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When the Lights Went Out: A History of Blackouts in America (The\mit Press Ser.)
by David E. NyeBlackouts—whether they result from military planning, network failure, human error, or terrorism—offer snapshots of electricity's increasingly central role in American society.Where were you when the lights went out? At home during a thunderstorm? During the Great Northeastern Blackout of 1965? In California when rolling blackouts hit in 2000? In 2003, when a cascading power failure left fifty million people without electricity? We often remember vividly our time in the dark. In When the Lights Went Out, David Nye views power outages in America from 1935 to the present not simply as technical failures but variously as military tactic, social disruption, crisis in the networked city, outcome of political and economic decisions, sudden encounter with sublimity, and memories enshrined in photographs. Our electrically lit-up life is so natural to us that when the lights go off, the darkness seems abnormal. Nye looks at America's development of its electrical grid, which made large-scale power failures possible and a series of blackouts from military blackouts to the “greenout” (exemplified by the new tradition of “Earth Hour”), a voluntary reduction organized by environmental organizations. Blackouts, writes Nye, are breaks in the flow of social time that reveal much about the trajectory of American history. Each time one occurs, Americans confront their essential condition—not as isolated individuals, but as a community that increasingly binds itself together with electrical wires and signals.
When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year (Into Reading, Trade Book #6)
by Penny Pollock Mary AzarianNIMAC-sourced textbook <p><p> A lunar guide describes the folkloric names of twelve moons according to Native American tradition and showcases their defining characteristics in short verse and beautifully detailed hand-colored woodcuts.
When the Past is Always Present: Emotional Traumatization, Causes, and Cures (Psychosocial Stress Series)
by Ronald A. RudenWhen the Past Is Always Present: Emotional Traumatization, Causes, and Cures introduces several new ideas about trauma and trauma treatment. The first of these is that another way to treat disorders arising from the mind/brain may be to use the senses. This idea, which is at the core of psychosensory therapy, forms what the author considers the "third pillar" of trauma treatment (the first and second pillars being psychotherapy and psychopharmacology). Psychosensory therapy postulates that sensory input for example, touch creates extrasensory activity that alters brain function and the way we respond to stimuli. The second idea presented in this book is that traumatization is encoded in the amygdala only under special circumstances. Thus, by understanding what makes an individual resistant to traumatization we can offer a way of preventing it. The third idea is that traumatization occurs because we cannot find a haven during the event. This is the cornerstone of havening, the particular form of psychosensory therapy described in the book. Using evolutionary biological principles and recently published neuroscientific studies, this book outlines in detail how havening touch de-links the emotional experience from a trauma, essentially making it just an ordinary memory. Once done, the event no longer causes distress. "
When the Phone Rang
by Harry MazerWhen their parents are killed in an airplane crash, three siblings try to keep the family together in the face of overwhelming personal and financial problems.
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water -- The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century
by Fred PearceIn this groundbreaking book, veteran science correspondent Fred Pearce travels to more than thirty countries to examine the current state of crucial water sources. Deftly weaving together the complicated scientific, economic, and historic dimensions of the world water crisis, he provides our most complete portrait yet of this growing danger and its ramifications for us all. "A strong--and scary--case that a worldwide water shortage is the most fearful looming environmental crisis. With a drumbeat of facts both horrific (thousands of wells in India and Bangladesh are poisoned by fluoride and arsenic) and fascinating (it takes 20 tons of water to make one pound of coffee), the former New Scientist news editor documents a "kind of cataclysm" already affecting many of the world's great rivers." -Publishers Weekly, starred review. "Oil we can replace. Water we can"t-which is why this book is both so ominous and so important." -Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
When the Sahara Was Green: How Our Greatest Desert Came to Be
by Martin WilliamsThe little-known history of how the Sahara was transformed from a green and fertile land into the largest hot desert in the worldThe Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, equal in size to China or the United States. Yet, this arid expanse was once a verdant, pleasant land, fed by rivers and lakes. The Sahara sustained abundant plant and animal life, such as Nile perch, turtles, crocodiles, and hippos, and attracted prehistoric hunters and herders. What transformed this land of lakes into a sea of sands? When the Sahara Was Green describes the remarkable history of Earth’s greatest desert—including why its climate changed, the impact this had on human populations, and how scientists uncovered the evidence for these extraordinary events.From the Sahara’s origins as savanna woodland and grassland to its current arid incarnation, Martin Williams takes us on a vivid journey through time. He describes how the desert’s ancient rocks were first fashioned, how dinosaurs roamed freely across the land, and how it was later covered in tall trees. Along the way, Williams addresses many questions: Why was the Sahara previously much wetter, and will it be so again? Did humans contribute to its desertification? What was the impact of extreme climatic episodes—such as prolonged droughts—upon the Sahara’s geology, ecology, and inhabitants? Williams also shows how plants, animals, and humans have adapted to the Sahara and what lessons we might learn for living in harmony with the harshest, driest conditions in an ever-changing global environment.A valuable look at how an iconic region has changed over millions of years, When the Sahara Was Green reveals the desert’s surprising past to reflect on its present, as well as its possible future.
