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Futurekind : design by and for the people / by Phillips, Robert(Product designer),author.; Béhar, Yves,1967-writer of foreword.;
We have grown accustomed to two beliefs: the first, that only experts can be designers; the second, that our everyday activities are harming the natural world. Yet, with new platforms, digital communication and engaged online communities, the products we can now design - and truly need - can be made by anyone for social and environmental good. Social design can see that primary school children learn to code, and uses local information in off-grid locations to create global change. Open-source design is enabling us to re-make our world right now. Structured into eight areas of application, from healthcare to education, this book showcases over sixty projects - not the kind you see in glossy magazines or online, but the ones that have made a genuine difference to communities and lives around the world. Rather than being client-driven, as commercial design often is, each project here is the result of designers who reach out, communities who get involved and the technologies that helping people to realize ideas together. From a playground-powered water pump in South Africa to a DIY budget cellphone, each of these groundbreaking projects is presented through fascinating and life-affirming stories, diagrams that reveal the mechanisms and motivations behind each design approach, and photography that celebrates the humanity of the endeavour.
Subjects: Community development.; Social entrepreneurship.; Sustainable design.; Technological innovations.; Design;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Daughters of the deer / by Daniel, Danielle,author.;
"In this haunting, groundbreaking, historical novel, Danielle Daniel imagines the lives of her ancestors in the Algonquin territories of the 1600s, a story inspired by her family link to a girl murdered near Trois-Rivières in the early days of French settlement. Marie, an Algonquin woman of the Weskarini Deer Clan, lost her first husband and her children to an Iroquois raid. In the aftermath of another lethal attack, her chief begs her to remarry for the sake of the clan. Marie is a healer who honours the ways of her people, and Pierre, the green-eyed ex-soldier from France who wants her for his bride, is not the man she would choose. But her people are dwindling, wracked by white men's diseases and nearly starving every winter as the game retreats away from the white settlements. If her chief believes such a marriage will cement their alliance with the French against the Iroquois and the British, she feels she has no choice. Though she does it reluctantly, and with some fear--Marie is trading the memory of the man she loved for a man she doesn't understand at all, and whose devout Catholicism blinds him to the ways of her people. This beautiful, powerful novel brings to life women who have literally fallen through the cracks of settler histories. Especially Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Weskarini, but caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful--a woman to be shunned, and worse. And so, with the poignant story of Jeanne, Danielle Daniel imagines her way into the heart and mind of a woman at the origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent, disruption of First Nations culture--opening a door long jammed shut, so all of us can enter"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Arranged marriage; First Nations women; First Nations; Algonquin;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The underworld : journeys to the depths of the ocean / by Casey, Susan,1962-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."From New York Times bestselling author Susan Casey, an awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets For all of human history, the deep ocean has been a source of wonder and terror, an unknown realm that evoked a singular, compelling question: What's down there? Unable to answer this for centuries, people believed the deep was a sinister realm of fiendish creatures and deadly peril. But now, cutting-edge technologies allow scientists and explorers to dive miles beneath the surface, and we are beginning to understand this strange and exotic underworld: A place of soaring mountains, smoldering volcanoes, and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Everest is high, where tectonic plates collide and separate, and extraordinary life forms operate under different rules. Far from a dark void, the deep is a vibrant realm that's home to pink gelatinous predators and shimmering creatures a hundred feet long and ancient animals with glass skeletons and sharks that live for half a millennium--among countless other marvels. Susan Casey is our premiere chronicler of the aquatic world. For The Underworld she traversed the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet, interviewing the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers who are searching for knowledge in this vast unseen realm. She takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the myths and legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom, to the first intrepid bathysphere pilots, to the scientists who are just beginning to understand the mind-blowing complexity and ecological importance of the quadrillions of creatures who live in realms long thought to be devoid of life. Throughout this journey, she learned how vital the deep is to the future of the planet, and how urgent it is that we understand it in a time of increasing threats from climate change, industrial fishing, pollution, and the mining companies that are also exploring its depths. The Underworld is Susan Casey's most beautiful and thrilling book yet, a gorgeous evocation of the natural world and a powerful call to arms"--
