Richard Dawkins' God Delusion: A Repentant Refutation


Klaus Nürnberger - 2010
    Part I asks: Is evolving Nature all there is – self-generated, self-sustaining, self-contained? Are human beings, as the topmost outgrowth of Nature, responsible to none other but themselves? That is the stance of naturalist and atheist Richard Dawkins. Or is evolving reality derived from, and dependent on, a transcendent Source and Destiny, to whom humans are accountable and whose benevolence reaches out to humans as persons because humans are persons? That is the conviction of the Christian faith. Part II shows that Dawkins’ interpretation of religion is deficient even in evolutionary terms and lacks the objectivity and impartiality of genuine science.Backed with in-depth study and thorough research, Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion: A repentant refutation is a masterfully written work that attempts to provide answers to believers and non-believers by presenting scientific and religious reasoning.

A Bait of Dreams


Jo Clayton - 1985
    They were beautiful crystals, cool and smooth. They opened doorways to magical realms, leading to escape, happiness, peace. But they exacted a terrible price for they were an incredible narcotic. After only a single use, they dragged you in, sucked your soul dry, leaving you to lingering death. — Where did they come from? And what really were they? For Gleia, Shounach, and Deel it had become a matter of desperate urgency, for each has lost someone to the Eyes, someone they could not forget. For them the source of these damnable jewels must be found and destroyed. Otherwise the Ranga Eyes would destroy them and all their world.

Dark Matter


S.W. Ahmed - 2008
    But what if it actually is nothing more than ordinary matter purposely hidden from our view? What if we are only allowed to see a small fraction of the stars in our galaxy, because the vast majority of star systems are teeming with aliens who wish to remain unseen? Marc Zemin, a brilliant student of astrophysics, is the first human to ever stumble upon this startling secret, when his experiments with wormhole travel cause aliens to land on Earth and whisk him away into space. To his astonishment, the aliens want his help in fighting a colossal galactic war that is rapidly spiraling out of control. But as he struggles to survive from battle to battle across the farthest reaches of the galaxy, he begins to uncover a horrifying conspiracy at play, striving to keep the warring civilizations in continuous conflict with each other. A desperate race against time ensues, as he and a handful of newfound alien friends try to stop the war and confront this mysterious, powerful force bent on destroying all life in the galaxy. But any hope of their success surprisingly appears to hinge on just one thing - whether or not Marc has the strength to overcome his own demons and face the shattering truth about who he really is. "A sci-fi debut that shows great potential." - Kirkus Discoveries

Why We Are Here: Mobile and the Spirit of a Southern City


Edward O. Wilson - 2012
    Wilson 's mesmerizing evocation of his Southern childhood in The Naturalist and Anthill, Alex Harris approached the scientist about collaborating on a book about Wilson 's native world of Mobile, Alabama. Perceiving that Mobile was a city small enough to be captured through a lens yet old enough to have experienced a full epic cycle of tragedy and rebirth, the photographer and the naturalist joined forces to capture the rhythms of this storied Alabama Gulf region through a swirling tango of lyrical words and breathtaking images. With Wilson tracing his family 's history from the Civil War through the Depression when mule-driven wagons still clogged the roads to Mobile 's racial and environmental struggles to its cultural triumphs today, and with Harris stunningly capturing the mood of a radically transformed city that has adapted to the twenty-first century, the book becomes a universal story, one that tells us where we all come from and why we are here.

Chronotherapy: Resetting Your Inner Clock to Boost Mood, Alertness, and Quality Sleep


