Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses

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Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses
Ian Hacking
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Pathologies | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychiatry | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0674009541

Book Description

Hacking tells the fascinating tale of Albert Dadas, a native of France's Bordeaux region and the first diagnosed mad traveler. Dadas suffered from a strange compulsion that led him to travel obsessively, often without identification, not knowing who he was or why he traveled. Using the records of Philippe Tissié, Dadas's physician, Hacking attempts to make sense of this strange epidemic. In telling this tale, Hacking raises probing questions about the nature of mental disorders, the cultural repercussions of their diagnosis, and the relevance of this century-old case study for today's overanalyzed society.

Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review

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Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review
Erika Bourguignon
Manufacturer: Antioch Review, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Antioch Review, published by Antioch Review, Inc. on January 1, 2000. The length of the article is 340 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Erika Bourguignon
Publication: The Antioch Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2000
Publisher: Antioch Review, Inc.
Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Page: 120

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Mad Travellers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses

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Are you a Dromomaniac?

Mad Travellers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses
Ian Hacking
Manufacturer: Free Association Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Consciousness & Thought | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Clinical Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Mental Illness | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Are you a Dromomaniac?.......2005-06-28

This is a quite interesting book about the conundrums of nineteenth-century psychiatry in dealing with mentally ill runaways in continental Europe (France and Germany). Hacking's study examines issues of travel in order to address the history of psychiatry in different national contexts.

More specifically, Hacking is interested in understanding how mental diseases emerge, become epidemic, and then disappear (not as in individual cases, but as a social phenomenon). He chooses to study the case of "fugue" (or "dromomania"), an old medical category that refers to those suffering from an uncontrollable compulsion to travel (often with amnesia, migraines and cleptomania).

Hacking proposes the notion of "ecological niche", in order to explain why dromomania is a medical phenomenon that arose and disappeared, mostly in France and Germany, while remaining totally absent in Britain and USA. (Not for the reasons that the reader may be thinking of!).

As a hint, Hacking never claims that psychiatrists create or invent diseases, but he suggests that they contribute to the rise of mental illness through the process of nominalism (naming and circumscribing symptoms as "things"). By studying the specific case of nineteenth-century fugue, Hacking demonstrates how medical taxonomies are transformed, not due to "scientific progress" but rather because of political feuds within medicine and large social processes.

This fascinating book stems from a series of lectures that Hacking delivered in the late 1990s. Its prose is very clear and pleasurable. Highly recommended!

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A Solid Effort!
Well, Well , Well,

Reality Hacking
Nicola Phillips
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1900961105

Book Description

There has never been a business book like Reality Hacking:

It provokes questions rather than answers
It does not provide solutions - just a new way of looking at your work and life
It will give you the inspiration to make things happen your way and to be continually excited by what you do
It will help you see that the best way to enjoy your future is to invent it yourself

In a time of corporate and personal upheaval Reality Hacking will change forever the way you think about your work and yourself.

Customer Reviews:

A Solid Effort!.......2001-04-02

New Age meets the New Economy in this book by British author Nicola Phillips, who shows her cyber-stripes with catchy Internet lingo, and graphics - including underlining, arrows and buttons - that give the book pages the look of Web pages. Whether you find this faux-functionality refreshing or distracting, it truly is original and unique. It's more difficult to say the same about the book's content, which is somewhat unfocused, a bit repetitive and often familiar. Nevertheless, we [...] found it interesting to read this very British approach to the Yankee-dominated self-help genre, spiced up with a jazzy high-tech angle on the most low-tech of all subjects: personal growth.

Well, Well , Well,.......2000-06-02

I thought this book was interesting but it was too vague. It includes interesting information on why things are done and the mentality of the computer hacker rather than a how to book. It also includes good information that I never knew.It also includes ideas on how to find out more. I would suggest getting this book if you have enough money and want to have a more broad view of hacking.

MAD TRAVELERS: REFLECTIONS ON THE REALITY OF TRANSIENT MENTAL ILLNESSES. Page-Barbour Lectures Series

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MAD TRAVELERS: REFLECTIONS ON THE REALITY OF TRANSIENT MENTAL ILLNESSES. Page-Barbour Lectures Series
Ian. Hacking
Manufacturer: Univ. Press of Virginia,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7K942

Book Description

"A virtual bible of how economic indicators are constructed and used. Important tidbits of history are mixed with present-day nuances to explain why we should care about all the economic indicators."
Allen Grommet, Senior Economist, Cambridge Consumer Credit Index

"This book is an indispensable resource for anyone that wants a practical understanding of the economy and how it is measured. The information is clear, concise, and will help investors at all levels leverage the vast amount of economic data available."
Jesse Harriott, PhD, Vice President of Research, Monster Worldwide, Inc.

