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Checkpoint Charlie : the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the most dangerous place on earth / by MacGregor, Iain,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-326) and index."Checkpoint Charlie is the story of the men and women - from both sides of the Cold War's political divide - who lived, served on, or escaped through the Berlin Wall during its life span (13th August 1961 - 9th November 1989). This physical monstrosity created by the East German communist state was to divide one of the most beautiful and by 1961, ruined cities of the world; dividing families, friends and lovers. Its creation, and its sudden collapse twenty-seven years later, were the key moments of the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie was the one place in a paranoid continent where East faced West across one hundred yards of No Man's Land. Where soldiers served, spies watched through trained binoculars, escapees fled, politicians made speeches, people died and, mothers wept. The Wall was seen by many as permanent as the Himalayas. Across the Wall's almost three decades of existence, over two hundred people died trying to escape through it to the West, and these are just the recorded deaths. Many more who attempted and failed to break to freedom, would later die of their wounds in an East German hospital or prison. Historian Iain MacGregor travels to America, Britain, Germany and France to talk to the many people the Berlin Wall affected and who found themselves at the gates of Checkpoint Charlie - either on the Allied, or Soviet side. He interviews soldiers, politicians, journalists, spies, policemen, refugees and escapees to build a picture of what life was like in the city that was universally seen as the "hot spot" of the Cold War for four decades"--
Subjects: Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989; Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989; Cold War;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The secret daughter / by Gracie, Anne,author.;
Orphaned Zoë Benoît has spent the last three years in Paris learning how to be a lady. But Zoë is torn--as an independent spirit and a talented artist, she cannot help but want more than the tightly controlled life of a society lady. On an impulsive visit to the château where her mother lived, Zoë, disguised as a maidservant named Vita, meets a handsome wandering artist, known simply as Reynard. One blissful week with the charming Reynard convinces Zoë that this is the man and the life for her--until she discovers what he's been hiding from her, and she flees, heartbroken. Longing for the chance to redeem himself, Reynard searches far and wide for the woman he knows as Vita, to no avail. Disheartened, he returns to England to reluctantly resume his role as Julian Fox, the Earl of Foxton. However, when he sees one of Zoë's paintings, he realizes she's in London, and becomes desperate to find her before it's too late. But even if they reunite, can he convince Zoë he's worthy of her trust and prove to her that, with him, she can be a free-spirited artist and a countess?
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Novels.; Artists; Deception; Man-woman relationships; Regency; Women artists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Amazon woman : facing fears, chasing dreams, and a quest to kayak the world's largest river from source to sea / by Gaechter, Darcy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.Part memoir, part feminist manifesto, Amazon Woman shows what incredible feats we are capable of and will encourage people, especially women, across all backgrounds and ages to find the courage and strength to live the life they've imagined. This 148-day journey began on Darcy Gaetcher's 35th birthday. She sold her successful outdoor adventure business, upsetting her partner and boyfriend of twelve years and getting them both fired in the process. The emotional waters that would fester and erupt on the ensuing journey were often more challenging to navigate than the mighty river itself. With blistered lips and irradiated fingernails, Darcy would tackle raging Class Five whitewater for twenty-five days straight, barely surviving a dynamite-filled canyon being prepared for a new hydroelectric plan. She and her two companions would encounter illegal loggers, narco-traffickers, murderous Shining Path rebels, and ruthless poachers in the black market trade in endangered species. They would plead for mercy at the hands of the murderous Asháninka people who were convinced that they had come to steal their children's organs. In a desperate attempt meant to give her some pretense of control, Darcy even cut off all her hair before entering Peru's notoriously dangerous Red Zone in hopes of passing for a boy and being seen as less of a target. At once a heart-pounding adventure and a celebration of pushing personal limits, Amazon Woman speaks to all of us feeling trapped by our desk-bound, online society. This a story of finding the courage and strength to challenge nature, cultures, social norms, and oneself.
