内容简介 本书是关于我们如何从科学的视角重新认识这个世界的科普读物，阐述了宇宙、世界、生命科学视角下，对世界本源的认识，并结合生物学、数学、物理学和计算机科学知识，更加细致入微地解释我们观察到的世界中的各类现象。 在这本书中，作者希望表明我们的宇宙不仅仅是一座没有生命、毫无意义的数学机器。在我们真正了解意识和人类思想的奇迹之前，我们能真正了解宇宙吗？为了做到这一点，作者超越了物理世界去寻找答案。对于对生命、宇宙和一切事物的深层问题感到好奇的读者来说，《世界本身》是一本必不可少的读物。

Most people think of yoga as a solitary activity that isinherently therapeutic. While that is generally true, yoga posesand breathing practices can also be prescribed for specific healthproblems—often in combination with dietary advice taken fromAyurveda, traditional Indian medicine. Yoga Therapy is an essentialguide for yoga teachers, advanced practitioners, and anyone whowants to make therapeutic use of yoga. A. G. and Indra Mohanprescribe postures, breathing techniques, and basic Ayurvedicprinciples for a variety of common health problems, includingasthma, back pain, constipation, hip pain, knee pain, menstrualproblems, and scoliosis. Yoga Therapy is one of the few books that shows yoga teachers howto put together appropriate yoga sequences and breathing techniquesfor their students. Mohan details how to correctly move into, hold,and move out of poses, how to breathe during practice to achievespecific results, and how to customize a yoga practice by creatingsequences of yoga poses for a particular pers

Here is a personal tribute to “the father of modern yoga” SriTirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888–1989), written by one of hislongtime disciples. Krishnamacharya was a renowned Indian yogamaster, Ayurvedic healer, and scholar who modernized yoga practiceand whose students—including B. K. S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, T.K. V. Desikachar, and Indra Devi—dramatically popularized yoga inthe West. In this book, the author, A. G. Mohan, a well-respected yogateacher and yoga therapist, draws on his own memories andKrishnamacharya’s diaries and recorded material, to present afascinating view of the man and his teachings, and Mohan's own warmand inspiring relationship with the master. This portrait of thegreat teacher will be a compelling and informative read for yogateachers and students who truly want to understand the source oftheir tradition and practice.

Steven Pinker's riveting, myth-destroying new book reveals how,contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively lessviolent, over millenia and decades. Given the images of conflict we see daily on our screens, canviolence really have declined? And wasn't the twentiethcentury the most devastatingly brutal in history? Extraordinarily,however, as Steven Pinker shows, violence within and between societies - both murder and warfare - really has declined fromprehistory to today. We are much less likely to die at someoneelse's hands than ever before. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage' and aHobbesian notion of a 'nasty, brutish and short' life, StevenPinker argues that modernity and its cultural institutions aremaking us better people. He ranges over everything from art toreligion, international trade to individual table manners, andshows how life has changed across the centuries and around theworld - not simply through the huge benefits of organizedgovernment, but also because of the ex

It was the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. In 1985, at a heated auction by Christie’s of London, a 1787bottle of Ch?teau Lafite Bordeaux—one of a cache of bottlesunearthed in a bricked-up Paris cellar and supposedly owned byThomas Jefferson—went for $156,000 to a member of the Forbesfamily. The discoverer of the bottle was pop-band manager turnedwine collector Hardy Rodenstock, who had a knack for findingextremely old and exquisite wines. But rumors about the bottle soonarose. Why wouldn’t Rodenstock reveal the exact location where ithad been found? Was it part of a smuggled Nazi hoard? Or did hisreticence conceal an even darker secret? It would take more than two decades for those questions to beanswered and involve a gallery of intriguing players—among themMichael Broadbent, the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaksof wines as if they are women and staked his reputation on therecord-setting sale; Serena Sutcliffe, Broadbent’s elegantarchrival, whose palate is c

Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more thanassigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increasevocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? Andwhat is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas? The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed inrecent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids tocomplete such assignments—often without considering whether or notthey serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in thedark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyedhad ever taken a course specifically on homework duringtraining. The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is thatthere is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary schoolstudents achieve academic success and little evidence that it helpsolder students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll onAmerica’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, andexercise time they need for prop

All those baby boomers who have embarked on the journey ofraising their second and third children have found themselves leftin the lurch by existing child care literature. Now child careexpert Nancy Samalin, who has earned a reputation for her forgivingand empowering approach to parenting, brings her inspiring outlookto this guide to the pitfalls and rewards of parenting two or morechildren. Parents who consider themselves pros after the first child are infor a surprise when the encounter life after the second child isborn and beyond. Suddenly their world is an exhausting haze ofcompeting demands, perpetual squabbling, sibling rivalry,complaints of unfairness and "you love him more" (and sometimes youdo), unrelenting stress, and a pervasive sense of guilt andinadequacy. Culled from her years of workshops with hundreds ofparents, Nancy Samalin shares the trials and joys of parenthood andprovides specific advice on steering your way through the parentingrapids. This is a must-read for today's harri

A collection of studies in which Arendt, from the standpointof a political philosopher, views the crises of the 1960s and early1970s as challenges to the american form of government. Index.