Michael Terman - 2012
    Michael Terman, PhD, has devoted his career to studying the brain functions that feed these disorders. His discoveries in chronotherapy have been widely recognized as game-changers by the medical establishment, and his 2010 New York Times op-ed, “Sleeping (or Not) by the Wrong Clock,” shot to number one on the paper’s list of most-forwarded online articles. In Chronotherapy, Terman and McMahan reveal the heart of his findings, a powerful program that recalibrates our internal clocks—our exquisitely designed, natural sensitivity to the timing and brightness of light exposure. These delicate mechanisms are often decimated by the modern demands of a 24/7 lifestyle.Beginning with a questionnaire that pinpoints the problem areas, Terman helps readers decipher when their natural internal night begins and ends. The treatment process can then start, incorporating the power of natural light and, when necessary, supplemental light therapy. His approach has brought relief to thousands of sleep sufferers, as well as those burdened by bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, depression, sleep disorders due to around-the-clock work schedules, and other impediments to vibrant health. For the first time, his findings are now available for a general audience, sharing the essential elements of chronobiology in clear, authoritative, scientifically grounded chapters that are easy to apply to a variety of situations.  Chronotherapy chapters include: PART ONE: TIME, SLEEP, AND RHYTHMSChapter 1: External vs. Internal TimeThe clock on the wall measures twenty-four hours every day, but the clock in your brain runs a little different. How can you help them work together?Chapter 2: The Pressure to SleepThe longer you stay awake, the more pressure you feel to sleep. But what if your inner clock says it is not yet ready for sleep?Chapter 3: Owls, Larks, and HummingbirdsWhat kind of “bird” are you? And once you know, how can that help you figure out when best to get stuff done?PART TWO: TIME, LIGHT, AND THE BRAINChapter 4: Getting Light into the BrainHow do your eyes pass signals to your inner clock, and what makes those signals so important?Chapter 5: Getting Light WrongSeeing light and being in darkness are basic daily experiences. But what happens when they come at the wrong times, and why does that have such negative consequences for mood, alertness, and sleep?Chapter 6: Geography and TimeEast or west, south or north, how can where you live have such a huge impact on your mood and sleep?PART THREE: INTERVENTIONSChapter 7: Healing Light How can light help you solve your sleep problems, have more energy, and feel more positive about life? Why do the details matter so much?Chapter 8: Nighttime Meds and MelatoninDo you rely on pills to get to sleep? They may not work, and they may be bad for you. But a new approach based on the brain’s inner clock holds great promise.Chapter 9: Hospitalized with DepressionWhen someone becomes so depressed they need to go to the hospital, what promise does chronotherapy offer for a quick turnaround and continued improvement?Chapter 10: Beyond Light: The Charge in the AirWhat is it about spending a day at the beach that gives you such a lift? And how can you use new technology to bring that feeling of wellbeing into your home?PART FOUR: STAGES OF LIFEChapter 11: The Promise of PregnancyYou are going to have a baby! You are thrilled, but a little apprehensive too. How can chronotherapy help you through the next nine months?Chapter 12: Strategies for Babies and ChildrenWhen your baby or child sleeps well and feels good, you feel better too. How can chronotherapy help you reach this goal?Chapter 13: The Challenges of AdolescenceAs a teen, why do you feel the need to stay up so late and sleep so late? What are the consequences for your mood, health, and schoolwork? What simple steps can you take to put your life on a smoother course?Chapter 14: In Later YearsDoes getting older have to mean being tired, sleeping badly, and feeling down? How can you or someone you care about reverse these trends by using light?PART FIVE: CHRONOTHERAPY IN YOUR LIFEChapter 15: Coping with Shift WorkWhat if your job puts you on duty when your inner clock says you should be asleep? How can chronotherapy help you stay awake, alert, and in a decent mood?Chapter 16: Racing the Clock, Racing the Sun You are traveling across the world and you need to be in high gear tomorrow. How can chronotherapy prepare you for the trip and help you recover from jet lag as quickly as possible?Chapter 17: Chronobiology in the Home and WorkplaceHow will the collaboration of chronobiologists and architects transform the places you live, work, and learn?Chapter 18: Dawn of a Circadian ScienceWhy is mainstream medicine so slow to put the insights of chronotherapy into practice?

Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web


Jeff Lowenfels - 2006
    Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

The Biology Coloring Book


Robert D. Griffin - 1986
    Whether studying biology on your own or enrolled in a course in high school or college, you will find this book indispensable.More than 50% of your brain is devoted to vision and movement. Use the unique and highly effective Coloring Concepts method to experience for yourself how the action of coloring allows for more complete understanding than passive reading. Allow yourself to be tutored step-by-step through the fundamental concepts of biology and the evidence and reasoning processes which lead to them, while the colors and your movements form strong mental associations which greatly improve comprehension and memory. Students will learn:About the basic chemistry of lifeHow organisms fit into their environmentsClassification and organization of animalsIntroductory genetics and the genetic codeNucleic acids: DNA and RNAThe Scientific Method; Observations and Hypotheses

An Apple a Day


Joe Schwarcz - 2007
    It’s full of good omega-3 fats. Don’t eat salmon. It’s full of PCBs and mercury. Eat more veggies. They’re full of good antioxidants. Don’t eat more veggies. The pesticides will give you cancer.Forget your dinner jacket and put on your lab coat: you have to be a nutritional scientist these days before you sit down to eat—which is why we need Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the expert who’s famous for connecting chemistry to everyday life. In An Apple a Day, he’s taken his thorough knowledge of food chemistry, applied it to today’s top food fears, trends and questions, and leavened it with his trademark lighthearted approach. The result is both an entertaining revelation of the miracles of science happening in our bodies every time we bite into a morsel of food, and a telling exploration of the myths, claims and misconceptions surrounding our obsession with diets, nutrition and weight.Looking first at how food affects our health, Dr. Joe examines what’s in tomatoes, soy and broccoli that can keep us healthy and how the hundreds of compounds in a single food react when they hit our bodies. Then he investigates how we manipulate our food supply, delving into the science of food additives and what benefits we might realize from adding bacteria to certain foods. He clears up the confusion about contaminants, examining everything from pesticide residues, remnants of antibiotics, the dreaded trans fats and chemicals that may leach from cookware. And he takes a studied look at the science of calories and weighs in on popular diets.An Apple a Day is a must-read book for anyone who looks forward to digesting the truth about what we eat.

The Men From P.I.G. And R.O.B.O.T.


