Search:

Results 191 to 200 of 302 | « previous |

Doom : the politics of catastrophe / by Ferguson, Niall,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Setting the great crisis of 2020 in broad historical perspective, Niall Ferguson challenges the conventional wisdom that our failure to cope better with disaster was solely a crisis of political leadership, as opposed to a more profound systemic problem. Disasters are by their very nature hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted, or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all. Yet the responses of a number of developed countries, including the United States, to a new pathogen from China were badly bungled. Why? The facile answer is to blame poor leadership. While populist leaders have certainly performed poorly in the face of the pandemic, more profound problems have been exposed by COVID-19. Only when we understand the central challenge posed by disaster in history can we see that this was also a failure of an administrative state and economic elites that had grown myopic over much longer than just a few years. Why were so many Cassandras for so long ignored? Why did only some countries learn the right lessons from SARS and MERS? Why do appeals to "the science" often turn out to be magical thinking? Drawing from multiple disciplines, including history, economics, public health, and network science, Doom is a global postmortem for a plague year. In books going back nearly twenty years, including Colossus, The Great Degeneration, and The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson has studied the pathologies that afflict modern America, from imperial hubris to bureaucratic sclerosis and online schism. Doom is the lesson of history that this country--indeed the West as a whole--urgently needs to learn--if we want to avoid the doom of irreversible decline"--
Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 (Disease); Epidemics; Political leadership.;

Free to be : understanding kids & gender identity / by Turban, Jack L.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An authoritative guide to understanding and navigating gender identity from an acclaimed expert on the mental health of transgender and gender diverse youth. Kids today are more gender fluent and expansive than ever before. Over 700,000 teenagers in America openly identify as transgender, a number that is rising each year. As it becomes increasingly common for us to encounter and know transgender kids, as well as kids with more expansive notions of gender than past generations, it is vital that we have the tools we need in order to truly see and support them. Free to Be is an authoritative deep dive by internationally renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Jack Turban into the science, medicine, and politics of gender identity. You will be immersed in the lives of three trans and gender diverse youth -- Meredith, Kyle, and Sam -- as they navigate their gender identities, make decisions around gender-affirming medical and psychological care, and confront an overwhelming political and social terrain. By combining the latest scientific research, stories of transgender children, and the intricacies of today's political gender wars, Free to Be gives you the tools to help the kids in your life navigate the complexity of gender identity, while also coming to better understand what the nuances of gender mean to yourself and society at large"--
Subjects: Gender dysphoria in adolescence; Gender dysphoria in adolescence; Gender dysphoria in children; Gender identity in children; Transgender children; Transgender children; Gender dysphoria in children; Gender identity in children;

Subtract : the untapped science of less / by Klotz, Leidy,1978-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Blending behavioral science and design, Leidy Klotz's Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less offers a scientific appreciation of why we underuse subtraction-and how to access its untapped potential. When humans solve problems, we overlook an incredibly powerful option: We don't subtract. We pile on "to-dos" but don't consider "stop-doings." We create incentives for high performance, but don't get rid of obstacles to our goals. Whether considering a stack of Legos, preparing a grilled cheese sandwich, or writing an essay, Leidy Klotz shows that we consistently overlook the principle of subtraction as a way to improve. Our mental preference for addition-for adding to what's already there rather than thinking of taking away-is so wide-spread and strong that we would prefer to accommodate wrong ideas than simply remove them. Drawing from his own pioneering research and scientific research throughout history, Klotz examines cultural, political, and economic trends underlying our neglect of subtraction, asserting that we have billions of years of evidence showing that lifeforms are perfectly capable of subtracting to improve. Proposing a new way to frame our behaviors, Klotz shares thought-provoking examples and anecdotes to supplement his proven techniques on implementing a new perspective and understanding of subtraction. By learning to use the counterintuitive approach of subtracting, we can revolutionize not just our day-to-day lives, but our work across every field and industry. Subtract shows how this innovative approach to life is the key to unlocking our greatest potential"--
Subjects: Self-actualization (Psychology); Stress management.;

How confidence works : the new science of self-belief, why some people learn it and others don't / by Robertson, Ian H.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Imagine we could discover something that could make us richer, healthier, longer-living, smarter, kinder, happier, more motivated and more innovative. Ridiculous, you might say ... What is this elixir? Confidence. If you have it, it can empower you to reach heights you never thought possible. But if you don't, it can have a devastating effect on your future. Confidence lies at the core of what makes things happen. Probing the science and neuroscience behind confidence that has emerged over the last decade, Professor Ian Robertson tells us how confidence plays out in our minds, our brains and indeed our bodies. He explains where it comes from and how it spreads -with extraordinary economic and political consequences. And why it's not necessarily something you are born with, but something that can be learned.
Subjects: Attitude (Psychology); Confidence; Confidence; Confidence.;

