The Bearer of Bad News


Book Description

Tor finds itself on the brink of turmoil as a god, who spends his days in the bottom of a pit, has decided that he would be better off wreaking havoc on the surface above, and is willing to use any means necessary to accomplish his goal. Gloric, the God of Peace, knows that the only people who can stop this angry deity is a rag-tag group of heroes, consisting of a certain Hunter, a Mythical Theoremist prodigy, a robot that speaks only in word salad, a professional cult murderer, a sarcastic Ice Archer, and an ex-Messenger. The Bearer of Bad News returns with answers to lingering questions, twice the satire, twice the fun, and, for some reason, a profuse amount of references to fish.




The Bearer of Bad News: Book 1 in the Bearer of Bad News Saga


Book Description

"Don't shoot the messenger" is a phrase taken very lightly throughout the World of Tor as the Bureau of Bad News continues to fuel its power by delivering terrible fates from its golden throne in the City of Trig. Anyone who receives such a letter, and is read out loud, will face a terrible demise, and so will the deliverer. These "Messengers" are considered bile as they travel to deliver such misfortunes, so why would James Roger Clemit volunteer for such a job? Be ready to be engaged in a swash-buckling adventure as James finds himself embarking on a journey of self-discovery, including swashbuckling combat, a Hunter with a death wish, trees that fight bears (and win), talking swords, and moose with Pegasus wings. While James cannot fully contemplate why he had been placed in such a world-altering position, a mysterious god notes that everything is going according to plan.




Being the Best Bearer of Bad Tidings


Book Description

ABSTRACT: Giving bad news is an unpleasant task, and the medical literature provides numerous guidelines for giving bad news well. However, what people mean by "giving bad news well" is less clear. What should be the goal when communicating bad news? I suggest that the goal of news-givers should be to guide recipients toward a desired response. I propose a theoretical framework, the Bad News Response Model, for delivering bad news that draws from research in health and social psychology. The model is applicable to all forms of bad news and specifies that three characteristics of the news (controllability, likelihood, and severity) influence which response (watchful waiting, active change, or acceptance) will most often lead to the best quality of life for the recipient. Our studies examined three questions related to the Bad News Response Model: How does the type of bad news affect response choices? (Studies 1 and 2) How do people feel about responses to bad news? (Study 3) How do people view the effectiveness of responses to bad news? (Study 4) Results suggest that response choices are predictable based on the controllability, likelihood, and severity of news outcomes, as suggested by the model (Studies 1 and 2). In addition, results revealed that people may also make response choices based on the beliefs they have about response options (Study 3) and on the perceived effectiveness of each response (Study 4).




The Bear of Bad News Coloring Book


Book Description

There's no ice cream left. Your condition is inoperable. Everyone you love will die. I have some bad news for you: you don't have this coloring book. It involves an adorable bear that delivers some of the worst news possible in a variety of darkly hilarious scenarios. And sadly, you do not have it. I have some more bad news for you: your children will have lasting scars from your parenting and there is nothing you can do about it. One of those scars might be buying them this book. There's nothing really inappropriate for them in terms of imagery or language, but the content will likely lead to uncomfortable conversations that you will have trouble navigating. Color, laugh, and cry as the waves of reality this bear preaches wash over you like a splash of puddle water from a passing car. Featuring 25 terrible statements about life, all of which are lovingly crafted by Elizabeth Jancewicz, who is the on stage painter in the great piano rock band Pocket Vinyl. Don't let the bad news reach your friends that you passed on this book, which can also just be treated as a comedy comic book. If they hear about this, they will probably judge you harshly. On second thought, you will probably not like this book. It's too dark and not really your sense of humor. Plus, you don't like bears or quality artwork. Best forget about it. Move on and buy something else on Amazon like some dryer sheets or Shopkins.




Statistics Done Wrong


Book Description

Scientific progress depends on good research, and good research needs good statistics. But statistical analysis is tricky to get right, even for the best and brightest of us. You'd be surprised how many scientists are doing it wrong. Statistics Done Wrong is a pithy, essential guide to statistical blunders in modern science that will show you how to keep your research blunder-free. You'll examine embarrassing errors and omissions in recent research, learn about the misconceptions and scientific politics that allow these mistakes to happen, and begin your quest to reform the way you and your peers do statistics. You'll find advice on: –Asking the right question, designing the right experiment, choosing the right statistical analysis, and sticking to the plan –How to think about p values, significance, insignificance, confidence intervals, and regression –Choosing the right sample size and avoiding false positives –Reporting your analysis and publishing your data and source code –Procedures to follow, precautions to take, and analytical software that can help Scientists: Read this concise, powerful guide to help you produce statistically sound research. Statisticians: Give this book to everyone you know. The first step toward statistics done right is Statistics Done Wrong.




