When a mortifying defeat to his teenage son rekindles his lifelong passion for table tennis, keen philosopher Guido Mina di Sospiro sets out to learn the game properly. Guido’s love for spinning a feather-weight ball takes him from his local Ping-Pong club, populated by idiosyncratic players with extraordinary stories to tell, to training drills with a world-class coach. This seemingly harmless game also leads him into sticky situations in the CIA headquarters and the ganglands of Washington, D.C. Woven throughout his Ping-Pong epiphany are philosophical ruminations on Plato and Aristotle, metaphysicians and empiricists, Jung’s dark shadow, Sun Tzu’s war tactics, the I Ching, and much more. As Guido’s journey takes him from Big Sur to a nail-biting showdown in China against a string of elite players, he finds that Ping-Pong can teach us a surprising amount about life.

Combining the insight of Franklin Foer’s How Soccer Explains the World and the intrigue of Ben Affleck’s Argo, Ping Pong Diplomacy traces the story of how an aristocratic British spy used the game of table tennis to propel a Communist strategy that changed the shape of the world. THE SPRING OF 1971 heralded the greatest geopolitical realignment in a generation. After twenty-two years of antagonism, China and the United States suddenly moved toward a détente—achieved not by politicians but by Ping-Pong players. The Western press delighted in the absurdity of the moment and branded it “Ping-Pong Diplomacy.” But for the Chinese, Ping-Pong was always political, a strategic cog in Mao Zedong’s foreign policy. Nicholas Griffin proves that the organized game, from its first breath, was tied to Communism thanks to its founder, Ivor Montagu, son of a wealthy English baron and spy for the Soviet Union. Ping-Pong Diplomacy traces a crucial inter­section of sports and society. Griffin tells the strange and tragic story of how the game was manipulated at the highest levels; how the Chinese government helped cover up the death of 36 million peasants by holding the World Table Tennis Championships during the Great Famine; how championship players were driven to their deaths during the Cultural Revolution; and, finally, how the survivors were reconvened in 1971 and ordered to reach out to their American counterparts. Through a cast of eccentric characters, from spies to hippies and Ping-Pong-obsessed generals to atom-bomb survivors, Griffin explores how a neglected sport was used to help realign the balance of worldwide power.

A tree that had seen a thousand winters before the Vikings came to America tells the stories of what she and her fellow trees have seen in their lives.

"USA Table Tennis Hall of Famer and national coach Larry Hodges takes you on a journey not just of speed and spin, but of mind. You'll develop the habit of tactical thinking, learn what tactics to use against various styles and how to strategically develop your game so you'll have the tactical tools needed to win"--Page 4 of cover.

Table tennis is a weirdly addictive sport. All over the world, an army of amateur table tennis players compete in leagues, tournaments, pub battles, work challenges and 'friendly' family games. A 78-year-old can beat a 28-year-old. A 10-year-old can make a grown man cry. To win, you need ninja-like reflexes, the control and coordination of a tightrope-artist, and the tactical dexterity of a chess grandmaster.In this book, coach Tom Lodziak will help you improve your table tennis skills, win more points and win more matches. Tom shares tips on training, service, returning serves, winning points, tactics, playing matches and continual improvement. These are tips which work at amateur level. Tips which are achievable. Tips which will make a difference, even if you only play one hour per week. Are you ready to transform your table tennis game?

Geometric group theory is the study of the interplay between groups and the spaces they act on, and has its roots in the works of Henri Poincaré, Felix Klein, J.H.C. Whitehead, and Max Dehn. Office Hours with a Geometric Group Theorist brings together leading experts who provide one-on-one instruction on key topics in this exciting and relatively new field of mathematics. It's like having office hours with your most trusted math professors. An essential primer for undergraduates making the leap to graduate work, the book begins with free groups—actions of free groups on trees, algorithmic questions about free groups, the ping-pong lemma, and automorphisms of free groups. It goes on to cover several large-scale geometric invariants of groups, including quasi-isometry groups, Dehn functions, Gromov hyperbolicity, and asymptotic dimension. It also delves into important examples of groups, such as Coxeter groups, Thompson's groups, right-angled Artin groups, lamplighter groups, mapping class groups, and braid groups. The tone is conversational throughout, and the instruction is driven by examples. Accessible to students who have taken a first course in abstract algebra, Office Hours with a Geometric Group Theorist also features numerous exercises and in-depth projects designed to engage readers and provide jumping-off points for research projects.

“Watch out Dan Brown and Umberto Eco! Here's a real esoteric thriller written by some real Illuminati who know the real thing and aren't afraid to let the secret out. Sex, magic, politics, and mystery. The Forbidden Book is a gripping, exciting, and illuminating read.” -Gary Lachman, author of Turn Off Your Mind "This is a really excellent book--gripping, thought-provoking, mysterious, deep and resonant with esoteric knowledge. It keeps you turning the pages in a most compelling way. I couldn't put it down." -Graham Hancock, author of the international bestsellers The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, and Heaven's Mirror This gripping page-turner has something for every fan of occult fiction: a murder mystery set against the conflicts of Islam and the West with symbolism, alchemy, and magic fueling the action. The evocative setting of Venice and the Veneto dominates the plot, along with vivid scenes in Santiago de Compostela, Provence, Washington, and the Vatican. The Forbidden Book delves deep into esoteric knowledge and practice, thanks to Guido Mina di Sospiro's extensive knowledge of Catholicism and Joscelyn Godwin's authoritative studies of the western esoteric tradition. Underlying the fast-paced action, the reader will find a profound treatment of moral and political dilemmas, the conflict of religions, and the frightening possibilities of the occult.

