This unique book examines how sports betting markets function. Charting recent international developments, expert contributors consider how both bookmakers and stakeholders view these changes, their prime areas of concern and the potential methods for addressing them. Providing a rigorous economic analysis throughout, this book examines the informational efficiency of betting markets and the prevalence of corruption and illegal betting in sports. Against this background, chapters explore pertinent questions such as: should gambling markets be privatized? Is the `hot hand' hypothesis real or a myth? Are the `many' smarter than the `few' in estimating betting odds? How are prices set in fixed odds betting markets? Chapters also review important policy concerns such as the health implications posed by the potential link between the accelerating popularity of sports betting and the decline in sports participation. Academics and students studying economics, sports economics and, more specifically, sports betting will find this book an engaging companion. Contemporary and up to date, it will also appeal to stakeholders looking to widen their professional insight. Contributors include: B. Buraimo, X. Che, S. Dobson, A. Feddersen, D. Forrest, J. Garcia, J. Goddard, K. Grote, B. Humphreys, V. Matheson, R. Paul, D. Peel, L. Perez, P. Rodriguez, J. Ruseski, R. Simmons, P. Westmoreland, A. Weinbach, R. Wheeler, J. Yang

* Explores 455 crystals, minerals, gemstones, and their metaphysical energies, including vivid color photographs for each stone * For each stone, shares its scientific information, its element and chakra correspondences, its history, and its physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits * Includes guidance on how to work with crystals and stones and also explores the concept of crystal resonance Offering an illuminating alphabetical journey through the mineral kingdom, this comprehensive reference guide takes you deep into the world of crystals and their uses for spiritual awakening and self-healing. Exploring 455 gemstones and their metaphysical energies, the encyclopedia includes vivid color photographs for each stone to aid identification and showcase its beauty, as well as listing each gem's physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. The book begins with two introductory chapters by authors Naisha Ahsian and Robert Simmons detailing how to work with crystals and stones and exploring the concept of crystal resonance. Each stone entry includes the mineral name and photo, its elemental and chakra correspondences, keywords that indicate its properties, and a description of the crystal structure, hardness, history, and known locations of each mineral, plus any relevant legend or lore from the past. Each author then offers personal insights on the subtle energy properties and spiritual applications of the stone. The entries conclude with the spiritual, emotional, and physical healing qualities of the stone and an affirmation for evoking its potential benefits. This edition also includes an index of the stones' healing and energetic properties, making it easy to find the stone best suited to your needs.

Created from the cataclysmic impact of a huge meteorite, Moldavite is a gemstone that is neither heavenly nor earthly, but something new that emerged from their union. Classed scientifically with tektites, these rare green celestial objects showered down over what is now the Czech Republic some 14.8 million years ago. In the mid-1980s, a series of synchronicities brought Moldavite into the hands of Robert Simmons and he began sharing its powerful effects with the world. In this full-color guide, Simmons tells the story of his discovery of Moldavite's magic, weaving his knowledge of the stone's spiritual qualities together with scientific and historical data as well as channeled information. He explains how Neolithic peoples in Europe made Moldavite amulets and tools and how several Moldavite amulets were discovered in the same archeological dig as the famous Venus of Willendorf, the earliest known Goddess figurine. The author describes his dramatic personal awakening and the surprising circumstances that brought Moldavite to the center of his life and career. He shares tales of crop circles and energy vortexes, his adventures in Moldavite country, and ET connections. Revealing how the science of Moldavite's origins resonates with ancient mystical legends, the author explores Moldavite's connections with the alchemical Emerald Tablet and the fabled Stone of the Holy Grail. He looks at Moldavite energy tools, including wands, pendulums, waters, essences, body layouts, and crystal grids. He explains how to use Moldavite in photonic layouts to transmit energy to people, places, and bodies of water in order to heal and revitalize them. He leads the reader through Moldavite meditations for expanding awareness, and his wife Kathy offers her insights into Moldavite's purpose and power and how we can align with it. Throughout the book are hundreds of full-color images of beautiful raw pieces, carvings, jewelry, and gems, allowing you to attune to Moldavite's energy without even being in its direct presence. Shining a light upon the starborn gem that unites spirit and matter, the author shows how Moldavite is-literally and figuratively-a joining of Heaven and Earth.

