The Oddest Place on Earth
The Oddest Place on Earth

Author: Christopher Pala

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 0595214541

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When Christopher Pala first landed at the North Pole, he fell so much in love with it that he took his girlfriend to ride the polar treadmill on what he mischievously called the First Expedition to Nowhere. For a week, the couple skied every day to the pole, pitched their tent and drifted away from it as they slept.Between his five trips to the pole, Pala used his journalistic skills to peel away the layers of myth surrounding its discovery and capture the untold story of the first men who indisputably stood there.Pala is the first to chronicle the transformation of one of the most remote places on earth into a new Mecca for adventure travelers. Flying in every April on Russian jets, he joined risk-lovers to parachute over it, balloon across it, attain it on skis and scuba-dive under it.But as he discovers, man’s presence at the pole is still ephemeral and there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy the escape from ordinary constraints of time and space provided by this breathtakingly gorgeous place that is not a place.Excerpts of the book have appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Blue Adventure, Polar Record and other publications.

What's Weird on Earth
What's Weird on Earth

Author: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff

Publisher:

Published: 2018-02-26

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9780241317624

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Fact-hungry kids will love poring over these warped world maps full of unique and weird data. See how many lightning strikes hit parts of our planet, the wind patterns of the whole world, and even how the world map would look if global warming melted the ice caps! Covering everything from Pangea to the world's weirdest natural wonders, this is Earth in all its strange glory. What's Weird on Earth is an entirely new atlas adventure, with maps of UFO sightings, popular foods, every country resized according to population density, and their popularity as holiday destinations. Kids can spot the strangest features on every corner of Earth; from ancient patterns carved in the desert sand to the 29,000 bath toys that sailed the world's ocean currents after a shipwreck. Travel back in time to discover maps from previous centuries or turn the globe upside down - literally. Planet Earth will never seem the same again!

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Author: Lindsey Lee Johnson

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2017-01-10

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 081299728X

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An unforgettable cast of characters is unleashed into a realm known for its cruelty—the American high school—in this captivating debut novel. The wealthy enclaves north of San Francisco are not the paradise they appear to be, and nobody knows this better than the students of a local high school. Despite being raised with all the opportunities money can buy, these vulnerable kids are navigating a treacherous adolescence in which every action, every rumor, every feeling, is potentially postable, shareable, viral. Lindsey Lee Johnson’s kaleidoscopic narrative exposes at every turn the real human beings beneath the high school stereotypes. Abigail Cress is ticking off the boxes toward the Ivy League when she makes the first impulsive decision of her life: entering into an inappropriate relationship with a teacher. Dave Chu, who knows himself at heart to be a typical B student, takes desperate measures to live up to his parents’ crushing expectations. Emma Fleed, a gifted dancer, balances rigorous rehearsals with wild weekends. Damon Flintov returns from a stint at rehab looking to prove that he’s not an irredeemable screwup. And Calista Broderick, once part of the popular crowd, chooses, for reasons of her own, to become a hippie outcast. Into this complicated web, an idealistic young English teacher arrives from a poorer, scruffier part of California. Molly Nicoll strives to connect with her students—without understanding the middle school tragedy that played out online and has continued to reverberate in different ways for all of them. Written with the rare talent capable of turning teenage drama into urgent, adult fiction, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with sorrow, passion, and humanity. Praise for The Most Dangerous Place on Earth “Alarming, compelling . . . Here’s high school life in all its madness.”—The New York Times “Unputdownable.”—Elle “Impossibly funny and achingly sad . . . [Lindsey Lee] Johnson cracks open adolescent angst with adult sensibility and sensitivity.”—San Francisco Chronicle “[A] piercing debut . . . Johnson proves herself a master of the coming-of-age story.”—The Boston Globe “Entrancing . . . Johnson’s novel possesses a propulsive quality. . . . Hard to put down.”—Chicago Tribune “Readers may find themselves so swept up in this enthralling novel that they finish it in a single sitting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The WEIRDest People in the World
The WEIRDest People in the World

Author: Joseph Henrich

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Published: 2020-09-08

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 0374710457

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A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020 A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020 A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020 A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern world. Perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. If so, you’re rather psychologically peculiar. Unlike much of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical. They focus on themselves—their attributes, accomplishments, and aspirations—over their relationships and social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically distinct? What role did these psychological differences play in the industrial revolution and the global expansion of Europe during the last few centuries? In The WEIRDest People in the World, Joseph Henrich draws on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics, and evolutionary biology to explore these questions and more. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage, and religion, and the profound impact these cultural transformations had on human psychology. Mapping these shifts through ancient history and late antiquity, Henrich reveals that the most fundamental institutions of kinship and marriage changed dramatically under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church. It was these changes that gave rise to the WEIRD psychology that would coevolve with impersonal markets, occupational specialization, and free competition—laying the foundation for the modern world. Provocative and engaging in both its broad scope and its surprising details, The WEIRDest People in the World explores how culture, institutions, and psychology shape one another, and explains what this means for both our most personal sense of who we are as individuals and also the large-scale social, political, and economic forces that drive human history. Includes black-and-white illustrations.

