Texas is a solid red state. Or trending purple. Or soon to be blue. One thing is certain: as Texas looms ever larger in national politics, the makeup of its electorate increasingly matters. At a critical moment, as migration, immigration, and a maturing populace alter the state's political landscape, this book presents a deeply researched, data-rich look at who Texas voters are, what they want, and what it might mean for the future of the Republican and Democratic parties, the state, and the nation. Battle for the Heart of Texas goes beyond the pronouncements of leaders and pundits to reveal voters' nuanced opinions-about the 2020 Democratic primary candidates, state and national Republicans' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, and issues such as immigration and gun policy. Working with an unprecedented cache of polling figures and qualitative data from surveys and focus groups-the product of a cooperative effort between the Dallas Morning News and The University of Texas at Tyler-Mark Owens, Kenneth A. Wink, and Kenneth Bryant Jr. provide an in-depth examination of what is reshaping voter preferences across Texas, including the partisan impact of the urbanization and nationalization of state politics. Their analyses pinpoint the influence of race, media exposure, ideological diversity within the parties, and geographic variation across the state, detailing how Texas politics has changed over time. Race may not have typically defined Texas politics, for instance, but the authors find that rhetoric on policies related to race are now shaping the electorate. The diversity in civic engagement among the Latino community also emerges from the data, compounded and complicated by the growth of the Latino population of voting age. The largest red state in the country, with the second-largest population, Texas is crucial to the way we think about political change in America-and this book amply and precisely equips us to understand the bellwether state's changing politics.

The incredible memoir by international bestselling author of Where The Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens and her then partner Mark Owens', charting their time researching wildlife in the Kalahari Desert. Reissued and in full colour, for the first time since its original publication. In the early 1970s, carrying little more than a change of clothes and a pair of binoculars, Mark and Delia Owens caught a plane to Africa, bought a third-hand Land Rover, and drove deep into the Kalahari Desert. There they lived for seven years, in an unexplored area with no roads, no people, and no source of water for thousands of square miles. In this vast wilderness the Owenses began their zoology research, working alongside lions, brown hyenas, jackals, giraffes, and the many other creatures they came to know. Cry of the Kalahari is a gripping account of how two young Americans survived the dangers of living in one of the last pristine areas on Earth. Reissued for the first time since its original publication in 1984, this beautiful new edition contains never-seen-before, colour photographs of Mark and Delia on their adventure of a lifetime. 'A remarkable story beautifully told . . . Among such classics as Goodall's In the Shadow of Man and Fossey's Gorillas in the Mist' Chicago Tribune 'For anyone interested in animals or in real life adventure, this book is a must' Jane Goodall 'Extraordinary . . . How the couple overcome the hazards of the desert and came to appreciate its living richness makes fascinating reading . . . Read their remarkable book to be delighted, moved, and awed' People Magazine

This book takes a theoretical enterprise in Christian philosophy of religion and applies it to Buddhism, thus defending Buddhism and presenting it favorably in comparison. Chapters explore how the claims of both Christianity and Theravada Buddhism rest on people's experiences, so the question as to which claimants to religious knowledge are right rests on the evidential value of those experiences. The book examines mysticism and ways to understand what goes on in religious experiences, helping us to understand whether it is good grounds for religious belief. The author argues that religious language in both Christian and Buddhist traditions is intelligible as factual discourse, and so reports of mystical experience are true or false. The book contends that those experiences can be fruitfully thought of as perceptual in kind and that they are therefore good prima facie grounds for religious belief, in the absence of defeating conditions. The work goes on to explore Christian and Buddhist testimony and how the likelihood of self-deception, self-delusion, imaginative elaboration and the like constitutes a defeating condition. It is shown that this defeater has less scope for operation in the Buddhist case than in the Christian case, and therefore Theravada Buddhism is better grounded. This work will appeal to students and scholars of philosophy and philosophy of religion, and those interested in the study of religious experience.

The #1 "New York Times" bestselling first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy SEAL who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moments.
From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden's compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group--known as SEAL Team Six--has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines.
"No Easy Day" puts readers alongside Owen and his fellow SEAL team members as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen's life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden's death, is an essential piece of modern history.
In "No Easy Day," Owen also takes readers into the War on Terror and details the formation of the most elite units in the military. Owen's story draws on his youth in Alaska and describes the SEALs' quest to challenge themselves at the highest levels of physical and mental endurance. With boots-on-the-ground detail, Owen describes several missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11.
In telling the true story of the SEALs whose talents, skills, experiences, and exceptional sacrifices led to one of the greatest victories in the War on Terror, Mark Owen honors the men who risk everything for our country, and he leaves readers with a deep understanding of the warriors who keep America safe.
And look for NO HERO, the follow-up to NO EASY DAY, coming May 2014.

This book explores the concept of sovereignty in the post-modern world and its interrelationship to problems and issues facing the Third World. Specifically it examines the theoretical and practical dimensions of sovereignty in the current era, such as its changing dimensions and possible disintegration. These issues are placed into a real-world context by examining their relationships to political and economic development in the Third World.

