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This manual will provide readers with the knowledge and practical insight needed to understand the legal and administrative issues associated with construction contracts. Experts in the field will review basic contract principles and explore specific issues that should be addressed in construction contracts. Information will also be focused on a wide variety of model contract forms and clauses, which reflect the most relevant and current issues in the construction industry. The manual will conclude with a session for questions and answers. ... Read more

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Deep Springs College is the most unusual college in America. Arguably, it is also the best. It is located in such a remote place in the high desert in eastern California that its mailing address is in Nevada. There are up to twenty-six students who hire and fire the faculty, design the curriculum, select the incoming students, do all of the work on the college's organic farm and ranch, cook the meals, work in the office, and generally maintain the school. Academically, Deep Springs is virtually unrivalled. Internationally acclaimed photographer Michael A Smith discovered Deep Springs College quite by chance after photographing in California's remote White Mountains. He eventually went back to Deep Springs to teach for a term. While in residence he created a superb photographic portrait of the college. To accompany their portraits, the students contributed autobiographical notes as well as writings about their experiences at the school. Collectively, these writings give the reader a vivid sense of the Deep Springs College experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Definitely a niche book, but very cool
This is not your standard coffee-table photo book. Rather, it's a window into the heart of a unique college... one so totally unlike any other college in America (the world?) that it's almost mind-boggling.

I came across it while getting obsessive about my older son's college search. (He's a high school junior and totally blase at this stage; I'm going blissfully insane pouring through the 3-inch-thick college guides.) I kept reading in the college guides about Deep Spings, and every description impelled me to look for more information.

Imagine: A huge cattle and alfalfa ranch in the middle of nowhere (the California high desert near the Nevada border). A student body of 26 young men with average SATs of 1500 who literally run the place and do most of the ranch work. A faculty of a half-dozen or so (essentially hired by the students), some just stopping by for a semester; none tenured. Two years of an intense combination of studying and discussion, physical work, and incredible community spirit. Students finish their undergraduate work by transferring to a "regular" college (typically Ivy League and Ivy-quality).

The book is mostly just pictures of the students, with a short commentary by each of them. There are also a couple of good essays, one by the college's president. The black & white photos are of high quality, though nothing extraordinary. But the combination of the students' images and their own words is amazingly effective in conveying who they are and what they feel about the school and about life.

Immensely cool, but only for a select audience. Five stars if you are in that audience. Not worth the money if you are just curious. ... Read more

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A collection of stories, folktales, legends, and essays set in the American West. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

a heartfelt must-read for the environmentalist
Scott Slovic finds a perfect balance between scholarship and action in this engaging, personal, and heartfelt essay. He uses many examples to prove that language and communication are the backbone of creating positive environmental change. At the same time, he discusses the inner conflict of wanting to truly enjoy life and all its experiences while making the world a better place at the same time.

Throughout the essay, the author takes us along on his many travels where he "goes away to think." He takes us to Oregon, Mexico, to a gated community in Nevada, and more--and weaves together a mixture of personal narrative, factual information, and an ecocritical analysis of other writers.

This book is not only a necessary read for ecocritics, but also unlike most scholarly books labeled under the umbrella of "ecocriticism," it is completely accessible to even the general environmentalist. Slovic's writing style and narrative make this book completely inspirational and captivating.

A series of articulate essays pondering the importance of balance and the environment
Personal indulgence and being environmentally friendly are often mutual exclusive. "Going Away to Think: Engagement, Retreat, and Ecocritical Responsibility" by Scott Slovic is one dedicated environmentalist's insightful ponderings about the world around him and how so often personal and societal indulgence leads to environmental turmoil, such as the high amount of jet fuel that airliners require and the damage this does to the ozone layer. A series of articulate essays pondering the importance of balance and the environment, "Going Away to Think" is informed and informative recommended reading for all environmental activists and non-specialist general readers with an interest in environmental issues.
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He played in casinos around the world with a plan to make himself richer than anyone could possibly imagine -- but it would nearly cost him his life.

