The Bible According to Nick Santangelo


Book Description

Nick Santangelo, a freelance reporter investigating the explosion of a NASA satellite on Christmas Eve—later, his brother’s assassination—discovers that his ex-wife is “Eve,” an incredible revelation he fights even as he helps her and her libidinous sister defend Earth against their father’s wrath. To complicate things, his mother’s oncologist does not expect her to last the night, a package for him explodes and turns the street outside his parents’ home into an inferno, and his investigation confirms that his ex-wife is the biblical “Eve.” He treats this revelation with proper skepticism—though he has documented it, independently—and curses it as he embraces it, and damns too, until the very end, the role of prophet that Ms. Hannah Schwartz, a.k.a. Eve Black, has placed on him. This is the book that Nick has promised her he would write— to tell her story: “A Contemporary Mythic Tale,” a neo-mythic Bible story for our times. It begins quietly enough as a domestic drama about the Santangelo family—on the periphery of Bella Vista, S. Philadelphia, “The S. 9th St. Italian Market Neighborhood.” Then it quickly evolves into an SF fantasy and an epiphany that is both miraculous and tragic. The first line propels the story: “The ‘shooting star’ that Nick and his father saw Christmas Eve was not the star of Bethlehem.” An exploding NASA satellite showers the East Coast of the USA with a treacherous, electronic pulse that heals, temporarily, virtually any illness, including his mother’s “terminal” cancer. Torn between fear and doubt, suspicious that Eve, his ex-, whatever her biblical-alien status, had conspired with his brother and may have been responsible for his death, Nick leaps into the abyss and helps her and her libidinous big sister, Inga, to defend “their” planet, Heaven—and Earth—against their father Methuselah’s Almighty wrath at their ancient disobedience.




A Source Book for Mediæval History


Book Description

A Source Book for Mediæval History is a scholarly piece by Oliver J. Thatcher. It covers all major historical events and leaders from the Germania of Tacitus in the 1st century to the decrees of the Hanseatic League in the 13th century.




Dynamic Hedging


Book Description

Destined to become a market classic, Dynamic Hedging is the only practical reference in exotic options hedgingand arbitrage for professional traders and money managers Watch the professionals. From central banks to brokerages to multinationals, institutional investors are flocking to a new generation of exotic and complex options contracts and derivatives. But the promise of ever larger profits also creates the potential for catastrophic trading losses. Now more than ever, the key to trading derivatives lies in implementing preventive risk management techniques that plan for and avoid these appalling downturns. Unlike other books that offer risk management for corporate treasurers, Dynamic Hedging targets the real-world needs of professional traders and money managers. Written by a leading options trader and derivatives risk advisor to global banks and exchanges, this book provides a practical, real-world methodology for monitoring and managing all the risks associated with portfolio management. Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the founder of Empirica Capital LLC, a hedge fund operator, and a fellow at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University. He has held a variety of senior derivative trading positions in New York and London and worked as an independent floor trader in Chicago. Dr. Taleb was inducted in February 2001 in the Derivatives Strategy Hall of Fame. He received an MBA from the Wharton School and a Ph.D. from University Paris-Dauphine.




Paolina's Innocence


Book Description

In the summer of 1785, in the city of Venice, a wealthy 60-year-old man was arrested and accused of a scandalous offense: having sexual relations with the 8-year-old daughter of an impoverished laundress. Although the sexual abuse of children was probably not uncommon in early modern Europe, it is largely undocumented, and the concept of "child abuse" did not yet exist. The case of Paolina Lozaro and Gaetano Franceschini came before Venice's unusual blasphemy tribunal, the Bestemmia, which heard testimony from an entire neighborhood—from the parish priest to the madam of the local brothel. Paolina's Innocence considers Franceschini's conduct in the context of the libertinism of Casanova and also employs other prominent contemporaries—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Carlo Goldoni, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Cesare Beccaria, and the Marquis de Sade—as points of reference for understanding the case and broader issues of libertinism, sexual crime, childhood, and child abuse in the 18th century.




Goddess of Vengeance


Book Description

Running a high-profile casino and hotel complex that ruthless billionaire Armand Jordan is plotting to take from her, Lucky engages in a power struggle against him, while Bobby becomes inadvertently involved in best friend Frankie's drug problems.




A History of Christianity


Book Description

From a prize-winning author, this book charts the course of Christianity from ancient history onwards.




Christianity's Dangerous Idea


Book Description

A New Interpretation of Protestantism and Its Impact on the World The radical idea that individuals could interpret the Bible for themselves spawned a revolution that is still being played out on the world stage today. This innovation lies at the heart of Protestantism's remarkable instability and adaptability. World-renowned scholar Alister McGrath sheds new light on the fascinating figures and movements that continue to inspire debate and division across the full spectrum of Protestant churches and communities worldwide.




Changeling


Book Description

Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of the first-ever teen series from #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl. Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous--and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year--the end of days. Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can't inherit any of her father's estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft--and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape. Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon. The first in a series, this epic and richly detailed drama is grounded in historical communities and their mythic beliefs. It includes a medieval map of Europe that will track their journey; and the interior will include relevant decorative elements as well as an interior line illustration. And look for a QR code that links to a note from the author with additional, detailed information about the setting and the history that informed the writing. With Philippa Gregory's trademark touch, this novel deftly brings the past--and its salacious scandals--vividly and disturbingly to life.




Poor Little Bitch Girl


Book Description

This sexy, explosive novel features three twenty-something women, one hot rich guy, two mega movie stars, and a devastating murder.




Jan Brueghel the Elder


Book Description

Kolb has produced a thoroughly researched essay on this painting, which is in the Getty Museum. The study focuses on Brueghel's depiction of nature, especially his exacting representation of identifiable species of animals and birds, the names of which are listed. Brueghel's collaboration with other painters, his and other painters' re-use of the same theme and composition, and the history and practice of natural history collection and representation are central themes. The volume, which is printed in a horizontal format (it's 11x8") and heavily illustrated, is written for a general audience, though art historians will also find much of interest.