* Features beautifully lit, color photos of each stone to aid in identification and to showcase the beauty of the crystals and gemstones * Provides a description of each stone, a quick-look list of keywords, elemental and chakra correspondences, scientific data, and the story of each stone's beneficial physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities * Based on the bestselling The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach Detailing the spiritual and healing qualities of 390 members of the mineral kingdom, The Pocket Book of Stones is a condensed reference guide to crystals and gems based on the bestselling The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach. This portable A-to-Z guide features beautifully lit, full-color photos of each stone to aid in identification and to showcase the beauty of the crystals and gemstones. This updated edition describes 47 new stones not covered in the original Pocket Book of Stones and contains a comprehensive index of the spiritual, emotional, and healing qualities of the stones. Every entry contains a vivid color photo, quick-look list of keywords, elemental and chakra correspondences, plus the beneficial physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities of each mineral, crystal, or gemstone. Author Robert Simmons provides a description of each stone, including scientific data and the story of each stone's spiritual and healing qualities, as well as recommendations for other stones that combine harmoniously with it. The scientific information offered provides a familiar frame of reference for those not yet familiar with crystal energies and also broadens the knowledge of those who come to stones primarily for spiritual purposes. This book provides an ideal introduction to stones and their energies for those who are new to the field as well as an invaluable portable reference for well-versed readers.

"What is it that gives many of us White people a visceral fear about discussing race?Do you realize that being able to not think about or talk about it is a uniquely White experience?Do you warn your children about how people might react to them; find store staff following or watching you; get stopped by the police for no reason?"The students of color in your classroom experience discrimination every day, in small and large ways. They don t often see themselves represented in their textbooks, and encounter hostility in school, and outside. For them race is a constant reality, and an issue they need, and want, to discuss. Failure to do so can inhibit their academic performance. Failure to discuss race prevents White students from getting a real, critical and deep understanding of our society and their place in it. It is essential for the well-being of all students that they learn to have constructive conversations about the history of race in this country, the impact of racism on different ethnic communities, and how those communities and cultures contribute to society. The need to model for our students how to talk openly and comfortably about race is critical in America today, but it is still an issue that is difficult to tackle.To overcome the common fear of discussing race, of saying something wrong, this book brings together over thirty contributions by teachers and students of different ethnicities and races who offer their experiences, ideas, and advice. With passion and sensitivity they: cover such topics as the development of racial consciousness and identity in children; admit their failures and continuing struggles; write about creating safe spaces and the climate that promotes thoughtful discussion; model self-reflection; demonstrate the importance of giving voice to students; recount how they responded to racial incidents and used current affairs to discuss oppression; describe courses and strategies they have developed; explain the n word; present exercises; and pose questions. For any teacher grappling with addressing race in the classroom, and for pre-service teachers confronting their anxieties about race, this book offers a rich resource of insights, approaches and guidance that will allay fears, and provide the reflective practitioner with the confidence to initiate and respond to discussion of race, from the pre-school and elementary classroom through high school."

