![]() ![]() For God’s sake, don’t do something stupid like get distracted by feelings.When you’re on the verge of giving up, work harder.My rules for success aren’t for everyone, but they should be. Time to teach the clueless Jude Archer a few hard lessons. ![]() ![]() The son of a bitch might not value his life, but I’m pretty fond of mine. Jude may have managed to make fools of all the guys his wealthy boss and rumored lover has hired to watch him, but he’s playing in the big leagues now. Thankfully, there’s no chance of falling for the callous businessman who cares more about his next deal than he does his own safety. Twenty-four hours after meeting Jude Archer, rules one and two are already out the window. For God’s sake, don’t do something stupid like fall in love.Don’t put hands on a client unless you’re getting them out of harm’s way.Protect the client’s life, not their feelings.My rules when it comes to my job in personal protection are pretty simple: ![]()
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![]() ![]() Our minds do not naturally process statistics on incidents of violence, and so Kahneman helps explain why my claim is news or why it's hard for people to believe. My most recent book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, is about the historic decline of violence, a fact that I argue is underappreciated precisely because the human mind works the way Kahneman says it works, namely, that our sense of risk and danger is influenced by salient events that are available from memory. ![]() I've taught his research for more than 30 years and it's one of my favourite lectures when I teach psychology. His work has had a great impact on my own. ![]() That's a powerful and important discovery. His central message could not be more important, namely, that human reason left to its own devices is apt to engage in a number of fallacies and systematic errors, so if we want to make better decisions in our personal lives and as a society, we ought to be aware of these biases and seek workarounds. He pretty much created the field of behavioural economics and has revolutionised large parts of cognitive psychology and social psychology. ![]() I've called Daniel Kahneman the world's most influential living psychologist and I believe that is true. He is frequently named one of the world's top intellectuals and has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer prize. Steven Pinker is a psychology professor at Harvard University. ![]() ![]() To support her family (which included two children), she took work in hospital administration and, after her husband’s death in 1964, became a civil servant in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs. White, a medical student and future physician, who returned home from wartime service mentally deranged and spent much of the rest of his life in psychiatric hospitals. Her formal education, however, ended at age 16 because of lack of funds, and she was thereafter self-educated. The daughter of a middle-grade civil servant, James grew up in the university town of Cambridge. James, byname of Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, (born August 3, 1920, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England-died November 27, 2014, Oxford), British mystery novelist best known for her fictional detective Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. ![]() ![]() ![]() The wrestler is an expert theatrical craftsman. Barthes goes as far as to say that the end of the fight is unconsciously clear within the opening moments of the fight. Purely on the wrestler’s physical appearance we are meant to judge which is the hero and which is the villain, and this is given a deliberate transparency. As with the masks of ancient Greek Theatre, they represent the internal life of the character. This lack of reservation is also shown in the outfits, particularly the masks. “A light without shadow generates emotion without reserve”. What makes it like the ancient Greek theatres? Firstly, it is the seating and lighting, the character of the view. ![]() Every single action has to be exaggerated, and has the character of the ancient Greek theatres. I begin today with essay #1- wrestling.īarthes begins with wrestling exactly because of the transparency of actions and symbols. It’s a wonderful book which highlights the hidden natures and symbols of everyday life. I intend to cover each of the essays of Roland Barthes’ Mythologies individually. ![]() ![]() ![]() This raises questions: why was Dragon, a massive bioconstruct of the Makers, really sent to the Polity why did a Jain node suddenly end up in the hands of someone who could do the most damage with it? Meanwhile an entity called the Legate is distributing toxic Jain nodes. Once these refugees are safely through, the gate itself is rapidly shut down – because something alien is pursuing them.įrom those who get through, agent Cormac learns that the Maker civilization has been destroyed by pernicious virus known as the Jain technology. ![]() Those coming through it have been tasked with taking the alien ‘Maker’ back to its home civilization in the Small Magellanic cloud. Space opera on a magnificent, non-stop roller-coaster of actionįrom 800 years in the future, a runcible gate is opened into the Polity. Of course, just because that sub-story concluded it doesn’t mean everything is fine, far from it – Jain tech is still out there and Polity Agent hits the ground running. The second and third books in the series, The Line of Polity ( review) and Brass Man ( review), dealt with the emergence of Jain tech and Skellor’s use of it, and was a fairly self-contained duology within the main story. Polity Agent is the fourth book in the Agent Cormac series, a series I’ve been recently re-reading and thoroughly enjoying. ![]() ![]() ![]() This is an ideal break-the-ice book for the first week of school. ![]() "Perfectly executed in words and illustration, Chrysanthemum exemplifies Henkes's talent for creating true picture stories for young audiences."