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Books > Biography > Science, technology & engineering
James Tobin, award-winning author of "Ernie Pyle's War" and "The
Man He Became," has penned the definitive account of the inspiring
and impassioned race between the Wright brothers and their primary
rival Samuel Langley across ten years and two continents to conquer
the air.
For years, Wilbur Wright and his younger brother, Orville,
experimented in obscurity, supported only by their exceptional
family. Meanwhile, the world watched as Samuel Langley, armed with
a contract from the US War Department and all the resources of the
Smithsonian Institution, sought to create the first manned flying
machine. But while Langley saw flight as a problem of power, the
Wrights saw a problem of balance. Thus their machines took two very
different paths--Langley's toward oblivion, the Wrights' toward the
heavens--though not before facing countless other obstacles. With a
historian's accuracy and a novelist's eye, Tobin has captured an
extraordinary moment in history. "To Conquer the Air" is itself a
heroic achievement.
In response to the stifling socialism of the Canadian health care
system and the intolerably long Canadian winters, Dr. Mel Genraich
made a life-altering decision: leave Toronto for good, and seek his
fortune in Houston, Texas. Little did he know that in the short
space of eight years, he would be divorced from his wife and
children, remarried to a native Texan (from a staunch Church of
Christ family, no less), and would relocate his practice to the
Texas Panhandle. "Take Two Aspirins, but Don't Call Me in the
Morning" depicts the travels and struggles of a Canadian Jew living
in an almost one-hundred percent Christian world. Genraich tells of
his incredible swings of fortune and adaptation to events that
change the course of his life. He chronicles his travels in America
and abroad-in particular, his transformational journey through
Europe as a senior medical student. Brutally honest and sprinkled
with his personal observations, Genraich shows that he is not
afraid to be honest and controversial, traits that most in his
profession decry. This is a memoir that is frank and engaging, far
removed from the private enclave of the medical world and yet also
a story of that world.
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The Lava Tube
(Hardcover)
Rosemary Burke; Foreword by Kevin Giles
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R882
R756
Discovery Miles 7 560
Save R126 (14%)
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'Charming and addictively accessible' STEVEN PINKER 'Original,
authoritative and beautiful' BRIAN COX 'The most wonderful
adventure' ROBIN INCE A brilliantly illustrated journey through the
wonders and mysteries of the human brain - from a renowned
husband-and-wife team of cognitive neuroscientists. Professors and
husband-and-wife team Uta and Chris Frith have pioneered major
studies of brain disorders throughout their nearly fifty-year
career. In Two Heads, their distinguished careers serve as a prism
through which they share the compelling story of the birth of
neuroscience and their paradigm-shifting discoveries across areas
as wide-ranging as autism and schizophrenia research, and new
frontiers of social cognition including diversity, prejudice,
confidence, collaboration and empathy. Working with their son Alex
Frith and artist Daniel Locke, they examine the way that
neuroscientific research is now focused on the fact we are a social
species, whose brains have evolved to work cooperatively. What
happens when people gather in groups? How do people behave when
they're in pairs - either pitted against each other or working
together? Is it better to surround yourself with people who are
similar to yourself, or different? And, are two heads really better
than one? Highly original and ingeniously illustrated, Two Heads
provides an expansive understanding of how our brains work, and how
they work together.
This title reveals a shy yet passionate woman more at home in the
natural world than in the literary one that embraced her. Souder
also writes sensitively of Carson's romantic friendship with
Dorothy Freeman, and of her death from cancer in 1964. This
biography captures the essence of one of the great reformers of the
20th century.
Reaching for Heaven chronicles Rebecca Browder's struggle with
the Proteus syndrome, a condition that involves atypical growth of
the bones, skin, head, and a variety of other symptoms. Rebecca is
dedicated to learning as much as she can and to sharing a positive
outlook on life through her faith in her Savior, Jesus Christ. She
has learned to overcome overwhelming obstacles because of her
malformation and medial disabilities manifested by the Proteus
syndrome.
Rebecca seeks to reach out to others who may be struggling with
a disability or with a challenging life. By letting people know
that they are not alone, Rebecca believes she is fulfilling God's
purpose for her. She believes that God doesn't take anything away
from us to make us sad or hurt us, but rather to make us stronger
so that we can reach out to others and treat them with loving
kindness.
Rebecca's story is one of strength, challenges, and the
understanding that God has something better in store for her. It
has been challenging for her to go from being able to walk to being
bed bound, but she understands that sometimes we have to accept the
hardest things in life in order to receive better things in the
future. Our faith and trust in God can carry us through our
difficulties.