When the Sun Goes Dark
by Andrew Fraknoi Dennis SchatzHelp youngsters understand the excitement about the recent solar eclipse with this charming and straightforward story about how eclipses of the Sun and Moon occur. Includes easy activities using ordinary items to make models, and explores common questions kids have. This richly illustrated book tells how two curious children and their grandparents re-create eclipses in their living room using a lamp, a tennis ball, two Hula Hoops, and Ping-Pong balls. Later, in the backyard and around the house, the family explores safe ways to view a solar eclipse and ponders phenomena from sunspots to phases of the Moon. Written by the authors of NSTA's award-winning book Solar Science, When the Sun Goes Dark gives children and adults hands-on techniques for learning the science behind eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11: Or How to Explain Quantum Physics with Heavy Metal
by Philip MoriartyThere are deep and fascinating links between heavy metal and quantum physics. No, really! While teaching at the University of Nottingham, physicist Philip Moriarty noticed something odd, a surprising number of his students were heavily into metal music. Colleagues, too: a Venn diagram of physicists and metal fans would show a shocking amount of overlap. What's more, it turns out that heavy metal music is uniquely well-suited to explaining quantum principles. In When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to Eleven, Moriarty explains the mysteries of the universe's inner workings via drum beats and feedback: You'll discover how the Heisenberg uncertainty principle comes into play with every chugging guitar riff, what wave interference has to do with Iron Maiden, and why metalheads in mosh pits behave just like molecules in a gas. If you're a metal fan trying to grasp the complexities of quantum physics, a quantum physicist baffled by heavy metal, or just someone who'd like to know how the fundamental science underpinning our world connects to rock music, this book will take you, in the words of Pantera, to "A New Level." For those who think quantum physics is too mind-bendingly complex to grasp, or too focused on the invisibly small to be relevant to our full-sized lives, this funny, fascinating book will show you that physics is all around us . . . and it rocks.
When There Were Birds
by Roy Adkins Lesley AdkinsBirds are a joy and solace in troubled times, as well as a reminder of past experiences and a symbol of hope for the future. For centuries, they were also seen as a source of food, feathers and even fuel, and being so numerous, many were persecuted as pests. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviour. Birds were once key elements of the nation's history, traditions and sports, and this gave rise to a rich legacy of literature, language and myths.No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind. Birds have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. Although very familiar, birds have often seemed strange, sinister and alarming. With their ability to fly, they bridged the gap between the earth and the heavens, and superstitions were rife because they were presumed to be linked to the supernatural. When There Were Birds draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.
When There Were Birds
by Roy Adkins Lesley Adkins'A marvellously original slice of social history' Daily MailBirds are a joy and solace in troubled times, as well as a reminder of past experiences and a symbol of hope for the future. For centuries, they were also seen as a source of food, feathers and even fuel, and being so numerous, many were persecuted as pests. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviour. Birds were once key elements of the nation's history, traditions and sports, and this gave rise to a rich legacy of literature, language and myths.No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind. Birds have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. Although very familiar, birds have often seemed strange, sinister and alarming. With their ability to fly, they bridged the gap between the earth and the heavens, and superstitions were rife because they were presumed to be linked to the supernatural. When There Were Birds draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.