Harry Harrison - 1968
    And none have more dangerous assignments than those from the P.I.G. and R.O.B.O.T. battalions!The time has come when the Patrol is spread too thinly around the galaxy. New planets are constantly being colonized, bringing fresh problems of law-enforcement and defence against alien attack.So new solutions are sought: like the setting-up of special units called P.I.G. and R.O.B.O.T. - units that are self supporting and equipped to handle even the most dangerous situations.These two stories show Harry Harison at his best: fast, inventive and exciting.

The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to The Grapes of Wrath


John Steinbeck - 1936
    Here he found once strong, independent farmers so reduced in dignity, sick, sullen, and defeated that they had been cast down to a kind of subhumanity. He contrasts their misery with the hope offered by government resettlement camps, where self-help communities were restoring dignity and indeed saving lives. The Harvest Gypsies gives us an eyewitness account of the horrendous Dust Bowl migration and provides the factual foundation for Steinbeck's masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath. Included are twenty-two photographs by Dorothea Lange and others, many of which accompanied Steinbeck's original articles.

The Heaven Makers


Frank Herbert - 1968
    Enter their world of infinite possibility and discover the fascinating secrets of a master race whose plaything is time...they have observed Earth for centuries, making full sensory movies of wars, natural disasters, and horrific human activities, all to relieve their boredom. When they finally became jaded by ordinary, run-of-the-mill tragedies, they found ways to create their own disasters, just to amuse themselves. These are the super beings who control men's destinies and who derive their pleasure from the pain and torture they inflict on mere human beings. However, interfering with human activities was forbidden, and by the time Investigator Kelexel arrived to investigate, things were really getting out of hand...

Quantum Faith®


Annette Capps - 2003
    The concept of speaking to mountains and trees may not be religious metaphor, but laws of a new physics that have not been fully understood. Jesus taught that our words are powerful enough to move physical matter. Quantum physics has discovered that subatomic particles respond to the observer. In this book, you will discover that your words and your faith (beliefs) are unseen forces that affect everything in your world. You are the one giving substance to your world through words!

Destination Moon


Robert A. Heinlein - 1979
    HartwellScenes from the film version of Destination Moon (Eagle-Lion, 1950) - interior artworkDestination Moon (1950) - noveletteShooting "Destination Moon" (1950)Facts About Destination Moon" (1979)

Test Of Greatness: Britain’s Struggle for the Atom Bomb


Brian Cathcart - 2016
     He ordered a superhuman effort to make Britain a nuclear power. Although Britain had been a junior partner in the Manhattan Project which had produced the American bombs, no British scientist had more than partial knowledge of the complex physics involved. The war over, the Americans cut off all help. At a time of daunting economic difficulty and amid the growing tension of the Cold War, the project hurriedly took shape behind a cloak of almost paranoid secrecy and in an atmosphere of constant stringency and shortage. Brian Cathcart’s book ranges over politics, diplomacy, espionage and science, but above all it tells the story of the brilliant young scientist William Penney, his team and their struggle. The men who worked behind the security fences at Aldermaston have been allowed to speak. The tales include fearsome risks, vast resourcefulness, bureaucratic obstruction, naval intransigence and a measure of black humour. The veil is also lifted on the extraordinary contribution of Klaus Fuchs, the Soviet spy. Finally the high drama of the test itself, conducted off the coast of Australia after a naval operation which came close to total fiasco, is recounted in gripping detail. Test of Greatness draws on what at the time the book was published were newly declassified documents. Cathcart also speaks uses primary sources, such as the words of the participants, illustrating and illuminating in vivid, human terms a secret but crucial chapter of post-war British history. Praise for Brian Cathcart: ‘The story of the British bomb mixes science, politics, espionage, Essex and morality. A nation is changed for ever when it decides to become a nuclear power. Brian Cathcart takes this complicated array of factors and makes them rise out of the page and walk to a very wide audience.’ – Sir Peter Hennessy, military historian Brian Cathcart was Assistant Editor of the Independent on Sunday when he wrote Test of Greatness. Since then he has taken up a position at Kingston University London and founded Hacked Off in the aftermath of the tabloid phone-hacking scandal. He has just published his eighth book, The News from Waterloo. His previous works include accounts of the murders of Jill Dando and Stephen Lawrence.

Intervention


Julian May - 1987
    This has been split into two books: The Surveillance (containing Prologue, The Surveillance, and The Disclosure) and The Metaconcert, containing The Intervention and Epilogue. For 60 000 years the five races of the Galactic Milieu have watched and waited for the time when human mental development on Earth is ready for the Intervention ...As the twentieth century draws to its end, phenomenal mental powers are displayed by 'operants' all across our planet... They can 'farspeak' one another telepathically. They can build mental shields and they are capable of coercion by power of mind.One of there is Rogatien Remillard, a dealer in secondhand books, whose memories - written a century on - form the core of this chronicle. They tell of a world where the mind has become a weapon; and of two brothers, each possessed of extraordinary powers - one a peace-bringer, the other an advocate of evil...