Handle With Care, the title of a new theatre festival in London about generation snowflake, is smartly ambiguous. Read as an instruction, it suggests fragility and echoes the accusations of hypersensitivity levelled against young people. But it also implies content that needs to be approached with rigour and treated seriously.

If I tell you handle with care, that can be a warning, a threat, or a really deeply generous thing, says Pablo Pakula, one of the artists featured in the festival at Camden Peoples theatre. The three-week programme of performance and live art will take on contested ideas such as safe spaces, freedom of speech and identity politics, explore todays polarised political landscape and unpick the millennial stereotype.

Among the many criticisms hurled at millennials such as myself, our apparent tendency to take offence is second only, it seems, to our expensive passion for avocado toast. Pakulas show Yes No Black White uses a succession of projected images and texts to question what does and does not offend us and what we then do about it. The performance, he explains, prods at pressure points and sore spots, challenging audiences to examine their own offence-taking mechanisms.

Weve been told were all special and have something to give. We totally buy into that, thats why were artists!

Australian theatre company TomYumSim are poking fun at another popular perception of millennials: our uniqueness. Weve spent a lifetime being told that were all special and we have something special to give, says Tom Halls, one half of the company. We totally buy into that, thats why were artists! laughs fellow company member Simone French. But were taking the piss out of that idea of the specialness in us. Their show, Nothing Special, is an interactive self-help seminar that satirises millennials desperate desire to stand out from the crowd.

The festival is headlined by Eurotrashs show Trigger Warning. Styled as a budget airline safety briefing, the performance delves into the language and politics of content warnings and disclaimers, using a mixture of text, clowning and dance. Its not a polemic, explains Marcelo Dos Santos, one of the creators of the show, which will be about rolling around in the complexities of it, more than coming down one way or another on the issues. Co-creator Natasha Nixon adds: Its clown: you watch people fail at trying to work out a problem.

The shows in the festival explore the millennial mindset, while challenging the idea that they are generation snowflake. I certainly think millennials get a hard time, says Dos Santos. Halls suggests the snowflake label feels like something thats been imposed, adding: older generations blaming and poking at younger generations is not a new thing. Theres also a sense of humour to how these artists deal with the snowflake accusation, not least in the tongue-in-cheek gesture of programming a festival about millennials for Camden Peoples theatres 25th anniversary. Theyre 25, you know, theyre the peak millennials, says French.

Despite what the festival title may suggest, these artists arent afraid of making provocative statements. Pakula, for instance, challenges some of the thinking around safe spaces and no-platforming. While insisting on the crucial distinction between free speech and hate speech, he also suggests that taking offence can sometimes be a silencing gesture, and he believes it is rash to dismiss all the opinions of those we disagree with politically. I think it is very unproductive, uncreative and inhuman to disregard somebodys positions completely just because I disagree with them fundamentally on this, he says, giving the example of Brexit.

Theatre should not necessarily be an innately safe space. It should be a space where ideas are challenged

Nixon likens Trigger Warning to a white-knuckle ride thrilling, exciting, difficult. The show aims to touch on uncomfortable topics and to keep knocking audiences off balance. You might think in this piece that were going Yeah, millennials are oversensitive, and just at that point it flips back and were on the other side, she says. Likewise, TomYumSims French stresses: Were not shying away from the provocative in our work.

These shows share an aim: to create dialogue. Im hoping people come out of it wanting to have a stiff drink and a really long chat with other people, says Pakula of Yes No Black White, adding that he intends to invite my so-called enemies to the party. Similarly, Nixon says Trigger Warning is about starting conversations rather than proposing solutions.

Theatre should not necessarily be an innately safe space, says Halls. It should be a space for dynamic conversation, for people to feel like their ideas are maybe being challenged or supported, and to open a dialogue about that.

Theatre and performance has to be a place where dangerous things can happen in a safe space, insists Pakula. Unless dangerous things can happen, whats the point?

Handle With Care is at Camden Peoples theatre, London, from 22 October to 9 November.

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Content warning: this festival is for 'generation snowflake' - The Guardian

The Donkey Dow is a round-up of the movers and shakers in the race to face up against Donald Trump. Heres how the candidates and contenders fared over the last few days.

On Tuesday night, CNN and the New York Times hosted the largest presidential debate of the primary season with 12 candidates in Westerville, Ohio. While Cockburn thinks the debate size is trending in the wrong direction, he was grateful the moderators omitted a tedious round of opening remarks. With so many candidates on the stage, Cockburn looks at who stood out.

Bernie Sanderss recent heart attack cast doubt on whether the Vermont senator is healthy enough to serve in the countrys highest office. Last night, Sanders likely assured some voters with his solid performance. When asked about his health during the debate, Sanders expressed gratitude, thanking people, including other candidates, for their love, for their prayers, for their well wishes. The septuagenarian added that he was so happy to be back here with you this evening. Cockburn, a softie at heart, was touched. The moment when Bernie said I agree with Joe and Pete was equally convivial. Why cant we be all friends?

Like Sanders,Joe Bidenhad his own problem he needed to address: his son, Hunter Biden. Rather than admit to any geopolitical wrongdoing when questioned during the debate, Biden successfully focused on Trumps sinister motivations: Hes going after me because he knows if I get the nomination I will beat him like a drum.

