even Griffin is prepared to deal with. Has he created a monster?

In a strange reversal of roles, a nerd is transformed into what he believes his ex-bully to be. The only problem? Griffin has his own issues buried under the attractive cover. And he's nothing like Mathias ever imagined.

"A Grudge to Share" is a cynically humorous view of life through one man's eyes and a reminder never to judge a book by its cover.

The Mulroy brothers have two things in common: their Irish ancestry and their extreme hatred for each other. Aidan has grown up in the shadow of his over-achieving brother, Mitchell, an ideal son and master manipulator. No one can see past Mitchell's apparent perfection and Aidan counteracts that by throwing himself into a lifestyle of self-destruction, opposing his brother in every way possible. To Aidan, partying and girls is routine until he meets Jessica, a flawed version herself but whose inner beauty shines through. For the first time, Aidan finds a girl unlike all the others and learns that happiness doesn't have to be just a quick fix. But when Jessica takes control over the body issues which have been plaguing her for years, she develops a self-confidence and beauty never before seen. For Aidan, it's a proud moment. For Mitchell, it's an opportunity. The bad blood between brothers escalates when nothing proves sacred and everything becomes fair game. Just how far will one brother go in his quest to make the other pay?

Capitalism has long been idealized as a symbol of success, power, and free enterprise. In reality, while capitalism has brought wealth and success to some people, many others are rapidly losing opportunities to make a living as globalization transfers more and more control over local resources to distant powers. Today there is a growing sense that something is wrong with a system that treats people as mere components of the production process, focusing on efficiency to such extremes that services to citizens of even wealthy nations are neglected. The eleven anthropologists, economists, and researchers represented in this volume address this disparity of global capitalism and offer surprising solutions to the present effects of the burgeoning ""global marketplace"" on some of today's struggling communities. The essays, ranging in subject matter from the preservation of traditional fishing communities in New England to the effects of NAFTA, emphasize the need to reestablish grassroots development and locally focused use of resources and champion the concerns of contemporary poor and working-class people. In its consideration of possible alternatives to the profoundly damaging effects of uncontrolled global capitalism, Communities and Capital offers a new perspective that balances the power and success of capitalism with a recognition of its costs.

Twenty-nine-year-old James McRiley has grown up detesting those who pick on others. A humble underachiever, James realizes his true talents lie in his hands; he is a gifted musician and an excellent butcher. Despite his desire for musical employment, James accepts that his unglamorous job of cutting meat pays his rent and ultimately allows him the experience he will eventually use to combat those who torment the innocent.

At first, he finds himself as the unwilling hand yielding the final blow, then with each silencing slice, he develops more confidence in his authority to rid the world of what he calls two-legged vermin. An unlikely hero to the oppressed but a dangerous assailant to be feared, James discovers his own insecurities and afflictions have provided him with all the ammunition he needs in his continued hunt for the human parasites inwardly reviled by all.

In his search to right the wrongs in life, James utilizes the dark powers he possesses with more and more ease, yet he continuously questions his desires for deadly vindication. Is he truly justified in the punishment he carries out? Or is he just a sadistic murderer struggling to kill a sickness growing from within?

Being a fugitive is hard work. Running from the law is taking its toll on James McRiley (Ridder of Vermin) and his best friend, Kevin Nichols. They've never been east of Las Vegas, and these native Southern Californians have no idea what's in store for them on their journey to keep James out of prison.

James's justified punishments, as he calls his three murders-the fourth was an accident, he swears-have caught up with him, and now he faces an uncertain future with a chance every day to be seen, to be identified, and to be caught. His constant nightmares of impending imprisonment have left this twenty-nine-year-old paranoid killer beside himself with fear.

Needing a rest, the friends stop in historic New Orleans. A whole new world opens up for the two musicians, and they discover they are definitely not in Southern California anymore. Local sentiment is foreign and cultures sometimes clash. Can James keep it together long enough to maintain the obscurity he desperately needs for escape? Or will his alter ego, The Pied Piper, rise up once again to rid the world of its incessant vermin?

Social work students consistently struggle to apply theory to practice, or use the knowledge of textbooks and classrooms in the field. Vignettes and scenarios represented in textbooks are often simplistic, too tidy to be realistic, and with clean resolutions. Next Steps: Decision Cases for Social Work Practice highlights the complex, messy nature of social work practice in a way that is engaging to students, allowing them to step into the role of a practicing social worker. This book is a collection of decision cases from multiple areas of social work practice, designed to enhance the quality and depth of classroom case discussion and analysis. These realistic, compelling cases present dilemmas about which even experienced practitioners may disagree. This allows rich classroom discussion that enhances critical thinking, provides real-life application, and creates numerous opportunities to apply content and knowledge acquired throughout a social work education experience.

This volume brings together scholars from across Europe to critically examine TV history programming in a period of political, economic and cultural change. They look at links between programming and national identity, consider the representation of minorities, and explore a range of televisual genres and techniques.

