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。

People decide about political parties by taking into accountthe preferences, values, expectations, and perceptions of theirfamily, friends, colleagues, and neighbours. As most people livewith others, members of their households influence each other'spolitical decisions. How and what they think about politics andwhat they do are the outcomes of social processes. Applying variedstatistical models to data from extensive German and Britishhousehold surveys, this book shows that wives and husbandsinfluence each other; young adults influence their parents,especially their mothers. Wives and mothers sit at the centre ofhouseholds: their partisanship influences the partisanship ofeveryone else, and the others affect them. Politics in householdsinteracts with competition among the political parties to sustainbounded partisanship. People ignore one of the major parties andvary their preference of its major rival over time. Electioncampaigns reinforce these choices.

“There are lives lost in this book, and there are lives saved,too, if salvation means a young man or woman begins to feeldeserving of a place on the planet. . . . What could be moresoul-satisfying? These are the most influential professionals mostof us will ever meet. The effects of their work will lastforever.” –from the foreword by Anna Quindlen Now depicted in a bestselling book and a feature film, theFreedom Writers phenomenon came about in 1994 when Erin Gruwellstepped into Room 203 and began her first teaching job out ofcollege. Long Beach, California, was still reeling from the deadlyviolence that erupted during the Rodney King riots, and the kids inErin’s classroom reflected the anger, resentment, and hopelessnessof their community. Undaunted, Erin fostered an educationalphilosophy that valued and promoted diversity, tolerance, andcommunication, and in the process, she transformed her students’lives, as well as her own. Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writerswent on to establish t

If you’ve been struggling with your weight, you know how hard itcan be to lose those extra pounds and keep them off. In thegroundbreaking Think Thin, Be Thin , nationally prominentpsychotherapist Doris Wild Helmering and award-winning healthwriter Dianne Hales assert that the true key to a healthy bodyweight is a healthy attitude toward food and exercise. Their logicis simple: Your brain ultimately controls what you eat and whetheryou work out. If you change the way you think, you can change theway you behave. And you can lose weight. Using proven psychological strategies and scientifically basedexercises, you will learn how to harness your thoughts to transformyour behavior, body, and life. With practical advice on suchtroublesome issues as curbing emotional eating, motivating yourselfto exercise, and overcoming diet plateaus, this book is the idealcomplement to any diet and weight-loss program.

The Knopf Canada Book of Healing Foods is a guide for everydayliving, and the fastest way to understand how the foods you eat canhelp to heal, and help you remain healthy. There's a healing food for almost every common health problem -from colds, stress, insomnia and high blood pressure to morecomplicated illnesses - and most are as close as your local grocer.Healing Foods is an indispensable guide to choosing the best foodsfor an active life - a bright and friendly market of knowledge thatmakes the time you spend at the dinner table an investment inspirited living. In beautiful colour, it also highlights health-giving foods andtheir nutritional and medicinal benefits. Information on buying,storing and preparing healing foods is clearly listed, and eachitem - from pineapples and chilies to almonds and apricots - islinked to delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes from around theworld. A questionnaire helps you assess your diet and general health topinpoint problem areas, while a section on

This highly interdisciplinary book highlights many of the waysin which chemistry plays a crucial role in making life anevolutionary possibility in the universe. Cosmologists and particlephysicists have often explored how the observed laws and constantsof nature lie within a narrow range that allows complexity and lifeto evolve and adapt. Here, these anthropic considerations arediversified in a host of new ways to identify the most sensitivefeatures of biochemistry and astrobiology. Celebrating the classic1913 work of Lawrence J. Henderson, The Fitness of the Environmentfor Life, this book looks at the delicate balance between chemistryand the ambient conditions in the universe that permit complexchemical networks and structures to exist. It will appeal to abroad range of scientists, academics, and others interested in theorigin and existence of life in our universe.

Penis envy? P'shaw.From the bestselling author of How to Make Your Man Behave In 21Days or Less Using the Secrets of Professional Dog Trainers comes (ahem) The Clitourist , a witty and empowering guide tothe hottest spot on a woman's body. For something so important toso many, there is a shocking lack of information available on theclitoris. An intimate biography of a gal's best friend, TheClitourist boldly attempts to fill that void, educating andentertaining the reader on every level, from structure and functionto care and upkeep, not to mention handy dandy arousal methods. Andthough funny, The Clitourist is not afraid to tackle thereally tough questions like, if we can put a man on the moon, whynot on a woman's clitoris during intercourse? As revolutionary insubject matter as The Vagina Monologues , as frank as Sexand the City, The Clitourist is a celebration of the femalebody as well as just a plain hoot that women will delight in buyingfor themselves, their sisters, and their friends (and heck, m

Examines the effectsof rapid industrial and technological changes upon the individual,the family, and society.