While Biden sidestepped the Ukraine affair, he continued to stumble over his words elsewhere in the debate. While discussing economic reforms, the former vice president offered a confusing response:

I would eliminate the capital gains tax. I would raise the capital gains tax to the highest rate of 39.5 percent. I would double it. Because guess what? Why in Gods name should someone who is clipping coupons in the stock market make, in fact, pay a lower tax rate than someone who, in fact, is like I said, a school teacher and a firefighter.

Cockburn, for what its worth, is now looking into the lucrative scheme of clipping coupons.

Tom Steyer,the environmental activist and self-made billionairehad his major league debut during last nights debate. Steyers ascendance appeals to the hearts and minds of American voters: with enough money,anyonecan get on the presidential debate stage even if they wear a tartan tie.

Steyer also made the baffling choice to stare straight down the barrel of the camera whenever he was called upon to speak. He may have been trying to connect directly with the viewers at home, but Cockburn felt like he was being ogled on a first date. Thats one way to stand out I guess!

Most pundits agree South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieghad a good night while offering a moderate vision of the Democratic party. Mayor Pete battled front-runner Elizabeth Warren over the impracticalities of her Medicare-for-All plan and stood up to Beto ORourke on the issue of firearm confiscations: The problem isnt the polls. The problem is the policy. And I dont need lessons from you on courage political or personal. The sheer homoeroticism of this moment got Cockburn rather hot under the collar. More please!

On the stage after the debate, Cockburn thinks he saw Biden slip a $20 bill in the young mayors jacket.

In tandem with Mayor Pete,Amy Klobucharstood out as voice of moderation, taking her own shots at progressive policy agendas like Medicare-for-All. Unfortunately for everyone, the senator had to slip in this terrible line while discussing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election: This wasnt meddling. Thats what I do when I call my daughter on a Saturday night and ask her what shes doing. That excruciating line earned silence from the crowd.

EntrepreneurAndrew Yangssignature issue of Universal Basic Income received further attention during this debate, as the moderators asked the candidates how they would handle the threat of job automation. For an outside candidate, Cockburn counts this as a win.

Julin Castro, whocriticized Joe Biden for his age during the last presidential debate, was put in timeout last night, speaking for the third fewest minutes. He used his sparse time crafting some imagery about him and his twin brother being raised by a single mom. A less evocative description than Mayor Petes description of a Chevy Cruzewhy do candidates treat these debates like theyre reading a personal essay to their creative writing class?

As Cockburn noted in the last Donkey Dow, Beto ORourke needs standout moments during debates to receive much-needed attention. Unfortunately for Beto, he got one, with his outlandish proposal to deprive churches of their tax-exempt status ahead of the debate. Not a good look!

Marianne, Oh Marianne. Cockburns self-help guru, Marianne Williamson, missed last nights debate. While Cockburn thinks Marianne is a necessary voice in the Democratic field, he suspects desperate tweets like this do not bode well for her campaign:

Elizabeth Warren, who is challenging Joe Biden for the #1 spot in polls, took most of the heat from upstart mid-tier candidates like Mayor Pete, Amy Klobuchar, Beto ORourke, and Andrew Yang. This provided some breathing from for rival Joe Biden, but Cockburn doubts the attention will hurt her surging poll numbers.

Tulsi Gabbard warned earlier this week that she was considering boycotting last nights debate, but ultimately showed up anyways. With limited speaking minutes, Cockburn thinks she might have attracted more attention by not showing up at all.

Kamala Harriss camp cannot he happy that her most notable moment was advocating for President Trump to get kicked off Twitter. Perhaps the senator is better equipped for this medium:

Harris was also one of two candidates to make an early play for those coveted Gillibrand votes, by trying to redirect the healthcare conversation to discuss womens rights to abortion access. Cockburn has a theory here: though Gillibrand never got traction in the early-primary states or online, she was very popular among influential left-leaning not-for-profits like Planned Parenthood. The debate halls are always filled withthe staff of influential left-leaning not-for-profits like Planned Parenthood. By playing to that crowd, perhaps Harris was hoping to get a smattering of applause in the room, therefore creating the perception that shes still a popular candidate. Worth a shot, right?

The other vocal womens rights advocate, Cory Booker, spent part of the debate as Democratic presidential field peacemaker. After a spat between Mayor Pete and Beto ORourke, the New Jersey senator lamented: I, again, worry about how we talk to each other and about each other.

While Booker worries about the norms of civility, Cockburn doubts the senator is doing anything to help his stagnant poll numbers. He did bring his boo Rosario Dawson into the spin room though. Hows that for civil?

Though he doesnt have a shot at the nomination,John Delaneyis running away with the title of candidate most likely to win in a cage fight.

Speaking of other non-contenders, do you remember Steve Bullock, Michael Bennetand Tim Ryan? Cockburn is unsure about their whereabouts and is considering filing multiple missing persons reports.

While Cockburn doesnt like to close on sad news, he must note that since the last Dow, NYC mayor Bill de Blasio has dropped out of the race, to focus on spending more time with New Yorkers who hate his guts. His wit and good nature will be missed.

See the rest here:
Donkey Dow: the wild wild Westerville - The Spectator USA

Two hours of testimony from the failed bosses of Thomas Cook confirmed what we had suspected: the level of delusion in the boardroom was spectacular.

