Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs.
During his sixty years as a motoring journalist, Stuart Bladon test drove almost every car on the road. Working for Autocar, and later as a freelance writer, he was granted access to some of the oddest vehicles off the road as well, including the three-wheeled Bond Minicar, in which he was very nearly killed. The best part of any car test, however, was finding out how fast they would go. In 1970, he set what was for a long time Autocar's fastest road test maximum speed, at 172mph. Going back to the days when the only speed limit was the 30mph restriction in built-up areas, each chapter of this book brings a motoring story of travel, testing and adventure. Since a fond aunt began teaching him to drive at the age of 7, Stuart Bladon has enjoyed a lifelong passion for cars. This book recounts the many motors and the colourful escapades of a life spent very near – if not over – the speed limit.
Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Is breaking a mirror just an expensive waste of glass, or something rather more sinister? Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today? This Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behaviour remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune. Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Over the last four decades, debt, bankruptcy, and home foreclosures have risen to epidemic levels, and the personal savings rate has sunk dangerously low. Why, in the richest nation on earth, can't Americans hold on to their money? First published in 2008, Stuart Vyse's Going Broke described the epidemic of personal debt that existed in the years leading up to the Great Recession, and anticipated the home mortgage crisis that started it. Ten years later, a fully-updated new edition tackles the post-recession era of economic recovery. Today total household debt has actually surpassed pre-recession levels, and some of the same problems that preceded the crash are back again. But the shape of our troubles has changed: the new face of financial failure features auto repossession, bankruptcy, eviction, wage garnishment, and being sued for unpaid bills. Vyse offers a unique psychological perspective on the financial behavior of the many Americans today who find they cannot make ends meet, illuminating these and other causes of our wildly self-destructive spending habits. But he doesn't entirely blame the victim, arguing instead that the mountain of debt burying so many of us is the inevitable byproduct of America's turbo-charged economy together with social and technological trends that undermine our self-control. This new edition illuminates everything from the rise of the credit card and ballooning student loan debt, to the expansion of new shopping opportunities provided by social media, revealing how vast changes in American society over the last 40 years have greatly complicated our relationship with money. Vyse concludes with both personal advice for the individual who wants to achieve greater financial stability and with pointed recommendations for economic and social change that will help promote the financial health of all Americans.
As you read the stories in Bridge Builders: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things, you will enjoy the company of 12 humorous, uplifting and energizing women. You will find wonderful portrayals of the heart, mind and soul of faith and come to appreciate these aspects of yourself. Elaine Voci gives us the 12 stories of women who have had life-changing experiences plus her own story during the year it took to complete the book. Whether facing terminal illnesses, the loss of a hard-won career or the pursuit of a dream that seems unreachable, these women found a source of faith and courage within themselves that they did not always trust or believe they had. Each called upon inner resources, friendships with other women, scriptural passages and other inspiring words to not only endure, but to conquer fear and grow stronger. You will find part of your own story reflected in these life journeys, lessons and inspiration expertly gathered from the words of 12 heroic women by Elaine Voci, an outstanding new voice in non-fiction. See Elaine's other works, The Finishing Touch with Steve SeRine and Celebration of Light with a foreward by Dr. Francis W. Price, Jr.
The Palestine campaign of 1917 saw Britain's armed forces rise from defeat to achieve stunning victory. After two failed attempts in the spring, at the end of the year they broke through the Ottoman line with an innovative mixture of old and new technology and tactics, and managed to advance over 50 miles, from Gaza to Jerusalem, in only two months. As well as discussions of military strategy, Stuart Hadaway's gripping narrative of the campaign gives a broad account of the men on both sides who lived and fought in the harsh desert conditions of Palestine, facing not only brave and determined enemies, but also the environment itself: heat, disease and an ever-present thirst. Involving Ottoman, ANZAC, British and Arab forces, the campaign saw great empires manoeuvring for the coveted Holy Land. It was Britain's victory in 1917, however, that redrew the maps of the Middle East and shaped the political climate for the century to come.