"A revealing tale of loneliness and camaraderie, dissonance and
intimacy with hospital staff, and pain and triumph as one man
struggles to reclaim body and spirit after a devastating accident."
-Ed Boyd, Ed.D, psychologist and educator Frank Garfunkel, dynamic
teacher, activist, and sports enthusiast, slammed headfirst into
the wall of a squash court. Suddenly a quadriplegic in a rehab
hospital, he found himself facing the existential absurdity of
total helplessness. Unable to write about his experiences, he
documented his ordeal in a series of probing conversations with
longtime friend, Jay Clark. Ironically, Frank, a professor of
special education at Boston University, devoted his career to
waging battles for the rights of the disabled. Fate catapulted him
into the greatest challenge of his life. In twenty transcribed
conversations, Frank spoke with Jay about a neurological system in
chaos, "You're operating a puppet, and the puppet is you."
Following a three-month hospitalization, Frank returned home,
relieved to be in familiar surroundings but facing endless attempts
to regain control of his "Everest/Death Valley" life. His
conversations with Jay reveal daily encounters with vulnerability,
bewilderment, and depression but also with laughter, gratitude, and
love. Walk of the Centipede is the story of a fiercely independent
man faced with utter dependence.
"Sir, your sons have been in a car accident. How quickly can you
get here?" Join Pastor Jeremy Freeman as he shares how the
harrowing phone call that no parent wants to receive would lead to
a miraculous outcome that only God could deliver. When Jeremy and
Emily Freeman's teenage son Caleb was in a devastating car
accident, doctors gave him a 10 percent chance of survival. Fear of
losing a child was all too fresh for the Freemans--their
seven-year-old son, Trey, had died just four years earlier from a
genetic immunodeficiency. But God had other plans. In #butGod,
Jeremy shares the incredible story of Caleb's recovery, the
darkness that nearly overtook their family in the waiting, and the
#butGod movement that captured the prayers of Christians around the
world. #butGod includes heartfelt excerpts from Emily's prayer
journal and encouragement from Jeremy that goes beyond platitudes
to a hard-won trust in God's goodness. The Freeman family's
incredible story offers: Greater understanding of the beauty God
can bring through suffering An honest glimpse of how one family
grew closer together despite grief, tension, and doubt A powerful
example of how God works through the prayers of His people Hope
that only God can provide Whatever sorrow you're walking through,
#butGod leads you to the sweetness found in trusting God with
suffering--and the deeper faith that comes from seeing His purpose
in the pain. Praise for #butGod: "Pastor Jeremy Freeman and his
family have endured crushing disappointment and heartbreak, but
they've also experienced the redemptive and healing power of God.
If you are facing significant challenges, Pastor Jeremy's book
#butGod will build your faith and equip you with the strength to
overcome." --Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor of
Life.Church and New York Times bestselling author "There are some
books that when you start reading you cannot put them down. #butGod
is one of those books. This is an amazing story that will captivate
you. You will laugh and cry. You will weep for sorrow and weep for
joy. And in it all, you will see the amazing grace of God and His
sustaining power and love for His children." --Dr. Daniel L. Akin,
President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest,
North Carolina
Yoshio Nishina not only made a great contribution to the emergence
of a research network that produced two Nobel prize winners, but he
also raised the overall level of physics in Japan. Focusing on his
roles as researcher, teacher, and statesman of science, Yoshio
Nishina: Father of Modern Physics in Japan analyzes Nishina's
position in and his contributions to the Japanese physics
community. After a concise biographical introduction, the book
examines Nishina's family, his early studies, the creation of
RIKEN, and the greater Japanese physics community in the early
twentieth century. It then focuses on Nishina's work at the
Cavendish Laboratory and at the University of Gottingen as well as
his more fruitful research at Niels Bohr's Institute of Theoretical
Physics in Copenhagen. The book also describes the establishment of
the Nishina Laboratory at RIKEN, the collaboration between its
experimentalists and theoreticians, and the cosmic ray research of
its scientists. The last two chapters discuss Nishina's
controversial construction and operation of two cyclotrons at RIKEN
as well as his presidency at RIKEN after World War II. Navigating
Nishina's entire life through various perspectives, this
easy-to-read biography will help you become well acquainted with
this fascinating physicist.
