Blog Archives
The Airline Transition Manual
The Airline Transition Manual might be targeted at pilots and flight crew. Still, it transcends the confines of the cockpit, offering insights and lessons that are as universal as they are uniquely aviation-centric. Its authors—Richard Swindell, Jolanda Witvliet, and Andrew Ross—dexterously weave together technical, serious, and delightful aspects of airline operations. They strike a balance between engaging the aviation neophyte and satisfying those more familiar with the industry’s jargon.
The authors have built a bridge between the complexities of the aviation industry and readers who may be venturing into this world for the first time. These three seasoned pilots share their hard-earned wisdom and extensive knowledge, making the manual a vital resource for prospective aviation professionals. The title’s promise of a smooth transition into the industry isn’t an overstatement but a testament to the authors’ in-depth exploration of the field.
At the heart of any great book lies the ability to begin at the beginning. The authors fulfill this by demystifying the different carriers, examining their evolution, and delving into how historical events have shaped the airline industry. One of the book’s many strengths is its engaging discussion on the profound changes following 9/11. The reader is effortlessly drawn in, not by monotonous recitations, but through the authors’ knack for imbuing even the most somber topics with compelling theories and captivating trivia.
The breadth of the book’s content is remarkable, covering subjects as diverse as training, company orientation, scheduling, medical certification, deployment, interviewing, and transitioning. The authors dive deep into these themes, providing comprehensive knowledge essential for industry newcomers. A particularly insightful section on unions offers budding pilots invaluable insights into the benefits of professional associations, underlining their contribution to career development and mental well-being.
While the casual reader may be more entranced by the book’s lighter discussions, its technical side, full of industry-specific terms and phrases, adds a layer of authenticity and depth. As a result, this book is more than a reference tool for aspiring pilots; it’s a treasure trove of knowledge for inquisitive minds that are intrigued by the multifaceted world around them.
The Airline Transition Manual manages to be both enlightening and entertaining, answering the myriad questions that curious readers might have. This fascinating book isn’t just a guidebook; it’s a window into the behind-the-scenes operations of airline companies—a remarkable achievement by its authors.
Pages: 342 | ASIN : B09RNC6LGZ
My Backpack is Heavier Than Yours
In his compelling work, My Backpack is Heavier Than Yours, Dr. Edwin Garcia Jr. delves deep into the obstacles that marginalized students encounter in their educational journey and proffers practical solutions to these pervasive issues. Drawing from a rich tapestry of scholarly research, personal anecdotes, and insights shared by educators, parents, students, and others, Dr. Garcia unveils the trials that students grapple with due to race, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, English language proficiency, among others.
The book skillfully illuminates how low societal expectations, prevalent prejudices, inadequate support systems, and self-doubt can hinder these students’ progress. It invites educators and educational leaders to adopt impactful strategies like fostering empathy, identifying and nurturing individual strengths, and curbing instant gratification, among other effective approaches.
Dr. Garcia’s meticulous research and insightful analysis left a significant impression on me. In addition, he successfully identifies critical areas of concern, offering innovative solutions. For instance, he proposes self-regulated learning as a countermeasure to instant gratification. This involves empowering students to modify their learning strategies in response to their academic performance.
The authenticity of this book is enhanced by the poignant narratives of Dr. Garcia and others featured within. For example, I was deeply moved by the account of a gay Latino student who dreaded attending school due to the verbal abuse he endured for being different. Such narratives underscore the urgency of implementing the book’s proposed ideas and solutions across educational institutions.
Beyond providing remedies to the issues marginalized students face, the book also undertakes an insightful exploration of human behavior. As a result, it provides valuable advice on honing one’s learning skills, and setting and achieving goals, among other crucial personal development tips. Impressively, many of the discussed topics are reinforced with relevant source references.
My Backpack is Heavier Than Yours is an exemplary roadmap for ensuring equitable education access to those who have long been underserved. The themes discussed within these pages warrant the attention of all educators and decision-makers in the American educational system.
Pages: 203 | ISBN: 9798988193609
Understanding The Humanity Of Humans
This book helps readers understand the workings of the human body as a series of interdependent physiological relationships. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write The Embodied Mind?
In 1981, in my book The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, I hypothesized that there were two memory systems. The first was the cortical system in the brain that we are all familiar with. The other functioned on a cellular level and began to operate at conception. At the time of writing The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, the research did not exist to support what was then a binary theory of memory.