Mezrich, the author of previous bestsellers about MIT gamblers and a colorful Ivy League trader in Japan, tells how Dukach's crew used a system that Vegas had never seen before. Dukach, the son of Russian immigrants who grew up in the poorest neighborhoods of New Jersey and Houston, was determined to climb out of poverty and help his family. His system didn't involve the commonly used techniques of card counting. Posing as an arms dealer or dentist, Dukach deliberately sought out blackjack dealers with small hands or thin fingers who frequently didn't conceal the bottom card when they shuffled the cards. Dukach would often manage to get a glimpse at the bottom card. This was highly significant because it was the card the dealer would hand the player to cut the deck. Dukach had practiced a technique to insert the card in a precise spot in the deck and then make big bets when the card was dealt. Dukach and his team ended up barred from casinos, threatened at gunpoint, and beaten in Vegas's notorious back rooms. This is a riveting yarn. —Alex Roslin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (63)

A Fun Read but Full of Technical Mistakes
I won't bother guessing how much of this book is fact versus fiction -- even as pure fiction, it's enjoyable to read, similar in style to Mezrich's earlier 21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.The three winning techniques described in the book sound plausible, at least in theory, and I wouldn't be surprised if most casinos really were oblivious to shuffle tracking and precise shoe cutting when the events supposedly took place.

However, as much as I like Mezrich's breezy style of writing, he makes lots of mistakes when describing the blackjack action itself.If you're not an experienced blackjack player, you probably won't notice or care, but over and over I was brought out of the story with a "WTF?" moment.One such example comes in the epilogue: "The dealer flipped over her down card, a ten, for a fourteen.She asked if I wanted to hit either of my hands."Um, was Mezrich playing double exposure?Mistakes like this make me wonder if Mezrich has ever really played a single hand of blackjack.Other errors are more subtle, like confusing first base with third, or describing a push as a win.

The worst technical mistake is Mezrich's description of the supposed mathematical advantage of the first technique.Somehow he comes up with a whopping 45% advantage for six hands.Even taking at face value his claim that an ace gives one hand a 51% advantage, playing five other hands at a -2% disadvantage gives an expected value of (0.51-0.10)/6 per hand, or about 6.8%.After reading Mezrich go on and on about Semyon's math skills, it's ridiculous to see the author make such a glaring error the first time he tries to explain the math.

More Fun than 21
I really, really enjoyed this book, definitely a page turner that will have you switching off your TV to read more. While many people have become familiar with the author's previous title 21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions due to the release of the film recanting how a team of gamblers can make massive sums of money working together, this time the premise centers around 3 new techniques that a single player can use to break the dealer and well "Bust Vegas". I am surprised how few have heard of this more recent book. The globe hopping adventures continue in this black jack fueled sequel.

The trip to Monte Carlo was my favorite part even from an American's point of view. I think Americans are all pretty familiar with Vegas, but reading about the city state of Monte Carlo was very exciting and educating. They have such a rich history and the fact the recent James Bond Movie was set there added to my curiosity. The trips to the Carribean made me wish I was closer to the equator while reading this in December. The only thing I didn't like was how disjointed the flow of the book became, as the author inserted himself into the plot to unfold how he met the characters in the book to gain their story. I love Mezrich's ability to re-hash real life events in a way that still feels like he is telling a story instead of just documenting events in time. He has a real knack for these Ivy league genius fairy tales of making money, so much so I picked up Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai (P.S.) hoping to work my way through the rest of the author's collection of money making tales in 2010.

MIT blackjack
Vegas is an alternate reality. Reading this book it is sometimes hard to believe that the events described by Ben Mezrich occurred in real life - captivating read and a fascinating story of a MIT blackjack team on the run to outdo the casinos. The book reveals the three different strategies that the team employed to beat the casinos and their burly adventures and run-ins with the casinos themselves. It is a thriller.

All ready been done.
The book is entertaining but at the same time it really seems like a copy of his earlier book Bringing Down The House. So the author is just covering the sameterritory. We get it a bunch of smart MIT kids took Vegas for a lot of cash had a fun time doing it, but now they don't do it anymore because everyone caught on. I think that sums it up. The sad thing is these kids are so talented and their contribution to society is taking money from casinos. How about a book about some MIT kids accomplishing something worthwhile. Mezrich seems to have created his own genre writing about rich punks who make a lot of cash.

another strong title by Mezrich
got it decent shape and it shipped within a week. if you've read bringing down the house or ugly americans, then you should definitely get your hands on this one ... Read more

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Real-life all too rarely offers stories that are quite as satisfying as fiction. "Bringing Down the House" is one of the exceptions. Cheating in casinos is illegal; and card-counting - making a record of what cards have so far been dealt to enable the player to make some prediction of what cards remain in the deck - is not. But casinos understandably dislike the practice and make every effort to keep card-counters out of their premises. "Bringing Down the House" tells the true story of the most successful scam ever, in which teams of brilliant young mathematicians and physicists won millions of dollars from the casinos of Las Vegas, being drawn in the process into the high-life of drugs, high-spending and sex. "Bringing Down the House" is as readable and as fascinating as "Liar's Poker" or "Barbarians At the Gate", an insight into a closed, excessive and utterly corrupt world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (438)

Jawsome!

