The Invisible Hand Of Cancer

Oncology is a field characterized as “medicine of high complexity” and cancer is generally regarded as a complex system. Therefore, it cannot be classified and treated according only to its biology. Even though research on the biology of cancer has increased and more studies have been published, the related sociological, political and economic dimensions, as well as mathematical models that predict whether this condition will take one course or another, have often been neglected. The Invisible Hand of Cancer—The Complex Force of Socioeconomic Factors in Oncology Today unfolds the variables behind the biological disease, exploring the social aspects and presenting cancer as a model inside of the Complexity Theory. Cancer is a generic word for more than 200 diseases. In a wider view of cancer treatment, the various factors of cancer interact in multiple ways and it is a difficult task to identify and understand all the possible combinations in this system. All these variables and how they interact can be defined as the invisible hand of cancer. This book does not intend to be an exhaustive analysis of these aspects. It is a door being opened to the cancer research journey, along the years and beyond its biology. It will also discuss how social behavior can interfere in the evolution of cancer treatment, as a result of society’s way of thinking and choices, thus the importance of truly addressing cancer as an intricate system and a public health issue. After the success of my children’s books about cancer (Chubby’s Tale: The true story of a teddy bear who beat cancer, Bald is Beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl, Cancer Daily Life, and What is Cancer?: A book for kids), I have developed a passion for writing about science in a simple way for non-scientist readers. I have also worked to build a career as a writer, communicating with patients, advocates, and oncology and pediatric oncology professionals, mostly on Twitter. Everyone knows someone who has or had cancer, so more and more popular science books on this topic are becoming bestsellers. This book is directed to a general audience and follows scientific standards, encompassing high-quality data, but in an easy-to-read format. Furthermore, it will raise awareness and show how simple actions such as not judging patients and not spreading false popular beliefs can contribute to achieve a new milestone in the cancer journey.

National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson returns to future Earth in a sharply wrought satire of art and truth in the midst of colonization. When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth — but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents’ jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv’s miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. And since the vuvv crave anything they deem classic Earth culture (doo-wop music, still life paintings of fruit, true love), recording 1950s-style dates for the vuvv to watch in a pay-per-minute format seems like a brilliant idea. But it’s hard for Adam and Chloe to sell true love when they hate each other more with every passing episode. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he’s willing to go — and what he’s willing to sacrifice — to give the vuvv what they want.

'I have cancer. Cancer does not have me.' Sophie Sabbage was diagnosed with late stage 'incurable' lung cancer in October 2014. She was 48 years old, happily married with a 4-year-old daughter. Since that day - when doctors told Sophie that her prognosis was poor - she has been on a remarkable journey of healing and transformation that has reshaped her vocation as well as changed her life for the better. The Cancer Whisperer chronicles Sophie's extraordinary relationship with cancer and the methods that she has used for dealing with fear, anger, denial and grief. The essence of 'cancer whispering' was born of Sophie's determination to take cancer off the battlefield and into the classroom. Instead of going to war with it, Sophie has chosen to listen to it, learn from it and choose her own response to it. Sophie offers a radically different way of relating to this disease both mentally and practically: she shares the research she has done, the treatments she has chosen, the diet she follows and the resources that she feels have made the biggest differences in the hope that they will help others cut through the mass of information out there. Sophie says: 'This book is for the cancer patient who wants to remain a dignified, empowered human being even when your doctors and diagnosis are scaring the hell out of you. It is also for the cancer patient who has a hunch that there is something for them to learn, gain or even be transformed by - if they just knew how to relate to this disease differently to the way most of society does. It is for the cancer patient, perhaps any patient.'

The 'invisible hand', Adam Smith's metaphor for the morality of capitalism, is explored in this text as being far more subtle and intricate than is usually understood, with many British realist fiction writers (Austen, Dickens, Gaskell, Eliot) having absorbed his model of ironic causality in complex societies and turned it to their own purposes.

This book shows how such a computational process functions, how great is its power and versatility, since it is possible to show how discoveries are made. In 1759, A. Smith realized that there must exist an additional powerful control mechanism behind Great Britain’s authority and government, explaining the extraordinary successes of Great Britain. He called this the Invisible Hand. Despite having used this term only 3 times, the idea evokes extreme scientific and political emotions to this day. If we apply a molecular model of computation, such as in in Adleman’s DNA computer, a computational model for the Invisible Hand can be built to show how it affects a society. It is a spontaneous, unconscious, distributed, noncontinuous computational process on the platform of minds of, e.g., people or ants. Knowing this mechanism, a future self-steering and self-optimization system for AI robot teams can be proposed, e.g., for construction sites and rescue operations.

It is a mistake to think that wars only concern armies involved in active engagement. Nothing is farther from the truth. The real forces of evil wage a financial war. The dark princes of debt finance have gained leverage over every important social, economic, and political institution-including the health care delivery system. In AIDS, Opium, Diamonds, and Empire, author Nancy Turner Banks draws the connections between free market strategies, the destruction of national sovereignty by the process of globalization, and AIDS as one of the health consequences of a neo-Darwinian philosophy. Through meticulous research, Banks found a medicalpharmaceutical- industrial complex that was taken over one hundred years ago by the titans of financial capitalism. Their aim was to create profit, not to conquer disease. This book of social history points to a cauldron of historical events that contributed to the HIV/AIDS crisis. AIDS, Opium, Diamonds, and Empire tells the dramatic story of a financial ideology that is damaging to everything that it means to be human. It is the story of profits over people. In the end, it is the story of hope and how we can regain our sanity and our health in a world gone mad.

This unusual biography portrays the life and unbounded spiritual workings of Mario Mantese. People who know him for many years tell of their meetings with Master M and of his extraordinary universal activity. They share accounts of wondrous, astonishing, and mystifying occurrences, which they experienced in his presence. They were deeply touched by the light that emanates from him, and could thus discover unfathomed depths within their own lives. What unfolds for the reader is a glimpse into the limitless, luminous foundation of our world.