In the 1950s, a series of dams was proposed along the BrazosRiver in north-central Texas. For John Graves, this project meantthat if the stream’s regimen was thus changed, the beautiful andsometimes brutal surrounding countryside would also change, aswould the lives of the people whose rugged ancestors had eked outan existence there. Graves therefore decided to visit that stretchof the river, which he had known intimately as a youth. Goodbye to a River is his account of that farewell canoevoyage. As he braves rapids and fatigue and the fickle autumnweather, he muses upon old blood feuds of the region and violentskirmishes with native tribes, and retells wild stories of courageand cowardice and deceit that shaped both the river’s people andthe land during frontier times and later. Nearly half a centuryafter its initial publication, Goodbye to a River is a trueAmerican classic, a vivid narrative about an exciting journey and apowerful tribute to a vanishing way of life and its ever-changingnatural env

The brutal lynching of two young black men in Marion, Indiana,on August 7, 1930, cast a shadow over the town that still lingers.It is only one event in the long and complicated history of racerelations in Marion, a history much ignored and considered by manyto be best forgotten. But the lynching cannot be forgotten. It istoo much a part of the fabric of Marion, too much ingrained evennow in the minds of those who live there. In Our Town journalist Cynthia Carr explores the issues of race, loyalty, andmemory in America through the lens of a specific hate crime thatoccurred in Marion but could have happened anywhere. Marion is our town, America’s town, and its legacy is ourlegacy. Like everyone in Marion, Carr knew the basic details of thelynching even as a child: three black men were arrested forattempted murder and rape, and two of them were hanged in thecourthouse square, a fate the third miraculously escaped. MeetingJames Cameron–the man who’d survived–led her to examine how thequiet Midwestern

Discover the Rewards of Homeschooling Your Teen ?Create unlimited learning on a limited budget ?Discover teaching methods for teens with different learningstyles ?Utilize the best resources and technology ?Prepare your teen for college, career, and adult life The teen years can be the most exciting time in your child'slife. He or she is becoming an independent young adult andbeginning to make decisions for the future. Yet growing concernabout the negative social pressures, safety, and efficiency of ourtraditional high schools has prompted many parents just like you toteach their teenagers at home. With Homeschooling: The Teen Yearsas your guide, you'll discover it's not as daunting a task asyou've been led to believe. Using real-life stories from dozens offamilies, this book reveals the secrets of making homeschoolingwork for you and your teen. You'll discover how to: ?Work with your teen to create a unique, individual learningexperience ?Make coursework intere

Exercise your right to feel fabulous! Working with Peggy is a dream! Her ideas are terrific and therelationship she develops with you makes you feel confident aboutimprovement. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Duke University's men'sbasketball team Nothing is more important to strength, health and vitality thanstrong core muscles. I know this from both personal andprofessional experience. Peggy Brill s exercise program iseffective for every woman, no matter what her current fitnesslevel. And because it takes only 15 minutes per day, everyone canbenefit. Christiane Northrup, author of Women s Bodies, Women sWisdom Using The Core Program, you ll give your body a head-to-toeworkout that will also tone your muscles and carve inches off yourwaist and hips. You ll look great and feel terrific. Best of all,the easy-to-do Core movements can be done no matter how old youare. It doesn t matter whether you are overweight or skinny, fitor sedent

This book reformulates thesociological subdiscipline known as the sociology ofknowledge. Knowledge is presented as more than ideology,including as well false consciousness, propaganda,science and art.

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.

