Nothing Beats Luck

Nothing Beats Luck takes the reader on a journey from the financial district of New York to the corrupt, mafia-infested city of Chicago and then finally to Las Vegas. You will meet all types of colorful characters, some who totally believe in luck, and then some like BJ, who has made a fortune on both Wall Street and in sports-betting, who does not believe in luck. Nothing Beats Luck is a story about people and their hopes and dreams as much as it is about Las Vegas and organized crime. Endorsements: “Brooks has done it again. He is able to develop colorful fictional characters, while at the same time never losing his sense of humor” Sam McKeel, former Chairman and Publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News, and former President, CEO, & Publisher of The Chicago Sun-Times “Brooks has the uncanny ability to weave his Philadelphia experiences of real people, places, and events into an exciting tale of fiction” Judge Lisle B. Tinkler, Retired.

From New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, a compelling book that explains why the rich underestimate the importance of luck in their success, why that hurts everyone, and what we can do about it How important is luck in economic success? No question more reliably divides conservatives from liberals. As conservatives correctly observe, people who amass great fortunes are almost always talented and hardworking. But liberals are also correct to note that countless others have those same qualities yet never earn much. In recent years, social scientists have discovered that chance plays a much larger role in important life outcomes than most people imagine. In Success and Luck, bestselling author and New York Times economics columnist Robert Frank explores the surprising implications of those findings to show why the rich underestimate the importance of luck in success—and why that hurts everyone, even the wealthy. Frank describes how, in a world increasingly dominated by winner-take-all markets, chance opportunities and trivial initial advantages often translate into much larger ones—and enormous income differences—over time; how false beliefs about luck persist, despite compelling evidence against them; and how myths about personal success and luck shape individual and political choices in harmful ways. But, Frank argues, we could decrease the inequality driven by sheer luck by adopting simple, unintrusive policies that would free up trillions of dollars each year—more than enough to fix our crumbling infrastructure, expand healthcare coverage, fight global warming, and reduce poverty, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone. If this sounds implausible, you'll be surprised to discover that the solution requires only a few, noncontroversial steps. Compellingly readable, Success and Luck shows how a more accurate understanding of the role of chance in life could lead to better, richer, and fairer economies and societies.

If you take a chain, pile it up and then push it, what direction will it go? Nowhere you can predict and not very far. If you take it by the end and pull it, which way will it go? It will follow you. Leadership is not about what sets you apart from those you lead—it’s about what binds you together. It is not about controlling others—it’s about trusting others. It’s not about your achievements—it’s about unleashing your team’s greatness. In short, leadership really isn’t about you—it’s about your people. Take Bob Davids, co-author of this book and successful leader of six businesses in fields as diverse as engineering and winemaking. His achievements often came thanks to being able to refrain from acting when others might have found intervening irresistible. By trusting his employees to be better than him in their area of responsibility and letting them act, Bob unleashed the human greatness that no one else—including employees themselves—suspected. Yet to lead without acting does not mean doing nothing. It means creating conditions in which things happen by themselves. Leadership Without Ego is about a transformation of the concept of leadership in the past two decades: a change of beliefs about how best to lead, along with radically different leadership practices. The ideas in this book have already changed the fortunes of hundreds of businesses and the lives of tens of thousands of employees. They can do the same for your business, your people—and you.

Luck of the Devil (Speak of the Devil, Book 1) by Patricia Eimer Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn't all it's cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith's plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames. Now it's all Faith can do to keep the family reunion from Hell (literally) under wraps, and the angelically-inclined hottie across the hall from realizing there's something weird about his neighbor. And, thankfully, it's working. Until an angelic stalker shows up in a bid to steal her powers and take over the world. Forget watching reruns. With the way things are going, Faith will need the luck of the Devil just to survive until Monday.

Part history, part true crime thriller, part first-hand investigation into the inner workings of the U.S. Justice Department, and part polemic, Drug Conspiracy: “We Only Want the Blacks”—My Persecution by the United States Government is the story of one man’s attempt to navigate the labyrinthine bureaucratic system that oppresses marginalized people and bullies innocent victims into submission. It also tells the story of one man’s refusal to yield to the yoke of an out of control machine, the local color of a city in the Heart of Dixie, and the strange logic of the War on Drugs that is eroding the soul of this country.

Spurred by global macro-economic shifts, commercial and financial turbulence, as well as technological leaps in the early years of the new millennium, the Danish shipping industry has changed dramatically since the turn of the century. This book provides a new understanding of how rapid business environmental changes frame strategic choices and industry structures. The authors combine a conceptual chapter with three selected business history cases to apply a methodical approach to their study. Together, the five chapters unveil patterns in the development of Danish shipping which are historical and, at the same time, consider questions that address the present situation and the challenges of our time. In other words, this short book uses history for the purpose of understanding the present and to develop thinking for the future.

The adventurer, financier and philanthropist offers an insider’s look at risk management in this personal guide to risk-taking in life and business. As the founder of Caribbean Capital & Consultancy and a former general partner of Bear Sterns, Michael E. Tennenbaum knows a thing or two about taking risks and winning big. In this unique and insightful volume, he shares his views on risk through stories of high-stakes deals and creative financial innovations, as well as anecdotes about riding in a nuclear submarine and literally swimming with sharks. Tennenbaum also shares strategies for using risk to seize opportunities, manage mistakes, and give back to one’s community. His personal tales take readers inside Bear Sterns, the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard Business School, and the Joffrey Ballet, among other firms and cultural institutions. Through it all, Tennenbaum demonstrates how to reach greater heights of performance, achievement, and contentment through embracing risk.

BEYOND is the first in a series, a sci-fi fantasy adventure set in a mysterious and sometimes nightmarish world, weaving fast action narrative around plucky children fighting against a brutal system. By turns comic and absurd, there is a dark undercurrent that sweeps up from time to time to engulf the unwary.