This updated guide to economic indicators -- what they are and what they really mean -- covers all major economic indicators, from GDP to the consumer price index. You'll not only learn what key economic measurements are and how to read and interpret them, you'll discover how to use them to make better, more-informed financial, trading, and investing decisions.

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Praise for Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis THIRD EDITION ""Once again, Evelina Tainer has cleared the fog of economic confusion. Her work deciphers and encapsulates the metrics employed by professional speculators in the magnitude of George Soros and Edwin Lefvre. This thesis is a requisite desktop reference for every market participant."" John Alda, Managing Director, Alda Macro Fund Management ""Tainer's latest book is a tour de force through the world of esoteric economic numbers and jargon. Written in layman's terms, her latest book can be understood by anyone interested in navigating the world of professional economics."" Kathleen Camilli, founder and Principal of Camilli Economics, LLC ""A virtual bible of how economic indicators are constructed and used. Important tidbits of history are mixed with present-day nuances to explain why we should care about all the economic indicators."" Allen Grommet, Senior Economist, Cambridge Consumer Credit Index ""Tainer has produced an essential reference source for any economist and public policy analyst interested in the careful review of economic releases and their impact on capital markets. This work reflects her long experience in the profession and her feel for the financial market. I especially enjoyed her market reaction and key points sections on some of my favorite and sometimes infamous indicators."" John E. Silvia, Chief Economist, Wachovia Corporation ""This book is an indispensable resource for anyone that wants a practical understanding of the economy and how it is measured. The information is clear, concise, and will help investors at all levels leverage the vast amount of economic data available."" Jesse Harriott, PhD, Vice President of Research, Monster Worldwide, Inc.

Customer Reviews:

Fairly Good Introduction.......2006-07-12

From my point of view, this book consists of three parts. Part one, that is, Chapters 1-6, devoted to national accounts and their indicators. Part two, that is, Chapters 7-9, devoted to inflation and inflation related labor and production indicators, and finally part three, Chapters 10-11, is devoted to the central bank and treasury systems. The investment analysis part of this book seems to be the market reaction parts mentioned at the end of each section. Yet they seem to me a little too simplistic for the real world. In the real world, we mostly observe growth cycles rather than business cycles. In other words, business cycle recessions rather than growth cycle recessions are depicted in market reaction parts in this book. Nevertheless this is a good streetwise ECON 101 book. As a final note; although not updated, its second edition seems to me better.

A dictionary of economic indicators.......2002-08-23

This book might be a good compliment to an existing library, but I didn't find it very useful myself. I thought the comment of an earlier review's title, 'A Perfect Complement to an academic finance text!' fairly accurate. If you want to know what the talking heads on the financial news are touting, this is an excellent guide.

In other words, if you have bought into the conventional econometrics of the day, whatever that is, this is your guidebook. It ought to help get through a class, but outside the ivory tower, I'm not sure it will be much help.

Personally, the author didn't help me connect the dots. What do these indicators imply for the GNP 2, 3 or 4 years down the road? What connections do foreign indicators have with domestic ones?

These questions are not answered. It's just a dictionary. You get the nominal description, the publishing authority, a bit about why the authority thinks their indicator useful and maybe a few sample numbers. That is it. If you like academic economics or ever have to make a presentation to some government officials, this is probably an exceptional service, though.

Bringing theory to life - an easy read.......2001-11-01

This is not only an excellent reference source, but also a very interesting book. People who are not experts in the fields of economics or finance will have no problem grasping the concepts. I keep it in the office for reference and from time to time pick it up to read up on different topics. I've been impressed with Tainer's ability to make these concepts so easy to understand. Her "Did you know? and Market Reaction" sections are also very interesting and provide an inside view as to how government policymakers and financial marketmakers shape the economy in ways that are very relevant to the average consumer. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good reference book or wants to complement his studies in this field. I think that college students can benefit a great deal from it. For those of you who watch CNBC or CNNfn constantly, you stand to benefit the most from a book like this as it will not only teach you the cause and effect of important economic indicators that are put on the screen on a daily basis, but what's more important, the reasons why they impact the economy and the markets the way they do.

A Perfect Complement to an academic finance text!.......1998-12-30

Anticipating a number of delays while traveling over the holidays recently, I picked up a few books from Amazon.com; one I never put down.

Dr. Evelina Tainer has managed, in a succinct manner, to offer academicians (particularly those without practical experience in the world of finance)a way to communicate ideas to students that is compelling and interesting.

I more carefully read about her background only after finishing her book. It make perfect sense that this book was written by an author who has worked in both academic and professional circles. Dr. Tainer integrates material from both perspectives in a meaningful way.

I was particularly fond of the "Did you know" sections where Dr. Tainer fine-tunes a specific notion or concept.

Her discussion of "Seasonal Adjustment" helped to clarify a nubmer of questions that once clouded my understanding.