Fighting Cancer describes the Gorter Model, anintegrative, nontoxic approach to cancer treatment that mobilizesthe immune system. It was developed by Robert Gorter, MD, PhD, whoin 1976 recovered from Stage IV testicular cancer by using nontoxictreatment and no chemotherapy or radiation. Based onself-experience, extensive research, and decades of clinicalpractice, the treatment consists of supporting the immune systemusing fever therapy (hyperthermia), inoculation with immune cells,the use of the botanical mistletoe ( Viscum album )—the singlemost commonly prescribed anti-cancer medication in much ofEurope—supportive nutrients, and diet and lifestyle changes. Organized into three parts, Fighting Cancer presents a clearoverview of the model, the research behind it, and strategies forstrengthening natural immunity. Emphasizing stress reduction andminimizing toxic exposure, the authors provide practical guidancefor patients: questions to ask doctors after diagnosis and advicefor evaluating options, gat

From the best-selling author of "The Rise of the CreativeClass" comes a brilliant new book on the surprising importance ofplace, with advice on how to find the right place for you. It's amantra of the age of globalization that where we live doesn'tmatter. We can innovate just as easily from a ski chalet in theAlps or a cottage in Provence as in the office of a Silicon Valleystart-up.According to Richard Florida, this is wrong. Globalizationis not flattening the world; in fact, place is increasinglyrelevant to the global economy and our individual lives. Where welive determines the jobs and careers we have access to, the peoplewe meet and the 'mating markets' in which we participate. Andeverything we think we know about cities and their economic rolesis up for grabs."Who's Your City?" is the first book to report onthe growing body of research on what qualities of cities and townsactually make people happy in their lives. Choosing a place to liveis as important as choosing a spouse or career, but until n

An intimate account of the Royal couple, featuringbreathtaking photos from the April 29th Royal Wedding. LIFE has covered all of the lavish royal weddings since evenbefore Queen Elizabeth II wed in 1947, and of course the magazinedocumented in splendid, intimate detail the "wedding of thecentury," that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, years later. NowLIFE celebrates the royal engagement of Prince William and KateMiddleton. This book includes intimate pictures of William and Kate as theygrew to be the splendid adults they are today. The best photographs of royal weddings that have already been,including those of Charles and Diana, Grace Kelly and Rainier ofMonaco, Fergie and Andrew, and many others. A detailed look at the Middletons and the Windsors-thelatter,royal family dating back to Queen Victoria. Photography from Buckingham Palace insiders, including picturesfrom Litchfield and Lord Snowdon.

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

If you or someone you love has diabetes, you need thisup-to-date, accessible, and comprehensive guide. Written by twoexperienced physicians, this trusted reference, now completelyrevised, shares everything you need to know to keep yourself in thebest possible health. Discover ? the causes of diabetes–and how to prevent it and cure it ? the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes ? ways to reduce the risk of long-term complications ? the pros and cons of the insulin pump ? the facts on how diabetes can affect pregnancy ? how to manage diabetes-related impotence ? the proper diet, even when dining out and traveling ? alternative therapies and medical advances Addressing hundreds of patient concerns, this essential guide willhelp you deal constructively with virtually every challenge adiabetic may encounter, so that you can live a full, productive,and meaningful life.

The first collection of essays from renowned scientist andbest-selling author Richard Dawkins is an enthusiastic declaration,a testament to the power of rigorous scientific examination toreveal the wonders of the world. In these essays Dawkins revisitsthe meme, the unit of cultural information that he named and wroteabout in his groundbreaking work The Selfish Gene. Here also aremoving tributes to friends and colleagues, including a eulogy fornovelist Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to theGalaxy; correspondence with the evolutionary biologist Stephen JayGould; and visits with the famed paleoanthropologists Richard andMaeve Leakey at their African wildlife preserve. The collectionends with a vivid note to Dawkins's ten-year-old daughter,reminding her to remain curious, to ask questions, and to live theexamined life.

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

Every woman wants to eat her best. But eating well can bechallenging during the best of times. During pregnancy it isaggravated with curveballs such as nausea, cravings, or life.Before you ruin your healthful intentions, check out TheWell-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook, which offers a compromise byproviding 100 recipes that meet every mother’s needs by adaptingthem to her moods. Feeling nauseous? Turn Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins into alemony-soup. Craving comfort foods? Modify Asian Cabbage Salad intoa traditional but healthy treat. Ready to shed your baby pounds?Transform Fettucine with Mushrooms and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes into abeautiful salad. Feeling good today? Try some Broiled Salmon withCaramelized Fennel and Sweet Onion paired with Crisp Roasted SweetPotatoes. And the Lemon Cookies and Devilicious Cupcakes are greatfor any mood. Easily customizable recipes also mean that mom-to-be and her familycan sit down and enjoy the same meal, no matter how she’s feeling.With helpful tips and options that mi