On one hand, the former directors argued to MPs that their self-help plan for the business was a rip-roaring success, right up until the moment it wasnt. In the next breath, they suggested their jobs were always near-impossible because 150m in interest costs had to be paid every year to banks and bondholders.

Neither the former chief executive Peter Fankhauser, nor Frank Meysman, who was chairman for eight years, explained why they did not de-risk the balance sheet when they had the chance. As recently as May 2018, remember, Thomas Cooks equity was worth 2bn, which was an opportunity to cajole shareholders into backing a decent-sized rights issue to take a chunk out of a debt pile that eventually surpassed 1bn.

Meysmans account of that period was particularly feeble. He said a plan to reduce debt by 100m a year looked solid in late 2017 and early 2018 if there would continue to be progress in operations. The conditional if was the critical word. External events from terror attacks to exploding volcanos in Iceland regularly derail the best-laid plans in the tourism business. If the possibility of safer funding exists, grab it.

BrexitThere is now little doubt that the Brexit process has led many UK customers to delay their holiday plans for this summer, said the chief executive, Peter Fankhauser, in May. But it cannot be the whole story - arch-rival Tui has coped because its finances are healthier.

WeatherThe summer heatwave of 2018 encouraged would-be holidaymakers to stay at home, undermining prices in the lates market where operators try to clear unsold holidays. There seems to have been a hangover into 2019, with customers calculating that waiting to book is a productive strategy.

CompetitionA pincer movement of Airbnb and budget holidays has changed consumer behaviour, though Thomas Cook still managed to sell 11m package holidays last year.

Banks and debtThe tour operator has been attempting to shoulder a huge pile of debt for the past decade 1.7bn worth at the last count. Successive managements failed to remove meaningful chunks. The banks argue they have supported an overstretched company for years and the details of why it could not be saved may have to await the report from the Insolvency Service.

Bad managementThomas Cooks borrowings were too high. The moral of the tale is that tour operators should fund themselves conservatively. If your balance sheet is fragile, you are at the mercy of events in an industry where most of the cash arrives in the summer and then flows out in the winter.

Nils Pratley, financial editor

Meysman pointed to a few debt-reduction measures he did oversee. The largest was a 425m placing and rights issue but that was back in 2013. The second largest was the sale of 350m worth of businesses, but that was clearly insufficient given Thomas Cooks need to invest in new hotels.

After a summer heatwave in the UK, the optimism of spring 2018 was replaced within six months by a crisis in the form of enhanced monitoring by the Civil Aviation Authority. Cue a doomed attempt to flog the airline, and then a desperate effort to secure a 900m restructuring with the help of lenders and the Chinese group Fosun International.

According to Meysmans version of events, all would have been well if only the government had stepped up with an extra 150m to 250m in the form of a last draw, first payback backstop. Both he and Fankhauser seemed incapable of understanding that, if backers will not commit until they see public money at risk, the plan is fundamentally weak.

There is no doubt that lenders late demand for the 200m backstop was a serious and sudden setback, but being taken by surprise seems to have been a regular occurrence in Thomas Cooks boardroom over the years. The trick is to have a plan B. Listening to the directors testimony, one could understand why ministers declined to back a bailout. It is hard to justifying risking money when financial visibility is so poor.

Fankhauser, at least, conceded that different choices could have been made, such as putting the airline up for sale earlier. But, as if to sum up proceedings, he did not foresee the obvious question about whether he will pay back the cash element of his last bonus. He said he would go away and think about it. His prepared answer should have been: Of course I will.

Even as he was fired, Neil Woodford could not resist a last growl. The decision to wind up his flagship fund was one I cannot accept, nor believe is in the long-term interests of LF Woodford Equity Income Fund investors.

He may have a marginally credible point about the interests of investors since it is not obvious that Link, the administrator, will produce better value for them via a wind-up. But on every other score, Woodford should recognise he is the author of his downfall.

Specifically, he believed his record in spotting investment opportunities among large companies qualified him to fish in the shallow waters of small and unquoted stocks. The sports are very different.

Worse, he overloaded with unquoted investments to the point where he could not comfortably meet redemptions when performance fell flat and investors wanted out. The liquidity mismatch will lead, almost certainly, to reform of rules for open-ended funds. Quite right, too: the Financial Services Authority was shockingly slow in spotting the problem.

Woodford could attempt to relaunch his career with a new venture but he may have irretrievably annoyed the last members of his fan club by continuing to charge 65,000-a-day management fees while the Equity Income fund was gated.

That decision was disgraceful given the many millions paid in dividends to Woodfords management firm in the past. No wonder the financial establishment did not lift a finger to prolong the life of his flagship fund. Sympathy is roughly zero.

See the original post here:
Thomas Cook bosses clearly had their heads buried in the sand - The Guardian

Dr. Amit X. Garg, a professor of medicine at Western University in London, Ontario, knew about turmerics medicinal use because of his Indian heritage. He knew firsthand of its rich cultural significance too: On his wedding day, his relatives rubbed the spice all over him because it is believed to be cleansing.