"What is it that gives many of us White people a visceral fear about discussing race?Do you realize that being able to not think about or talk about it is a uniquely White experience?Do you warn your children about how people might react to them; find store staff following or watching you; get stopped by the police for no reason?"The students of color in your classroom experience discrimination every day, in small and large ways. They don t often see themselves represented in their textbooks, and encounter hostility in school, and outside. For them race is a constant reality, and an issue they need, and want, to discuss. Failure to do so can inhibit their academic performance. Failure to discuss race prevents White students from getting a real, critical and deep understanding of our society and their place in it. It is essential for the well-being of all students that they learn to have constructive conversations about the history of race in this country, the impact of racism on different ethnic communities, and how those communities and cultures contribute to society. The need to model for our students how to talk openly and comfortably about race is critical in America today, but it is still an issue that is difficult to tackle.To overcome the common fear of discussing race, of saying something wrong, this book brings together over thirty contributions by teachers and students of different ethnicities and races who offer their experiences, ideas, and advice. With passion and sensitivity they: cover such topics as the development of racial consciousness and identity in children; admit their failures and continuing struggles; write about creating safe spaces and the climate that promotes thoughtful discussion; model self-reflection; demonstrate the importance of giving voice to students; recount how they responded to racial incidents and used current affairs to discuss oppression; describe courses and strategies they have developed; explain the n word; present exercises; and pose questions. For any teacher grappling with addressing race in the classroom, and for pre-service teachers confronting their anxieties about race, this book offers a rich resource of insights, approaches and guidance that will allay fears, and provide the reflective practitioner with the confidence to initiate and respond to discussion of race, from the pre-school and elementary classroom through high school."

Reveals myth and "otherness" as keys to restoring self, nature, and society * Shows how myths contain medicine to restore wholeness amidst trauma, exile, sudden life change, disability, illness, death, or grief * Synthesizes lessons from shamanic practice, quantum physics, alchemy, soul poetry, wildness, social justice, and the author's lived experience * Discloses the blessings of outsiderhood and the gifts and insights gained and contributed to culture by those who are marginalized and outcast There is an "other" that lives within each of us, an exiled part that carries wisdom needed for ourselves and the culture at large. Having survived disabling polio as an infant, Daniel Deardorff knows the oppressions of exclusion and outsiderhood. He guides readers on an initiatory journey through ancient myth, literature, and personal revelation to discover our own true identity. These 10,000-year-old stories contain sacred medicine with insights that release imagination and restore wholeness amid trauma, exile, climate chaos, disability, illness, death, and grief. Illustrating how archetypal figures of the Other--the Trickster, Daimon, Not-I, etc.--hold paradox, Deardorff teaches us to reframe disparities of self/other, civilization/ wilderness, form/deformity and transform the experience of being outcast. Synthesizing lessons from shamanic practice, quantum physics, alchemy, social justice, and his own lived experience, Deardorff affirms the disruptive and transgressive forces that break through dogma, conventionality, and prejudice. He discloses blessings of outsiderhood and gifts to culture by those who are marginalized. Through mythmaking (mythopoesis), the experience of Otherness--cultural, racial, religious, sexual, physiognomic--becomes one of empowerment, a catalyst for human liberation.

A full-color illustrated guide to co-creative alchemy with crystals and stones for personal and planetary healing and enlightenment * 2021 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award * Reveals that those who love and work with crystals and stones have been intuitively following the path of spiritual alchemy * Provides meditative practices with specific stones to go with each stage of the alchemical transformation process as well as other tools and techniques * Includes an illustrated dictionary summarizing the spiritual qualities of more than 375 different minerals, crystals, and gemstones The Alchemy of Stones presents an inspired breakthrough in Robert Simmons' thirty-five year career of exploring and revealing the spiritual qualities and potentials of minerals, crystals, and gemstones. This holistic, Earth-based framework for understanding stones and their energies initiates readers into an alchemical worldview that leads to spiritual healing, transformation, and transcendence. Engaging readers step by step, Simmons provides guidance on discovering and harnessing the three human powers of intention, attention, and imagination, each a crucial component for meeting and working in harmony with the energies of the Stone Beings. Simmons also introduces us to the Divine Feminine intelligence known as Sophia, or Wisdom. The Stone Beings are her emissaries, and through relating and co-creating with them, the healing and redemption of ourselves and the Earth becomes a reality. Offering an illustrated dictionary of the spiritual qualities of more than 375 different minerals, crystals, and gemstones, Simmons also explores in depth what he calls the Four Cornerstones of the Alchemy of Stones: Moldavite, Phenacite, Azeztulite, and Rosophia. He discusses the stages of alchemical transformation and provides meditative practices with specific stones to go with each stage. He also explores how to work with stone mandalas, crystal body layouts, gemstone elixirs, and Orgonite energy devices and details powerful techniques for working with stones. Woven throughout are Simmons' personal stories of the pivotal mystical experiences that triggered his capacity to feel stone energies and led him to develop his relationship with the stones, revealing how this work can open minds and awaken hearts. Lavishly illustrated, The Alchemy of Stones is an invitation to a journey of enlightenment, transformation, and spiritual metamorphosis aligned with the path of our living, conscious Earth.