A bold thriller filled with esoteric secrets, psychedelic rituals, blackmail, and murder • Follows American archaeologist Monica Bettlheim, her benefactor Maltese billionaire Sebastian Pinto, and Pinto’s son Rafael as they make startling discoveries about the ancient world, hallucinogenic sacraments, and modern-day crime syndicates • Reveals a secret ritual at the heart of Christianity, knowledge of which was passed on underground by Gnostics and alchemists for centuries • Explore the use of the Kykeon, the psychedelic brew of the Eleusinian mysteries, which offers those who drink it a direct experience of God Amid the European refugee crisis, with the background of Southern Europe having become the point of arrival for hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants, Monica Bettlheim, an American archaeologist, is trying to recapture her former fame. She has a mission to uncover prehistoric cultures that conventional archaeology and history both fear and deny. Her search is sponsored by an eccentric aristocrat, the larger-than-life Maltese billionaire Sebastian Pinto. On an underwater expedition off the coast of Malta, Monica finds a mysterious golden pomegranate that dates back to prehistoric times. Within it, she discovers ancient remnants of the Kykeon, the hallucinogenic sacrament of the Eleusinian mysteries, which offers those who drink it a direct experience of God. As the discovery leads to blackmail and murder, Monica uncovers a secret ritual right at the heart of Christianity, knowledge of which was passed on underground by Gnostics and alchemists for centuries. Reluctantly, Monica teams up with the elusive and troubled Rafael, Pinto’s son, who for some years has been deeply immersed in esoteric studies. Driven by the need to avenge a murder and uncover the activities of an international crime syndicate, they risk their lives by reviving the sacred ritual--and are confronted by the most terrifying revelation of all.

Tennis smashed onto the worldwide athletic scene soon after its modern rules and equipment were introduced in nineteenth-century England. Exciting, competitive, and uniquely accessible to people of all ages and talent levels, tennis continues to enjoy popularity, both as a recreational activity and a spectator sport. Life imitates sport in Tennis and Philosophy. Editor David Baggett approaches tennis not only as a game but also as a surprisingly rich resource for philosophical analysis. He assembles a team of champion scholars, including David Foster Wallace, Robert R. Clewis, David Detmer, Mark Huston, Tommy Valentini, Neil Delaney, and Kevin Kinghorn, to consider numerous philosophical issues within the sport. Profiles of tennis greats such as John McEnroe, Roger Federer, the Williams sisters, and Arthur Ashe are paired with pertinent topics, from the ethics of rage to the role of rivalry. Whether entertaining metaphysical arguments or examining the nature of beauty, these essays promise insightful discussion of one of the world's most popular sports.

Teachers want more. Daniel Shindler's In Search: Reimagining What it Means to be a Teacher, is an optimistic, necessary book that invites us to identify our core values as teachers, school leaders, and policy-makers. With those values, we journey with him through a series of fundamental requisites that we can apply and nurture in our lives and places of work. Using his teaching experiences, practical examples, and storytelling, Daniel illustrates the requisites we should strive for - honing our expertise, creating powerful and memorable teaching experiences, enquiring with honesty about ourselves and those we teach, building meaningful one-to-one conversations, fostering curiosity and resilience, and building a wider school culture of community and pastoral care. By asking the biggest questions of what it means to be an educator and not seeking simple answers, the book is saying here is what is possible. For Daniel, teaching is alchemy and craft that goes beyond career, intertwining our personal and professional lives. Only a holistic approach will do, if we are to create longevity, which is why Daniel is asking us to reimagine what it means to be a teacher by placing it in the intersection of the private and public self. Why else teach, if not to live? How many of us live in our careers but not our craft? In short, it speaks to the complexity of the human condition of teaching. Our journey is enhanced by Daniel's extensive experience as a teacher of drama, wellbeing and project–based learning within inner cities and internationally, and as lead architect of School21's ground-breaking oracy curriculum. The book includes a compelling foreword by Jeffrey Boakye, teacher and bestselling author of Black, Listed and Hold Tight. In a world of constant change and shifting priorities, never has the search for craft and meaning been more necessary. 'Teaching is a search. It's the effort to walk towards, not forward, or upwards, but inwards towards the self and outwards towards others, at the same time. We've all got a search in us and trust me, In Searchis 100% a jumping off point for your own journey, whatever that may be.' Jeffrey Boakye – Bestselling author of Black, Listed and Hold Tight I loved its scope, the depth of thinking, the range of references, the way public and private, school and life, cross over. It got me thinking differently about things. It's also the perfect antidote to all the books around that reduce teaching to chunks, or a series of moves and techniques. Peter Hyman, Co-Director of Big Education, Co-founder of School 21