Academic texts rarely allocate space (for obvious reasons) to details regarding economic indicators. This is where Dr. Tainer's book picks up to bring to light the relevance of the indicators to investment analysis.

I can readily see how Dr. Tainer's, "Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis," would be a welcome text in the classroom -- as a stand alone text for an elective course or as supplement to other required texts. I think that students will take to its lucid approach.

Book Description

Coastal waters are important ecological systems and vital assets for many nations. Coastal waters are also complex, dynamic environments where a vast array of coupled biological, chemical, geological, and physical processes occurs over multiple time and space scales. The optical environment of coastal waters is particularly complex. There is considerable interest in studying coastal waters to gain a better understanding of earth system processes for climatic change research or environmental factors for management decisions. Consequently, there is a need for robust, effective technologies and methods for studying these important complex environments.

Remote sensing from aircraft and space-based platforms offers unique large-scale synoptic data to address the intricate nature of coastal waters. However, many researchers wishing to apply remote sensing to a dynamic coastal environment are faced with the challenge of learning a technology laden with new and often confusing terminology, data, and methods of processing and analysis. To gain an adequate understanding of remote sensing generally involves scouring countless technical manuals, reports, and scientific papers. Hence the major goal of writing this work was to produce a comprehensive resource for those involved in various studies of coastal aquatic environments. With its primary focus on optical remote sensing using passive instruments, the editors have indeed succeeded in creating a book the scientific community has been waiting for.

Book Description

A new, millennium edition of the classic treatment of chemical thermodynamics Widely recognized for half a century for its first-rate, logical introduction to phenomenological thermodynamics, this classic work is now thoroughly revised for the new millennium. The Sixth Edition continues to cover the fundamentals and methods of thermodynamics with exceptional vigor and clarity, while incorporating many new developments. Up-to-date examples are carefully gleaned from the literature for their practical interest to chemists, biochemists, geologists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists. Chemical Thermodynamics: Basic Theory and Methods, Sixth Edition provides readers with clear explanations of essential chemistry, mathematics, and the latest computational tools. Additional new features include:
* Liberal reference to Web-based resources and databases
* Extensive tables of thermodynamic data organized by source
* High-quality exercises with a separate student manual available for solutions to alternate problems
* Simple methods for the calculation of partial molar functions from experimental data
* Expanded and revised chapters containing discussion of excess thermodynamic functions, a treatment of the Second Law and Equilibrium on the basis of the Planck function as well as the Gibbs function, and treatment of real gases in terms of the Redlich-Kwong equation

Customer Reviews:

Review of Thermo by Klotz.......2005-09-26

An insightful book. Easy to read when compared to other books of similar subject. Flows through topics smoothly.

Well explained - a pleasure to read.......2003-10-22

I started to read this book in order to figure out how to calculate the heat released by various chemical reactions. I ended up spending a week reading the first 10 chapters (roughly half the book) and working through the majority of the exercises simply because the book was such a pleasure to read. I feel that the material is presented in a logical fashion, the physical meaning of various mathematical functions is well explained, the exercises are set at the correct pitch and lead to a deeper understanding of the theory, and sufficient references are given so that the reader knows where to go to obtain further material (thermochemical data in my case).

About a decade ago i completed a postgraduate maths/physics degree so I suppose that may give me an "edge" over some readers. However, the book begins with an introduction to calculus involving many variables which is really the only maths used in the entire book.

The book is certainly simple - you won't find much mention of statistical mechanics, for example - but I believe it provides an excellent introduction to the subject of chemical thermodynamics.

There is a companion to this book containing answers to many of the exercises.

Book Description

In BROKEN WINGS, Kahlil Gibran uncovers the glory and pain of young love. This loosely autobiographical story is in the tradition of "Romeo and Juliet," but with Gibran's characteristic lush Oriental settings and images.

A young Kahlil is introduced to Faris Karama, a wealthy merchant and falls in love with Salma, Karama's daughter. But a powerful priest seeks the Karama fortune and demands that his nephew marry Salma.

BROKEN WINGS is a deeply moving love story that explores the spiritual theme of the meaning of human existence in a world that contains profound beauty and love amidst the stains of greed and pains of suffering.

Customer Reviews:

One thought changes everything.......2007-01-25

"Every beauty and greatness in this world is created by a single thought or emotion inside a man. Every thing we see today, made by past generation, was, before its appearance, a thought in the mind of a man or an impulse in the heart of a woman. The revolutions that shed so much blood and turned men's minds toward liberty were the idea of one man who lived in the midst of thousands of men. The devastating wars which destroyed empires were a thought that existed in the mind of an individual. The supreme teachings that changed the course of humanity were the ideas of a man whose genius separated him from his environment. A single thought build the Pyramids, founded the glory of Islam, and caused the burning of the library at Alexandria.