After seeing the effectiveness of curcumin, in smaller studies, Dr. Garg and his colleagues decided to test it on a larger scale in hopes it would make elective aortic surgery safer by reducing the risk of complications, which include heart attacks, kidney injury and death. In the randomized clinical trial that followed, about half of the 606 patients were administered 2,000 milligrams of curcumin eight times over for four days, while the others were given a placebo. It was a bit disappointing, but we couldnt demonstrate any benefit used in this setting, Dr. Garg said of the study, published last year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

In fact, there is not enough reliable evidence in humans to recommend turmeric or curcumin for any condition, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric became a nutritional golden child partly because of its promise in laboratory studies cellular and animal. Some research indicates that both turmeric and curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric supplements, have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and antiparasitic activity. But this has mostly been demonstrated in laboratory studies, and, in many cases, the benefits of preclinical research isnt observed in clinical trials.

According to Natural Medicines, a database that provides monographs for dietary supplements, herbal medicines, and complementary and integrative therapies, while some clinical evidence shows that curcumin might be beneficial for depression, hay fever, hyperlipidemia, ulcerative colitis, osteoarthritis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, its still too early to recommend the compound for any of these conditions.

And Natural Medicines has found there isnt enough good scientific evidence to rate turmeric or curcumins use for memory, diabetes, fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, gingivitis, joint pain, PMS, eczema or hangovers.

Physicians say more research is needed. Dr. Gary W. Small, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies curcumins effect on memory, sees a lot of therapeutic potential. He also states that existing research demonstrates curcumins biological effects.

Go here to read the rest:
What Are the Benefits of Turmeric? - The New York Times

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Around 11-km from Coimbatore is the quaint Tho p p a m p a t t i Poonga Nagar. The o t h e r w i s e nondescript village is slowly gaining fame because of an 82-year-olds good green deed. When you reach here, ask for kaikari paati veedu, and anyone in this village can guide you to S Nanjammals one-bedroom house. Enveloped by plants, climbers and creepers, her house is a treat for every city slicker. Her love for plants and distributing free seeds and saplings to anyone and everyone have rightfully earned her the moniker kaikari paati. She invited us into her garden and we were greeted by a burst of green dotted with purple brinjals, red tomatoes and yellow flowers of ladies finger.

I have around 17 varieties of plants including chillies, tomato, brinjal, bottle gourd, snake gourd, curry leaves, moringa, and greens like ponnangani and thandan keerai. I use gardenfresh vegetables to cook my daily meals, she says beaming with pride. She also has fruit-bearing trees like papaya and guava. Gardening invokes happy memories in Nanjammal, who used to practice farming in childhood. The space in her house might not be big to cater to many plants, but she tends to them affectionately. She has placed a fence around the plants, waters it and checks for any pest attack regularly. She uses extract of neem leaves and custard apple tree leaves to spray and control the infection. She also makes natural fertilisers using waste vegetables and other ecomposable waste.

Self-sufficient village Nanjammals son Bharathi Chinnasamy, an author, follows the Gandhian way of life and he was particularly attracted by one principle the need or self-sufficient village communities to better the balance between man and nature. He began walking on this path ten years ago and has worked with many self-help groups and dreamed of implementing this idea. My idea of making villages self-sufficient is by inspiring people to grow vegetables in their own gardens. This will help them have good health and it also makes them responsible towards nature.

I have tried this concept in more than 30 villages across Tamil Nadu but didnt get the expected results, he says. Bharathi has shared his experiments in his book Ellame Illavasam published last year. Nanjammal believed in this cause and started supporting her son in his mission two years back. She started working towards making Thoppampatti a self-sufficient village. Bharathi has travelled a lot across Tamil Nadu and worked hard to make this concept relevant.

So, I wanted to try this in my village and distributed seeds free of cost to villagers. While some of them planted those seeds, some of them threw it away. I took efforts to make them understand why I was doing this and suggested that they grow at least one vegetable plant in their garden that will cater to their need. But even that went in vain. Then I decided to give saplings of brinjal plant instead of seeds as I had those aplenty. I made necessary arrangements for brinjal saplings to grow in my garden and once it attained a particular height, I gave it to the villagers for free, says Nanjammal. Four months back, she gave brinjal saplings to 37 families. Seeing the plants bear brinjals, many villagers came forward to purchase saplings from her. Nanjammal also makes it a point to visit the villagers houses to help them plant and maintain the saplings, at regular intervals.

Till families see the result, they do not want to plant trees. I go to their houses once a week to look at the growth. If it has any pest attack, I use natural pesticides like neem leaves extract to control it. I also cut the infected leaves of the plants. Sometimes, family members also come to help me, she says. After planting brinjal saplings, she distributed seeds of snake gourd and bitter gourd plants. Now, she is distributing saplings of curry leaves. I come from an agriculture family in Erode. I started going out into the fields at the age of seven. So, growing vegetables is not a difficult task for me. I enjoy it and like creating awareness of sustainable living. My vision is to make my villagers grow at least 10 varieties of vegetables and greens in their garden. I want people to make farming a habit, she shares.

Bond with plants Nanjammal chooses saplings to be distributed based on the size of the family. All the seeds are procured from the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University in the city. This cause is not so expensive. A packet of seeds costs `10 and you can get around 200 saplings. Growing vegetables in your garden will make you realise how fresh vegetables look, free of chemicals, says Bharathi. The mother-son duo also insist people to grow plants in public places.

