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The end of absence: reclaiming what we've lost in a world of constant connection
By Michael Harris. 2014
Only one generation in history (ours) will experience life both with and without the internet. For everyone who follows us,…
online life will simply be the air they breathe. Today, we revel in ubiquitous information and constant connection, rarely stopping to consider the implications for our logged-on lives. The author chronicles this massive shift, exploring what we've gained and lost in the bargain. He argues that our greatest loss has been that of absence itself -- of silence, wonder and solitude. Winner of the 2014 Governor General’s Award for Non-fiction. 2014.The clouded leopard: travels to landscapes of spirit and desire
By Wade Davis. 1998
Davis examines the link between the diversity of our biological landscape and cultural diversity. He argues that the more we…
destroy the biological landscapes of the Earth, the more we cause diverse cultures to assimilate with the more mainstream cultures. Davis uses his travels around the world to illustrate his argument and shares stories of his time spent with a variety of peoples throughout the world. c1998.The heirs of the prophet Muhammad: Islam's first century and the origins of the Sunni-Shia schism
By Barnaby Rogerson. 2006
Within a generation of Muhammad's death, his followers exploded out of Arabia to confront the two great superpowers of the…
seventh-century and establish Islam and a new civilization. Coming from small oasis communities of central Arabia, their achievements were immense. Rogerson also identifies the seeds of discord that destroyed the unity of Islam, and traces the roots of the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Some descriptions of violence. 2006. Uniform title: Heirs of the prophet MuhammadThe green labyrinth: a journey to the Amazon
By Sylvia Fraser. 2003
Sylvia Fraser recounts her journey to Peru to learn about shamans and ancient practices. The centre of her journey revolves…
around learning about ayahuasca, a plant medicine that is said to transport a person from this plane of reality into another one. 2003.The climate wars
By Gwynne Dyer. 2008
Dwindling resources, massive population shifts, natural disasters, spreading epidemics. Drought, rising sea levels, plummeting agricultural yields, crashing economies and political…
extremism. These are some of the expected consequences of runaway climate change in the decades ahead, and any of them could tip the world towards conflict. 2008.The burning house: unlocking the mysteries of the brain
By Jay Ingram. 1994
The beauty of the beastly: new views on the nature of life
By Natalie Angier. 1996
Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer for the New York Times offers her essays on the beauty of organisms usually considered beastly,…
and the beastliness behind conventional icons of beauty in the natural world. Admitting she "anthropomorphizes shamelessly," she humorously discusses commonalities that humans share with other species. Topics include loving, adapting, healing, creating, and dying. Some descriptions of violence. 1995.A collection of humourous and surprising essays which examine the scientific explanation for certain human behaviours, the scientific world's attempts…
to re-examine history, including the Salem witch trials, and some of the stranger questions tackled by scientists. Sections on human behaviour, curiosities of life, science and history, natural battles and how things work are included. 1998.The alchemy of love and lust: discovering our sex hormones and how they determine who we love, when we love, and how often we love
By Theresa Larsen Crenshaw. 1997
Identifies the role our hormones play in the different sexual stages, exploring the age-old concept of chemistry between the sexes…
and how hormones can determine the course of human relationships. Functions as both an encyclopedia of our attachment-related hormones, telling us exactly what they are and exactly what modern science thinks they do, and a guide to what we can do to get them to keep functioning the way we want them to. Descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1996.Slow death by rubber duck: how the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health
By Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie, Sarah Dopp. 2009
To prove that the most dangerous pollution comes from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces, Smith and Lourie ingested…