- The Horn Book This popular picture book has sold more than a million copies and was named a Notable Book for Children by the American Library Association. What will it take to make her blossom again? "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria. Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a don't-miss classic, especially for back to school.Ĭhrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect-until her first day of school. Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round. ![]() ![]() ![]() The game received positive reviews, and spawned two sequels: Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, as well as a villains-only spin-off, Lego DC Super-Villains.Īn in-game screenshot showcasing combat with Riddler henchmen. The Mac OS X version of the game was released in April 2009 by Feral Interactive. However, Lego Batman is the first to have an original story. The game is similar to earlier Lego games developed by Traveller's Tales, such as Lego Star Wars series and Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, in that it is both a game based on a licensed property, and has environments, objects, and creatures made out of Lego. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the eponymous LEGO Batman toyline. Interactive Entertainment, released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. ![]() Lego Batman: The Videogame is a 2008 action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In his opening statement, Munroe addresses the age-old saying that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Have you ever lay awake on a chilly October night wondering what would happen if every person on earth aimed a laser pointer at the Moon? Or how many humans a rampaging T-Rex would need to eat in a day? If the answer is yes, then you’re in luck: former NASA employee turned comic writer Randall Munroe has the answer to both those questions and more in his collection of Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.Īrmed only with mathematics and his own illustrations, Munroe attempts to tackle only the weirdest and most wonderful questions floating around the internet, fuelled by some of the most frequently asked questions on his website XKCD. ![]() ![]() ![]() Neither Mei Lin nor I have ever felt particularly pretty, either. Like Mei Lin, I have the same problem with my hair never staying out of my face. I really enjoyed this story, but not just because of the quality of writing or plotting or anything "writerly," and not because the author is a friend. Then one day a handsome stranger comes to town. She promises she will marry the man who can best her in a sword fight, never foreseeing the number of brutes her estranged suitor will send against her and her family. Though it will buy her family a certain amount of freedom, Mei Lin can't do it. Gunpowder Alchemy (Gunpowder Chronicles #1)įor updates, sign up for her newsletter at: įind out more about Jeannie Lin online at Ī local corrupt magistrate has proposed marriage to Wu Mei Lin and it's not an honorable proposal, but an offer to make her his second concubine. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal with The Dragon and the Pearl listed among Library Journal's Best Romances of 2011. After four years of trying to break into publishing with an Asian-set historical, her 2009 Golden Heart Award–winning manuscript, Butterfly Swords, sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon. Jeannie started writing her first romance while working as a high school science teacher in South Central Los Angeles. When her best friend introduced her to romance novels in middle school, the stage was set. USA TODAY Bestselling author Jeannie Lin grew up fascinated with stories of Western epic fantasy and Eastern martial arts adventures. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It's a book that will keep you up all night - with the lights on and the door locked, of course - until you reach the shocking,perfect conclusion. But it's definitely her knight in shining armor and flawed heroine with trust issues, plus an impressive pint-sized costar, who rule every page of this unforgettable story., A heart-pounding romantic thriller.Tucker crafts a shrewd mystery that never falls flat, even as the steady, subtle romantic relationship heats up the page., Tucker is adept at spinning stories with unexpected twists and turns, but this is her most complex narrative to date. Set in a small, gossipy Pennsylvania town, with intense and intriguing plot twists and formidably engaging characters, she keeps readers on their toes. ![]() I caught myself holding my breath over and over.", A master of steamy romance, Tucker skillfully threads Noah and Gracie's sexual tension throughout the investigation.No one is above suspicion in this taut, sizzling romantic mystery., A fantastic contemporary romance featuring dysfunction, lies, regrets and illicit transgressions. ![]() Keep Her Safe is an addictive read with a tightly constructed plot woven from threads of romantic tension and unexpected twists. Praise for Keep Her Safe : "Sexy, dark, and unnerving. ![]() |