Growing Older On A Treadmill Confessions Of Nerdom Beliefs And Stagnation

Greg Belle believes that the ultimate purpose of life is to live, learn, love, work, and above all, teach. With that purpose in mind, Greg combines personal experiences with satirical commentary on the social and political issues that surround us in America and across the globe in an attempt to better the world, one reflection at a time. Greg, who one day hopes he can jump off his own treadmill and step outside his comfort zone, believes we are designed not to inflict pain, but instead to help each other and, in the process, preserve humanity. While offering his take on a wide range of topics, Greg provides a poignant glimpse into his own challenging journey through life with the intent of helping anyone who might be "stuck" and uncertain of which way to head next. Growing Older on a Treadmill shares reflections and anecdotes that encourage others to live, learn, love, work and teach, no matter what their obstacles.

A New York Times bestseller One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power--and why we love them so much. Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from a different part of the brain than other parts of speech--the urgency with which we say "f&*k!" is instead related to the instinct that tells us to flee from danger. Language evolves with time, and so does what we consider profane or unspeakable. Nine Nasty Words is a rollicking examination of profanity, explored from every angle: historical, sociological, political, linguistic. In a particularly coarse moment, when the public discourse is shaped in part by once-shocking words, nothing could be timelier.

Over the last few decades, economists and psychologists have quietly documented the many ways in which a person's IQ matters. But, research suggests that a nation's IQ matters so much more. As Garett Jones argues in Hive Mind, modest differences in national IQ can explain most cross-country inequalities. Whereas IQ scores do a moderately good job of predicting individual wages, information processing power, and brain size, a country's average score is a much stronger bellwether of its overall prosperity. Drawing on an expansive array of research from psychology, economics, management, and political science, Jones argues that intelligence and cognitive skill are significantly more important on a national level than on an individual one because they have "positive spillovers." On average, people who do better on standardized tests are more patient, more cooperative, and have better memories. As a result, these qualities—and others necessary to take on the complexity of a modern economy—become more prevalent in a society as national test scores rise. What's more, when we are surrounded by slightly more patient, informed, and cooperative neighbors we take on these qualities a bit more ourselves. In other words, the worker bees in every nation create a "hive mind" with a power all its own. Once the hive is established, each individual has only a tiny impact on his or her own life. Jones makes the case that, through better nutrition and schooling, we can raise IQ, thereby fostering higher savings rates, more productive teams, and more effective bureaucracies. After demonstrating how test scores that matter little for individuals can mean a world of difference for nations, the book leaves readers with policy-oriented conclusions and hopeful speculation: Whether we lift up the bottom through changing the nature of work, institutional improvements, or freer immigration, it is possible that this period of massive global inequality will be a short season by the standards of human history if we raise our global IQ.

A substantially revised edition of Jon Elster's critically acclaimed book exploring the nature of social behavior and the social sciences.

THE COLFAXES DIDN'T START TEACHING THEIR BOYS AT HOME TO GET THEM INTO HARVARD - BUT THAT'S WHAT HOMESCHOOLING ACCOMPLISHED! For over fifteen years, David and Micki Colfax educated their children at home. They don't think of themselves as pioneers, though that's what they became. Unhappy with the public schools, the Colfaxes wanted the best education possible for their four sons: a program for learning that met the evolving needs of each child and gave them complete control of how and what their children learned. The results? A prescription for excellence-Harvard educations for their sons Grant, Drew, and Reed. (Their fourth son is still too young for college.) Now the Colfaxes tell how all parents can become involved in homeschooling. In a straight-talking book that reads like a frank conversation among friends, they tell what they did and how they did it: their educational approaches, the lessons they learned, and what materials-books, equipment, educational aids-proved most useful over the years. Best of all, they show you how you can take charge of your children's education-in an invaluable sourcebook that will help you find a rewarding and successful alternative to our failing schools.

A young foster child gets inducted into an elite group of underage spies in this gripping first book in the young adult CHERUB series perfect for graduates of City Spies and Spy School. Following the death of his mother, eleven-year-old James Choke gets separated from his half-sister, Lauren, and sent to a children’s home. James may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he’s also brilliant and soon makes an impression on his roommate—who introduces James to CHERUB. CHERUB is an organization of highly trained, extremely talented spies aged ten to seventeen who tackle sensitive missions where adult agents would draw too much attention. When James passes the entrance exams, his next hurdle is the brutal one hundred days of basic training. From being forced to spend Christmas night outside in his underwear to a grueling three-day solo hike through a rain forest, James gets pushed to his limit and beyond…but he perseveres. James is soon sent overseas with one of his CHERUB mentors to monitor a dangerous group of people, but when deadly compounds enter the mix, will James’s first mission also be his last?

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Listen out for Rutger Bregman. He has a big future shaping the future' Observer 'A more politically radical Malcolm Gladwell' New York Times 'The Dutch wunderkind of new ideas' Guardian In Utopia for Realists, Rutger Bregman shows that we can construct a society with visionary ideas that are, in fact, wholly implementable. Every milestone of civilisation – from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy – was once considered a utopian fantasy. New utopian ideas such as universal basic income and a fifteen-hour work week can become reality in our lifetime. From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty, to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans, Bregman takes us on a journey through history, beyond the traditional left-right divides, as he introduces ideas whose time has come.

Hi, I'm Keshav, and my life is screwed. I hate my job and my girlfriend left me. Ah, the beautiful Zara. Zara is from Kashmir. She is a Muslim. And did I tell you my family is a bit, well, traditional? Anyway, leave that. Zara and I broke up four years ago. She moved on in life. I didn't. I drank every night to forget her. I called, messaged, and stalked her on social media. She just ignored me. However, that night, on the eve of her birthday, Zara messaged me. She called me over, like old times, to her hostel room 105. I shouldn't have gone, but I did... and my life changed forever. This is not a love story. It is an unlove story. From the author of Five Point Someone and 2 States, comes a fast-paced, funny and unputdownable thriller about obsessive love and finding purpose in life against the backdrop of contemporary India.