This is the story of the Owens' travel and life in the Kalahari Desert. Here they met and studied unique animals and were confronted with danger from drought, fire, storms, and the animals they loved. This best-selling book is for both travelers and animal lovers.

The incredible memoir by international bestselling author of Where The Crawdad's Sing, Delia Owens and her partner Mark Owens', charting their time researching wildlife in the Kalahari Desert. Reissued and in full colour, for the first time since its original publication in 1984.

Carrying little more than a change of clothes and a pair of binoculars, two young Americans, Mark and Delia Owens, caught a plane to Africa, bought a third-hand Land Rover, and drove deep into the Kalahari Desert. There they lived for seven years, in an unexplored area with no roads, no people, and no source of water for thousands of square miles. In this vast wilderness the Owenses began their zoology research, working along animals that had never before been exposed to humans.

An international bestseller on original release, Cry of the Kalahari is the story of the Owenses's life with lions, brown hyenas, jackals, giraffes, and the many other creatures they came to know. It is also a gripping account of how they survived the dangers of living in one of the last and largest pristine areas on Earth.

THE GRIPPING FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNT OF BIN LADEN'S EXECUTION For the first time, read the first-hand account of the planning and execution of the extraordinary mission to kill the terrorist mastermind. No Easy Day puts readers inside the elite, handpicked twenty-four-man team known as SEAL Team Six as they train for the most important mission of their lives. From the crash of the Black Hawk helicopter that threatened the mission with disaster, to the radio call confirming their target was dead, the SEAL team raid on bin Laden's secret HQ is recounted in nail-biting second-by-second detail. Team leader Mark Owen takes readers behind enemy lines with one of the world's most astonishing fighting forces, in the only insider's account of their most spectacular mission. 'No Easy Day amounts to a cinematic account of the raid to kill Bin Laden: you feel as if you're sitting in the Black Hawk as it swoops in' NY Times 'A blistering first-hand account' The Sun

The principles of signal processing are fundamental to the operation of many everyday devices. This book introduces the basic theory of digital signal processing, with emphasis on real-world applications. Sampling, quantization, the Fourier transform, filters, Bayesian methods and numerical considerations are covered, then developed to illustrate how they are used in audio, image, and video processing and compression, and in communications. The book concludes with methods for the efficient implementation of algorithms in hardware and software. Intuitive arguments rather than mathematical ones are used wherever possible, and links between various signal processing techniques are stressed. The advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are presented in the context of real-world examples, enabling the reader to choose the best solution to a given problem. With over 200 illustrations and over 130 exercises (including solutions), this book will appeal to practitioners working in signal processing, and undergraduate students of electrical and computer engineering.

The principles of signal processing are fundamental to the operation of many everyday devices. This book introduces the basic theory of digital signal processing, with emphasis on real-world applications. Sampling, quantisation, the Fourier transform, filters, Bayesian methods and numerical considerations are covered, then developed to illustrate how they are used in audio, image, and video processing and compression, and in communications. The book concludes with methods for the efficient implementation of algorithms in hardware and software. Intuitive arguments rather than mathematical ones are used wherever possible, and links between various signal processing techniques are stressed. The advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are presented in the context of real-world examples, enabling the reader to choose the best solution to a given problem. With over 200 illustrations and over 130 exercises (including solutions), this book will appeal to practitioners working in signal processing, and undergraduate students of electrical and computer engineering.

Ecotourism is not a fad. It's a trend and one of the fastest growing areas in the tourism industry. Labeling your business venture as 'ecotourism' requires a careful understanding of the term and its underlying principles. In The Business of Ecotourism, author Carol Patterson discusses the key elements of sustainable tourism and provides ideas and examples on how to succeed in the industry without compromising environmental principles. She also covers such topics as building important partnerships, developing cultural tourism strategies, building tour packages, organizing festivals, and understanding business risk.
The Business of Ecotourism provides sound advice on helping keep your business sustainable during both good and bad economic times. Balance both nature and profit while maintaining integrity in the ecotourism industry.
Learn how to...
? Start or upgrade your ecotourism business. Helpful to both the small businessman and greening up a large enterprise.
? Turn obstacles into opportunities. Understand and minimize risk. Learn how to develop innovative marketing techniques and diversify your product to stay competitive.
? Develop a strong business sense. Practical advice on forming partnerships, writing business plans, obtaining financing, managing cash flow, and hiring the right employees.
? Cultivate exceptional customer service. Keep existing clientele happy and learn ways to attract new customers.

In a remote Zambian valley where elephants gracefully wandered into camp to eat fruit from the trees, the authors of the bestselling Cry of the Kalahari discovered a new wilderness Eden. But peace was shortlived when they were drawn into a struggle that threatened their lives. Photos.

Expelled from Botswana for writing Cry of the Kalahari, the Owenses set off across Africa. They settled in Zambia, where they soon found their peace shattered by the gunfire of elephant poachers. This is the story of the couple's battle to save the elephants and their own lives.