A few families can join hands and grow plants like moringa or creepers like pumpkin in public places near their houses and share the vegetables. It will also help create a bond between them. The state government can take our village as a model and implement the concept in other villages too, says Nanjammal. Bhuvaneshwari R, one of the villagers, says, Initially when she gave us the sapling, we didnt take the cause seriously. She supervises the growth of the sapling and helps us take care of them. When we started reaping the benefits from the plants, we felt happy.

Every day I get around one kilogram of vegetables needed for our family from my own garden. She has made the village green and self-sufficient. Under her care, the future of Coimbatore looks green, healthy and self-sufficient. It is not hard to grow your plants. While people in villages and independent villas can maintain a small garden, people in flats and complexes can grow it in public places and split the vegetables, she says.

Continue reading here:
Grandma goes green - The New Indian Express

Jon Francetic and Dr. Jessica Griffin spent a lot of time together during Married at First Sight in Season 6, for all the wrong reasons. As a then-groom on the arranged marriage reality show, Jon Francetic seemed just as handsome, humorous, and charming as he is today, and Dr. Jessica Griffin remains the same as a relationship expert, but the relationship between the two now is drastically different. In addition to being partners in life, the unusual Married at First Sight match is merging combined talents in a new business venture.

According to an exclusive report on October 12 from Monsters and Critics, Jessica and John have launched a new web-based relationship skill training business called Love Builder.

Fans will certainly remember Jon Francetics failed pairing with Molly Duff in Season 6. On the surface, the two seemed to have much in common, but the bride never developed any sense of true attraction to her new husband, no matter the interventions by Dr. Jessica Griffin. Not to belabor the bad memories, but when the name-calling became vicious and toxic, the expert insisted that the negativity had gone too far. Fans rallied to Jons corner by the end of the difficult season.

Some viewers wrongly assumed that Dr. Jessica Griffin and Jon Francetic form chemistry during filming, but Jon insists that never happened, mainly because her visits were always at a crisis point of the current marriage. The Married at First Sight dejected groom didnt really like any of the esteemed experts during filming, and he even said I hope I never see that woman again! regarding Dr. Griffin.

The two formed a bond after the show, when Francetic realized how great she was, and eventually, locked that down into a committed relationship.

The idea for Love Builder came out of the experiences, both positive and negative, between the Married at First Sight veterans from both sides of the experiment. Jon Francetic is an analyst for a credit union, and he determined that presenting Internet webinars with Love Builder would not only be the most cost-effective but also could have a worldwide reach.

Francetic runs the back end of the business for Love Builder, making sure the logistics and everything technical runs smoothly. Jessica Griffin devotes her decades of expertise to help participants learn to build love like a house. Prior to taking courses, participants fill out extensive questionnaires and all identities are kept completely confidential.

The first two webinars began two weeks ago, and the couple plan on developing more advanced courses as Love Builder grows.

Jon Francetic also divulged that his marriage to Jessica Griffin is set, but the couple has decided to not give the date about a year out. They plan to exchange vows at Ventosa Vineyards in New York.

In a social media post, Dr. Jessica Griffin writes that most of what is written: in the self-help books on finding relationships is wrong! She then announces the October 24 evening webinar.

One thing is certainthis couple knows that love can grow out of a very painful situation. It comes down to a choice to decide to be vulnerable, according to Francetic.

Season 10 of Married at First Sight premieres in January on Lifetime, and the love gets bigger because five couples will take the leap in Washington DC.

Tresa has been a passionate and prolific online writer for years, publishing thousands of articles and features in music, television, theatre, and to honor those who bring light to the world in wonderful ways.She is also a teacher, a cancer survivor (so far, by God's grace), an advocate for children, and a devoted pet parent.She never tires of telling the story behind the stage, from the core of the artists heart.She has cerebral palsy but refuses to let it have her.Tresa lives out her faith and music is her life- force.

Read more:
Married at First Sight: Jon Francetic and Dr. Jessica Griffin Excited with Launch of Love Builder and Future Together - TV Shows Ace

Its impossible to say what the top nonfiction books are. What method could possibly tell us which books, of the millions available, are the best? This post is an attempt to use Goodreads to come to some sort of answer.

Ive already created my own list of the top nonfiction books, but that list is very subjective and based only on my own opinion. Here, Im letting Goodreads users have a say. To be clear, this list is also subjective. What Goodreads can tell us is how many of their users have rated a book and what the overall average rating is. But that only gets us so far.

The information is based on Goodreads users only, which limits the set of readers by a lot. Even accepting that limitation, another problem arises: sometimes the the number of ratings and the average rating dont match up. Some books have many ratings but a low average and others have a very high average but not many ratings. Which metric matters more? An older book may have more ratings than a newer one and therefore have an advantage. How to account for that?

In the end, a person (me) has to decide how to balance ratings and averages to determine which books to include. My method was to look for books with at least 100,000 ratings and an average rating of 3.90 or higher. I also tried to include a variety of genres to cover a range of the top nonfiction books.

Take a look at the list and see what you think!

Average rating: 4.13; 2,454,072 ratings

No surprise, this is the nonfiction book with the most ratings and the highest average of all the books I found. Its the hugely important, widely read diary of a young girl in Nazi-occupied Holland.

