Only Us

Berwick and Chomsky draw on recent developments in linguistic theory to offer an evolutionary account of language and humans' remarkable, species-specific ability to acquire it. “A loosely connected collection of four essays that will fascinate anyone interested in the extraordinary phenomenon of language.” —New York Review of Books We are born crying, but those cries signal the first stirring of language. Within a year or so, infants master the sound system of their language; a few years after that, they are engaging in conversations. This remarkable, species-specific ability to acquire any human language—“the language faculty”—raises important biological questions about language, including how it has evolved. This book by two distinguished scholars—a computer scientist and a linguist—addresses the enduring question of the evolution of language. Robert Berwick and Noam Chomsky explain that until recently the evolutionary question could not be properly posed, because we did not have a clear idea of how to define “language” and therefore what it was that had evolved. But since the Minimalist Program, developed by Chomsky and others, we know the key ingredients of language and can put together an account of the evolution of human language and what distinguishes us from all other animals. Berwick and Chomsky discuss the biolinguistic perspective on language, which views language as a particular object of the biological world; the computational efficiency of language as a system of thought and understanding; the tension between Darwin's idea of gradual change and our contemporary understanding about evolutionary change and language; and evidence from nonhuman animals, in particular vocal learning in songbirds.

From the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, in the midst of the Cold War and second-wave feminism, the RCMP security service – prompted by fears of left-wing and communist subversion – monitored and infiltrated the women’s liberation movement in Canada and Quebec. Just Watch Us investigates why and how this movement was targeted, weighing carefully the presumed threat its left-wing ties presented to the Canadian government against the defiant challenge its campaign for gender equality posed to Canadian society. Based on a close reading of thousands of pages of RCMP documents declassified under Canada’s Access to Information Act and the corresponding Privacy Act, Just Watch Us demonstrates that the security service’s longstanding anti-Communist focus distorted its threat assessment of feminist organizing. Combining gender analysis and critical approaches to state surveillance, Christabelle Sethna and Steve Hewitt consider the machinations of the RCMP, including its bureaucratic evolution, intelligence-gathering operations, and impact, as well as the evolution of the women’s liberation movement from its broad transnational influences to its elusive quest for unity among women across lines of ideology and identity. Significantly, the authors also grapple with the historiographical, methodological, and ethical difficulties of working with declassified security documents and sensitive information. A sharp-eyed inquiry into spy policies and tactics in Cold War Canada, Just Watch Us speaks to the serious political implications of state surveillance for social justice activism in liberal democracies.

Meet the Bergmans in this enemies-to-lovers new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart. From the moment Willa sat next to Ryder in class, she’s made it clear she hates his guts. Her reason is a mystery, but its outcome suits him fine. Willa Sutter is the feisty, tempting chaos he doesn’t need in his quiet, tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair. Bee-stung lips. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. He’ll leverage her hate as long as possible to keep his distance. When Willa asked Ryder to borrow his lecture notes, the silent, surly, mountain man ignored her. Ryder Bergman is an arrogant, infuriating flannel-wearing enigma. Mangy beard. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge her existence. But Willa’s never backed down from a challenge. Forced to work together on their final project, Willa and Ryder begin a game of pranks and practical jokes, each determined to come out the champion. But once they catch unexpected feelings, victory begins to mean something else—winning each other’s hearts.

Only Us tells the story of how love can prevail, even under difficult circumstances. After their marriage, Madison and Saleem settle into their lives together. But incidents from the past come back to haunt them. Madison has had no contact with her ex-husband since the day she walked out of the courtroom where he was convicted of battery and spousal abuse. He’s the last person she ever expected to see again. Saleem’s life was turned upside down twenty years ago when a woman he had an affair with named him the father of her child. He never believed it, but opted to financially support the girl. Now twenty-one, his daughter calls him with news that will rock the newfound bliss of his marriage to Madison. Both must face the past, even as some of the world’s worst criminals tear them apart. Will they survive kidnapping, murder, and the Russian Mafia?

The Sequel - Between Us Only! This is The Sequel - Between Us Only - Book Two - from his First Book of the same name. The book contains series of articles that had appeared during the last three years in his column in The Oman Daily Observer (English Daily). The subjects cover varies from week to week but range from Socio-political, Social, Economic, Family, Educational, Omanisation (Localisation), Training & Development, International arena and scenarios etc. Book Two contains equally interesting subjects and topics. A.02 - About The Book - Psychology of Arab Management Thinking. For a long time now, I have been putting off the idea of writing this book - though it had been on my mind for a long time now. The mere idea of writing this book scared me to bits and pieces - for many valid and pertinent reasons. As Arabs, work is worshipped (Islamic Religion calls on us to respect work like as if it is in praying). We are also brought up to be polite, courteous and decent (at least a majority of us). Abrupt, ugly, rudeness and distort are discouraged. Also it is not easy to say NO - as part of the culture, customs, traditions and heritage. So what went wrong here - especially in Management circles? Why are we behind the rest of the world, despite all our riches and resources? I hope you will enjoy the book. I have tried to be as frank, open, forthright, honest, sincere and genuine as I can - as Readers who know me can give credence and credibility to me and will vouch and authenticate my works. It is a no punch-spared, no barrels held stiff, no frills - play but to be as frank, open and honest as possible - so it can be a learning process for this generation and others to come in the future. I have not spared myself, so there is just for it to be honest, sincere, genuine and hard hitting - sparing no one. Just No One. A.03 - About The Author (Both Books). The Writer, who is a Human Resources Professional and Expert, is also a weekly Column Writer in The Oman Daily Observer Features under 'Between Us Only'. He started writing as a hobby when he was 12 years old, and his first project in writing (My Most Vivid Dream) had won him a National Award. His style of writing is 'with a fresh approach and direct from the heart' and as if speaking to you directly, having known you and using personal experiences and exposures - and examples to illustrate his points, views, and suggestions - characteristics of his writing style. Many of his famous widely acclaimed read articles have been compiled into his first book and cater for different tastes and likes - covering almost everyone - from the Student to the CEO, from the child, teenager to Grand Parents! He is married with three daughters and son (married), daughters first being twins (married with grandchildren).