My Holiday in North Korea
My Holiday in North Korea

Author: Wendy E. Simmons

Publisher: Rosetta Books

Published: 2016-05-03

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0795347227

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“You remember Eat, Pray, Love and Under the Tuscan Sun? Yeah, this really isn’t like those. It’s better” (San Francisco Chronicle). Most people want out of North Korea. Wendy Simmons wanted in. In My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth, Wendy shares a glimpse of North Korea as it’s never been seen before. Even though it’s the scariest place on Earth, somehow Wendy forgot to check her sense of humor at the border. But Wendy’s initial amusement and bewilderment soon turned to frustration and growing paranoia. Before long, she learned the essential conundrum of “tourism” in North Korea: Travel is truly a love affair. But, just like love, it’s a two-way street. And North Korea deprives you of all this. They want you to fall in love with the singular vision of the country they’re willing to show you and nothing more. Through poignant, laugh-out-loud essays and ninety-two never-before-published color photographs of North Korea, Wendy chronicles one of the strangest vacations ever. Along the way, she bares all while undergoing an inner journey as convoluted as the country itself. “Much of the humor and poignancy comes from the absurdity of a fun-loving free spirit taking a vacation that’s more rigidly scripted and controlled than a presidential motorcade . . . Simmons’ photos—including an eerie image of a classroom full of schoolgirls playing accordions—further illustrate the bizarre nature of a country that, whether for good or bad, has been carefully controlled for generations.” —San Francisco Chronicle “An irresistible read . . . A rare and fascinating look at the tourist’s North Korea in a work that is humorous, appalling, and very sad. A highly recommended and revealing glimpse into a secretive land.” —Library Journal

A Thousand Sisters
A Thousand Sisters

Author: Lisa J Shannon

Publisher: Seal Press

Published: 2010-03-16

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1580052967

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The founder of the organization Run for Congo Women describes her visit to Congo and recounts the extreme hardships and tragic events in the lives of the women she meets there.

Unusual Creatures
Unusual Creatures

Author: Michael Hearst

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2012-09-26

Total Pages: 111

ISBN-13: 1452104670

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"Introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life forms"-- P. [4] of cover.

The Weird World of Mark McLaughlin MEGAPACK®
The Weird World of Mark McLaughlin MEGAPACK®

Author: Mark McLaughlin

Publisher: Wildside Press LLC

Published: 2020-06-20

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 1479458015

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Who is this Mark McLaughlin person, and why should you read him? Mark—whom I’ve had the pleasure of publishing for nearly 20 years now—is one of those unique voices in the horror field. He doesn’t tread the safe (or even sane!) path, but goes off in quirky directions, and he’s happy to have company along the way. And while he’s poking around the oddest places, he finds humor in the outrageous and the unsettling. Vampires? Of course. Zombies? Definitely. But these are never quite the monsters you’re expecting. Don’t take my word for it. Here are some other opinions: “In the most devious manner, McLaughlin’s stories achieve a high degree of demonism by perpetuating a sinister ‘humor’ at the gallows of the human comedy.” (Thomas Ligotti) “Listen up. Noel Coward is back. Salvador Dali is back. Dylan Thomas is back. And they’re all rolled into one in the shape of Mark McLaughlin who writes stories that are wonderfully witty, surrealistic and ineffably strange. Absolutely fabulous.... If your palette is jaded, come to the feast that is Mark McLaughlin.” (Simon Clark) “McLaughlin’s tales are laugh-out-loud assaults on consensus reality.” (Paul Di Filippo, ASIMOV’S) “Reading Mark McLaughlin is a little like stepping out of the door of an airplane in mid flight. The view is pretty amazing, but the shock of impact may do you in...gruesome, funny and touching. Top that: anybody....” (TANGENT) So, dig in and enjoy these 28 tales by one of the modern masters of the macabre! Part 1: Cosmic Horrors The House of the Ocelot Queen of the Vultures The Foul One Lives to Destroy Der Fleischbrunnen A Beauty Treatment for Mrs. Hamogeorgakis Toadface Shoggoth Cacciatore Mrs. Dakhamunzu Used Viol, One Previous Owner The Resurrection of Nephren-Ka PART 2: Magic, Monsters, Zombies, And Demons Adroitly Wrapped Why Cosmo Used to Wear a Lab Smock Every Halloween Largesse ZOM BEE MOO VEE Empress of the Living Dead ascloseasthis Scenes from a Foreign Horror Video, with Zombies and Tasteful Nudity Aunt Paloma Diabolical Entities and How to Deal with Them The Disciples of Monidroth PART 3: Tales of the Surreal and the Bizarre The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia The Astonishing Secret of the King of the Cats Deck the Halls with Guacamole The Revelations of McDeth The Agony of Claude Bawls Don’t Look in the Little Storage Room Behind the Furnace The Tale of the Cat-Headed Man, the Man-Headed Dog, and the Lady with Rats for Hands Dr. Belmont’s Hiking Buddy If you enjoy this ebook, check out the 400+ other volumes in the MEGAPACK® series, covering not just horror, but science fiction, fantasy, westerns, romance, and many other genres (even nurse novels!). Search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press MEGAPACK" to see the complete list of available titles.