Myth and History in Celtic and Scandinavian Traditions explores the traditions of two fascinating and contiguous cultures in north-western Europe. History regularly brought these two peoples into contact, most prominently with the viking invasion of Ireland. In the famous Second Battle of Mag Tuired, gods such as Lug, Balor, and the Dagda participated in the conflict that distinguished this invasion. Pseudohistory, which consists of both secular and ecclesiastical fictions, arose in this nexus of peoples and myth and spilled over into other contexts such as chronological annals. Scandinavian gods such as Odin, Balder, Thor, and Loki feature in the Edda of Snorri Sturluson and the history of the Danes by Saxo Grammaticus. This volume explores such written works alongside archaeological evidence from earlier periods through fresh approaches that challenge entrenched views.

Taking Flight to Literacy and Leadership provides a powerful model of "what works" in schools. It shows superintendents, principals, and teachers how to integrate best practices in literacy, adult learning, and systems thinking, using concrete examples from authentic practice. Taking Flight to Literacy and Leadership creates a razor-sharp focus on instruction and places learning at the center of the effort. It brings people together to share what they know and learn collaboratively and provides tools for staff to develop new solutions to difficult problems. This book is a guide for: * Superintendents who want to grow their districts into a healthy vibrant learning organization. * Principals who seek to engage staff in dynamic, job-embedded learning about instruction. * Teachers who hope to influence both classroom and district learning.

Designed for undergraduate students in the general science, engineering, and mathematics community, Introduction to the Simulation of Dynamics Using Simulink (R) shows how to use the powerful tool of Simulink to investigate and form intuitions about the behavior of dynamical systems. Requiring no prior programming experience, it clearly explains how to transition from physical models described by mathematical equations directly to executable Simulink simulations. Teaches students how to model and explore the dynamics of systemsStep by step, the author presents the basics of building a simulation in Simulink. He begins with finite difference equations and simple discrete models, such as annual population models, to introduce the concept of state. The text then covers ordinary differential equations, numerical integration algorithms, and time-step simulation. The final chapter offers overviews of some advanced topics, including the simulation of chaotic dynamics and partial differential equations. A one-semester undergraduate course on simulationWritten in an informal, accessible style, this guide includes many diagrams and graphics as well as exercises embedded within the text. It also draws on numerous examples from the science, engineering, and technology fields. The book deepens students' understanding of simulated systems and prepares them for advanced and specialized studies in simulation. Ancillary materials are available at http://nw08.american.edu/~gray

The Russian Far North was regarded by the Soviet authorities as a homeland for certain ethnic groups that were considered indigenous to the region. Today, ethnic identity movements have grown up and enjoy a certain legitimacy, but must cope with an environment dominated by Russian nationalism. In this ethnography, Patty Gray explores why the local Chukotko people's 'indigenous rights movement', which demands that Chukotko people should enjoy a privileged cultural or political space, has been unsuccessful. Dr Gray analyses the movement as a continuation of Soviet tendencies rather than something comparable to Native Rights movements in the Russian Far North, and argues that the intellectuals leading the movement are dominantly urban and educated at Soviet schools, while the population they represent is largely rural and poorly educated.

This book examines non-participatory memberships or why states choose not to use the benefits of international institutions to which they belong. To investigate this question, the author explores why states choose not to litigate within the World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). The research contributes to the literature on global governance and institutions generally, and of the WTO specifically. Additionally, the project includes comparative case analysis of WTO agreements and international disputes: China and Jamaica; Guatemala and Mexico; the United States and Mexico. This volume will interest policy makers, trade professionals, academics, and everyone who is interested in development studies.

Designed for undergraduate students in the general science, engineering, and mathematics community, Introduction to the Simulation of Dynamics Using Simulink(r) shows how to use the powerful tool of Simulink to investigate and form intuitions about the behavior of dynamical systems. Requiring no prior programming experience, it clearly explains how to transition from physical models described by mathematical equations directly to executable Simulink simulations.

Teaches students how to model and explore the dynamics of systems
Step by step, the author presents the basics of building a simulation in Simulink. He begins with finite difference equations and simple discrete models, such as annual population models, to introduce the concept of state. The text then covers ordinary differential equations, numerical integration algorithms, and time-step simulation. The final chapter offers overviews of some advanced topics, including the simulation of chaotic dynamics and partial differential equations.

A one-semester undergraduate course on simulation
Written in an informal, accessible style, this guide includes many diagrams and graphics as well as exercises embedded within the text. It also draws on numerous examples from the science, engineering, and technology fields. The book deepens students' understanding of simulated systems and prepares them for advanced and specialized studies in simulation. Ancillary materials are available at http: //nw08.american.edu/ gray

Social work students consistently struggle to apply theory to practice, or use the knowledge of textbooks and classrooms in the field. Vignettes and scenarios represented in textbooks are often simplistic, too tidy to be realistic, and with clean resolutions. Next Steps: Decision Cases for Social Work Practice highlights the complex, messy nature of social work practice in a way that is engaging to students, allowing them to step into the role of a practicing social worker. This book is a collection of decision cases from multiple areas of social work practice, designed to enhance the quality and depth of classroom case discussion and analysis. These realistic, compelling cases present dilemmas about which even experienced practitioners may disagree. This allows rich classroom discussion that enhances critical thinking, provides real-life application, and creates numerous opportunities to apply content and knowledge acquired throughout a social work education experience.