Richmond, Virginia, is the heart of the Confederacy, and for those whose hearts are still with the Union in 1861, it is a trying home. Li8za Van Lew has long been an outsider in Richmond. She never married, and at her father's death, she gave all of her family's slaves their freedom. Her neighbors and friends have begun to believe that she might be losing her mind. But the Rebels don't rust her, and with good reason. Behind a mask of mental frailty and innocence, she has secretly organized and is operating a hugely successful spy ring out of Richmond. The Confederate Army has its suspicions, though they can't ever seem to catch her in the act. But as the war wears on, the danger of being caught grows with each bit of information passed along, with her every secret act of patriotism. The double life of lady and spy wears on Liza. Until the war is over, the secrecy that endangers her and those she has recruited to spy for her will never end. She doesn't know how much longer she can endure, wondering if the next knock on her door might bring soldiers to carry her off to prison. . . . Richmond, Virginia. The capital of the Confederacy. Here lived one of the greatest threats to the Confederate war efforts. In an unremarkable house on Church Street, Elizabeth Van Lew, a spinster thought to be unconventional, was the center of the Union Army's underground spy network. For the duration of the Civil War, she worked with innumerable agents throughout the city-even in Jefferson Davis's own house!-keeping in constant communication with the Union military command. This is her story. Told by her ghost in a narrative that captures with utter poignancy the contradictions of the Southern ideal and the heartbreak of civil war, Only Call Us Faithful is a remarkable story of courage and conviction, the untold tale of thousands of Southerners who during the Civil War were United Stales patriots in enemy territory. Also dedicated to easing the plight of Union Army prisoners of war incarcerated in Richmond prisons, Miss Van Lew risked life and limb to bring prisoners food and medicine. But though the Confederate leadership in Richmond thought her annoying and inconvenient, they never caught her passing secret information that led directly to Union victories on the fields of battle. To the very end she was invisible, a lady alone, fighting a shadow war that ultimately helped topple the confederacy. An Uncommon hero, her true role has never been fully revealed until now. Using many primary information sources, Marie Jakober has painted a true and vivid portrait of one of the Civil War's most unusual heroes. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

FINALIST FOR THE 2021 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION Claudia Rankine’s Citizen changed the conversation—Just Us urges all of us into it As everyday white supremacy becomes increasingly vocalized with no clear answers at hand, how best might we approach one another? Claudia Rankine, without telling us what to do, urges us to begin the discussions that might open pathways through this divisive and stuck moment in American history. Just Us is an invitation to discover what it takes to stay in the room together, even and especially in breaching the silence, guilt, and violence that follow direct addresses of whiteness. Rankine’s questions disrupt the false comfort of our culture’s liminal and private spaces—the airport, the theater, the dinner party, the voting booth—where neutrality and politeness live on the surface of differing commitments, beliefs, and prejudices as our public and private lives intersect. This brilliant arrangement of essays, poems, and images includes the voices and rebuttals of others: white men in first class responding to, and with, their white male privilege; a friend’s explanation of her infuriating behavior at a play; and women confronting the political currency of dying their hair blond, all running alongside fact-checked notes and commentary that complements Rankine’s own text, complicating notions of authority and who gets the last word. Sometimes wry, often vulnerable, and always prescient, Just Us is Rankine’s most intimate work, less interested in being right than in being true, being together.

"These essays on a woman's wild ride through life give us Marion's bracing tonic–of–truth voice in splendid form—her voice that is always brilliantly funny, intelligent, brave, haunting, and full of surprises, revelations, and wise, wild connections. At this point, I don't think I could live without it. If you don't know her yet, your life is about to get better." —Naomi Shihab Nye Whether she is writing about the vagaries of family vacations on land and sea, about getting her tubes tied and the importance of a woman's right to choose, or her battles with her rebel pyromaniac teenage son, Marion Winik is searingly honest and unfailingly witty in the face of adversity. In this collection of essays, a treat for dedicated fans and new readers alike, Winik explores domesticity, midlife, and aging. A brand new final section brings Above Us Only Sky—originally published in 2005—up to date with essays from her award–winning column in the Baltimore Fishbowl, taking us through experiences with blended families, adult children, and empty nest.