In 1972, as I was starting graduate school, a friend died in a car accident. He was a troubled man, a Vietnam veteran who never quite settled into life after returning home from the war. Late at night while his wife Susan slept in their bed, his car crashed into a tree many miles away from where he should have been. In the weeks that followed, a group of us spent a lot of time with Susan. We took her out and taught her how to get drunk. We hugged her. We tried to make sure she was with other people as much as possible"--
Reporting on the latest advances made in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and continuing the high standards set by earlier editions, the Handbook of Multiple Sclerosis, Third Edition examines a wide range of topics from etiology to treatment options. Analyzes recent developments in the natural history, immunopathology, lesion evolution, and
Over the last four decades, debt, bankruptcy, and home foreclosures have risen to epidemic levels, and the personal savings rate has sunk dangerously low. Why, in the richest nation on earth, can't Americans hold on to their money? First published in 2008, Stuart Vyse's Going Broke described the epidemic of personal debt that existed in the years leading up to the Great Recession, and anticipated the home mortgage crisis that started it. Ten years later, a fully-updated new edition tackles the post-recession era of economic recovery. Today total household debt has actually surpassed pre-recession levels, and some of the same problems that preceded the crash are back again. But the shape of our troubles has changed: the new face of financial failure features auto repossession, bankruptcy, eviction, wage garnishment, and being sued for unpaid bills. Vyse offers a unique psychological perspective on the financial behavior of the many Americans today who find they cannot make ends meet, illuminating these and other causes of our wildly self-destructive spending habits. But he doesn't entirely blame the victim, arguing instead that the mountain of debt burying so many of us is the inevitable byproduct of America's turbo-charged economy together with social and technological trends that undermine our self-control. This new edition illuminates everything from the rise of the credit card and ballooning student loan debt, to the expansion of new shopping opportunities provided by social media, revealing how vast changes in American society over the last 40 years have greatly complicated our relationship with money. Vyse concludes with both personal advice for the individual who wants to achieve greater financial stability and with pointed recommendations for economic and social change that will help promote the financial health of all Americans.
A Doody's Core Title for 2023! The #1 Textbook in Pharmacotherapy providing optimal patient outcomes using evidence-based medication therapies—updated with the latest advances and guidelines For more than 30 years, DiPiro’s Pharmacotherapy has been the essential textbook for learning how to properly select, administer, and monitor drugs―everything needed to provide safe, effective drug therapy across all therapeutic categories. This new edition has been fully updated with the latest evidence-based information and recommendations. With content from 300 expert contributors, this valuable resource offers detailed descriptions of common and uncommon disease states, including treatment by pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic means. Each disease chapter opens with a Patient Care Process, helping readers understand the collaborative care model in which pharmacists work and communicate with other healthcare providers for effective coordinated care. Here's why DiPiro's Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach is the perfect learning tool for students, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers: All chapters provide the most current, reliable, and relevant information available Key concepts are included at the beginning of each chapter Clinical Presentation boxes concisely outline disease signs and symptoms New: Beyond the Book feature points readers to multimedia resources to deepen their understanding of the material Diagnostic flow diagrams, treatment algorithms, dosing guideline recommendations, and monitoring approaches clearly distinguish treatment pathways New: Drug monitoring tables have been added Patient care process boxes help readers know how to communicate with other health care providers New: Additional FREE E-Chapters are available on AccessPharmacy New: Over 2000 Review Questions to help prepare students!
In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs.
From 1837 to 1900 the tiny borough of Stonington, Connecticut was a major transportation hub on the route between New York and Boston. Steamboats leaving Manhattan followed Long Island Sound to Stonington Harbor where passengers boarded trains for the rest of the journey to Providence or Boston. Stonington's Steamboat Hotel, built in 1838 near the piers and railroad yard, was home to saloons, restaurants, a pool hall, a cigar shop, a tailor and a barber shop. Merchants, hotel keepers and saloon workers passed through the building, each with their own unique story. Many of them were immigrants or first-generation Americans, and they are a window onto a late 19th-century class of merchants and service workers. Join local author Stuart Vyse as he reveals a lively portrait of remarkable harmony in a small village that was far more diverse than it is today.
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