The fossil record reveals periods when biodiversity exploded, and short intervals when much of life was wiped out in mass extinction events. In comparison with these ancient events, todays biotic crisis hasn't (yet) reached the level of extinction to be called a mass extinction. But we are certainly in crisis, and current parallels with ancient mass extinction events are profound and deeply worrying. Humanity's actions are applying the same sorts of pressures - on similar scales - that in the past pushed the Earth System out of equilibrium and triggered mass extinction events. Analysis of the fossil record suggests that we still have some time to avert this disaster: but we must act now.

A book needed now more than ever, Forget Prayers, Bring Cake is for people of all ages and orientations dealing with grief of any sort--professional, personal, romantic, familial, or even the sadness of the modern day. This book provides actions to boost self-care and self-worth; it shows when and how to ask for love and attention, and how to provide it for others. It shows that it is okay to define your needs and ask others to share theirs. In a moment in which community, affection, and generosity are needed more than ever, this book is an indispensable road map. This book will be a guiding light to a healthier mental state amid these troubled times.

Kick off the course by discovering a range of educational philosophies and schooling methods. Compare them all, homeschool to traditional school to the classical method to "unschooling," to see which option best fits your situation and goals. Along the way, you will acquire the knowledge, tools, and guidance you need to raise intellectually curious and engaged lifelong learners, regardless of whether you intend to teach at home or send them to school. You will also gain insight into how you can teach the three major learning tools effectively, encourage scientific exploration and artistic development, communicate with teens, approach and motivate struggling students, design your home to accommodate the needs and desires of your growing learners, and much more.

This unique reference book strives to define words and phrases that the average person often encounters but which may not be immediately familiar. Batten, kiosk, proctor, coup de grace, alliteration, parsec, corona, renal, joystick, decant, citadel. Broken down into over fifty categories--from cultural essentials likeart, history, and sports to modern obsessions like text messaging and hip hop slang--this book is a word lover's dream and a useful handbook for any student. It covers theatre. It even has a section of foreign words commonly used in English. Expand your vocabulary. Improve your writing. Broaden your horizons!

Nature wants you dead. Not just you, but your children and everyone you have ever met and everyone they have ever met; in fact, everyone. It wants you to cough and sneeze and poop yourself into an early grave. It wants your blood vessels to burst and pustules to explode all over your body. And - until recently - it was really good at doing this. Covid-19 may be only the first of many modern pandemics. The subject of infection and how to fight it grows more urgent every day. How do pathogens cause disease? And what tools can we give our bodies to do battle? Infectious uncovers fascinating success stories in immunology and virology, making this book not only a vital overview of infection, but also a hopeful story of ongoing human ingenuity.

Ghosts are everywhere--whether you believe in them or not. Every town has its local legends, and countless books, movies, and TV shows are haunted by their presence. But our obsession with ghosts runs deeper than we know--and is embedded in the very fabric of American history. Writer and historian Marc Hartzman dons the mantle of tour guide, taking readers on a fascinating journey through supernatural history, including: Famous haunted sites like the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and the LaLaurie House in New Orleans; Famous ghosts like the Bell Witch of Tennessee and the Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia.

For athletes, breakfast is always the main topic of conversation when out on a morning run. Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky believe (and science confirms) that what you eat at the start of the day impacts everything: your mood, your work output, your cravings, your sleep, and even your long-term health. In Rise and Run, they turn their focus to the most important meal of the day, with 100 recipes for nutrient-rich, indulgent breakfasts and packable snacks for athletes on-the-go, including morning staples like Goddess Grain-Free Granola, Breakfast Power Bowls, and new savory and sweet variations of the fan-favorite Superhero Muffins.

There are more than 200 officially listed culture-bound syndromes--specific sets of symptoms that exist in a particular culture--affecting people around the world. In The Sleeping Beauties, Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan--a prize winning British neurologist--investigates psychosomatic disorders and mass hysteria, traveling the world to visit communities suffering from these so-called "mystery" illnesses. From a derelict post-Soviet mining town in Kazakhstan, to the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, to the heart of the Maria Mountains in Colombia, O'Sullivan records the remarkable stories of culture-bound syndromes related by an array of people from all walks of life. She presents these curious and often distressing case studies of seeming mass hysteria with compassion and humanity, persuasively arguing that psychological suffering demands much greater respect and discussion than it's given at present.