Subjects: Deep-sea sounding.; Marine ecology.; Marine ecosystem health.; Ocean bottom.; Ocean; Ocean.; Oceanography; Submarine topography.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Silent spring revolution : John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the great environmental awakening / by Brinkley, Douglas,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 705-819) and index.Acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley chronicles in vivid detail how the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring - and Carson's close partnership with President John F. Kennedy and his administration - launched the modern environmental movement. With Silent Spring Revolution, Brinkley thrillingly caps an arc of work exploring the 20th century histories of the Presidency and ecological awareness in the US, how we moved from the conservation imperatives of Theodore Roosevelt to today's intentional activism is a twisty tale of fits and starts, politics, money, villains, and heroes. Brinkley pays tribute to those who combated the mauling of the natural world in the Long Sixties: Rachel Carson (a marine biologist and author), David Brower (director of the Sierra Club), Barry Commoner (an environmental justice advocate), Coretta Scott King (an antinuclear activist), Stewart Udall (the secretary of the interior), William O. Douglas (Supreme Court justice), Cesar Chavez (a labor organizer), and other crusaders are profiled with verve and insight. With the United States grappling with climate change and resource exhaustion, this meticulously researched and deftly written book reminds us that a new generation of twenty-first-century environmentalists can save the planet from ruin.
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Carson, Rachel, 1907-1964.; Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973.; Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.; Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994.; Conservationists; Environmentalism; Environmentalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Soundings : journeys in the company of whales : a memoir / by Cunningham, Doreen,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."In this memoir of motherhood, love, and resilience, a woman and her toddler son follow the grey whale migration from Mexico to northernmost Alaska. In this striking blend of nature writing, whale science, and memoir, Doreen Cunningham interweaves two stories: tracking the extraordinary northward migration of the grey whales with a mischievous toddler in tow and living with an Iñupiaq family in Alaska seven years earlier. Throughout the journey she explores the stories of the whales and their young calves-their history, their habits, and their attempts to survive the changes humans have brought to the ocean. Cunningham's voice is powerful: sharp, profound, sensitive, and unflinching. A story of courage and resilience, Soundings is about the migrating whales and all we can learn from them as they mother, adapt, and endure, their lives interrupted and threatened by global warming. It is also a riveting journey onto the Arctic Sea ice and into the changing world of Indigenous whale hunters, where Doreen becomes immersed in the ancient values of the Iñupiaq whale hunt and falls in love. For this is Doreen's story, too-a fierce, feminist tale, touching on her childhood and her time living in a Women's Refuge with her baby, becoming a mother, just like the whales. Lyrical, brave, and fearlessly honest, Soundings is an unforgettable journey"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Cunningham, Doreen; Cunningham, Doreen.; Inupiat; Nature; Single mothers; Whales; Women journalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The transcendent brain : spirituality in the age of science / by Lightman, Alan P.,1948-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Modern science teaches us that anything can be explained in terms of atoms and forces, including the inner workings of the brain. But certain personal experiences can challenge the idea that there's nothing beyond inert matter. Communing with nature, working through a complex problem, or experiencing a piece of art, we sometimes feel a powerful sense of transcendence, of connecting with a cosmic unity that may seem unexplainable by science. But according to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, we can embrace these spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. Lightman draws on a rich intellectual history to explore this fascinating intersection between religion and science. Philosopher Moses Mendelssohn's rational arguments for the soul foreground our thinking about non-materiality; Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius' ideas predict how strict materialism might explain elusive phenomena; Neuroscientist Christof Koch lays the foundation for the material basis of consciousness; and social psychologist Cynthia Frantz provides a scientific explanation of our deep connection to nature and things larger than ourselves. Lightman weaves these ideas together to argue for a concept he calls "spiritual materialism"-the view that while spiritual experiences may arise from atoms and molecules like everything else, the physical laws of the universe may not be able to fully capture the first-person experience of transcendence. Spirituality, in this sense, is not only compatible with a strictly scientific view, but remains at the core of what it means to be human"--
