Essential Histories

While Israel is a modern and largely secular country, it is one steeped in biblical history - a place where religion still plays an active role in public life. In 70 years, it has grown from a sparsely populated strip of land into a vigorous democracy and regional superpower. Often called the Startup Nation, Israel is a world leader in a number of high-tech industries. Its democratic institutions, despite political and social polarization in recent years, are among the most enlightened in the world.

A land of mountains, hills, and fertile plains, Romania is a tourist destination waiting to be discovered. It is a rich and complex country: a place whose cities are home to beautiful parks and vibrant cultural scenes and whose people welcome guests warmly into their homes, sharing the best of whatever they have and partying into the night, suffused by Latin joie de vivre. Buffeted over time between three great powers - the West, Russia, and Turkey - Romania betrays the cultural influences of each, and it can be a difficult place to get a handle on.

In A Legacy of Discrimination, leading constitutional scholars Lee C. Bollinger and Geoffrey R. Stone trace affirmative action's history and the legal challenges it has faced over the decades. They argue that in order to fully comprehend affirmative action's original intent and impact, we must reacquaint ourselves with the era in which it arose, beginning with the most important Supreme Court decision of the twentieth century, 1954's Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) was one of the most influential presidents of the USA, uniting the country and abolishing slavery after a terrible civil war. On the 200th anniversary of his birth, his life and works are presented here in an easy introductory form. Through a balance of biography and the key speeches and letters, the man is brought to life, demonstrating his keen intelligence and determination, which was maintained all the way to his tragic death at the hand of an assassin.

The French are "different." You'll often hear this in conversations among the "Anglo-Saxons," as the French like to call English speakers. "Different" means charming, challenging, questioning, stylish, and doing things in their own way and to their own advantage. By looking at the attitudes and values of the French, and explaining how French life and business works, Culture Smart! France shows you how to fit in as a foreigner.

Socrates' admonition that "the unexamined life is not worth living" still resonates with many people, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Philosophy is a great introduction to that mental exercise. In this audiobook, listeners will find a fully comprehensive guide to the essential philosophers and their philosophies, both ancient and modern, from East to West. The content has been expanded to include the relationship of systems theory to philosophy today and includes explanations of the latest thinking in 20th- and 21st-century philosophical thought.

Humans are hard-wired for collaboration, and new technologies of communication act as a super-amplifier of our natural collaborative mindset. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series examines the emergence of a new kind of social collaboration enabled by networked technologies. This new collaborative society might be characterized as a series of services and startups that enable peer-to-peer exchanges and interactions though technology.

This classic guide to financial success, set in the ancient city of Babylon, will revolutionize your personal finances and earning ability - all in the space of a single sitting. After this book you will never view money the same way again. This special edition, condensed and introduced by award-winning historian and New Thought voice Mitch Horowitz, provides the full lessons of The Richest Man in Babylon, opening the door to your financial empowerment today.

The beginning of the modern contraceptive era began in 1882, when Dr. Aletta Jacobs opened the first birth control clinic in Amsterdam. The founding of this facility, and the clinical provision of contraception that it enabled, marked the moment when physicians started to take the prevention of pregnancy seriously as a medical concern. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Donna Drucker traces the history of modern contraception, outlining the development, manufacturing, and use of contraceptive methods from the opening of Dr. Jacobs' clinic to the present.

This guide to Mexico takes you to the heart of Mexican society. It describes how people socialize and meet members of the opposite sex, the dynamics of daily life, the central importance of family, and the annual cycle of Catholic feasts and fiestas. For business travelers, there are key sections on the economy and vital insights into the general business culture. The third-largest country in Latin America, Mexico is hugely diverse, having both rural areas, where time seems to have stood still, and manic urban centers like Mexico City, one of the most exciting cities in the world.

In this book, we will delve into the fascinating world of the Goths with a scientific lens, exploring everything we can about how they came about, where they lived, what they did, and how they died off. We will look into the nitty-gritty details of their everyday life, as well as some major historical events that were affected by Goths of any variety. Do strap yourselves in - there are quite a few of those.

Ranging from epistemology to existentialism and featuring ideas from philosophers as varied as Plato, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Paul Sartre, this essential guide will bring you up to speed on the core themes and theories of this great subject.

This guide aims at expediting your discovery of smarter investment strategies by providing basic information about Ethereum to help you seamlessly build your investment portfolio, while confidently navigating the various concepts of mining, smart contracts, and gaining returns. This guide is also fully aware that Ethereum is still in its infancy and is laced with unique risks and complexities.

Did you know that a whale shark’s spots are as unique as a fingerprint? Or that sharks can go into a trance when flipped upside down? Or that the Megallodon’s mouth was 6 feet across? With The Shark Handbook, jump into brand new facts about these fierce sea creatures! Learn about over 400 profiles of every shark in existence, from the first sharks living about 445 million years ago to the ones lurking in the ocean deep today.

In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Amaranth Borsuk considers the history of the book, the future of the book, and the idea of the book. Tracing the interrelationship of form and content in the book's development, she bridges book history, book arts, and electronic literature to expand our definition of an object we thought we knew intimately. Contrary to the many reports of its death (which has been blamed at various times on newspapers, television, and e-readers), the book is alive.

Do you want to learn about business intelligence but don't feel like reading a boring textbook? In the modern business world, the pace of action continues to quicken. Businesses need to be able to get actionable insights from their data in order to make the right decisions to act rapidly and effectively. In this audiobook, you will be introduced to the concept of business intelligence.

Explore the wild natural beauty and exotic culture of Ecuador with this comprehensive travel companion for your next vacation! Jam-packed with fascinating facts, expert traveller’s tips, and seasoned wisdom for exploring this amazing South American country, this handy Ecuador travel guide provides you with a wealth of helpful resources and insights for the perfect vacation. Whether you want to visit the soaring Andes mountains, explore the diverse wildlife in the thick Amazon rainforest or on the Galapagos islands, or soak up authentic Ecuadorian culture and cuisine, you’ll discover how...

For two years the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the world. The physician and medical historian Jacalyn Duffin presents a global history of the virus, with a focus on Canada. Duffin describes the frightening appearance of the virus and its identification by scientists in China; subsequent outbreaks on cruise ships; the relentless spread to Europe, the Americas, Africa, and elsewhere; and the immediate attempts to confront it. COVID-19 next explores the scientific history of infections generally, and the discovery of coronaviruses in particular.

Peter Bandettini covers the essentials of fMRI, providing insight and perspective from his nearly three decades of research. He describes other brain imaging and assessment methods; the sources of fMRI contrasts; the basic methodology, from hardware to pulse sequences; brain activation experiment design strategies; and data and image processing. A unique, stand-alone chapter addresses major controversies in the field, outlining 26 challenges that have helped shape fMRI research.

If you want to avoid getting hacked, having your information spread, and discover the world of ethical hacking then pay attention.... Two manuscripts in one audiobook: Cybersecurity: An Essential Guide to Computer and Cyber Security for Beginners, Including Ethical Hacking, Risk Assessment, Social Engineering, Attack and Defense Strategies, and Cyber-Warfare, Ethical Hacking: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Using Penetration Testing to Audit and Improve the Cyber-Security of Computer Networks, Including Tips on Social Engineering.