'...thoughtful, well-researched and intellectually stimulating...' - Martin Holmes, Financial Times The European House of Cards examines how the fall of communism in 1989 and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1991 are affecting the present-day development of the European Union. The book argues that, with the end of communism, the decades-long discussion of furthering the levels of European integration has moved from the realm of grand idea to absolute necessity. The Treaty's adoption has marked the period within which Europe will move from nation-states to a United States of Europe.

Tarot: Temple of Paper, House of Cards breaks new ground in the study of the Tarot. The primary goal of this book is not to provide a user manual or card interpretation guide. Nor is it an argument for any one school of thought in regards to the cards, their origin or intended use. Instead, the purpose is to help beginners and adepts alike appreciate the never yet ever changing Tarot in a genuinely new way. The thought exercise that creates this lens through which to understand the heart of the art includes techniques for internalizing the cards, their combinations and overlooked complexities in an immersive manner. These do not compete with prevalent methods but only enhance them. The Tarot is different things to different people. It has survived, and thrived through more than six hundred years of use because of its elastic evolution. This book encapsulates what it was and what it is while still adding to the methods available for its users. Additionally, new research is offered that is sure to surprise even those already well-read on the subject. And speaking of that subject, the practice of Tarot is fascinating on multiple levels including the historic, artistic, folkloric, psychological and spiritual. All of those and more are touched on in a work meant to revitalize not the Tarot itself, but the ways in which we can better understand and make use of it.

This book is to date the first monograph-length study of the popular American political TV series House of Cards. It proposes an encompassing analysis of the first three seasons from the unusual angles of discourse and dialogue. The study of the stylistic idiosyncrasies of the ruthless main protagonist, Frank Underwood, is completed by a pragmatic and cognitive approach exposing the main characters’ manipulative strategies to win over the other. Taking into account the socio-cultural context and the specificities of the TV medium, the volume focuses on the workings of interaction as well as the impact of the direct address to the viewer. The book critically uses the latest theories in pragmatics and stylistics in its attempt at providing a pragma-rhetorical theory of manipulation.

Dred Scott Vanderpool grew up in a drug-infested community in Washington State, not far from the Canadian border. He started smoking hashish during his teen years and never stopped. Dred, who was also known by the nickname Chunky, graduated from college ahead of schedule and decided to pursue drug trafficking full time in lieu of a more traditional career path. Chunkys first order of business post-graduation was setting up a legal business entity that allowed him and his partner in crime since childhood, Tafari Winslow, to funnel illegal revenues into legitimate bank accounts. These two close friends and business associates worked hard to amass millions in cash, selling cocaine, hashish, and marijuana all over the West Coast. When they agreed it would be prudent to deposit dirty money into bank accounts they had opened in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland that was the beginning of the end.

Get all three books in the series that inspired the hit Netflix series House of Cards "This blood-and-thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity... a great triumph." Independent "The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvelous inside track knowledge of government. House of Cards is fast-moving, revelatory and brilliant." Daily Express Michael Dobbs has wowed readers with his bestselling House of Cards trilogy, which inspired the hit series on Netflix. Here are the three books in the trilogy for one low price: House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut. About the Books in This Bundle 1. House of Cards A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics – and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life. 2. To Play the King After scheming his way to power in House of Cards, newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King. The role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King. Their differences of opinion quickly degenerate into open hostility. The battlefield ranges from architecture to the underprivileged; the battle is fought with rigged opinion polls, manipulated newspaper headlines, sexual scandal and economic brinkmanship as Urquhart sets out to destroy not only the King's family and friends but even the King himself. 3. The Final Cut Now Francis Urquhart is about to take his place in the record books as the longest-serving Prime Minister this century. Yet it seems the public is tiring of him at last, and the movement to force him from power is growing. But Urquhart is not yet ready to be driven from office. If the public demands new blood, that is precisely what he will give them... This is a different Francis Urquhart – more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything, but one thing is certain: whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.

