The Moving Spotlight


Book Description

Ross P. Cameron argues that the flow of time is a genuine feature of reality. He suggests that the best version of the A-Theory is a version of the Moving Spotlight view, according to which past and future beings are real, but there is nonetheless an objectively privileged present. Cameron argues that the Moving Spotlight theory should be viewed as having more in common with Presentism (the view that reality is limited to the present) than with the B-Theory (the view that time is just another dimension like space through which things are spread out). The Moving Spotlight view, on this picture, agrees with Presentism that everything is the way it is now, it simply thinks that non-present beings are amongst the things that are now some way. Cameron argues that the Moving Spotlight theory provides the best account of truthmakers for claims about what was or will be the case, and he defends the view against a number of objections, including McTaggart's argument that the A-Theory is inconsistent, and the charge that if the A-Theory is true but presentism false then we could not know that we are present. The Moving Spotlight defends an account of the open future--that what will happen is, as yet, undetermined--and argues that this is a better account than that available to the Growing Block theory.




Objective Becoming


Book Description

Bradford Skow presents an original defense of the 'block universe' theory of time, often said to be a theory according to which time does not pass. Along the way, he provides in-depth discussions of alternative theories of time, including those in which there is 'robust passage' of time or 'objective becoming': presentism, the moving spotlight theory of time, the growing block theory of time, and the 'branching time' theory of time. Skow explains why the moving spotlight theory is the best of these arguments, and rebuts several popular arguments against the thesis that time passes. He surveys the problems that the special theory of relativity has been thought to raise for objective becoming, and suggests ways in which fans of objective becoming may reconcile their view with relativistic physics. The last third of the book aims to clarify and evaluate the argument that we should believe that time passes because, somehow, the passage of time is given to us in experience. He isolates three separate arguments this idea suggests, and explains why they fail.




Hiding in the Spotlight


Book Description

Summoning all the colors of a Chopin prelude, Dawson has painted a vivid picture of his mother (Mona Golabeck) as a young girl whose musical genius enables her to survive the Holocaust.




Mallory in Spotlight


Book Description

The world is a stage for Mallory McDonald!When Mallory tries out for a part in the school play and gets the lead, she is super excited. But not everyone shares her enthusiasm, especially her best friend Mary Ann. In fact, the more excited Mallory gets, the less excited Mary Ann becomes. Mallory can't understand why Mary Ann is acting so strange. Even though the lights are shining bright, is there something Mallory's not seeing? Can Mallory find a way to play the roles of leading lady and best friend?




Spotlight


Book Description

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga has taken the world by storm. The four novels that tell the paranormal romance of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are international bestsellers that readers everywhere are discussing and re-reading again and again. But WHY are the books so popular? Critics have dismissed them as "Harlequin trash" and "literary junk food" but book lovers obviously disagree. Is there more to Twilight than a love story for teen girls crossed with a cheesy vampire-werewolf drama? . . . . . John Granger, author of Unlocking Harry Potter: Seven Keys for the Serious Reader, explains in Spotlight the literary backdrop, the themes, the artistry, and the meaning of the four Bella Swan adventures. Twilight readers will learn here: * Why the Book Covers are Black, White, and Red; * How Edward Can Read Thoughts and the La Push Wolf Pack Can Have a Shared Mind; * What Influence the X-Men, Night of the Living Dead, and Plato's Republic had on Twilight; * Why the Volturi live in Italy and Hate the Cullens' "Lifestyle Choices";* Why Bella's "empty chest" is mentioned thirty seven times in New Moon; * Why so many Key Twilight Saga Scenes take place in Mountain Meadows; * What Role the Quileute "Protectors" play in Meyer's Re-Telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; * How Carlisle's Birth in Sixteenth Century London Explains Why the Cullens are "Vegetarians";* Why the James and Bella Confrontation in Twilight takes place in a Ballet Studio; * Why Jacob and Edward are described consistently as Bella's Sun and Moon; and * Why Books and Films about Bella Swan and Harry Potter are such Blockbuster Hits. . . . . . Spotlight unveils layer-by-layer the meaning of the books and the artistry of their composition so Twilight lovers can see how the books work and why we love them the way we do! Spotlight is the only book that explains Twilight-mania and is the perfect gift for serious Twilight readers wanting to learn why the books they love are so good and have become as popular as they are.




