Despite the ubiquity of countless apps, social media platforms, and so-called smart devices, and even considering the renewed and welcome focus on STEM subjects, societal innumeracy remains a critical driver of bad policy and bad thinking. Almost every major issue facing todayΓÇÖs world is made more difficult by false interpretations, incorrect assumptions, or a general misunderstanding of how numbers inform narratives and statistics shape stories.New York Times-bestselling author and math popularizer John Allen Paulos has worked for decades to educate readers on not only the formal properties of the numbers, statistics, and probabilities behind news stories, but also what they mean and how they should be interpreted. When we use mathematics to describe the social world, we are always faced with questions: What are we trying to measure or count and how do we decide whom to include, exclude, or qualify?WhoΓÇÖs Counting features selected columns from PaulosΓÇÖ well-known ABC News series of the same name collected here in book form for the first time, along with updates and brand-new original essays from the author. The result is a timeless and timely examination of how better understanding data improves our thinking and decision-making. With examples from government, mass media, natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories, climate change, ΓÇ£fake news,ΓÇ¥ and popular culture, Paulos shows how mathematics and logic are, along with a humble respect for truth, our most basic and reliable guides to reality.
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is not only an assault on the body--it is also an assault on the mind and spirit. In addition to imposing a significantly higher rate of conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual exploitation, intimate partner violence, suicidality, and substance abuse, the most devastating consequences of childhood sexual abuse is shame. Freedom at Last will help former victims recover from all aspects of this extreme shame and its damaging after-effects. In this groundbreaking book, leading psychotherapist Beverly Engel reveals the truth about how shame affects victims, explains the nuances behind the emotion of shame, and teaches readers how to develop more self-awareness about how shame has manifested in their lives, along with powerful and effective shame-reduction strategies. Not only does shame from CSA cause a multitude of problems, this very same shame stands in the way of a victim's ability to recover and heal..Freedom at Last offers effective strategies for not only healing the negative effects of abuse-related shame, but also the emotional barriers to disclosing abuse and seeking help due to difficulties trusting others and self-blame. Using cutting-edge research along with her thirty-five years of experience working with victims of child sexual abuse, Engel provides a blueprint for readers to overcome the debilitating effects of shame, including strategies for emotional release, disclosing the abuse, practicing self-forgiveness, eliminating shame-causing behaviors, including sexual compulsions and addictions.
Steady, Calm, and Brave is a practical guidebook for life's most difficult moments. Meditation teacher Kimberly Brown shows you how to meet unexpected circumstances--a serious health crisis, a looming natural disaster, a terrifying accident--with patience, clarity, and kindness. You'll learn how to support yourself and others with simple mindfulness exercises and compassion techniques drawn from the Buddhist tradition. These transformative practices will help you manage anxiety and cope with loss. You'll discover you can truly engage with your struggles and create a sense of ease and peace and resilience even in the worst moments. With relatable stories and beneficial Buddhist teachings, Steady, Calm, and Brave offers soothing support for anyone facing extraordinary challenges. It's a path to self-compassion and comfort in the midst of uncertainty, that illuminates how to survive a crisis without falling apart, running away, or losing your mind. With insightful reflections and exercises, you'll develop the wisdom and understanding you need to face intense difficulty, and the confidence to recognize you have all the tools you need to survive--and even thrive--in a crisis and beyond.
Perhaps no other television show captures our innate fascination with crime and criminals better than the original Forensic Files. Examining true crime cases from murders to insurance fraud, hit-and-runs to kidnappings, every case featured on the show is solved in large part with the help of forensic science like DNA evidence.In Forensic Files Now, author Rebecca Reisner shares her own gripping retellings of 40 favorite cases profiled on the show along with fascinating updates adapted from her popular blog, ForensicFilesNow.com. Featuring classic cases like the Tennessee brothers who terrorized locals for years until the feds rode into town, the Texas lovebirds who robbed a grave in an insurance fraud plot that made international headlines, the Ivy League-educated physician who attempted a fresh start by burying his wife in the basement, and some cases so captivating that they have sparked spinoff miniseries or documentaries of their own, the book will enthrall readers with its vivid recaps and detailed updates.Also featuring an in-depth interview with Forensic Files creator Paul Dowling and a profile on the show's beloved narrator, Peter Thomas, Forensic Files Now is a must-read for diehard Forensic Files fans and a welcome find for true crime readers who are always looking for more riveting and well-told stories.
By exploring the extent of our deeply integrated cellular world, Bioverse provides profound insights about ourselves, our health and well-being, our social systems, and our permanent relationship to the planet and the cosmos.