When There Were Birds
by Roy Adkins Lesley Adkins'A marvellously original slice of social history' Daily Mail (Book of the Week)'The facts and folklore of birdlife , and man's equivocal relationship with birds, are dissected in admirable detail in this handsome new book' Sunday TimesBirds are a joy and solace in troubled times, as well as a reminder of past experiences and a symbol of hope for the future. For centuries, they were also seen as a source of food, feathers and even fuel, and being so numerous, many were persecuted as pests. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviour. Birds were once key elements of the nation's history, traditions and sports, and this gave rise to a rich legacy of literature, language and myths.No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind. Birds have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. Although very familiar, birds have often seemed strange, sinister and alarming. With their ability to fly, they bridged the gap between the earth and the heavens, and superstitions were rife because they were presumed to be linked to the supernatural. When There Were Birds draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.
When Things Go Wrong: from The Body
by Bill BrysonIn this selection from The Body, his compulsively readable and bestselling owner&’s manual to the human body, Bill Bryson introduces us to the mysterious, and often devastating, world of disease. Written with extraordinary insight and filled with remarkable facts, When Things Go Wrong deepens our understanding of the maladies that afflict us--what they are and how they work. A Vintage Short.
When Time Began (The Earth Chronicles #5)
by Zecharia SitchinWhen Time Began, the fifth book, explores ancient knowledge of Heaven and Earth and the interwoven cycles that gave rise to astronomy, the zodiac and astrology, and stone calendars such as Stonehenge, revealing the secret of New Ages past and future.
When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene
by Timothy BealWith faith, hope, and compassion, acclaimed religion scholar Timothy Beal shows us how to navigate the inevitabilities of the climate crisis and the very real—and very near—possibility of human extinctionWhat if it&’s too late to save ourselves from climate crisis? When Time is Short is a meditation for what may be a finite human future that asks how we got here to help us imagine a different relationship to the natural world.Modern capitalism, as it emerged, drew heavily upon the Christian belief in human exceptionalism and dominion over the planet, and these ideas still undergird our largely secular society. They justified the pillaging and eradication of indigenous communities and plundering the Earth&’s resources in pursuit of capital and lands.But these aren&’t the only models available to us—and they aren&’t even the only models to be found in biblical tradition. Beal re-reads key texts to anchor us in other ways of being—in humbler conceptions of humans as earth creatures, bound in ecological interdependence with the world, subjected to its larger reality. Acknowledging that any real hope must first face and grieve the realities of climate crisis, Beal makes space for us to imagine new possibilities and rediscover ancient ones. What matters most when time becomes short, he reminds us, is always what matters most.
When We Touch: Handshakes, hugs, high fives and the new science behind why touch matters
by Professor Michael Banissy'A mind-expanding tour of what touch means.' DAVID EAGLEMAN, neuroscientist and author of Incognito and LivewiredWhy is a hugged person a healthier person?Why do high-fiving teams win more matches?How does a shared handshake make you more likely to tell the truth?We rely on touch every day of our lives. It makes us who we are. It helps us connect with those around us. And yet touch between individuals can be fraught with confusion and misunderstanding.In When We Touch, social neuroscientist Professor Michael Banissy blends expert scientific insights with anecdotes from 90s rom coms to office politics to explore the new science of human touch. His groundbreaking new book explains how touch impacts every part of our lives, from why touch is essential for healthy development, to how kissing might help us choose a genetically beneficial mate to how holding hands with a loved one can help us feel less pain.Banissy tackles the nuances of appropriate touch across culture and gender, investigates our 'touch personas' and why they differ, and offers solutions to the 'touch hunger' that has become a modern epidemic in our increasingly distanced world.From the most inconsequential to the most salient moments of human contact, When We Touch is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of our most overlooked sense.