Average rating: 4.26; 806,101 ratings

The Glass Castle is one of the most memorable entries in the crowded field of memoirs about unhappy families. Wallss parents were idealistic and unconventional to an extreme, eventually sinking deeper and deeper into dysfunction.

Average rating 3.97; 796,899 ratings

This is the story of Chris McCandless, who walked into the Alaska wilderness and four months later was found dead. Krakauer explores what drove McCandless to set out on this journey.

Average rating 4.11; 347,156 ratings

When she was 15, Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on her way to school. She went on to speak before the United Nations, become a symbol of peaceful protest, and win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Average rating 4.22; 365,266 ratings

This is the first and most famous installment of Maya Angelous autobiography. Its a powerful, inspiring tale of struggle and determination in the face of abandonment, violence, and racism.

Average rating 4.48; 406,224 ratings

Tara Westover was born in Idaho, the daughter of survivalists who kept her away from doctors and out of schools. This memoir tells the story of how she educated herself, making it all the way to Harvard and then Cambridge.

Average rating 3.99; 540,718 ratings

At the age of 22, reeling from her mothers death, Cheryl Strayed decided to go on an epic journey. She set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and made it over a thousand miles from California to Washington, finding adventures everywhere along the way.

Average rating: 4.40; 164,415 ratings

Written as a letter to his son, this book looks at what it means to be black in America. It covers Americas racial history, Coatess own experiences, and his analysis of our current situation. Its a short but rich and illuminating.

Average rating 4.35; 328,601 ratings

At the age of 36, Kalanithi got a diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer. This book is his attempt to grapple with mortality and to face his own death, which occurred in 2015.

Average rating 4.60; 285,747 ratings

Published not even a year ago, this book was a huge bestseller and already has almost 300,000 Goodreads ratings. In it, you can learn about Michelle Obamas life and journey to the White House.

Average rating 4.25; 142,678 ratings

Persepolis is a graphic memoir about Satrapis life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. She describes living in Tehran during a time of great political upheaval and violence.

Average rating 3.90; 152,954 ratings

This is Kalings follow-up toIs Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?It contains funny personal essays on finding contentment in adulthood, including thoughts on love, work, friendship, and more.

Average rating: 3.98; 578,388 ratings

David Sedaris is one of the best to turn to if you want to laugh, andMe Talk Pretty One Day is probably his most-loved essay collection. The title essay covers what its like to move to Paris and try to learn French.

Average rating 4.19; 469,265 ratings

This classic of self-help promises to help you get the job you want and make any situation you find yourself in work for you. It teaches how to make people like you, influence their way of thinking, and get them to change.

Average rating 4.09; 432,895 ratings

Here is another self-help classic that promises to help in your work and personal life. Covey has seven suggestions for examining your assumptions and learning to think in a new way to solve problems and work well with others.

Average rating: 4.08; 266,146 ratings

Duhigg dives into the nature of habits to help readers figure out how to develop the habits they want. The key to creating change, he argues, is to understand how the brain forms a habit and use that knowledge to ones advantage.

Average rating: 3.91; 119,616 ratings

In this book, the author of Eat, Pray, Love offers her theories of creativity and demonstrates how to foster creativity in our lives. She shows how to face our fear and harness inspiration to do the work we want to do.

Average rating: 4.38; 675,005 ratings

Unbrokentells the story of Louis Zamperini, a lieutenant in World War II who crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He pulled himself onto a life raft and began an adventure that took him out on the open sea and into enemy territory.

Average rating: 3.99; 455,948 ratings

The book is set at the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893. Erik Larson intertwines the stories of the architect who designed the fair and a murderer who built a torture palace near the fairgrounds.

Average rating: 4.07; 476,175 ratings

In Cold Bloodis one of the most influential works of true crime ever written. Truman Capote tells the story of four murders that occurred in Kansas in 1959, describing the murders, the investigation, and the killers themselves in vivid detail.

Average rating: 4.45; 291,495 ratings

Harari has written a history of the entire span of human existence, in less than 500 pages. He tackles big questions such as how our species emerged and how we developed religion, nations, money, books, and so much more.

Average rating: 3.96; 618,728 ratings

The argument ofThe Tipping Pointis that one small but well-timed event can lead to tremendous change. Gladwell explores how these cultural changes happen and what types of people are most likely to be the driving forces behind them.

Average rating 4.06; 273,490 ratings

Here is the introverts manifesto. Susan Cain defines what it means to be introverted, how extroverts have come to dominate our culture, and the many contributions introverted people have brought us.

Average rating: 3.96; 635,553 ratings

Looking at the stuff of everyday life, Levitt and Dubner use the study of economic incentives to overturn conventional wisdom. Covering everything from drugs to parents to sumo wrestlers, this book will make you think in a new way.

Average rating: 4.45; 128,258 ratings

This book is an essay, adapted from a TEDx talk, about why feminism is important for everyone and why we need it in our world today. Its a great overview of feminism for every type of reader.

Average rating 4.06; 517,967 ratings

Henrietta Lacks was a poor southern farmer whose cells became important in modern medicine, although Lacks herself never found this out. Skloot writes about Lackss life and how her cells came to play such a vital role.

Average rating 4.06; 318,383 ratings

A Walk in the Woods is a humorous account of Brysons attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which is over 2,000 miles and stretches from Georgia to Maine. He also describes the history and ecology of the trail and argues for its importance.

