?I have done a report of some kind on the Fred Merkle story, whether in print, on radio, or on TV, on or about its anniversary, September 23, virtually every year since I was in college. The saga has always seemed to me to be a microcosm not just of baseball, nor of celebrity, but of life. The rules sometimes change while you?re playing the game. Those you trust to tell you the changes often don?t bother to. That for which history still mocks you, would have gone unnoticed if you had done it a year or a month or a day before. That?s who Fred Merkle is. I have often proposed September 23 as a national day of amnesty, in Fred Merkle's memory.??Keith Olbermann, from his foreword.

"A delightful blend of history, romance, and the supernatural, served with a generous helping of wit and humor."—Booklist Nostradamus, a ruthless queen, and a young poet find themselves in the fight of their lives... Lady Sibille never goes looking for trouble, but trouble always seems to find her. When she inadvertently becomes the master of an ancient cursed head of Menander the Magus—the Master of All Desires—she suddenly has the power to grant any wish, at a steep price. Queen Catherine de Medici is trying to obtain the power of the Master in order to get rid of her husband's mistress. But she does not understand that the Master is malic itself, twisting the wishes that he grants to bring destruction. But only Nostradamus knows that evil befalls all who wish upon this accursed object. Can he stop these determined women before they unwittingly destroy the entire kingdom of France? Praise for The Master of All Desires: "Mixing history and fantasy with élan, Judith Merkle Riley offers a tightly woven, suspenseful, and fiendishly funny novel...Lush period detail and sprightly dialogue laced with humor and courtly pomp anchor Riley's romantic adventure with stylized whimsy and historical plausibility."—Publishers Weekly "Another darling mix of history, romance and the occult from Riley, a writer who excels at getting the background right and creating strong, intelligent heroines."—Kirkus Reviews

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! "An outstanding historical novel of 17th–century France ... based on a real–life scandal known as the Affaire des Poisons, this tale is riveting from start to finish."—Library Journal Her ability to see the future may prevent her from living in the present... For a handful of gold, Madame de Morville will read your future in a glass of swirling water. You'll believe her, because you know she's more than 150 years old and a witch, and she has all of Paris in the palm of her hand. But Madame de Morville hides more behind her black robes than you know. Her real age, the mother and uncle who left her for dead, the inner workings of the most secret society of Parisian witches: none of these truths would help her outwit the rich who so desperately want the promise of the future. After all, it's her own future she must control , no matter how much it is painted with uncertainty and clouded by vengeance. More Praise for The Oracle Glass: "Absorbing and arresting."—New York Times "Fascinating and factual."—Los Angeles Times "Chilly, witty, and completely engrossing ... great, good fun."— Kirkus Reviews "Take a full cup of wit, two teaspoons of brimstone, and a dash of poison, and you have Judith Merkle Riley's mordant, compelling tale of an ambitious young woman who disguises herself as an ancient prophetess in order to gain entry into the dangerous, scheming glamour of the Sun King's court. Based on scandalous true events, The Oracle Glass brims with our human foibles, passions, and eccentricities; it's a classic of the genre and unlike any historical novel you have ever read."—C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

The swooning Victorian ladies and the 1950s housewives genuinely needed to be liberated. That much is indisputable. So, First-Wave feminists held rallies for women's suffrage. Second-Wave feminists marched for Prohibition, jobs, and abortion. Today, Third-Wave feminists stand firmly for nobody's quite sure what. But modern women--who use psychotherapeutic antidepressants at a rate never before seen in history--need liberating now more than ever. The truth is, feminists don't know what liberation is. They have led us into a very boring dead end. Eve in Exile sets aside all stereotypes of mid-century housewives, of China-doll femininity, of Victorians fainting, of women not allowed to think for themselves or talk to the men about anything interesting or important. It dismisses the pencil-skirted and stiletto-heeled executives of TV, the outspoken feminists freed from all that hinders them, the brave career women in charge of their own destinies. Once those fictionalized stereotypes are out of the way--whether they're things that make you gag or things you think look pretty fun--Christians can focus on real women. What did God make real women for?

