Publisher: KenWrites
Please do not be angry because I’m fond of you. I can’t help but express the fact that I like you and wish to know you better if you are comfortable with that. Saying I’m not interested in you would be denying the obvious fact. I am. The last workshop atmosphere was not apt for.....
Hearing loss affects countless millions of people, yet few sufferers even seek help, let alone try to find a cure. This is the story of a man who took on that daunting task and ultimately invented the world's most successful middle ear implant. Geoffrey Ball's adventure in technology began in the legendary Silicon Valley of California, the birthplace of so many innovations that have transformed our world, and ultimately led him to the mountains of Austria, where he now lives and continues his work. Ball's deafness was diagnosed early, but even as a child he knew that sign language and conventional hearing aids were not the answer. Despite his proficiency in lipreading, he wanted more - a better fix. Meanwhile, Ball never let his disability stand in his way. He became a kind of modern Renaissance man with interests that ranged from literature to sports to music, all coupled with an undeniable talent for entrepreneurship and invention. The author introduces us to family and friends, surfing buddies and lab rats, business partners and fellow inventors, computer and Internet legends, a brilliant, larger-than-life mentor who gave him his start, and the woman who ultimately saved his brainchild. He intersperses insights into technology, funding and business acumen with personal, often humorous anecdotes and fascinating accounts of successes, failures and near misses along the way. Today, every hour, somewhere in the world, one of his ground- breaking devices improves the quality of life of a hearing-impaired person. No one is laughing at the deaf boy now, and we haven't heard the last of Geoffrey Ball.Show book
Can a ruler change the world—or will the world change him first? In The Young Tsar, Leo Tolstoy paints a haunting portrait of a young monarch determined to bring mercy and justice to his people. Filled with compassion, the new ruler seeks to reform the system he now controls—but soon finds himself trapped in its invisible chains. This modern audiobook adaptation brings clarity and emotional weight to Tolstoy’s powerful story, perfect for contemporary listeners seeking meaningful, character-driven tales. What You’ll Hear in This Modern Translation: • The awakening of a moral leader faced with the hidden mechanics of power • A moving confrontation between human conscience and political structure • A quiet tragedy that echoes far beyond the palace walls Included in This Edition: Faithful to Tolstoy’s original message yet refined for today’s audience, this audiobook offers a clear, moving experience that stirs the heart and mind. Listen now—and reflect on what it truly means to lead.Show book
Hollywood has never lacked leading men who could captivate viewers with dramatic performances that depict them as suave romantics or dashing heroes, especially during the Golden Age of Hollywood, when stars like Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant graced screens. But in the mid-20th century, one of the most popular stars was a man who’s been frequently overlooked. Some actors were recruited based on their appearance alone, signing contracts before taking screen tests or ever having been on a stage or set. Others became overnight sensations, darlings of the public for decades. Only a few of these turned out to be excellent actors, but one of them was certainly Tyrone Power, one of Hollywood’s leading men from the 1930s into the 1950s. With a career spanning over 50 films, Power did not have to work through the system, rising to the top almost immediately at the age of 22. Power was named “King of the Movies” for three straight years (1939 -1941) by fans, and while critics claimed that his success came from his good looks, today he is acknowledged as a good actor, among the most underestimated of this era. Power starred in a variety of film genres, and at least some contemporaries made note of his “remarkable acting range.” This included several musicals such as Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Second Fiddle, Rose of Washington Square, and The Eddy Duchin Story. He also made appearances in several dramas, including Johnny Apollo, Witness for the Prosecution, Crash Drive, and The Razor’s Edge. Power was even known for a good comedic sense in films like The Luck of the Irish, That Wonderful Urge, and Love is News.Show book
The Danish concept of hygge is a wonderful thing. Even if most fail miserably when they try to pronounce or explain its true essence. Unless you’re a Viking of course. As Keri stood in the departure lounge of Auckland International Airport with her four-month-old baby, searching for her flight on the board, hygge wasn’t on her radar. In hindsight she agrees it probably should have been. But she’d never imagined a chance encounter with a Dane in a crowded bar in her home city of Wellington would lead her here, a mother, about to circle the globe, with no knowledge of when she'd return home. Eighteen thousand kilometres away a new life awaited her in Denmark. A country where babies sleep outside, the word for bread is seemingly impossible to pronounce and a country in which immigration challenges abound. A witty observer of cultural nuances, Keri reveals the day-to-day realities of a New Zealander living her best life in Denmark. From integration interrogations to rye bread misdemeanors, Nothing Like a Dane provides a humorous and heartfelt insight into creating a new life in a faraway land. And what did she learn? That it’s not all hygge and pastries. Even in Denmark.Show book
Grab your seat next to a super fan who stopped at nothing to enter his generation's premier Chicago sports events. This is your chance to experience the city's most memorable sports moments, from the two Bears’ Super Bowls, the White Sox pennant clincher in Anaheim and their World Series winner in Houston to the Blackhawks Game 7 disappointment in 1971 and the traumatic overtime win in Philadelphia for their first of three Cups. But it’s not just title thrills; you are also there for the dozens of ‘almosts’ that cloud the Second City’s grand sports tradition. But more than a sports story, ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAMS draws from the personal experiences of a faithful fan. It is a tale of growing up a Chicago sports fan. It turns out there is more to sports than who wins and loses. A loving tale of a father who raised his sons to understand what sports teach us about family and what success in life really looks like. Root Root Root is a love story of family, friends, and Chicago sports. For more than six decades, Tom Dobrez has been in the arena for hundreds of sporting events, along with his share of brushes with greatness. Come along as he chases Muhammad Ali’s Rolls Royce through his suburban hometown. Take a late-night shift, play Pop-A-Shot with Scottie Pippen, play 18 holes of golf with Toni Kukoc, and get a champagne shower from Mark Buehrle. There’s plenty of heartbreak and redemption along the way. He losses his father on the eve of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup championship. He celebrates the memory of his brother at a Bears game and deals with the challenge of passing on his loyalty to his children despite his shortcomings as a youth sports coach. With these and other moral dilemmas of parenting and growing up a Croatian in Chicago’s south suburbs, Dobrez weaves a raconteur’s storytelling skill with life lessons all gained from watching sports.Show book
It's one of the greatest movie romances of all time. Yet the friction and controversy surrounding The Way We Were was so enormous, the movie was nearly never made at all. Screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote the role of Katie with Barbra Streisand in mind. Casting Hubbell was another matter. Robert Redford, already a superstar, was reluctant to play what he perceived as the "Ken doll" to Streisand's lead, and demanded his role be changed and expanded. Laurents resisted, telling director Sydney Pollack, "You'll ruin the movie if it ends up being about two people. It's Katie's story, not Hubbell's." Despite his protests, ten writers were brought on to rework the script. Laurents's fears were well founded, and the first preview was disastrous. Producer Ray Stark and Pollack cut several scenes, upsetting Streisand and Laurents. Yet the edits worked. Such was the movie's success that Redford was open to making a sequel, though the script was never greenlit. Drawing on Laurents's and Pollack's unpublished writings, as well as interviews with Streisand, Redford, and other key players, this is the definitive account of a film that changed the rules of moviemaking and defined romance ever since.Show book