Subjects: Biographies.; Gaechter, Darcy; Kayakers; Kayaking;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Supremacy : AI, ChatGPT, and the race that will change the world / by Olson, Parmy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In November of 2022, a webpage was posted online with a simple text box. It was an AI chatbot called ChatGPT, and was unlike any app people had used before. It was more human than a customer service agent, more convenient than a Google search. Behind the scenes, battles for control and prestige between the world's two leading AI firms, OpenAI and DeepMind, who now steers Google's AI efforts, has remained elusive -- until now. In Supremacy, Olson, tech writer at Bloomberg, tells the astonishing story of the battle between these two AI firms, their struggles to use their tech for good, and the hazardous direction they could go as they serve two tech monopolies whose power is unprecedented in history. The story focuses on the continuing rivalry of two key CEOs at the center of it all, who cultivated a religion around their mission to build god-like super intelligent machines: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Demis Hassabis, the CEO of DeepMind. Supremacy sharply alerts readers to the real threat of artificial intelligence that its top creators are ignoring: the profit-driven spread of flawed and biased technology into industries, education, media and more. With exclusive access to a network of high-ranking sources, Parmy Olson uses her 13 years of experience covering technology to bring to light the exploitation of the greatest invention in human history, and how it will impact us all"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Altman, Sam, 1985-; Hassabis, Demis, 1976-; Google DeepMind (Firm); OpenAI (Firm); ChatGPT.; Artificial intelligence;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A beginner's guide to the end : practical advice for living life and facing death / by Miller, Bruce J.,1971-author.; Berger, Shoshana,author.; Luz, Marina,illustrator.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The first ever practical, compassionate, and comprehensive guide to dying--and living fully until you do. "There is nothing wrong with you for dying," palliative care doctor BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger write in A Beginner's Guide to the End. "Our ultimate purpose here isn't so much to help you die as it is to free up as much life as possible until you do." Theirs is a clear-eyed and big-hearted action plan for approaching the end of life, written to help readers feel more in control of an experience that so often seems anything but. Their book offers everything from step-by-step instructions for how to do your paperwork and navigate the healthcare system to answers to questions you might be afraid to ask your doctor, like whether or not sex is still okay when you're sick. You'll be walked through how to break the news to your employer, whether to share old secrets with your family, how to face friends who might not be as empathetic as you'd hoped, and to how to talk to your children about your will. (Don't worry: if anyone gets snippy, it'll likely be their spouses, not them.) There are also lessons for survivors, like how shut down a loved one's social media accounts, clean out the house, and write a great eulogy. An honest, surprising, and detailed-oriented guide to the most universal of all experiences, A Beginner's Guide to the End is the one book that everyone needs"--
Subjects: Death; Terminal care.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wanting : the power of mimetic desire in everyday life / by Burgis, Luke,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Wanting is a groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires. As an undergraduate studying philosophy at Stanford, Peter Thiel met French polymath René Girard and was introduced to his theory of "mimetic desire"-the idea that most human wanting comes from imitating what other people desire, rather than from an innate sense of need. Inducted into the Académie Française as the "Darwin of the social sciences," Girard is largely unknown outside academic circles. But because of Girard, Thiel knew that Facebook would thrive because it offered a window into people's curated presentation of the best parts of their lives, thereby satisfying our need to look for "models" who tell us what to desire. According to Girard, each of us is surrounded by people who generate, shape, and manipulate our desires at every turn. Mimetic desire is no mere tool of advertisers but a reality that affects our daily lives in romance, work, fitness, politics, and parenting. Mimetic desire is a secret, unacknowledged, sophisticated form of adult imitation that drives a larger degree of human behavior than anybody ever realized. The consequences of mimetic desire are startling. Because people learn to want what other people want, they are easily drawn into rivalries and conflict. According to Girard, people don't fight because they want different things; they fight because, through mimetic desire, they start to want the same things. But mimetic desire does not have to be in control. We are free to choose. And those who understand mimetic desire have a tremendous advantage over those who don't-they can use it for good or for ill. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, and student of classical philosophy and theology, Luke Burgis shows how to counteract the mimetic forces of the market by turning blind wanting into intentional wanting-not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. Intentional desire is what propels us to create a better world. Burgis shows how to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, how to feel more in control of the things we want, and ultimately how to find more meaning in our work and life by grounding them in desires that will never fade away"--
Subjects: Desire.; Imitation.; Basic needs;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents [electronic resource] : by Pau Preto, Nicki.aut; CloudLibrary;
A middle grade magic school fantasy perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and Witchlings, in which a girl with unparalleled power must work with her misfit classmates to save her new school. Lavinia “Vin” Lucas is out of control and out of options. Stranded by parents who would rather use their average magical abilities to study dung beetles than raise her, Vin's been on her own for years. But she’s never been able to corral her own powerful, unpredictable magic. After years of detention, suspension, and expulsion from magic schools far and wide, she’s now being sent to the Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents. If she gets expelled, it’s the end of the line.  Now, Vin is determined to behave. Except no one at Last Hope seems to want her to. Her new teachers—particularly the school’s kind headmistress—push her to explore her magic, and her mischievous classmates delight in every accident. And all the while, a mysterious fire sprite, a suspicious instructor, and her overwhelming abilities might just sabotage Vin. But for the first time, she is not alone. So when a former student begins attacking the school, Vin must question just how much she knows about the headmistress and her new home. Is this place worth saving? And are her budding abilities—and every trick, trap, and deception in her friends’ delinquent arsenal—enough to protect Last Hope?