Java has quickly become one of the most important languages in programming, particularly for professional and enterprise-level projects. From its infancy as a language primarily used for web applets to its maturity through servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans, and database access, Java has become a complex and robust tool for today's developer.

"Hardcore Java" takes this language and breaks it apart, piece by piece, revealing the important secrets and tricks that will take you from a junior-level programmer to a seasoned and expert developer. You'll fly through the fundamentals and quickly find yourself learning about advanced memory management techniques, optimization and bytecode-level enhancements, and the techniques required to build lightning-fast GUIs. Throughout the book, you'll also master the art of writing and maintaining bulletproof and error-proof code, all while grasping the intricacies of the Java language.

"Hardcore Java" covers:

Use of the final keyword to optimize and protect your Java classes.

Complete and thorough coverage of all types of nested classes, including how to optimize anonymous and inner classes.

Detailed discussion of immutable objects, including unique tips on when to use them (and when not to).

Elimination of bugs through exception-handling management.

In-depth studies of constants, including their impact on the Java memory model.

The most thorough discussion of reflection in print, moving far beyond other books' "Hello World" coverage.

Construction and use of dynamic proxies, in both Java Standard and Enterprise editions.

Expansive coverage of weak references, including usage patterns and their role in garbage collection andmemory management.

"Hardcore Java" is an invaluable addition to every programmer's library, and even the most advanced developers will find themselves moving beyond their own conceptions into truly advanced applications of the language. Thousands of lines of code, heavily commented and easily runnable, illustrate each concept in the book.

Harriers are a world-wide group of birds of prey whose mating systems, population dynamics, and evolution are well-studied. This is the first book to synthesise and analyse the masses of data on the behavioural ecology of harriers. It offers an intriguing comparison of breeding systems among harriers in the northern and southern hemispheres, and includes a new phylogeny of the harriers, based on the most recent DNA findings. It is illustrated throughout with original line drawings of these impressive birds.

* Details the spiritual, healing, and energetic qualities of stones such as Moldavite, Nuummite, Circle Stones, Nirvana Quartz from the Himalayas, and high-vibrational Natrolite from the emerald mines of Russia * Features color photos of exceptional examples of each of the stones * Includes practices for deepening one's awareness of the stones' gifts--from expanding consciousness, to healing, to awakening the Light Body, to fulfilling one's personal and collective destiny In Stones of the New Consciousness Robert Simmons examines the 62 most important stones to help accelerate and enhance conscious evolution and spiritual awakening. Each entry is illustrated with color photos of exceptional examples. The stones include Moldavite, the extraterrestrial amorphous crystal; Nuummite, the oldest gemstone on Earth; and Circle Stones, the highly energetic Flint found in crop circle formations. Other featured rarities include Nirvana Quartz from the Himalayas and high-vibrational Natrolite from the emerald mines of Russia. Simmons begins with a new approach to meditation with stones and to the possibility of conscious relationship with the spiritual beings who express themselves in our world as crystals and minerals. He includes historical and mythological references for each stone, positing that the fabled Stone of the Holy Grail and the Philosopher's Stone of the alchemists may have physical counterparts among the minerals discussed. Simmons presents practices for deepening one's awareness of the stones' gifts--from expanding one's consciousness, to healing, to awakening the Light Body, to fulfilling one's personal and collective destiny. While emphasizing direct contact with stones, the book also explores crystal energy tools, energy environments, and applications such as stone elixirs and essences that can aid anyone on a spiritual path.