Dish The Inside Story On The World Of Gossip Became the News and How the News Became Just Another Show [electronic resource] : by Walls, Jeannette.aut; CloudLibrary;
From Jeannette Walls, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, now a major motion picture, comes an incisive study of our obsession with gossip. "A fascinating, dishy story." -Booklist Gossip. It's more than just hearsay, society columns, and supermarket tabloids. It has, like it or not, become a mainstay of American pop culture. In Dish, industry insider Jeannette Walls gives this provocative subject its due, offering a comprehensive, serious exploration of gossip and its social, historical, and political significance. Examining the topic from the inside out, Walls looks at the players; the origins of gossip, from birth of People magazine to the death of Lady Di; and how technology including the Internet will continue to change the face gossip. As compelling and seductive as its subject matter, Dish brilliantly reveals the fascinating inner workings of a phenomenon that is definitely here to stay.
Subjects: Electronic books.; 19th Century; Media Studies; 20th Century; Sociology; 21st Century; United States; World; 21st Century; West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY); Popular Culture;
© 2010., HarperCollins,

The crystal crown / by Gratton, Tessa,author.;
their Jedi Masters clean up a political mess left behind by one of their own, Jedi Padawan Jecki and her least favorite fellow Padawan Yord are drawn into a planet-wide coming-of-age ritual as featured guests. But when things unexpectedly turn deadly, Jecki and Yord will have to use all of their abilities and work together to keep each other -- and their new friends -- safe. This young adult novel is Star Wars meets The Hunger Games and offers fans of The Acolyte a chance to spend more time with two of their favorite characters from the show.
Subjects: Young adult fiction.; Science fiction.; Novels.; Good and evil; Interplanetary voyages; Jedi (Fictitious characters); Life on other planets; Space warfare; Good and evil; Interplanetary voyages; Jedi (Fictitious characters); Life on other planets; Space warfare;

Starry messenger : cosmic perspectives on civilization / by Tyson, Neil deGrasse,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time-war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race-in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all"--
Subjects: Civilization; Cosmology.; Science and civilization.;

Question authority : a polemic about trust in five meditations / by Kingwell, Mark,1963-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Philosopher Mark Kingwell thinks about thinking for yourself in an era of radical know-it-all-ism. "Question authority," the popular 1960s slogan commanded. "Think for yourself." But what started as a counter-cultural catchphrase, playful in logic but serious in intent, has become a practical paradox. Yesterday's social critics are the tone-policing tyrants of today, and critical theory that once augured emancipation has hardened into ideological enforcement. The resulting crisis of authority, made worse by rival political factions and chaotic public discourse, has exposed cracks in every facet of shared social life. Politics, academia, journalism, medicine, religion, science -- every kind of institutional claim is now routinely subject to objection, investigation, and outright disbelief. A recurring feature of this comprehensive distrust of authority is the firm, indeed unshakeable, belief in personal righteousness and superiority: what Mark Kingwell calls "addiction to conviction." In this critical survey of the predicament of contemporary authority, Kingwell draws on philosophical argument, personal reflection, and details from the headlines in an attempt to reclaim the democratic spirit of questioning authority and thinking for oneself. Defending a program of compassionate skepticism, Kingwell illuminates the connection between humility about human limits, including the limits of certainty, and the infinite project of justice."--
Subjects: Authority; Authority; Critical thinking.; Skepticism.; Trust;

Listening in the dark : women reclaiming the power of intuition / by Tamblyn, Amber,editor.;
Includes bibliographical references.For generations, women have been taught to ignore their intuitive intelligence, whether in their personal lives or professional ones, in favor of making logical, evidence-based decisions. But what if that small voice or deeper knowing was our greatest gift, an untapped power we could use to affect positive change? Edited by author, activist, and actress Amber Tamblyn, Listening in the Dark is a compilation of some of today's most striking women visionaries across industries-in literature, science, art, education, medicine, and politics-who share their experiences engaging with their own inner wisdom in pivotal, crossroad moments. Filled with deeply personal and revelatory essays, Listening in the Dark will empower readers to reconnect with their own unique intuitive process, to see it as the precious resource it is, and to be unafraid to listen to all that it has to say and all that it has to offer.
Subjects: Essays.; American essays.; Decision making.; Intuition.; Women.;

American breakdown : our ailing nation, my body's revolt, and the nineteenth-century woman who brought me back to life / by Lunden, Jennifer(Jennifer L.),1967-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A Silent Spring for the human body, this wide-ranging, genre-crossing literary mystery interweaves the author's quest to understand the source of her own condition with her telling of the story of the chronically ill 19th-century diarist Alice James--ultimately uncovering the many hidden health hazards of life in America. When Jennifer Lunden became chronically ill after moving from Canada to Maine, her case was a medical mystery. Just 21, unable to hold a book or stand for a shower, she lost her job and consigned herself to her bed. The doctor she went to for help told her she was "just depressed." After suffering from this enigmatic illness for five years, she discovered an unlikely source of hope and healing: a biography of Alice James, the bright, witty, and often bedridden sibling of brothers Henry James, the novelist, and William James, the father of psychology. Alice suffered from a life-shattering illness known as neurasthenia, now often dismissed as a "fashionable illness." In this meticulously researched and illuminating debut, Lunden interweaves her own experience with Alice's, exploring the history of medicine and the effects of the industrial revolution and late-stage capitalism to tell a riveting story of how we are a nation struggling--and failing--to be healthy. Although science--and the politics behind its funding--has in many ways let Lunden and millions like her down, in the end science offers a revelation that will change how readers think about the ecosystems of their bodies, their communities, the country, and the planet."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Lunden, Jennifer (Jennifer L.), 1967-; James, Alice, 1848-1892; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Diagnosis; Discrimination in medical care; Women authors, American; Women; Women's health services;

Results 191 to 200 of 302 | « previous |