A Web-Based Introduction to Programming is designed for use in introductory programming, programming logic and design, or Web programming courses, and... for anyone seeking a painless way to learn the basics of programming by developing small Web applications. The book is clearly written, using consistent examples in every chapter and step-by-step descriptions of standard programming procedures. Each chapter follows precise learning outcomes that are accurately tested by the end-of-chapter quizzes and exercises. A Web-Based Introduction to Programming keeps the focus on the need for beginning programmers to learn essential syntax and control structures with minimal complexity. Each chapter focuses on a single topic and related material is provided in appendices. Students learn to convert requirements into algorithms, and then develop small Web-based applications using a combination of PHP and HTML. All required software is provided and can be installed quickly and easily in minutes under Windows, Macintosh OS X or Linux. The software can be installed entirely on a USB drive so that students can carry their entire work environment with them (no need for special classroom installation). Significant changes to the second edition include: the latest version of the standalone Web server; even more code examples; additional code exercises for each chapter; flow chart examples to help explain control structures; more in-depth coverage of associative arrays and Web sessions; more extensive discussion of include files; additional references to emerging technologies.

Julia Alvarez has been called “a one-woman cultural collision” by the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and that has never been truer than in this... story about three of her most personal relationships—with her parents, with her husband, and with a young Haitian boy known as Piti. A teenager when Julia and her husband, Bill, first met him in 2001, Piti crossed the border into the Dominican Republic to find work. Julia, impressed by his courage, charmed by his smile, has over the years come to think of him as a son, even promising to be at his wedding someday. When Piti calls in 2009, Julia’s promise is tested.To Alvarez, much admired for her ability to lead readers deep inside her native Dominican culture, “Haiti is like a sister I’ve never gotten to know.” And so we follow her across the border into what was once the richest of all the French colonies and now teeters on the edge of the abyss—first for the celebration of a wedding and a year later to find Piti’s loved ones in the devastation of the earthquake. As in all of Alvarez’s books, a strong message is packed inside an intimate, beguiling story, this time about the nature of poverty and of wealth, of human love and of human frailty, of history and of the way we live now.

Simic puts chirping birds, sex, and happiness into a world of broken windows, shivering trees, soldiers, lone dogs, the homeless of the city, and a God... still making up his mind. “Provocative...a tantalizing, beautiful fusion of visions” (Bloomsbury Review).

This thoughtful collection of prayers emerged from Brueggemann’s thirty-five years of teaching in seminaries. Full of reflection, faith, and dialogue,... they reveal another side of this gifted author from what his many readers are accustomed to. These deeply felt and sparklingly articulated prayers reflect a wide range of life experiences. As readers, we are taken from the depths of pain and loss to the heights of joy and praise. The author takes on life in its fullest as he utters his praise and lament, petition and thanksgiving. Brueggemann’s prayers lead us to deeper commitment, deeper faith, and deeper reflection. The volume also includes an index of biblical allusions that will be useful for preachers as well as the general reader looking for the biblical roots of these fears, hopes, struggles, and aspirations.

From the bestselling author of The Art of Travel comes a wittily intriguing exploration of the strange "non-place" that he believes is the imaginative... center of our civilization.Given unprecedented access to one of the world’s busiest airports as a “writer-in-residence,” Alain de Botton found it to be a showcase for many of the major crosscurrents of the modern world—from our faith in technology to our destruction of nature, from our global interconnectedness to our romanticizing of the exotic. He met travelers from all over and spoke with everyone from baggage handlers to pilots to the airport chaplain. Weaving together these conversations and his own observations—of everything from the poetry of room service menus to the eerie silence in the middle of the runway at midnight—de Botton has produced an extraordinary meditation on a place that most of us never slow down enough to see clearly. Lavishly illustrated in color by renowned photographer Richard Baker, A Week at the Airport reveals the airport in all its turbulence and soullessness and—yes—even beauty.

The hurricane that swept Galveston Island early in September, 1900, occupies a unique place in the reckoning of events of the Texas Gulf coast. Nearly a... century after its passing, the storm remains the standard against which the ferocity and destructiveness of all others are measured. Twothirds of Galveston's buildings were washed away at a cost that was never fully calculated. More than 6,000 people were killed. And in the collective memory of a region where depredations by wind and water are accepted as part of life, the weekend of September 8, 1900, is the ultimate example of the terror and violence a hurricane can bring. John Edward Weems's account of the Galveston hurricane was written more than two decades ago, when many of the survivors were still living and available for interviews. This book is based on numerous conversations and correspondence with these survivors as well as a careful examination of contemporary documents and news reports. In direct, economical prose Weems recreates that fateful weekend as experienced by those who actually were there. The result is a narrative that develops a pace and force as irresistible as the hurricane that inspired it, and a work that is a model of historical reportage.

Ben Witherington III attempts to reenchant our reading of Paul in this creative reconstruction of ancient Corinth. Following a fictitious Corinthian man... named Nicanor through an eventful week of business dealings and conflict, you will encounter life at various levels of Roman society--eventually meeting Paul himself and gaining entrance into the Christian community there. The result is an unforgettable introduction to life in a major center of the New Testament world. Numerous full-page text boxes expand on a variety of aspects of life and culture as we encounter them in the narrative.

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, an account of a boat trip Thoreau took in 1839, is a finely crafted tapestry of travel writing, essays, and... lyrical poetry. Alternating between observation and reflection, Thoreau interweaves day-by-day descriptions of natural phenomenon, the rural landscape, and local characters with digressions on literature and philosophy, the Native American and Puritan histories of New England, the Bhagavad-Gita, the imperfections of Christianity, and many other subjects.An invaluable companion to Walden, it stands alone as one of the most remarkable literary achievements of the nineteenth century.

Henry D. Thoreau's classic A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is published now as a new paperback edition and includes an introduction by noted... writer John McPhee. This work--unusual for its symbolism and structure, its criticism of Christian institutions, and its many-layered storytelling--was Thoreau's first published book.In the late summer of 1839, Thoreau and his older brother John made a two-week boat-and-hiking trip from Concord, Massachusetts, to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After John's sudden death in 1842, Thoreau began to prepare a memorial account of their excursion. He wrote two drafts of this story at Walden Pond, which he continued to revise and expand until 1849, when he arranged for its publication at his own expense. The book's heterodoxy and apparent formlessness troubled its contemporary audience. Modern readers, however, have come to see it as an appropriate predecessor to Walden, with Thoreau's story of a river journey depicting the early years of his spiritual and artistic growth.

Based on solid research, A Wellness Way of Life makes sense of the array of the confusing and sometimes contradictory health information that bombards... us everyday. The authors minimize technical jargon and present health topics and issues in a clear and accessible way. A Wellness Way of Life gives you accurate, up-to-date information about exercise, nutrition, stress, heart disease, weight management, and much more. Knowledge is power, and A Wellness Way of Life empowers you with the knowledge you need to make smart health decisions. New to this edition is a feature called “Think About It,” designed to give you practice in thinking critically, applying your knowledge, and writing about factors that influence your wellness. These activities appear in the book and as online activities that you can submit directly to your instructor.