When Words Betray Us: Language, the Brain, and Aphasia
by Sheila E. BlumsteinThis book presents a journey into how language is put together for speaking and understanding and how it can come apart when there is injury to the brain. The goal is to provide a window into language and the brain through the lens of aphasia, a speech and language disorder resulting from brain injury in adults. This book answers the question of how the brain analyzes the pieces of language, its sounds, words, meaning, and ultimately puts them together into a unitary whole. While its major focus is on clinical, experimental, and theoretical approaches to language deficits in aphasia, it integrates this work with recent technological advances in neuroimaging to provide a state-of-the-art portrayal of language and brain function. It also shows how current computational models that share properties with those of neurons allow for a common framework to explain how the brain processes language and its parts and how it breaks down according to these principles. Consideration will also be given to whether language can recover after brain injury or when areas of the brain recruited for speaking, understanding, or reading are deprived of input, as seen with people who are deaf or blind. No prior knowledge of linguistics, psychology, computer science, or neuroscience is assumed. The informal style of this book makes it accessible to anyone with an interest in the complexity and beauty of language and who wants to understand how it is put together, how it comes apart, and how language maps on to the brain.
The Whens and Wheres of a Scientific Life (Global Science Education)
by John R. HelliwellBig questions and issues arise about the role of the scientific life in our society and in our world. These have to do with trusting science at all, or with the wider roles of the scientist. The Whens and Wheres of a Scientific Life serves as an epilogue to author John R. Helliwell’s scientific life trilogy of books on the Hows (i.e. skills), the Whys and the Whats of a scientific life. When and where questions play a big role in major science facility decisions. When and where also play a big role in controlling a pandemic like the coronavirus COVID-19. The consequences of such work and the role science plays in society are discussed in this book. Key Features: Discusses when and where we can make new and better things happen and make new discoveries. Explains whens and wheres as examples in basic science and explaining these to the public User friendly and concise, this text provides a wide range of examples of science and discovery The author has diverse experience in career development, teaching and research The importance of open data to the reproducibility of science are described
Where Are the Aliens?: The Search for Life Beyond Earth
by Stacy McAnultyA fun-filled, highly illustrated, science-based exploration into one of the universe&’s greatest mysteries—does life exist beyond Earth?—from bestselling and award-winning author Stacy McAnulty. Spoiler: Scientists haven&’t discovered life beyond Earth, not even a single teeny-tiny organism. But there&’s a whole lot of outer space, and humans have searched only a fraction of a fraction of it. So do you believe in the possibility of life out there? Or do you think Earth is perfectly unique in its ability to grow organisms?Where Are the Aliens? takes readers on a journey of theories and discoveries, from the big bang and primordial soup, to how the ancient Greeks considered the cosmos, to the technology used today to listen and (possibly!) communicate with far-off exoplanets. Packed with playful illustrations and fascinating factoids, this is the perfect book for anyone who has ever looked up and asked, "What's out there?"
Where Are the Constellations? (Where Is?)
by Stephanie Sabol Who HqCalling all stargazers, here is the book for you! Ancient people from many different cultures--Greek, Roman, Mezo-American, Arab--all looked up and imagined pictures in the sky by "drawing" a line from one star to another, like a connect-the-dots puzzle. These star pictures--constellations--represented myths and legends from the various cultures that still fascinate us today. Author of the tremendously popular Where Is Our Solar System? Stephanie Sabol relates many of the most popular constellation stories and explains what stars actually are: how they formed, why they die, and how they're grouped into constellation families.
Where Are the Galapagos Islands?