There is no doubt that life is a bogus journey and it does not end
well for any of us. However, join eye surgeon Pete Cackett on his
eventful pathway through life and career in medicine and learn from
his own unfortunate mishaps. Discover how it is possible to make
your own journey less bogus, especially if you follow his advice
and tips from his 'Hidden Curriculum'. This book is a celebration
of life in all its glorious bogusness with plenty of humour and
retro pop culture references along the way.This is a medical
autobiography and is the first one which directly addresses the
medical profession (doctors and medical students) and other allied
health professionals. It covers many relevant issues and topics on
working as a doctor, including those which many are reluctant to
talk about such as private practice. It also includes advice
gleaned from over 30 years in medicine as part of a 'Hidden
Curriculum'. This guidance can be used by the reader to make
changes to their own lives in order to create a happier and more
successful existence.
Long before the space race captured the world's attention, K. E.
Tsiolkovskii first conceived of multi-stage rockets that would
later be adapted as the basis of both the U.S. and Soviet rocket
programs.
Often called the grandfather of Russian rocketry, this provincial
scientist was even sanctioned by Stalin to give a speech from Red
Square on May Day 1935, lauding the Soviet technological future
while also dreaming and expounding on his own visions of conquering
the cosmos. Later, the Khrushchev regime used him as a "poster boy"
for Soviet excellence during its Cold War competition with the
United States. Ironically, some revisionists have since pointed to
such blatant promotion by the Communist Party in an attempt to
downplay Tsiolkovskii's scientific contributions.
James T. Andrews explores the complexities of this man to show
that Tsiolkovskii was much more than either a rocket inventor or a
propaganda tool. He was a science popularizer, novelist, technical
inventor, and visionary, whose science fiction writings included
futuristic drawings of space stations long before they appeared on
any engineer's drawing board.
Mining a myriad of Russian archives, Andrews produces not only a
biographical account but also a study of Soviet technological
propaganda, local science education, public culture in the 1920s
and 1930s, and the cultural ramifications of space flight.
Essentially, this is a story of hope, faith and love. These pages
expose a war with cancer in a humorous, while brutally honest
manner. The story is laid out in a sequential format representing
the events as they occur. It details the immediate and ongoing
trials triggered by the disease as seen through the eyes of a
married couple, John and Georgetta Warner.
As treatments fail and different medications are employed in the
conflict, John and Georgetta write about how they are changed by
the ever shifting face of cancer. They come to appreciate the value
of time, friends and family as they continue to maintain control in
an uncontrollable situation.
Stone, Plaster, and Stars offers the insightful memoir of author
and dentist Dr. Suja Ravilla Ramana. Charmingly blending dental
practice with the world and the universe outside of dentistry, it
uses anecdotal humor to transform dentistry into an entertaining
enterprise. Ramana traces her own journey, from her time as a
rebellious teenager who turns up her nose at the profession only to
find that it might be the way out of an identity crisis. She
provides a glimpse into indigenous connotations, aiming to tickle
the curiosity and imagination of others. It offers an inspired
cosmic perspective that has been woven into real-life events
through years in college, marriage to a neurosurgeon, and
establishment of her practice. The narrative captures images of the
conflicting challenges of youth and conformity, of growing up and
independent thinking, and of professional choices and finding a
niche in the cosmic universe. Many of the events described here are
real, and some of the people were inspired from the world of
dentistry. Stone, Plaster, and Stars offers a ringside view of the
world from her corner of it.
The book about John Michell (1724-93) has two parts. The first and
longest part is biographical, an account of Michell's home setting
(Nottinghamshire in England), the clerical world in which he grew
up (Church of England), the university (Cambridge) where he studied
and taught, and the scientific activities he made the center of his
life. The second part is a complete edition of his known letters.
Half of his letters have not been previously published; the other
half are brought together in one place for the first time. The
letters touch on all aspects of his career, and because they are in
his words, they help bring the subject to life. His publications
were not many, a slim book on magnets and magnetism, one paper on
geology, two papers on astronomy, and a few brief papers on other
topics, but they were enough to leave a mark on several sciences.
He has been called a geologist, an astronomer, and a physicist,
which he was, though we best remember him as a natural philosopher,
as one who investigated physical nature broadly. His scientific
contribution is not easy to summarize. Arguably he had the broadest
competence of any British natural philosopher of the eighteenth
century: equally skilled in experiment and observation,
mathematical theory, and instruments, his field of inquiry was the
universe. From the structure of the heavens through the structure
of the Earth to the forces of the elementary particles of matter,
he carried out original and far-reaching researches on the workings
of nature.
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