The Touch of Healing offers readers the means togreater health, vitality, and self-understanding through thepractice of an ancient oriental healing art and practical holisticphilosophy called Jin Shin Jystsu. Gentle touching similar toacupressure is used to release tension that accumulates and is atthe root of dysfunction, disease, and imbalance. The authorsexplain the natural life force that runs through the body anddemonstrate with case studies, detailed analysis, and more than 30illustrations, how to integrate this system into one's life. Thekey healing points and body flows, known as "Safety Energy Locks,"are presented with step-by-step instructions on how to utilize themfor healing and greater self-awareness. Many self-help practicesare also offered that address a wide array of common ailments,including headaches, digestive disorders, fatigue, depression, andarthritis along with pre*ive exercises for relief of emotionalailments such as loss of confidence, anxiety, and depression.

A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, WashingtonPost, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, andDenver Post Bestseller In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett venturedinto the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. Henever returned. Over the years countless perished trying to findevidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.”In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Granninterweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” andhis own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatestexploration mystery of the twentieth century.

Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Programat the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with aterrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation,cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluableinsights into just what is involved in making this one's chosenprofession. The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, fromhow to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from foodpreparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality andmanagement, and much more. The book will be presented in the distinctive andhighly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED INARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who isthinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, oreven just the casual chef.

This important book by one of our leading experts on disasterpreparedness offers a compelling narrative about our nation’sinability to properly plan for large-scale disasters and proposeschanges that can still be made to assure the safety of itscitizens. Five years after 9/11 and one year after Hurricane Katrina, it ispainfully clear that the government’s emergency response capacityis plagued by incompetence and a paralyzing bureaucracy. IrwinRedlener, who founded and directs the National Center for DisasterPreparedness, brings his years of experience with disasters andhealth care crises, national and international, to an incisiveanalysis of why our health care system, our infrastructure, and ouroverall approach to disaster readiness have left the nationvulnerable, virtually unable to respond effectively to catastrophicevents. He has had frank, and sometimes shocking, conversationsabout the failure of systems during and after disasters with abroad spectrum of people—from hospital workers an

A clear, simple guide for students of anatomy as well as anexcellent resource for athletes, massage therapists, and anyoneinterested in the workings of the human body, this user-friendlybook is organized around six muscle groups. They include muscles ofthe face head, and neck; the trunk; the shoulder and upper arm; theforearm and hand; the hip and thigh; and the leg and foot. Each ofthe groups is given a distinctive color to make it easy toidentify, and each muscle is shown in its relationship to theskeleton. Each gets a complete profile, including origin/insertion,action of the muscle, which nerve controls it, movements that useit, and exercises and stretches that strengthen it. The ConciseBook of Muscles shows students exactly how to locate andidentify specific muscles, highlighting those that are heavily usedand therefore subject to injury in a variety of sports andactivities. This expanded edition of a leading anatomy referencebook includes 20 muscles not previously covered, adding greaterdepth t

They invented slums. They invented child labor. They putSaddam Hussein in power. They burned Joan of Arc at the stake, andthey enslaved the globe to get their tea fix. We're talking aboutEngland, of course, and the terrible evils they've set loose on theworld. In The Evil Empire, American author Steven Grasse documentsthe 101 worst atrocities of Mother England everything fromfoxhunting to the invention of the concentration camp. With anirreverent mix of historical facts, smart commentary, andred-blooded American arrogance, Grasse offers a devastatingcritique of the country that gave us the machine gun, factorylabor, and the metric system. Publishing just in time for theQueen's birthday (April 21), The Evil Empire is essential readingfor true-blue Americans and others oppressed by the Englishthroughout history.

Learned [and] rewarding...The Birth of the Clinic continues[Foucault's] brilliant history, not of ideas as such, but of the ofperception." -- The New York Times Book Review "The Birth of the Clinic attempts a minor revolution inmedical-history writing.... Foucault's research is overwhelming andaffords the reader considerable entertainment as well asinsight."