Evolution helps us understand our own humble place in the rich tapestry of life. But what do we know about the theory of evolution itself? Based on the popular podcast of the same name, Evolution Talk reveals how the theory of evolution came to be and how it explains the world around us.Before Charles Darwin, other luminaries planted the seeds that would one day evolve into the theory that would make him famous. Author Rick Coste begins by shining a spotlight on the writers, philosophers, and scientists who planted the seeds that would blossom into the theory of evolution by natural selection, from Aristotle's big ideas to young Mary Anning's discovery of the first ichthyosaur skeleton. After exploring the contributions of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, Evolution Talk investigates the very beginnings of life itself. From its genesis in a primordial pond to the endless and beautiful forms which emerged to populate our once barren little planet, adaptations such as altruism, sexual selection, and
A picture-perfect suburban life fractures . . . and a darker reality bubbles beneath the surface. Mona Ellison's life is as perfect as the porcelain dolls lined up on her shelves. She has a successful husband, a loving son, a beautiful home, and a supportive group of girlfriends ever ready for their weekly wine night. But when Mona’s son gets entangled with the wrong crowd and runs away from home, her blissful suburban world begins to unravel. She tells her friends that boys will be boys, that he’ll be back as soon as his money runs dry . . . but deep down she knows there’s something else going on. Then the police show up at Mona’s door. A young girl has turned up dead in their quiet town, and her missing son is the prime suspect. Determined to reunite with her son and prove his innocence, Mona follows an increasingly cryptic trail of clues on social media, uncovering a sinister side of suburbia and unveiling lies and betrayal from those she trusted most. And as Mona spirals further from her once cozy reality, a devastating revelation shatters everything she thought she knew. Now the only thing she’s sure of is that she can’t trust anyone . . . not even herself. With unrelenting psychological suspense and a wicked twist, What They Don’t Know marries small-town thriller and domestic mystery—suburban paranoia at its best.
Bern, Switzerland-known for its narrow cobblestone streets, decorative fountains, and striking towers. Yet dark currents run through this charming medieval city and beyond, to the idyllic farmlands that surround it. When a rave on a hot summer night erupts into violent riots, a young man is found the next morning bludgeoned to death with a policeman's club. Seasoned detective Giuliana Linder is assigned to the case. That same day, an elderly organic farmer turns up dead and drenched with pesticide. Enter Giuliana's younger-and distractingly attractive-colleague Renzo Donatelli to investigate the second murder. Giuliana's disappointment that they're on two different cases is tinged with relief-her home life is complicated enough without the risk of a fling. But when an unexpected discovery ties the two victims into a single case, Giuliana and Renzo are thrown closer together than ever before. Dangerously close. Will Giuliana be able to handle the threats to her marriage and to her assumptions about the police? If she wants to prevent another murder, she'll have to put her life on the line-and her principles. Combining suspense and romance, this debut mystery in the Polizei Bern series offers a distinctive picture of the Swiss. An inventive tale, packed with surprises, it will keep readers guessing until the end.
Murray N Rothbard was the founder of the libertarian movement, a radical free marketeer who came of age in the era of collectivism and fought all his life for individualism and laissez-faire against the odds. His life goal was to find a science of liberty. This book covers his biography.
In this new anthology critiquing Christianity, John Loftus--a former minister and now a leading atheist--has brought together an outstanding group of respected scholars who focus on the harms caused by the world's leading religion. The contributors begin by dissecting the many problematic aspects of religious faith generally. They repeatedly demonstrate that, with faith as a foundation, almost anything can be believed or denied. And almost any horrific deed can be committed. The authors then take a good hard look at many of the most important political, institutional, scientific, social, and moral harms committed in the name of Christianity. These range from the historical persecutions of the Inquisition and witch hunts to the current health hazards of faith healing.Finally, the authors answer three common Christian retorts to criticisms from nonbelievers: (1) that atheists cannot judge a harmful action without an objective moral standard; (2) that atheists need faith to solve the world's problems; and (3) that atheists cannot live a good life without faith.Loftus and the contributors generally conclude that, given both the well-documented historical record and ongoing problems raised by the faith, Christianity decisively fails empirical tests of its usefulness to humanity.
Illustrates the issues separating the theist from the atheist and agnostic. This book sheds light on world events and the inconsistencies inherent in supernaturalism and theistic theories. It also discusses atheism both as a reaction to belief and as a separate and consistent form of belief in a world stripped of the divine.