Average rating 4.06; 155,920 ratings

Mary Roach can make any topic entertaining to read about, even dead bodies.Stiffis a description of what happens to bodies after death and how people have treated cadavers through the centuries.

Average rating 4.45; 107,003 ratings

Gawande is a practicing surgeon, and here he takes up the topic of aging and death. He looks at what medicine can and cant offer those approaching death and those keeping them company along the way.

Average rating: 4.16; 251,527 ratings

Published in 1988, this has already become a classic of science writing. Hawking covers many topics in physics, including black holes, quarks, antimatter, the big bang, the nature of time, and more.

Looking for more of the best nonfiction? In addition to my list of the 50 top nonfiction books, you might also like this list of free essays available online, and these 50 short nonfiction books.

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30 of the Top Nonfiction Books on Goodreads - Book Riot

The days get shorter. The nights get chillier. Pumpkins appear on porches. All across America, spider webs are strung and ghoulish figures flutter in the breeze. It can mean only one thing.

Halloween is upon us.

Tis the season to revel in all that is spooky and dreadful culminating in one great national night of fright. Estimates suggest 172 million people will collectively celebrate the holiday on October 31st with candy, creepy costumes, haunted houses, and jump scares. Halloween is an American institution.

And its not just for kids. Halloween has become an increasingly popular holiday among adults. As sociologist Linus Owens has noted, Halloween, with its emphasis on identity, horror, and transgression, can tell us about who we want to be and what we fear becoming.

Festival of FearWhile the scary spirit of Halloween is generally good fun, the observance is based on something most people are pretty uncomfortable confronting.

Fear.

Psychology Today explains that fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger with strong roots in human evolution. Our innate fight-or-flight responses aided us in mastering dangerous environments, avoiding harm, and ensuring the survival of our species.

A healthy amount of fear still helps us stay safe and motivates us to manage lifes difficulties.

But there are many manifestations of fear and not all of them are beneficial.

Since 2013, Chapman University in Southern California has annually conducted a national Survey of American Fears, reporting last year that the extent to which Americans are afraid, in general, appears to be on the rise.

Clinical fear disorders can cause serious health damage in numerous ways, but even less-lethal fears can take a pernicious toll on personal development and quality of life.

Fear FactorsAccording to sociologist Margee Kerr, The biggest source of fear is often related to the workplace. This type of fear can manifest in excessive focus on avoiding failure or making mistakes; aversion to public speaking, networking, or contributing during meetings; reluctance to ask for help; or even relinquishing vacation or sick time.

What we fear is being vulnerable to judgment, ridicule, rejection. The result is unnecessarily self-limiting behavior that can prevent you from acquiring new skills, experiencing greater fulfillment, and reaching your full potential.

Facing FearIt should come as no surprise that fear is the subject of numerous TED Talks, the global clearinghouse of inspirational speakers presenting their powerful ideas. One of my favorites on dealing with insidious work-related fear is author Tim Ferris discussing why you should define your fears instead of your goals.

Ferris advocates for Fear Setting exercises aimed at recalibrating your perception.

The exercise is pretty simple: For whatever it is that youre putting off or are afraid of doing, he proposes creating a What if I. list. Define what you fear will happen, determine how you might prevent the likelihood of each negative outcome, and imagine how you could repair damage if it did occur.

Next, make a list of the benefits of even partial success at doing what you fear. For example, could it build your confidence or help you develop a new skill?

Finally, sketch out an answer to the question: If I avoid this action or decision, what might my life look like in 6 months, 12 months, or 3 years?

Fear Setting is designed to strip inhibiting fears of their power. And perhaps most importantly, it encourages shifting focus to the cost of inaction.

As Ferris says, Humans are very good at considering what might go wrong if we try something newwhat we dont often consider is the atrocious cost of the status quo of not changing anything.

With Halloween approaching, its the perfect time to question what scares you and whether it is holding you back. It just may give you the courage to speak up about your ideas, ask for that promotion, or finally try something youve always wanted to do.

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What are you afraid of? - Thrive Global

WARRENTON, Va., Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Appy Pie launches its own online learning platform - Appy Pie Academy that is aimed at offering a wide range of free online courses to entrepreneurs and learners from around the world. Appy Pie Academy hosts courses from a variety of fields, including app and website development, website design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, app monetization, copywriting, office productivity, management, marketing, personal development, project management, sales, and others. These courses are focused on equipping learners with industry specific knowledge and skills to work more efficiently.

Appy Pie Academy has a library of thousands of courses with new additions published every day. Course content is provided in short, well-defined modules and each course is focused on a unique area. This online learning platform from Appy Pie has great things to offer to the beginners as well as to the advanced learners, from any industry or background. With top rated online courses, Appy Pie Academy helps students, businesses, and individuals gain the skills they need to compete in today's economy.

"We have launched Appy Pie Academy with an aim to help small and medium sized businesses or entrepreneurs gain the latest and greatest industry knowledge and run a successful business enhancing their bottom line," said Scot Small, CEO Appy Pie. He further added, "Appy Pie Academy provides you with the best online learning experience, with a focus on dependability and high-quality content for free. It is one of the best online learning platforms for anyone looking to learn anything in reference to starting a website, blogging, copywriting, internet marketing, app monetization, app development, marketing, sales or other industry skills. Each course on our platform has been hand-tailored to teach you a specific skill in clear and easy-to-understand language."