Subjects: Religion and science.; Spirituality.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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I deliver parcels in Beijing / by Hu, Anyan,1979-author.;
In 2023, "I Deliver Parcels in Beijing" became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan's story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed. Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went viral: his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later. Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck--from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship. "I Deliver Parcels in Beijing" is an honest and surprising first-person account of Hu Anyan's struggle against the dehumanizing nature of our contemporary global work system--and his discovery of the power of sharing a story.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Hu, Anyan, 1979-; Temporary employees; Express service; Gig economy; Precarious employment; Temporary employment;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The silence factory : a novel / by Collins, Bridget,author.;
Sophia reluctantly accompanies her husband James to a remote Greek island, where he hopes to make his name by collecting rare biological specimens. Once there, however, she is the one set on a voyage of discovery -- as well as stumbling across the very creature he is looking for, she meets a local woman who makes her realise she has never truly known her own desires. Decades later, Henry Latimer is sent to the home of James' descendant, industrialist Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy. Tasked with curing the man's enchanting young daughter, Philomel, of her deafness, Henry is soon drawn in by both Sir Edward's magnetic charisma and the fascinating nature of his business: spinning a rare spider-silk into a cloth which has the extraordinary ability to shut out sound completely. Ignoring repeated warnings, Henry becomes more deeply involved with Sir Edward's project -- by the time he realises the terrible truth about what the silk will be used for, is it too late to turn back?
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Gothic fiction.; Magic realist fiction.; Novels.; Deaf; Factories; Governesses; Secrecy; Silence; Silk;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Oblivion [videorecording (BLURAY)] / by Coster-Waldau, Nikolaj,1970-; Cruise, Tom,1962-; Freeman, Morgan.; Kosinski, Joseph,1974-; Kurylenko, Olga,1979-; Leo, Melissa.; Riseborough, Andrea,1981-; Relativity Media.; Universal Studios Home Entertainment (Firm);
Composers, Joseph Trapanese and Anthony Gonzalez ; music by M.8.3 ; director of photography, Claudio Miranda.Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo, Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman.In the distant future, Earth has been decimated by an intergalactic battle against an alien race known as the Scavs. The majority of mankind has been evacuated, leaving just a few solitary drone repairmen remaining on the planet's surface. Their job is simple -- stand guard over the ruins of a once-great empire by patrolling the skies, and ensuring the drones continue to function. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is nearing the end of his mission to extract resources essential to the survival of the human race when he witnesses a spacecraft fall from the sky. Upon investigating, Jack discovers the capsule contains a mysterious woman. With mission control watching his every move from high up above the clouds, Jack embarks on a spectacular adventure that will not only challenge everything he's been taught about mankind's most defining battle, but perhaps alter the entire course of human history as well.Canadian Home Video Rating: PG.BluRay.
Subjects: Dystopian films.; Extraterrestrial beings; Feature films.; Human-alien encounters; Man-woman relationships; Natural resources; Science fiction films.; Space vehicles; War;
© c2013., Universal,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Love marriage : a novel / by Ali, Monica,1967-author.;
"Yasmin Ghorami is twenty-six, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father) and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose domineering mother, Helen, is a famous feminist. Though both Yasmin's parents and Joe's mother approve of the marriage, the cultural gulf between them is vast as, it turns out, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe. The novel opens as Yasmin, her parents and her brother pile into their car, packed with Indian food prepared by Yasmin's mother, to go to dinner to meet Joe's mother in her elegant townhouse in one of London's poshest neighborhoods. Contrary to all of Yasmin's fears, her unsophisticated and somewhat flamboyant mother is embraced and celebrated by Helen and her friends. Many complications ensue when Yasmin discovers that Joe has had an affair with a co-worker, and Yasmin's ne'er do well brother is banished from the house by her father, and Yasmin's mother moves to Helen's house in protest. Love Marriage is a story of emotionally fraught self-discovery and how the secrets people keep hidden affect their most intimate relationships. Joe hides the exact nature of his promiscuous past; Yasmin's brother and mother keep a monumental secret from their father; Yasmin has a wildly erotic affair of her own; and the story of her parents' love marriage proves to be a cover-up for a dark, tragic history. In the wake of extreme upheaval, Yasmin finds herself, and her life, transformed"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; East Indians; Interracial couples; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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