This is the extraordinary true story of America's first female rocket scientist. Told by her son, it describes Mary Sherman Morgan's crucial contribution to launching America's first satellite and the author's labyrinthine journey to uncover his mother's lost legacy--one buried deep under a lifetime of secrets political, technological, and personal. In 1938, a young German rocket enthusiast named Wernher von Braun had dreams of building a rocket that could fly him to the moon. In Ray, North Dakota, a young farm girl named Mary Sherman was attending high school. In an age when girls rarely dreamed of a career in science, Mary wanted to be a chemist. A decade later the dreams of these two disparate individuals would coalesce in ways neither could have imagined. World War II and the Cold War space race with the Russians changed the fates of both von Braun and Mary Sherman Morgan. When von Braun and other top engineers could not find a solution to the repeated failures that plagued the nascent US rocket program, North American Aviation, where Sherman Morgan then worked, was given the challenge. Recognizing her talent for chemistry, company management turned the assignment over to young Mary.In the end, America succeeded in launching rockets into space, but only because of the joint efforts of the brilliant farm girl from North Dakota and the famous German scientist. While von Braun went on to become a high-profile figure in NASA's manned space flight, Mary Sherman Morgan and her contributions fell into obscurity--until now.
The concept of race has had a powerful impact on history and continues to shape the world today in profound ways. This title explores all sides of the issue, including such questions as these: If analysis of the human genome reveals that all human beings are 99.9 per cent alike, how meaningful are racial differences?
Presents a critique of patriarchal religion and a proposal to establish a liberating alternative to the Judeo-Christian myth. Refering to the worship of a mother goddess at the dawn of civilization, this book argues for a restoration of this primal religious sensibility, which celebrated the Earth's fertility and woman's innate power to bear life.
Claims that neo-Marxists are wrong when they cite the relative backwardness of colonial peoples and blame the condition on the imperialism of advanced Western nations. History tells a different tale. This book asserts that the results of imperialistic interventions differ as to result in predictable ways.
Human beings evolved in a tribal environment. This title examines the many ways in which our tribally oriented brains perceive and sometime distort reality. It also describes how our social nature led to the development of the cognitive tricks that have served us so well over the centuries.
Looks at some of the most common unfounded beliefs - and their alternative scientific explanations. This title shows readers how to find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, and conspiracy theories.
Not much has survived its condemnation by the imperial Church in 448, but here is a new edition of the fragments of Porphyry of Tyre's (ca. 232 - ca. 305) attack on the beliefs and doctrines of Christianity, the divinity of Christ, the integrity of the apostles, and the reality of the resurrection.
Explores the many ways in which we are eroding our capacity for deep, sustained attention - the building block of intimacy, wisdom, and cultural progress. This title introduces us to scientists, cartographers, educators, wired teens, virtual lovers from the telegraph age, and roboticists building smart machines to comfort and care for us.
Contends that Silicon Valley is more than just the name of a geographical area, it is the name for a psychological obsession found where people believe that instant fame and fortune can be gained through silicon chips and Web sites. This work reveals that the obsession nourishes itself on an illusion of power and instant gratification.
Surveys the history of liberal thought from John Locke to John Stuart Mill. This book rejects radical Marxists and fascists who would use violence and revolution rather than democratic methods to aid the citizenry.
The course of Western philosophy has been profoundly altered by the philosophy of Hegel. The first of those who set about the transforming and revisioning of the world according to Hegel's dialectical theory were called "The Young Hegelians". This book retrieves some of the central writings of that troubling generation.
Examines the nature, extent, intensity, and import of exploitation and its relation to the issue of social justice. This title explores racial and gender exploitation and the way in which the environment and the Third World are exploited.
Exposes a twisted legal system, its obvious abuses of civil rights, and indifferent courts that subject caring fathers across the nation to vengeful ex-wives, opportunistic psychologists and psychiatrists, and overzealous attorneys. This book argues that all fathers should not be viewed as deadbeat dads who shirk their responsibilities.
Offers essays on four key issues: the causes of homosexuality, disputes about the role the courts should play, gays and the military, and religious attitudes toward homosexuality.
For over forty years, Dr Marvin Brown served the medical needs of the inhabitants in and around a small town in central New York State. Throughout the challenges, frustrations, rewards, and triumphs of his chosen path, Dr Brown was blessed with the unfailing love and support of his beloved wife and children. This book talks about Dr Marvin Brown.
A group of scholars met at the State University of New York at Buffalo to share their thoughts on the nature of humans as rational animals. Drawing from the meeting, these essays discuss about the nature and extent of rationality - its content, focus, and the intrinsic guidelines for using the term "rational" when describing persons or actions.
Examines what happened to Newton's science as it was interpreted by his major followers. The authors also look at the scientific culture that Newton helped to create and the impact that his ideas had on the rapidly developing technology that led to the Industrial Revolution.
One of the more exciting ways to grapple with philosophical questions, positions, and arguments, is through philosophical fiction. This collection presents philosophically interesting science fiction. It provides an introduction to philosophy of science fiction and an introduction to science fiction for the philosophically inclined.
Illustrated with examples from the history of science, this work features an approach to familiar questions about scientific evidence and method and tackles important questions about science and its place in society.
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