One thought will come to you at night which will elevate you to glory or lead you to asylum. One look from a woman's eye makes you the happiest man in the world. One word from a man's lips will make you rich or poor."

--Khalil Gibran, Broken Wings

We have all the tools to keep us connected that our forefathers never could have dreamed of. Cars and airplanes allow regular visitations between friends thousands of miles apart. The telephone and the internet allow direct connection with those not in our presence, the cell phone extends this connection to all times and virtually all places. Yet, do we take the time see what we do to those who really are around us, when we leave the guest in our living room to check and see who is signed on to our buddy list on our computer? Do we see our friends' hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, when we ignore them across the booth in the restaurant to answer our cell phones?

Every action I perform has an effect on someone else. Many people that we meet, we only see that one time. I wonder what their impression of me is. I wonder if I have uplifted them, or hurt them, or barely made an imprint at all. I wonder if they ever look beyond how I have changed them to see me, to see beyond the generally relaxed, goofy, at ease outlook I put on the situation to see how I really am feeling at the time.

Our feelings, our outlook on life, our hopes and expectations can change in an instant. When that person you are thinking about calls or emails, elation ensues. When you don't hear back for awhile, doubt and yearning go through you mind. Yet, it could just be random, the person deciding to send a message just to say hi, like I often do to my friends.

Okay, I am rambling again. That passage above by Khalil Gibran comes from his short book Broken Wings, written from a first person perspective about a man's first love, Selma, who was betrothed to another. This passage was from one of the middle chapters. It caught my eye, and I am still trying to make sense of it, what it is really saying. Any thoughts? Feel free to share. You can post comments on my blog anonymously.

What a beautiful story!.......2006-10-01

Kahlil Gibran once again tells a beautiful love story. I fell in love with this novel, and would recommend it to anyone who loves to read a beautiful, and realistic love story. It made me cry!

The Fire of Love in Full Inferno.......2006-07-18

Khalil Gibran's fiery book on first love and its undying potency. A must have read for fans of the Prophet. A fictional tale that captures the essence of love awakening energy in the context of culture, social rules, and family ambition. A juxtaposition on the distinction between a love marriage and a marriage as a merger and acquisiton.

Love, the source of eternal bliss and spirituality!.......2005-10-02

Gibran says, "I was eighteen years of age when love opened my eyes with its magic rays and touched my spirit for the first time with its fiery fingers and Selma Karamy was the first woman who awakened my spirit with her beauty and led me into the garden of high affection, where days pass like dreams and nights like weddings."

In his typical lyrical prose, interlaced with subtle imagery and deep philosophy, Kibran creates a masterpiece of first love. The story is poignant, and is full of platonic ideals, so characteristic of first love, especially in the East. I say so, as in the East, be it South Asia or the Middle East, first love is a cherished territory where spirituality overwhelms every idea of sexuality. The prose is delightful in content as well as intent, and is laced with a wisdom, so reminiscent of his most famous work, the Prophet.

Gibran always wrote short novels, and this one too is a short, but intense read. The sentences are rich with poetic descriptions, and the way author describes nature and love is refreshing, soothing, and beautiful.

I recommend Gibran to one and all. His writings may not appeal to you if you are looking for cheap thrills, but if you pine for a love story that defies the usual pot-broiler stuff, a love story full of purity and selflessness, read this one.

Love and pure love........2002-10-17

In the Broken Wings, Gibran touches a variety of subjects like love, plight of women, hypocracy of self serving religious heads, false values on which human socities are built, and true prayer and sacrifice. And all is told in very few majestically beautiful words without malice to any one.
"Love is the only freedom in the world because it so elevates the spirit that laws of humanity do not alter its course."
" Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and ..........is created in a moment."
Gibran says of the plight of the women by describing them as
" the bird with broken wings in a cage."
Of heads of religions, Gibran says, "Thus the Christian Bishop and the Moslem imam and the Brahman priest are like sea reptiles who clutch their prey with many tentacles and suck their blood with numerous mouths." How true are these words!
Gibran tells how "in some countries, the parent's wealth is a source of misery for the children."
Yet the woman in the story, although falling in the abyss of miseries, prays "help me, my Lord, to be strong in this deadly struggle and assist me to be truthful and virtuous until death. Thy will be done, oh Lord God."
And finally she sacrifices her own life fot he sake of her beloved thus bringing glory to "sacrifice."
Tears rolled down my cheeks while reading the tragic end of the story. But I felt these tears have cleansed my spirit.
The reading of The Broken Wings is a must for any one who wants to experience a tearful smile or a sorrowful joy or miseries for a true prayer.

3 Great Novels By Mary Burchell: The Broken Wing; Ward of Lucifer; A Home for Joy

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3 Great Novels By Mary Burchell: The Broken Wing; Ward of Lucifer; A Home for Joy
Mary Burchell
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NLOBG0

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