and inhaled these items for one week. They expose the miscreant corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the weak-kneed government officials who let it happen, and the effects on people across the globe; they also describe the extent to which we are poisoned, from the simple household dust that is polluting our blood to the toxins in our urine that are created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste. c2009.Secret ingredients: the brave new world of industrial farming
By Stuart Laidlaw. 2003
A vivid portrait of what modern industrial farming is, what it is doing to the environment, to farmers, to the…
plants and livestock we eat, and to us as consumers and as citizens. The author takes us from the dairy farms of Pennsylvania to Canada's prairie wheatfields, from the tomato greenhouses of southern Ontario to the potato fields of P.E.I. All along the way, he shows us food's secret ingredient - its hidden costs. 2003.Secrets of the mummies: uncovering the bodies of ancient Egyptians (An I was there book)
By Shelley Tanaka, Peter Brand. 1999
Four mummies, from a mighty pharaoh to a poor weaver, are studied scientifically to reveal the lives and times of…
these three-thousand-year-old people. Also describes embalming and mummification, life in ancient Egypt, and the scientific techniques now used to study mummies. Grades 3-6. 1999.Satanic purses: money, myth, and misinformation in the war on terror
By R. T Naylor. 2006
Naylor exposes the post 9/11 global War on Islamic Terror as based on myth, misinformation, and even deliberate disinformation -…
all of it premised on misguided notions about the nature of terrorist financing and the structure and organization of terrorist groups. Naylor believes that the secret agendas behind, and the private interests that profit from, an illusory War on Terror may be far more dangerous than the events that led to it. Some descriptions of violence. 2006.Sahara: a natural history
By Marq De Villiers, Sheila Hirtle. 2003
Description of the world's largest desert landscape and its inhabitants. Discusses the geography, natural cycles, and resilient life-forms of the…
sandy wilderness stretching across the broadest part of Africa. Covers the history of the Sahara's indigenous people--Berbers, Moors, and Tuareg--and the ancient kingdoms of past civilizations. 2003.Le glaucome (Comprendre la maladie et ses traitements)
By Pierre Blondeau, Paul Harasymowycz, Patrick Hamel, Frédérique David. 2014
" Au Canada, environ 400 000 personnes sont atteintes de glaucome. Cette maladie chronique de l'œil touche 1 % à…
3 % de la population du monde occidental de plus de 40 ans et 10 % des octogénaires. Il s'agit d'une maladie extrêmement sournoise, qui peut détruire les capacités fonctionnelles de l'œil de façon irréversible et sans avertissement. Le dépistage est donc un enjeu majeur de la lutte contre le glaucome, d'autant plus que des traitements très efficaces permettent d'empêcher ou de ralentir sa progression. Écrit par des médecins spécialistes, dans un langage simple et clair, ce livre couvre les différents aspects de la maladie et fournit toute linformation nécessaire aux patients et aux proches... " -- 4e de couv.Portrait du Gulf Stream: éloge des courants : promenade
By Erik Orsenna. 2005
Polio: an American story
By David M Oshinsky. 2005
Account of the twentieth-century search for a polio vaccine and the rivalries that developed between competing medical researchers, notably Jonas…
Salk, Albert Sabin, and Hilary Koprowski. Traces the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis campaigns and the public health experiment involving Salk's vaccine. Evokes the widespread panic over the disease. Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for history. 2005.Pain: the fifth vital sign
By Marni Jackson. 2002
An exploration of the nature of pain, and why it is so poorly understood and expressed. Investigates the history of…
pain and the possibility of pain genetics. Includes stories of people in pain and pain pioneers, from eccentrics, artists, wrestlers, and writers to ministers, mothers, psychologists, philosophers, nurses, and doctors. Some strong language. 2002.One to nine: the inner life of numbers
By Andrew Hodges. 2007
Have you ever thought about the uniqueness and simplicity of One, or what it means to be Two? Is Four…
really so square and why are there Seven days of the week, Seven deadly sins, or even Seven wonders of the world? An investigation into such topics as musical harmony, code breaking, and probabilities in poker and lotteries, which probes the surprising symmetries of time, space, matter, and forces. c2007.Nibbling on Einstein's brain: the good, the bad & the bogus in science
By Diane Swanson. 2001