Entertaining story, well read audio book. Convenient format, and quick shipping. Couldn't be more pleased.

Unless this was an adaption of the early ninties cartoon called "Street Sharks." I really like the street sharks. That would have been 5 stars then.

Intense, Intriguing, and Fun for Everyone

After reading the book, Bringing Down the House, I was excited and intrigued with the world of card counting and the lives of the card counters. I plan to read more books about the subject. From the book, I got the feeling that Mezrich's goal throughout the book was to captivate and teach people about the world of casinos and card counting. He met one of the characters at a party and was fascinated enough to put the story into a book to enthrall everyone who reads it. I can guarantee to any readers of the book, that they will feel mesmerized by the casino life and more educated about the subject. This book will be a quick read that the reader will not be able to put down. It will interest a wide variety of people, from those who love to gamble and go to casinos all the time to those who have never stepped foot in one in their life. I know this from reading the reviews of the people before me. Many of them said that they gambled before, but a surprisingly large number of them said that they had never gambled in their lives.

In response to a few of the negative reviews, I read through many of them and have a few major disagreements to point out. First, J. Danielson, you talked about how you went to MIT and that Mezrich got a few of the details wrong about the school. To tell you the truth, when people read this book they won't remember the little details of graduating with honors or not, they'll remember the intense casino scenes. This brings me to the next topic of yours that I disagreed with. You talked about how you have been banned from a casino before and that they don't rough you up the way Mezrich made it seem like in his book. Well, there are more than a few casinos and what actions they take when kicking someone out will probably vary between them. Now, to Critical Reader, you say that you did research on Wikipedia after reading the book and found that some of the facts that Mezrich talked about were false. If you want to accuse someone of using false facts, you might want to try a reliable source next time. Finally, to the "crimsonwildcat," in your review, you accuse Mezrich of having what comes off as false conversations with the people in the book. If you haven't met any of these people, then I don't think you can really tell if it was false or not. However, I must agree with the negative reviews when you say that some parts of the book got repetitive. That was definitely a weakness, but Mezrich had many more high points, like expressing the tension between characters and showing the excitement of Las Vegas and a card counter's life.

A Narrative History of 21: fact mixed with fiction
I enjoy playing a little blackjack here and there, some poker at times, so I was interested to read 21, especially after I had watched the movie.I was extremely surprised to find that the book was so much more that the boiled down movie.Granted, I know books are always better than the movie it is based off of, but this seem to be in a complete different ball park.That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the account of the MIT card counters in Las Vegas.

The book is interesting because you get a progressively more and more complex and threatened lifestyle as you move through time.This injects natural adrenaline and action into each new chapter.There was always the threat of violence in the background, even though counting is legal, so you continually read on as you anticipate the conflict as it brews.I was sad when I was done reading it and there was no more to read, but in the same light it had also come to a natural conclusion that felt right.

On the other side I was a little saddened as well by a simple Google search that showed that Mezrich admitted to slightly fictionalizing some of the story.This goes without saying in most nonfiction, though, as the narrative effect that makes it so readable, that I expected this was the case before I did a little research.Obviously a lot of the sidelines of the other characters, like Fisher and Martinez when they went out of country to gamble, where fiction, building a story around rumor (such as hearing that they had conflict and were banned, and that Fisher had a black eye; the guess is the narrative around this story that Mezrich used).

In the end I really didn't care.I know there was truth to a lot of the basic facts of the MIT team, and that there was fiction around some of the more fascinating aspects, but when it all came down to it it was an enjoyable read.Enough said for me.I would recommend to others despite learning that some of the story was fictionalized.

4 stars.

Loved the book!
A great read. Also enjoyed the movie "21" after the book. It's the story of a group of M.I.T. students who count cards as a team in order to win money playing blackjack. I particularly enjoed watching Liza Lapira!

Disappointed to learn it is mostly fiction
I picked this up after seeing the movie '21.' I knew the movie was largely fiction, and wanted to see what really happened.

The book is a good read; the author can definitely write. However, I have learned that the book is at least 50% fiction! Look, anybody can make up a story. Just be up front about it. This book should not be in the non-fiction section. (Maybe it should be on the same shelf as that slimebag Fry's "A Million Little Pieces").

I'm thinking about writing about my gambling escapades. I think I have a pretty good imagination, too.

... Read more

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Semyon Dukach was known as the darling of Las Vegas. A legend at twenty-one, this cocky hotshot was the biggest high roller to appear in Sin City in decades, a mathematical genius with a system the casinos had never seen before and couldn't stop -- a system that had nothing to do with card counting, wasn't illegal, and was more powerful than anything that had been tried before.