Curious Reflections


Book Description

Truth, so they say, is stranger than fiction. This may be so, but when anecdotes about such characters as Lam, Rugg, Great Uncle Horatius, and his disreputable companion, Stinky, plus an assortment of animals, are added to the equation, doubt about this truism can creep in. Curious Reflections is the meandering observations, musings, and correspondence between two sisters living three hundred miles apart in England. During the course of these ramblings the line between truth and fiction can very often become decidedly blurred. In an attempt to keep my mind off other projects...I decided to log on and see if there were any e-mails from Ann. Ann, or Mowl as she is known, is a very diligent correspondent, keeping me up to date with all the trivia and goings on down in her neck of the woods. She is known as Mowl because when we were children we would amuse ourselves by deciding what animals people reminded us of. Because of her short-sightedness and penchant for black velvet, Ann was of course a mole, hence Mowl. For reasons we shall not go into, I was a ferret, or Pherrit (somehow the "ph" makes it seem so much better).




When Breath Becomes Air


Book Description

**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** 'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful,' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal What makes life worth living in the face of death? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. 'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson




Reflections from Earth Orbit


Book Description

In spite of the recent loss of the space shuttle Columbia, there are those who believe in the seemingly routine nature of space flight. The author's experiences however confirm the tremendous curiosity and overall fascination the world maintains for flying in space. As a public speaker, he talks regularly to thousands of people of all ages and from every walk of life. These audience members universally are inquisitive about life in space and the makeup of the individuals who form the corps of con-temporary space explorers. Reflections From Earth Orbit is not your typical 'how do you go to the bathroom in space' book. It is a book about life as told through the memories, or reflections, of the author navy Captain Winston Scott. These reflections were prompted by events that occurred during two space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut aboard the space shuttles Endeavour and Columbia. It has been written that Captain Scott's journey to the stars is a testament to perseverance and vision. Reflections is his attempt to share some of the experiences that drove him to overcome his life's obstacles and become one of a select few who journeyed beyond the bonds of earth into outer space. Through Reflections the author takes the reader into space. He gives vivid descriptions of life in space emphasising the everyday aspects of living with which the average, everyday person is curious and to which he or she can relate. As his memory is jogged by an event in space, Captain Scott relates a fascinating story with lessons learned from his past. He has succeeded in capturing the essence of life in space and sharing the space flight experience with the reader. Although not every chapter follows this exact format, e.g. Where Have You Gone Sky King, Reflections will entertain, educate, and inspire a general audience. In other words, one does not have to be a space enthusiast to enjoy 'Reflections'.




Surgery of the Soul


Book Description




Race After Technology


Book Description

From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White supremacy and deepen social inequity. Benjamin argues that automation, far from being a sinister story of racist programmers scheming on the dark web, has the potential to hide, speed up, and deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to the racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the “New Jim Code,” she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encode inequity by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies; by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions; or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of technology, designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice in the architecture of everyday life. This illuminating guide provides conceptual tools for decoding tech promises with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold but also the ones we ourselves manufacture. Visit the book's free Discussion Guide: www.dropbox.com




Oracle of the Ages


Book Description

Annotation. The life of a famous Georgia fortuneteller and eccentric, told in a chorus of oral history interviews by people who knew her. Author Dot Moore worked on this book for more than twenty years, spurred on by her own memories and encounters with the late Mayhayley Lancaster while she was growing up in Heard County, Georgia. Moore is a retired educator and Democratic Party activist, and lives in Montgomery. This is her first book.




Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain


Book Description

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection




Unsubscribe


Book Description

A modern, no-nonsense guide to getting rid of email anxiety, reclaiming your productivity, and spending more time on the work that matters. Let's face it: Email is killing our productivity. The average person checks their email 11 times per hour, processes 122 messages a day, and spends 28 percent of their total workweek managing their inbox. What was once a powerful and essential tool for doing our daily work has become a near-constant source of frustration, anxiety, and distraction from our work. Unsubscribe will show you how to tame your inbox and reclaim your focus, with tips on how to: Break free from email addiction and the "inbox zero" obsession Build a daily email routine that reduces stress and anxiety Process your inbox based on what (and who) really matters to you Write messages that get people to pay attention and take action Set boundaries and say "no" to time-wasting distractions Plan your day around meaningful work -- not busywork Productivity isn't about just "keeping busy," it's about leaving a legacy. Are you ready to Unsubscribe?




Aphorisms and Reflections from the Works of T. H. Huxley


Book Description

The following is a collection of aphorisms by Thomas Henry Huxley, as collected by his wife, Henrietta A. Huxley. Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist and anthropologist specializing in comparative anatomy. Huxley was slow to accept some of Darwin's ideas, such as gradualism, and was undecided about natural selection, but despite this he was wholehearted in his public support of Darwin. Instrumental in developing scientific education in Britain, he fought against the more extreme versions of religious tradition. Huxley coined the term "agnosticism" in 1869 and elaborated on it in 1889 to frame the nature of claims in terms of what is knowable and what is not.




Reflections on the Classical Canon in Economics


Book Description

In this discipline-defining volume, some of the leading international scholars in the history of economic thought re-examine the concepts of 'classical economics' and the 'canon', illuminating the roots and evolution of the contemporary discipline.