Recounts the story of the author?s journey from athletic achievement and physical strength as a two-time all-state quarterback, to surviving a harrowing motorcycle accident that left him fighting for his life ... and permanently paralyzed from the waist down. From his darkest hour to the realization of a new life lived in God?s light, Tragic Blessing is told with honesty and insight.

A Bible-based study of church membership and church discipline with contributions from respected theologians including Mark E. Dever, Thomas R. Schreiner, Bruce Riley Ashford, Danny Akin, John S. Hammett, Benjamin L. Merkle, Nathan A. Finn, Gregory A. Wills, and Andrew M. Davis.

What is the best framework for reading the Bible? The question of how to relate the Old and New Testaments is as old as the Bible itself. While most Protestants are unified on the foundations, there are major disagreements on particular issues. Who should be baptized? Is the Christian obligated to obey the Law of Moses? Does the church supplant Israel? Who are the proper recipients of God's promises to Israel? In Discontinuity to Continuity, Benjamin Merkle brings light to the debates between dispensational and covenantal theological systems. Merkle identifies how Christians have attempted to relate the Testaments, placing viewpoints along a spectrum of discontinuity to continuity. Each system's concerns are sympathetically summarized and critically evaluated. Through his careful exposition of these frameworks, Merkle helps the reader understand the key issues in the debate. Providing more light than heat, Merkle's book will help all readers better appreciate other perspectives and articulate their own.

Learn about cryptography and cryptocurrencies, so you can build highly secure, decentralized applications and conduct trusted in-app transactions. Key Features Get to grips with the underlying technical principles and implementations of blockchain Build powerful applications using Ethereum to secure transactions and create smart contracts Explore cryptography, mine cryptocurrencies, and solve scalability issues with this comprehensive guide Book Description A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is replicated across multiple nodes and enables immutable, transparent and cryptographically secure record-keeping of transactions. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, and it has applications in finance, government, media and almost all other industries. Mastering Blockchain, Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain technology, teaching you the fundamentals of distributed systems, cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will also explore different other blockchain solutions and get an introduction to business blockchain frameworks under Hyperledger, a collaborative effort for the advancement of blockchain technologies hosted by the Linux Foundation. You will also be shown how to implement blockchain solutions beyond currencies, Internet of Things with blockchain, blockchain scalability, and the future scope of this fascinating and powerful technology. What you will learn Master the theoretical and technical foundations of the blockchain technology Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, and its relationship with blockchain technology Master how cryptography is used to secure data - with practical examples Grasp the inner workings of blockchain and the mechanisms behind bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies Understand the theoretical foundations of smart contracts Learn how Ethereum blockchain works and how to develop decentralized applications using Solidity and relevant development frameworks Identify and examine applications of the blockchain technology - beyond currencies Investigate alternative blockchain solutions including Hyperledger, Corda, and many more Explore research topics and the future scope of blockchain technology Who this book is for This book will appeal to those who wish to build fast, highly secure, transactional applications. It targets people who are familiar with the concept of blockchain and are comfortable with a programming language.

"Everyone is so busy giving the classical education to the students that I'm not sure people have taken the time to actually tell them why it matters..." Rebekah Merkle knows which high school classes you like and which you roll your eyes at, which books you enjoy and which you kinda skim. That's because she went through this whole thing called classical education, too: She was a guinea pig in one of the very first classical Christian schools in the country. Written for students by a (former) student, Classical Me, Classical Thee is lighthearted and--most importantly for you busy high-schoolers--very short. It has a simple goal: to explain why you students are doing what you do in class. (SPOILER: Grades aren't the point--you won't use your knowledge of the Iliad Book 5 every year until you die.) What you do in class is a drill -- and nobody drills for the sake of the drill. You do drills so that you can win the game. The real tragedy, though, would be if you didn't know you were doing drills... or didn't know there was a game at all. Grades aren't the point. So drill to win.