In The Embodied Mind I provide an overview of current evidence-based research in many areas of science that, collectively, validates a unified theory of memory.
What sparked my determination to write this book was that I read about a 44-year-old French man who in July 2007 visited a hospital complaining of a mild weakness in his left leg. The resulting scans of his head led scientists to question our long held biological perspective on the nature of consciousness – because, despite living a relatively normal life, this patient was missing 90% of his brain.So, I asked myself – how is this possible?
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Scientific emphasis on the brain has been baked into our culture for millennia. The Western world even before the Greek civilization, has been patriarchal, giving rise to a hierarchical social structure. The same vertical system has been unconsciously adopted in medicine. Doctors and scientists think of this system as strictly one way, mostly top-down, rarely bottom up. The latter is usually perceived as negative, as when you have a duodenal ulcer or a heart attack. Add to this the Church’s jaundiced view of the genitalia and you hesitate to spend too much time contemplating your lower chakras.
My book is a journey into the fully embodied nature of mental life, reviewing the cutting-edge science showing how the body responds to and encodes experience into its structure and function; how our feelings, thoughts, and memories are shaped by physiological functions beyond those of our head-encased brain.
It is the existence in our bodies of an interconnected, unified, multilevel, homeostatic, cellular memory system that allows us to be fully functional human beings with an Embodied Mind and not just an enskulled mind.
Materialism and reductionism are science’s Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The Embodied Mind challenges the prevailing concept of reductionism and emphasizes the need for a more holistic and spiritual approach to understanding the humanity of humans.
How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I spent 7 years reading and making notes of 5,000 plus bookstand scientific papers.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
Replacing the enskulled mind with the Embodied Mind and Everything is Connected
We understand the workings of the human body as a series of interdependent physiological relationships: muscle interacts with bone as the heart responds to hormones secreted by the brain, all the way down to the inner workings of every cell. To make an organism function, no one component can work alone. In light of this, why is it that the accepted understanding that the physical phenomenon of the mind is attributed only to the brain?
In The Embodied Mind, internationally renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas R. Verny sets out to redefine our concept of the mind and consciousness. He brilliantly compiles new research that points to the mind’s ties to every part of the body.
The Embodied Mind collects disparate findings in physiology, genetics, and quantum physics in order to illustrate the mounting evidence that somatic cells, not just neural cells, store memory, inform genetic coding, and adapt to environmental changes—all behaviors that contribute to the mind and consciousness. Cellular memory, Verny shows, is not just an abstraction, but a well-documented scientific fact that will shift our understanding of memory.
Verny describes single-celled organisms with no brains demonstrating memory, and points to the remarkable case of a French man who, despite having a brain just a fraction of the typical size, leads a normal life with a family and a job. The Embodied Mind shows how intelligence and consciousness—traits traditionally attributed to the brain alone—also permate our entire being. Bodily cells and tissues use the same molecular mechanisms for memory as our brain, making our mind more fluid and adaptable than we could have ever imaged.
These Are Wild Thing’s Tales To Tell
Wild Thing and The Bagel shares your family’s story about adopting two dogs and the challenges that people may face when rescuing an animal. What inspired you to share your story?
Wild Thing was 13 when I started the book a couple of years ago. His favorite human has always been Brady. When Brady went off to college, Wild Thing went through a horrible depression, missing his best friend so much. We had talked about getting another canine companion, but always wondered how Wild Thing would handle sharing his humans. We made the leap that first summer of Covid, when everything was just re-opening. The Bagel immediately made her way into our hearts and became friends immediately with Wild Thing. Wild Thing had always provided us with entertainment and tales to tell ever since the day we brought him home 14 years ago. When The Bagel joined the family, the stories more than doubled. I knew then I needed to put their stories in writing—and every single story in the book has happened. As Wild Thing is getting older, I knew putting this book together would be my little ‘love note’ to him.
One thing I loved about this children’s book is that it is told from the perspective of Wild Thing. Why did you choose to tell the story from his perspective rather than your own voice?
These are Wild Thing’s tales to tell…and for anyone who has had pets, you know you can just tell when they are ’telling’ you about their day or about the other family pets’ antics. Getting these stories out to everyone needed to be told from Wild Thing’s point of view to give it authenticity.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
I hope children, and adults, see the love and bond between humans and pets, and that rescue pets are simply awesome. And, who knows, it might give someone the little push they need to make that leap to rescue a pet. My purpose was to write the book so that kids of all ages could enjoy the stories.
