Whats Gotten Into You

For readers of Bill Bryson, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Siddhartha Mukherjee, a wondrous, wildly ambitious, and vastly entertaining work of popular science that tells the awe-inspiring story of the elements that make up the human body, and how these building blocks of life travelled billions of miles and across billions of years to make us who we are. Every one of us contains a billion times more atoms than all the grains of sand in the earth’s deserts. If you weigh 150 pounds, you’ve got enough carbon to make 25 pounds of charcoal, enough salt to fill a saltshaker, enough chlorine to disinfect several backyard swimming pools, and enough iron to forge a 3-inch nail. But how did these elements combine to make us human? All matter—everything around us and within us—has an ultimate birthday: the day the universe was born. This informative, eye-opening, and eminently readable book is the story of our atoms’ long strange journey from the Big Bang to the creation of stars, through the assembly of Planet Earth, and the formation of life as we know it. It’s also the story of the scientists who made groundbreaking discoveries and unearthed extraordinary insights into the composition of life. Behind their unexpected findings were investigations marked by fierce rivalries, obsession, heartbreak, flashes of insight, and flukes of blind luck. Ultimately they’ve helped us understand the mystery of our existence: how a quadrillion atoms made of particles from the Big Bang now animate each of our cells. Shaped by the curious mind and bold vision of science and history documentarian Dan Levitt, this wondrous book is no less than the story of life itself.

What's Gotten into Us? is a deep, remarkable, and empowering investigation into the threats--biological and environmental--that chemicals now present in our daily lives. Do you know what chemicals are in your shampoo? How about your cosmetics? Do you know what's in the plastic water bottles you drink from, or the weed killer in your garage, or your children's pajamas? If you're like most of us, the answer is probably no. But you also probably figured that most of these products were safe, and that someone--the manufacturers, the government--was looking out for you. The truth might surprise you. After experiencing a health scare of his own, journalist McKay Jenkins set out to discover the truth about toxic chemicals, our alarming levels of exposure, and our government's utter failure to regulate them effectively. What's Gotten into Us? reveals how dangerous, and how common, toxins are in the most ordinary things, and in the most familiar of places: * Our water: Thanks to suburban sprawl and agricultural runoff, 97 percent of our nation's rivers and streams are now contaminated with everything from herbicides to pharmaceutical drugs. * Our bodies: High levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals from cosmetics, flame-retardants from clothing and furniture, even long-banned substances like DDT and lead, are consistently showing up in human blood samples. * Our homes: Many toxins lurk beneath our sinks and in our basements, of course, but did you know that they're also found in wall-to-wall carpeting, plywood, and fabric softeners? * Our yards: Pesticides, fungicides, even common fertilizers--there are enormous, unseen costs to our national obsession with green, weed-free lawns. What's Gotten Into Us? is much more than a wake-up call. It offers numerous practical ways for us to regain some control over our lives, to make our own personal worlds a little less toxic. Inside, you'll find ideas to help you make informed decisions about the products you buy, and to disentangle yourself from unhealthy products you don't need--so that you and your family can start living healthier lives now, and in the years to come. Because, as this book shows, what you don't know can hurt you.

There’s home, and Dad’s work, and the parents fighting sometimes. There’s school, annoying friends, and the beautiful, unattainable Chen. There’s life and its milestones: your first communion, your first dance, your first pet... It’s difficult sometimes, for a child. Fortunately, Cedric can always count on his Granddad’s wisdom—and occasional partnership in crime—to help him see the brighter side of things and discover what’s truly important.

Your hard work is paying off. You are doing well in your field. But there is something standing between you and the next level of achievement. That something may just be one of your own annoying habits. Perhaps one small flaw - a behaviour you barely even recognise - is the only thing that's keeping you from where you want to be. It may be that the very characteristic that you believe got you where you are - like the drive to win at all costs - is what's holding you back. As this book explains, people often do well in spite of certain habits rather than because of them - and need a "to stop" list rather than one listing what "to do". Marshall Goldsmith's expertise is in helping global leaders overcome their unconscious annoying habits and become more successful. His one-on-one coaching comes with a six-figure price tag - but in this book you get his great advice for much less. Recently named as one of the world's five most-respected executive coaches by Forbes, he has worked with over 100 major CEOs and their management teams at the world's top businesses. His clients include corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Glaxo SmithKline, Johnson and Johnson and GE.

Scarlet Paine is still evolving as a vampire, and struggling to come to terms with the impending death of her new love, Sage.

The realm of the Canderis is badly shaken when they learn that a neighboring land is home to the Resonants, a race of telepathic men and women who use their mind-altering abilities to transform innocent people into mindless slaves. Original.

Captain Jay Marsh had never questioned where his ultimate loyalty lay. He had witnessed the bloody horror left behind by the retreating Japanese army during World War II's final days. And he had abandoned his beautiful Filipina fiancée to see his duty through. But not even Marsh could guess the terrible personal price he would have to pay for his loyalty. He would follow General Douglas MacArthur to Tokyo itself. There he would become the brilliant, egocentric general's confidant, translator, surrogate son--and spy. Marsh would play a dangerous game of deliberate deceit and brutal injustice in the shadow world of postwar Japan's royal palaces and geisha houses, and recognize that the defeated emperor and his wily aides were exploiting MacArthur's ruthless ambition to become the American Caesar. The Emperor's General is a dramatic human story of the loss of innocence and the seduction of power, about the conflict between honor, duty, and love, all set against an extraordinary historical backdrop.

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, the internationally best-selling author and lecturer, has written a new book in his series of inspirational books for kids. You're Not What You've Got addresses the topics of money and abundance, with the understanding that children’s earliest thoughts and perceptions about money are those that will last throughout their lives. The concepts presented in this beautifully illustrated book include: Money does not define who you are; it doesn't matter what others have, and abundance comes in many forms. Unlike most books on this subject, It’s Not What You've Got is not a how-to manual on spending and saving for kids, but rather a positive, spiritual approach to the meaning of money.