A progressive program for those who want to learn to swim,as well as for swimmers at every level. Katz explains how to swimin detail and offers drills to improve stroke techniques, tops onimproving starts and turns, and a series of progressive workoutsdesigned to increase the athlete's strength and stamina. Linedrawings throughout.

Get out! No matter what your age, MaryJane Butters walks youto the door and OUT you go. Wilderness ranger turned Idaho organicfarmer, MaryJane is a woman OUTSIDE . . . the norm. Drawing fromher own diverse background, she’ll show you exactly HOW to getoutdoors—and what to do once you’re there. Think and get inspired in her OUTTHINKING chapter. Head to yourporch, yard, or rooftop, using the innovative and easy suggestionsyou’ll find in OUTBOUND. Kick up a little sass with her ideas inOUTRIGGED, joining the ranks of “reel” women who go tramping(trailer camping), or wily huntresses who take the kind of “heartshots” that knock ‘em dead and into the freezer. In OUTSTEPPING,learn to load a backpack with her unique high-protein meal planthat won’t break the bank or your back. And throughout these pages you’ll encounter the inspirationalstories of OUTSPOKEN women who’ve blazed the trail and beyond. Bythe time you turn the last page, you’ll be going flat-OUT for allthe worl

An absolutely wonderful book. --Russell Baker "Rick Bragg writes like a man on fire. And All Over but theShoutin' is a work of art. While reading this book, I fell in lovewith Rick Bragg's mother, Margaret Bragg, a hundred times. I feltlike I was reading one of the prophets in the Old Testament whenreading parts of this book. I thought of Melville, I thought ofFaulkner. Because I love the English language, I knew I was readingone of the best books I've ever read. By explaining his life to theworld, Rick Bragg explained part of my life to me. You feel thingsin every line this man writes. His sentences bleed on you. I weptwhen the book ended. I never met Rick Bragg in my life, but Icalled him up and told him he'd written a masterpiece, and I sentflowers to his mother." --Pat Conroy "Searingly honest, beautifully written, All Over but the Shoutin'is perhaps the most courageous thing Pulitzer Prize-winningjournalist Rick Bragg has ever written. Making his reputation on

Every spring thousands of middle-class and lower-incomehigh-school seniors learn that they have been rejected by America’smost exclusive colleges. What they may never learn is how manycandidates like themselves have been passed over in favor ofwealthy white students with lesser credentials—children of alumni,big donors, or celebrities. In this explosive book, the Pulitzer Prize–winning reporterDaniel Golden argues that America, the so-called land ofopportunity, is rapidly becoming an aristocracy in which America’srichest families receive special access to elite highereducation—enabling them to give their children even more of a headstart. Based on two years of investigative reporting and hundredsof interviews with students, parents, school administrators, andadmissions personnel—some of whom risked their jobs to speak to theauthor—The Price of Admission exposes the corrupt admissionspractices that favor the wealthy, the powerful, and thefamous. In The Price of Admission, Golde

Americans are as safe, well fed, securely sheltered,long-lived, free, and healthy as any human beings who have everlived on the planet. But we are down on America. So why do we hateus? According to Dick Meyer, the following items on this (muchabbreviated) list are some of the contributors to our deepdisenchantment with our own culture: Cell-phone talkers broadcasting the intimate details of their livesin public spaces Worship of self-awareness, self-realization, andself-fulfillment T-shirts that read, “Eat Me” Facebook, MySpace, and kids being taught to market themselves High-level cheating in business and sports Reality television and the cosmetic surgery boom Multinational corporations that claim, “We care about you.” The decline of organic communities A line of cosmetics called “S.L.U.T.” The phony red state–blue state divide The penetration of OmniMarketing into OmniMedia and the insinuationof both into every facet of our lives You undoubtedly could add to the list with hardly a moment’

Geraldine Brooks is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and Year of Wonders and the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence. Previously, Brooks was a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal in Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East. Born and raised in Australia, she lives on Martha's V'meyard with her husband Tony Horwitz, their son Nathaniel, and three dogs.

The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment offers aphilosophical perspective on an eighteenth-century movement thathas been profoundly influential on western culture. A distinguishedteam of contributors examines the writings of David Hume, AdamSmith, Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, Colin Maclaurin and otherScottish thinkers, in fields including philosophy, naturaltheology, economics, anthropology, natural science and law. Inaddition, the contributors relate the Scottish Enlightenment to itshistorical context and assess its impact and legacy in Europe,America and beyond. The result is a comprehensive and accessiblevolume that illuminates the richness, the intellectual variety andthe underlying unity of this important movement. It will be ofinterest to a wide range of readers in philosophy, theology,literature and the history of ideas.