Are you working on more stories about Wild Thing and The Bagel?
Wild Thing and The Bagel give me new stories everyday—so, there is plenty of material. My hope is to be able to put some of them into another book…or to possibly do a theme book (such as a holiday book or a book about different adventures).
Author Links: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Deciphering Autism: A Discussion- of Neurobiology, Adaptation and Experience
Deciphering Autism by Robert DePaolo is an authoritative and exhaustive exploration of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This book ventures into the multifaceted nuances of ASD, investigating its origins, manifestations, and potential treatment options. DePaolo masterfully navigates through the historical and societal backdrop of autism, while simultaneously providing an updated scientific perspective on the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in ASD development.
DePaolo’s quest to demystify autism leads to a lucid explanation of the neurological and cognitive mechanisms underpinning the disorder. His analysis of the hurdles encountered by individuals with ASD—especially in social interaction and communication—is particularly enlightening. His evaluation of diverse interventions and treatments underscores the critical need for personalized approaches.
Deciphering Autism is a compassionate and illuminating guide, offering invaluable insights for individuals with ASD, their families, and caregivers. The empathetic discourse within this book marks a notable departure from traditional resources that often focus primarily on ‘managing’ individuals with ASD. DePaolo’s narrative, in contrast, is distinctively shaped by the lived experiences of those with ASD.
The author’s emphasis on the vital necessity for tailored treatment strategies is particularly praiseworthy. He firmly advocates that ASD, far from being a monolithic condition, necessitates the consideration of each individual’s unique requirements, thereby rejecting a generalized, one-size-fits-all approach.
DePaolo’s comprehensive examination of ASD occasionally leads to scientific explanations that may come across as technical to the non-specialist reader. While this detailed approach might not be a stumbling block for those well-versed in the subject, readers seeking a basic understanding of ASD might find it somewhat daunting.
Deciphering Autism is an exceptional and powerful resource on ASD. As such, I recommend this book to anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
It’s Ok To Be Different
Books for Benjamin follows a little purple worm who loves to read and goes on an exciting adventure to learn about libraries and books. What was the inspiration for the adventure Benjamin goes on?
The idea for Books For Benjamin came about while visiting the Library of Congress. I thought it would be great to gave a character that loves books so much that he or she has to go on a quest to find them. I thought the LOC as a housing for the world’s greatest depository of item (not only books) would be an ideal setting. On the visit, I learned about Thomas Jefferson’s contribution to the library and his famous quote,”I cannot live without books.” This inspired me to create Benjamin, a bookworm (only the name stems from Benjamin Franklin, another who cherished learning and reading). Benjamin and books go well together. I also like the alliteration in Books and Benjamin and used that in the title.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Uliana Barabash?
Working with Uliana was such a great experience that started under difficult circumstances. She is from Ukraine and the war had just broken out as we started the project. With all going around her I was amazed and the beautiful illustrations she produced. My wife and I loved her colors from the start and how she captured the expressions I was looking for. I like to sketch and paint as well but have tremendous repect for how picture book illustrators who have studied the art like Uliana has can put together a scene. First, she created a digital story map of the entire book and I felt priviledged to be included in any changes. Next, she created each detailed skecth before painting the color digitally. One great surprise, was that Uliana took it upon heself to paint the worm in purple. I don’t know why, but I always pictured him in true to life colors which my wife hated. Once I saw the result, I was blown away. Uliana has made my character become approachable for kids. I cannot thank her enough!
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I wanted to instill in kids that it’s ok to be different and that following one’s passions is a great thing, even when there may be some road blocks along the way.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
A picture book biography called, Mother To Elephants, about a lady who rescued orphan elephants. Sadly, she passed away around three years back, but her daughters and grandchildren are continuing her mission. I am hoping it can come out around Spring of 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Benjamin would rather read about adventures in a giant peach than eat one!
Unlike his family members who are happily munching away on scraps, Benjamin is a different kind of worm. He loves to read. Yet, all he finds are old newspapers and magazines full of tomato splotches. Not one to give up on his dreams, Benjamin sets off on a quest to find “real” books.
Witty illustrations by Uliana Barabash are a great accompaniment to this delightful story written by R.G. de Rouen.
Join Benjamin on his book hunting adventure and watch your little ones search for Benjamin’s famous signature in their books!
LITERARY TITAN 