Two Face Face Off

Two-Face is on the loose and his crimes have Batman and Robin working double time to the flip of his lucky coin.

The fate of the Batman and Robin comes down to a flip of a coin! Two-Face is on the loose and his crimes have the Dynamic Duo working double time. From the heist of rare twin diamonds to a showdown on a bi-plane, the Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder stop at nothing to bring this super-villain face-to-face with justice.

Seventeen-year-old Alex Petrovic is thrilled to be playing goal for Team British Columbia in an international hockey tournament. After a game against a team from eastern Europe, he shakes hands with the opposing goalie, Stefan Divac, and finds himself staring at his identical double. At first he dismisses it as an odd coincidence. Then his mother sees Stefan—and faints dead away. The chance meeting uncovers family secrets buried years ago in the wake of a civil war that tore apart their home country, and their family. When two war criminals from that conflict escape, Alex dreams about bringing them to justice. Can his dream become reality?

Discover the fast, fun art of drawing comic portraits! Face Off shows you how to draw life like never before. Caricaturist Harold Hamernik shares the secrets to capturing the sillier side of friends, family, celebrities, strangers—any face that crosses your path. 40 step-by-step demonstrations show you how to sketch whimsical and expressive likenesses while developing your own quick, loose, improvisational style. You'll get expert instruction on: • Drawing eyes, noses, mouths and other features. • Creating portraits in front, three-quarter and profile views. • Adding color to your caricatures, either by hand or via computer—instruction you won't find in any other book! • Tips for making a likeness more masculine (skip the eyelashes), more feminine (lengthen the neck), younger, older, sexier, goofier—all while making a portrait your subject will love. • How to draw hair as two simple lines, why drawing the parts of a face in the same order every time can cut minutes off your work, and tons of other handy tricks of the craft! Practice the simple techniques in this book, then start drawing! It's the most fun you can have with paper, pencils and markers!

This book is a call on Africans and non-Africans to once more believe in the possibility of a better future for Africa. In these pages, Stan Chu Ilo writes of his experience and the experiences of many young Africans like himself who are disturbed by the present condition of Africa. He writes about the challenges facing most Africans who are growing up in the African continent without any hope of quality education, without any guarantee of adequate food, water, housing, and clothing; without any hope of getting a job, and without any prospect of living in peace with their neighbors. He writes of the sad situation of millions of young Africans who are dying of malaria and HIV/AIDS, and the African women whose fate and fortune have been shackled by a male-dominated society. He questions the bases of the existence of the failed states of Africa, who are caught up in a cycle of violence and disorder and who are not asking the right questions about the future of their nations. He argues that corruption, excessive authoritarianism, a stubborn hold on power, and lack of openness to consensus-building among some African leaders insult the cultural value of Africans with regard to a sense of community, love and solidarity. He also writes of the pain of globalization, the debt burden, immigration and trade restrictions on Africans and African countries, exploitation of ordinary Africans by fellow Africans and Western governments and business conglomerates. He wonders why many Western nations should turn their backs on Africa, when they all share some responsibility in bringing Africa to her knees. However, even though many Africans have become exhausted in the battle for national survival and fora living space to pursue their ordered ends, this book proposes that Africans should not claim perpetual victimhood, rather they should stand up once more and work for a better tomorrow, which is possible, and within their reach. Ilo insists that the imposing mountains of economic and social ruin; the rising moans and groans of numberless Africans, should not weaken the inner energy and ardent hopes of millions of Africans struggling against the untested assumption, that the cracking social, political, and economic foundations of present day Africa, are incapable of supporting the structures of a new Africa. The face of Africa today is ugly, but behind the ugly face is the beauty that has been distorted by historical and cultural factors. The present condition of Africa is only the sign of the urgent need for the peoples of Africa to brace up for the long and hard journey to reclaim their future. Ilo outlines how non-Africans who are interested in the African condition can be involved with the peoples of Africa. A proper understanding of the African continent and her peoples, her history and cultural evolution is a necessary first step for those who wish to be engaged with the Africans. His total picture approach model as the key to interpreting the African condition and in comprehensively addressing the challenges facing Africa, offers a helpful and original tool in understanding Africa. It helps to overcome the stereotypes, prejudices and paternalism which non-Africans apply in their reading of African history and their relation with the African reality. With masterly skills, a keen sense of history, a balanced perspective and objectivity, Ilo identifies the constraints to growth andinnovation in Africa in terms of the low stocks in the human-capital and cultural development. He introduces a new concept in the interpretation of the African condition: homelessness in terms of cultural and existential crises that confront Africans today. His conclusion is that cultural and human development is the irreducible decimal in any proposal for the transformation of the continent; that grassroots village-based action should be preferred over bogus and unworkable national approaches to African development.

Taiwan's first presidential election, in 1996, sparked a Sino-U.S. military showdown that resulted in the biggest show of U.S. naval force in East Asia since the Vietnam War. This book is the first to explore the origins and triangular dynamics of that historic confrontation. Analyzing the key decisions and misperceptions that led to the Taiwan Strait crisis, Garver warns that it may usher in a more confrontational era of Sino-U.S. relations. China is already emerging as an economic powerhouse and fears of its becoming an expansionist military power have grown in recent years as China has rapidly built up its armed forces since 1989. It has also adopted a more assertive stance in several territorial disputes with its neighbors, arousing new security concerns for Asia as a whole. When China tried to intimidate Taiwan's voters by firing missiles and conducting large-scale military exercises off its coasts in the period preceding the 1996 election, the U.S. dispatched two aircraft carrier battle groups to Taiwan. The prestige of all sides was fully engaged as powerful do domestic interests demanded an assertive posture. Eventually, China adopted a more cautious stance and the crisis passed. But it marked the first instance of Chinese nuclear coercion of the U.S. and gave the "China threat" new credence in the U.S. and elsewhere in Asia. The author has studied the Taiwan question for more than 30 years and has witnessed first-hand the growth and culmination of Taiwan's democratization. This sober, mature reflection of decades of thought is certain to inform the debate on the "China threat" and the future of Sino-U.S. relations.

Describing the components of lacrosse in a step-by-step fashion, author and coach Jim Hinkson clearly explains and illustrates the most effective ways of mastering individual skills for passing, catching, cradling, and checking, as well as tactics and strategies for winning team play. In addition, the book offers dozens of drills applicable to both coaches and players for refining these techniques and contains specific instruction for both the indoor and outdoor game. Written with precision by one of the world’s leading authorities on playing and coaching lacrosse and featuring numerous illuminating photographs and illustrations, Lacrosse Fundamentals is ideal for coaches, players, parents, and fans of the sport.

The adventures of Batman and Robin continue in Gotham City.