Amaze Every Customer Every Time


Book Description

You must deliver an amazing customer experience. Why? It is the competitive edge of new-era business—in any market and any economy. Renowned customer experience expert Shep Hyken explains how consistently amazing customers through stellar service can elevate your company from good to great. All transformations require a role model, and Shep has found the perfect role model to inspire your team: Ace Hardware. Ace was named as one of the top ten customer service brands in America by Businessweek and ranked highest in its industry for customer satisfaction. Through revealing stories from Ace’s over-the-top work with customers, Shep explores the five tactical areas of customer amazement: leadership, culture, one-on-one, competitive edge, and community. Delivering amazing service requires everyone in your organization to step up and be a leader. It doesn’t take a title. It takes the right set of tools and principles. To help you empower employees at all levels, Shep brings the content to a deeply practical level. His 52 Amazement Tools—like “Ask the extra question” and “Focus on the customer, not the money”—are simple, clear, useful for almost anybody, and supported with compelling research and stories. Between these covers, you will find the tools and tactics you need to transform your company into a seriously customer-focused operation that will amaze every customer every time.




How To Break Bad News


Book Description

For many health care professionals and social service providers, the hardest part of the job is breaking bad news. The news may be about a condition that is life-threatening (such as cancer or AIDS), disabling (such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis), or embarrassing (such as genital herpes). To date medical education has done little to train practitioners in coping with such situations. With this guide Robert Buckman and Yvonne Kason provide help. Using plain, intelligible language they outline the basic principles of breaking bad new and present a technique, or protocol, that can be easily learned. It draws on listening and interviewing skills that consider such factors as how much the patient knows and/or wants to know; how to identify the patient's agenda and understanding, and how to respond to his or her feelings about the information. They also discuss reactions of family and friends and of other members of the health care team. Based on Buckman's award-winning training videos and Kason's courses on interviewing skills for medical students, this volume is an indispensable aid for doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers, and all those in related fields.




The 48 Laws of Power


Book Description

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control – from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. In the book that People magazine proclaimed “beguiling” and “fascinating,” Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have distilled three thousand years of the history of power into 48 essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P.T. Barnum. Some laws teach the need for prudence (“Law 1: Never Outshine the Master”), others teach the value of confidence (“Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness”), and many recommend absolute self-preservation (“Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally”). Every law, though, has one thing in common: an interest in total domination. In a bold and arresting two-color package, The 48 Laws of Power is ideal whether your aim is conquest, self-defense, or simply to understand the rules of the game.




The Bearer of Bad News


Book Description

To whom it may concern, On behalf of the Bureau of Bad News, we recognize that you take leisure in knowing the premise of a book before you buy it. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that you will invest in this book without knowing the origins of it. This message is classified as a U.P. meaning your purchase is unpreventable. We apologize for any negative emotions, grievances, unhealthy attachments to given characters, and any other misfortunes that may befall you after the reading of this story. We give you our most sincere condolences, but understand the inevitable desire you must have to read. Needless to say, you have been warned. Sincerely Yours, The Bureau of Bad News




Motherhood So White


Book Description

The story every mother in America needs to read. As featured on NPR and the TODAY Show. All moms have to deal with choosing baby names, potty training, finding your village, and answering your kid's tough questions, but if you are raising a Black child, you have to deal with a lot more than that. Especially if you're a single Black mom... and adopting. Nefertiti Austin shares her story of starting a family through adoption as a single Black woman. In this unflinching account of her parenting journey, Nefertiti examines the history of adoption in the African American community, faces off against stereotypes of single Black moms, and confronts the reality of what it looks like to raise children of color and answer their questions about racism in modern-day America. Honest, vulnerable, and uplifting, Motherhood So White is a fantastic book for mothers who have read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, or other books about racism and want to see how these social issues play out in a very personal way for a single mom and her Black son. This great book club read explores social and cultural bias, gives a new perspective on a familiar experience, and sparks meaningful conversations about what it looks like for Black families in white America today.