Subjects: Electronic books.; School & Education; Fantasy & Magic; Friendship;
© 2024., Penguin Young Readers Group,
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The groom list / by Quinn, Ella,author.;
Intelligent. Kind. Must like children. Passable looks. A man of means. Must make us laugh ... For Lady Alice Carpenter, these are some of the "musts" on the checklist for eligible bachelors compiled with her sisters as they husband-hunt among the ton. Yet when she encounters a striking nobleman on her morning ride in Hyde Park, Alice soon tallies another list of first impressions ... Shallow. Flirtatious. Without seriousness of purpose. Impossible to avoid ... Gifford, the Marquis of St. Albans, must wed in order to wrest his estate from his controlling father. How hard could it be to snag a suitable match? Waltzing with lovely Lady Alice at the Season's whirl of balls and soirees however, defies Giff's expectations: his dance moves are smooth but their small talk is excruciating -- he offers up gossip sheet tidbits while she interrogates him on his charitable works -- or lack thereof! Charming. Amusing. Irresistible ... A disastrous idea? Alice is willing to entertain the possibility that there is more to the man than meets the eye -- though what meets the eye is quite attractive. But when Giff's true character is tested, she realizes it takes more than a list to reveal the heart of a worthy and honorable gentleman...
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Aristocracy (Social class); Man-woman relationships; Nobility; Regency;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 3
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The power worshippers : inside the dangerous rise of religious nationalism / by Stewart, Katherine,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-326) and index.For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: this is a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society. America's religious nationalists aren't just fighting a culture war, they are waging a political war on the norms and institutions of American democracy. Stewart pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for domination. She exposes a dense network of think tanks, advocacy groups, and pastoral organizations embedded in a rapidly expanding community of international alliances and united not by any central command but by a shared, anti-democratic vision and a common will to power. She follows the money that fuels this movement, tracing much of it to a cadre of super-wealthy, ultraconservative donors and family foundations. She shows that today's Christian nationalism is the fruit of a longstanding antidemocratic, reactionary strain of American thought that draws on some of the most troubling episodes in America's past. It forms common cause with a globe-spanning movement that seeks to destroy liberal democracy and replace it with nationalist, theocratic and autocratic forms of government around the world. Religious nationalism is far more organized and better funded than most people realize. It seeks to control all aspects of government and society. Its successes have been stunning, and its influence now extends to every aspect of American life, from the White House to state capitols, from our schools to our hospitals.
Subjects: Christianity and politics; Nationalism; Nationalism; Christianity and culture; Christianity;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Dare to speak : defending free speech for all / by Nossel, Suzanne,1969-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A vital, necessary playbook for navigating and defending free speech today by the CEO of PEN America, Dare To Speak provides a pathway for promoting free expression while also cultivating a more inclusive public culture. Online trolls and fascist chat groups. Controversies over campus lectures. Cancel culture versus censorship. The daily hazards and debates surrounding free speech dominate headlines and fuel social media storms. In an era where one tweet can launch-or end-your career, and where free speech is often invoked as a principle but rarely understood, learning to maneuver the fast-changing, treacherous landscape of public discourse has never been more urgent. In Dare To Speak, Suzanne Nossel, a leading voice in support of free expression, delivers a vital, necessary guide to maintaining democratic debate that is open, free-wheeling but at the same time respectful of the rich diversity of backgrounds and opinions in a changing country. Centered on practical principles, Nossel's primer equips readers with the tools needed to speak one's mind in today's diverse, digitized, and highly-divided society without resorting to curbs on free expression. At a time when free speech is often pitted against other progressive axioms-namely diversity and equality-Dare To Speak presents a clear-eyed argument that the drive to create a more inclusive society need not, and must not, compromise robust protections for free speech. Nossel provides concrete guidance on how to reconcile these two sets of core values within universities, on social media, and in daily life. She advises readers how to: Use language conscientiously without self-censoring ideas; Defend the right to express unpopular views; And protest without silencing speech. Nossel warns against the increasingly fashionable embrace of expanded government and corporate controls over speech, warning that such strictures can reinforce the marginalization of lesser-heard voices. She argues that creating an open market of ideas demands aggressive steps to remedy exclusion and ensure equal participation. Replete with insightful arguments, colorful examples, and salient advice, Dare To Speak brings much-needed clarity and guidance to this pressing-and often misunderstood-debate"--
Subjects: Freedom of speech.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 141 to 150 of 170 | « previous |