How Do I Do That In Photoshop? (2nd Edition)


Book Description

The simplest, easiest, and quickest ways to learn over 250 Photoshop tips, tricks, and techniques! Scott Kelby, the world’s #1 best-selling photography technique books author, is back with a totally updated and revised new edition of his bestselling book How Do I Do That In Photoshop? This book presents an entirely new concept in Photoshop books—one that’s designed from the ground up to get you straight to whatever it is you need to do in Photoshop right now, get your answer fast, and get you back to editing your images in Photoshop. Photoshop has so much depth and so many features, tools, and filters that sometimes the things you need are…well…kinda hidden or not really obvious. In fact, there will probably be a lot of times when you need to get something done in Photoshop, and you know Photoshop can do it (because Photoshop can literally do just about anything), but you have no idea where Adobe hid that feature, or what the “secret handshake” or shortcut is to do that thing you need to do right now. That’s why this book was created: to quickly get you to the technique, the shortcut, the setting, or exactly the right thing, so you can do what you need to do right now.

Here’s how it works: When you need to know how to do a particular thing, you turn to the chapter where it would be found (Layers, Printing, Masking, Special Effects, etc.), find the thing you need to do (it’s easy; each page covers just one single topic), and Scott tells you exactly how to do it just like he was sitting there beside you, using the same casual style as if he were telling a friend. That way, you get back to editing your images fast. This isn’t a book of theory, full of confusing jargon and detailed multistep concepts. This is a book on which button to click, which setting to use, and exactly how and when to use it, so you’re never “stuck” in Photoshop again. This will be your “go-to” book that sits within reach any time you’re working in Photoshop, and you are going to love having this type of help right at your fingertips. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: How to Get Around Like a Pro Chapter 2: How to Use Photoshop’s Tools Chapter 3: How to Use Camera Raw Like a Boss Chapter 4: How to Use Camera Raw’s AI-Powered Masking Tools Chapter 5: How to Crop, Resize & Stuff Like That Chapter 6: How to Work with Layers Chapter 7: How to Adjust Your Image Chapter 8: How to Remove, Add & Change Stuff Chapter 9: How to Make Beautiful Prints Chapter 10: How to Do the Most Popular Special Effects Chapter 11: How to Sharpen Your Images Chapter 12: Other Stuff You’ll Want to Know




Celeste Holm Syndrome


Book Description

Longlisted for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay In this essay collection David Lazar looks to our intimate relationships with characters, both well-known and lesser known, from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Veering through considerations of melancholy and wit, sexuality and gender, and the surrealism of comedies of the self in an uncanny world, mixed with his own autobiographical reflections of cinephilia, Lazar creates an alluring hybrid of essay forms as he moves through the movies in his mind. Character actors from the classical era of the 1930s through the 1950s including Thelma Ritter, Oscar Levant, Martin Balsam, Nina Foch, Elizabeth Wilson, Eric Blore, Edward Everett Horton, and the eponymous Celeste Holm all make appearances in these considerations of how essential character actors were, and remain, to cinema.




Integrity


Book Description

Integrity—more than simple honesty, it's the key to success. A person with integrity has the ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances. Drawing on experiences from his work, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist, leadership coach, corporate consultant and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be. In Integrity, Dr. Cloud explores the six qualities of character that define integrity, and how people with integrity: Are able to connect with others and build trust Are oriented toward reality Finish well Embrace the negative Are oriented toward increase Have an understanding of the transcendent Integrity is not something that you either have or don't, but instead is an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.




This Golden State


Book Description

Marit Weisenberg’s This Golden State follows a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted world The Winslow family lives by five principles: 1. No one can know your real name. 2. Don’t stay in one place too long. 3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot. 4. Keeping our family together is everything. 5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask. Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice. When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality. Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?




The Open Future


Book Description

In The Open Future: Why Future Contingents are all False, Patrick Todd launches a sustained defense of a radical interpretation of the doctrine of the open future. He argues that all claims about undetermined aspects of the future are simply false. Todd argues that this theory is metaphysically more parsimonius than its rivals, and that objections to its logical and practical coherence are much overblown. Todd shows how proponents of this view can maintain classical logic, and argues that the view has substantial advantages over Ockhamist, supervaluationist, and relativist alternatives. Todd draws inspiration from theories of ''neg-raising'' in linguistics, from debates about omniscience within the philosophy of religion, and defends a crucial comparison between his account of future contingents and certain more familiar theories of counterfactuals. Further, Todd defends his theory of the open future from the charges that it cannot make sense of our practices of betting, makes our credences regarding future contingents unintelligible, and is at odds with proper norms of assertion. In the end, in Todd's classical open future, we have a compelling new solution to the longstanding problem of future contingents.