In the summer of 2011, investors with Custom House Capital - some of whom had all their pension savings tied up with the investment house - faced a nightmare: the possibility that their money was gone, and that they wouldn't be getting it back. Finance journalist Niall Brady takes us behind the scenes for the first in-depth account of a disaster that has cost investors millions. He shows how clients' funds were mis-allocated to cover losses, how the Financial Regulator, though aware of irregularities at CHC for years, failed to forestall the crisis, and how it remains unclear, over a year after the scandal was uncovered, whether people will get their money back. His account of the strange culture and practices of CHC makes House of Cards a must-read for fans of Too Big to Fail and The Big Short. Niall Brady is a chartered accountant and a journalist with the Sunday Times. 'Damning ... Brady tells the tale of how the rogues still run rings around the protectors' Shane Ross, Sunday Independent 'One of the most shocking stories to have emerged in Ireland's economic bust' Cantillon, Irish Times 'Excellent concise read. Great story' Tom Lyons, author of The FitzPatrick Tapes

A blistering narrative account of the negligence and greed that pushed all of Wall Street into chaos and the country into a financial crisis. At the beginning of March 2008, the monetary fabric of Bear Stearns, one of the world’s oldest and largest investment banks, began unraveling. After ten days, the bank no longer existed, its assets sold under duress to rival JPMorgan Chase. The effects would be felt nationwide, as the country suddenly found itself in the grip of the worst financial mess since the Great Depression. William Cohan exposes the corporate arrogance, power struggles, and deadly combination of greed and inattention, which led to the collapse of not only Bear Stearns but the very foundations of Wall Street.

Is Democracy overrated? Does power corrupt? Or do corrupt people seek power? Do corporate puppet masters pull politicians’ strings? Why does Frank talk to the camera? Can politics deliver on the promise of justice? House of Cards depicts our worst fears about politics today. Love him or loathe him, Frank Underwood has charted an inimitable course through Washington politics. He and his cohorts depict the darkest dealings within the gleaming halls of our most revered political institutions. These 24 original essays examine key philosophical issues behind the critically-acclaimed series—questions of truth, justice, equality, opportunity, and privilege. The amoral machinations of Underwood, the ultimate anti-hero, serve as an ideal backdrop for a discussion of the political theories of philosophers as diverse as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Marx. From political and corporate ethics, race relations, and ruthless paragmatism to mass media collusion and sexual politics, these essays tackle a range of issues important not only to the series but to our understanding of society today.

"Concise. Vivid. Honest." - Dan Barker, critically acclaimed author of 'Godless' and 'Losing Faith in Faith' "Brutally honest, insightful, and compelling storytelling." - Lyndon Lamborn, author of 'Standing for Something More' When a young couple searched for clues connecting them to a famous ancestor, their journey led them on a path they never expected - converting to Mormonism. House of Faith House of Cards tells the turbulent life story of their son, Eric, including all the typical Mormon experiences, and some extraordinary episodes no Mormon will ever encounter. He participated with family members in his first secret temple ritual - normally reserved for adults - at the age of four, only to be excluded from a similar ceremony, involving his family, thirteen years later. In 1857, a company of 120 immigrants set out from a small Arkansas town, toward California. In a tragic twist of fate, they never reached their destination. While encamped in southern Utah, local Mormons and Paiute Indians launched an ambush, brutally slaughtering the group, in what became known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. 125 years later, Eric would be raised as a Mormon in the same Arkansas community where this wagon train initially departed. There, he learned just how much some people still despised that faith. While training for and serving a church mission in Canada, in the mid-1990s, Eric shared a room and became acquainted with a fellow missionary named Mark Hacking. Less than a decade later, when the disappearance and murder of Hacking's wife became highly publicized, several international media outlets approached Eric, searching for any juicy detail of the man's troubled past. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg.

The European Fall is an anthology that charts the mental consequences of the economic and political crisis that Europe is going through. It consists of 28 essays - one from each EU-country, written by leading intellectuals of the continent. Agnes Heller (Hungary), Gazmend Kapplani (Greece), Marlene Streeruwitz (Austria), Jose-Ignacio Torresblanca (Spain), Varia Vike-Freiberga (Latvia), Tariq Ali (GB), Slavenka Draculic (Kroatia), Stefano Benni (Italy), Martin Simecka (Slovakia), Olga Tocarczuk (Poland), Marju Lauristin (Estonia), Landsbergis (Lithuania), Janne Teller (Denmark), Tuomas Nevanlinna (Finland), Nina Bjørk (Sweeden), Stojan Pelko (Slovenia), Ivan Krastev (Bulgaria), Geert van Istendael (Belgium), Christine Ockrant (France), Claude Frisoni (Luxembourg), Colm Tobin (Ireland), Andreas Theophanous (Cypres), Vanni Xuereb (Malta), Claes Vreese (Holland), Ioana Pavulescu (Rumania), Radka Danimarkova (Czech Republic), Almeida Faria (Portugal)