by John Hinderliter Megan StineArmchair adventurers can set sail for the remote Galapagos Islands and learn about the strange and unique animals that live there. The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated location of the islands has allowed a vast number of species to develop that are original to each island, such as the marine iguana, the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird and of course the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old. Studied by Charles Darwin during his historic voyage on the HMS Beagle, the island life contributed to his groundbreaking theory of evolution. Today the islands are a popular tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage site.This book, part of the New York Times best-selling series, is enhanced by eighty illustrations and a detachable fold-out map complete with four photographs on the back.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Where are the Night Animals (Let's-read-and-find-out-science)
by Mary Ann FraserDescribes various nocturnal animals and their nighttime activities, including the opossum, brown bat, and tree frog
Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide
by Robert Michael PyleOne of America&’s most esteemed natural history writers takes to the hills of the Pacific Northwest in search of Bigfoot—and finds the wildness within ourselves Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to investigate the legends of Sasquatch, Yale–trained ecologist Dr. Robert Pyle treks into the unprotected wilderness of the Dark Divide near Mount St. Helens, where he discovers both a giant fossil footprint and recent tracks. On the trail of what he thought was legend, he searches out Indians who tell him of an outcast tribe, the Seeahtiks, who had not fully evolved into humans. A handful of open–minded biologists and anthropologists counter the tabloids Pyle studies, while rogue Forest Service employees and loggers swear of a vast conspiracy to deep–six true stories of unknown, upright hominoid apes among us. He attends Sasquatch Daze, where he meets scientists, hunters, and others who have devoted their lives to the search, only to realize that &“these guys don't want to find Bigfoot―they want to be Bigfoot!&” Where Bigfoot Walks was the inspiration for the 2020 film The Dark Divide, starring David Cross and Debra Messing. Since the book&’s original publication, Pyle&’s fresh experiences and findings have been added to his original work through an updated chapter. With an evaluation of recent DNA evidence from Bigfoot hair and scat, the study of speech phonemes in the &“Sierra Sounds&” purported Bigfoot recordings, an examination of the impact of the wildly popular Animal Planet series Bigfoot Hunters, the reemergence of the famous Bob Gimlin into the Bigfoot community, and more, Walking With Bigfoot keeps every Bigfoot enthusiast&’s mind wide open to one of the biggest questions in the land and brings Pyle&’s work on the &“legend&” of Bigfoot into the new century.
Where Buddhism Meets Neuroscience: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Spiritual and Scientific Views of Our Minds (Core Teachings of Dalai Lama #6)
by The Dalai LamaThis book, designed as a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Western neuroscientists, takes readers on a journey through opposing fields of thought--showing that they may not be so opposing after all.Is the mind an ephemeral side effect of the brain’s physical processes? Are there forms of consciousness so subtle that science has not yet identified them? How does consciousness happen? Organized by the Mind and Life Institute, this discussion addresses some of the most troublesome questions that have driven a wedge between Western science and religion. Edited by Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston, and B. Alan Wallace, Where Buddhism Meets Neuroscience is the culmination of meetings between the Dalai Lama and a group of eminent neuroscientists and psychiatrists. The Dalai Lama’s incisive, open-minded approach both challenges and offers inspiration to Western scientists. This book was previously published under the title Consciousness at the Crossroads.
Where Did I Come From?
by Peter MayleHow do you define penis and vagina and their functions to a seven year old? How do you explain the process and pleasure of conception? How does the baby start growing and how does it get out of its mother? How much should you tell and what should you skip?-And how do you tell it so that it interests your child and doesn't embarrass you?. It covers all the bases. From love-making, orgasm, conception and growth inside the womb through the actual birth day. It names all the labels (vagina, penis, etc.) and shows all the important parts of the body. In other words, WHERE DID I COME FROM? treats your child like a young adult. Which, after all, is what he or she is.The information isn't too clinical or detailed. It's told with warmth. The validator has described the many illustrations carefully so blind children and parents will have access to all of them. For example the text describes and the pictures illustrate the development of a fetus month by month. This is a book parents can enjoy sharing with their children. The foundation it provides creates a comfortable atmosphere for them to continue to talk about where babies come from in a more personal, relaxed, way.
Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss
by Martha Weinman LearFor any Baby Boomer who has ever said, 'Has anyone seen my keys?'...'What did I come in here for?'...or 'His name is on the tip of my tongue,' "Where Did I Leave My Glasses?" is the tailor-made book. According to Martha Weinman Lear and the top memory experts she taps in the book, the memory lapses that begin in middle age are typically no cause for alarm. In other words: you're normal! In fact, remembering less in later years is rarely a sign of Alzheimer's or any other scary memory-loss condition. It's just a part of normal aging. On her hunt for answers, Lear explores why names are the first things to go and what can be done about it, why we forget certain things on purpose, why we forget more than our parents did and in which cases our brains are actually doing us a favor by letting go of certain knowledge. Weaving together fascinating insight from psychologists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists with rich and often hilarious anecdotes, Lear explores the whys and wherefores of garden-variety memory loss, and, in the process, offers reassurance and hope to the millions of forgetful baby boomers.