Appy Pie has offices in London, New Delhi, and Virginia, with a combined staff of more than 300 people. The company's sole aim is to empower small businesses and help them achieve success in this cut-throat competition. A simple, yet powerful DIY platform, Appy Pie also helps startups save thousands of dollars with its workflow automation services, enabling them to create a greater impact with less efforts by adding speed, consistency, and visibility to their workflow.

About Appy Pie

Appy Pie, a Trademark of Appy Pie LLP, is an unrivaled leader in the mobile app bandwagon that allows anyone to transform their app ideas into reality, without any technical knowledge. Simply drag and drop the features and create an advanced Android or iOS application for mobiles and smartphones, as easy as pie. You can also install Appy Pie's Android and iOS App and start creating your app on the fly. You can also download the PWA version of your app through PWA Store.

Media Contact

Scot Smallsales@appypie.com +1 888 322 7617

SOURCE Appy Pie

http://www.appypie.com

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Appy Pie Academy Announces Free Online Courses on Business and Tech - PRNewswire

Patrick Beverleys mission every day is to read a book for at least 30 minutes in an attempt to find his inner peace, help control his behavior and enhance his leadership skills.

The Clippers point guard spent the summer at home in Chicago working with his trainer, Jeff Pagliocca, the two of them intertwining the work on Beverleys game and his mental approach to his behavior on and off the court.

Even with the Clippers acquiring transcendent stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George over the summer, Beverleys role as one of the teams leaders does not diminish.

In order to have the right influence on his teammates, Beverley said he had to work on my mind over the summer. Reading the Bible and one of his favorite books, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomons Secrets to Success, Wealth and Happiness, is helping him evolve as a player and person.

The more I mature as a man the more I grow, Beverley said. I read the Good Book, follow those rules, those laws in [the Bible] and I know the better basketball player Ive become. Thats been my whole thing. I gain knowledge. If I gain knowledge, then Im able to get knowledge from everywhere else and itll work out in my favor.

My trainer made it an emphasis that I do 30 minutes of reading every day and thats kind of changed the way I look at things and the way I carry myself and my behavior slow to temper and all that stuff. I just try to go from there. I read every day. Its mandatory. Its all mental and thats all behavior, you know?

Beverley pointed out that he had 14 technical fouls last season, tied for fifth most in the NBA. That, Beverley said, cant continue.

He was quicker to point out the $25,000 fine the NBA levied against him last season for bouncing a basketball at a fan sitting courtside in Dallas for cursing his mother. Its something he doesnt want to happen again.

Me and Jeffs biggest thing this year is, Behavior is greatness and greatness is behavior. If you watch the guys who have been great, you didnt hear about them getting in trouble, Beverley said. You didnt hear about them being [fifth] in the league in technical fouls. Thats not cool. I want to fix that. And if I fix my behavior, I think my game matures also.

Beverley and Pagliocca agreed that no details were too small including how they trained on the court, and how they sought to improve his behavior, including when hes critical of himself. Details that Beverley says will show hes no longer a wild and reckless guy on the court.

There are certain obstacles that could happen during the season or things that hes faced in his past, said Pagliocca, who runs Evolution Athletics, in a call with The Times. How do you handle those things like a pro at all times? How can you be mature at all times? How can you make sure youre prepared at all times? And I think those conversations that weve had, the mental training, is building that preparation. It was important to him that no stone was left unturned.

Im always trying to find ways that hes advancing as a person. I think that the more hes reflecting and evaluating himself, I think the more growth thats there. I think thats what we tried to target all summer, just to make sure youre getting sharper mentally, because the basketball I think will take care of itself. How can you be the greatest player you can be? I think that comes a lot with making sure youre growing and thats behavior again.

In two-plus seasons together, Clippers coach Doc Rivers has watched Beverley blossom.

He watched how the 6-foot-1 veteran improved his game on the court, going from putting up 7.6 points, 3.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 40.7% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range during the 2018-19 regular season to averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 assists and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field and 43.3% from three-point range during the playoffs against Golden State.

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More importantly, in Rivers eyes, is the personal development of Beverley, 31.

I want him to be just great all-around, not just on the floor. He has really bought into his leadership role with me. Now there is another step, Rivers said. There is the human step now, and I think in the long run that will help with his game as well. And hes doing that, being more thoughtful, just a lot of stuff. I just think all that helps him as a person because hes going to be a person a lot longer than hes going to be a basketball player.

The Clippers rewarded Beverley with a three-year, $40-million contract over the summer, leaving him nearly speechless as he tried to comprehend the team showing faith in him.

As such, he wants to show them his gratitude by displaying improved behavior and leadership.

Paul George, Kawhi [Leonard] and Lou [Williams], we understand that they are our bucket-getters and we understand Paul and Kawhi are our leaders, Beverley said. So, its up to everybody else to understand their role and be the best in your role. My role is different from Lous role. But Im going to make sure Im on top of my role. Im just really trying to be great. Ive learned over the years that the more I mature as a man, the more my game matures and it trickles down.

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Clippers' Patrick Beverley changes approach to life and game - Los Angeles Times