This download is a chapter from Curious Folks Ask: 162 Real Answers on Amazing Inventions, Fascinating Products, and Medical Mysteries (ISBN: 0137057385) by Sherry Seethaler. Available in print and digital formats. Read the following excerpt from the Preface: Inquiring minds want to know. What’s the big deal about low-carb diets? What causes muscle aches when you get the flu? How did the ancient Egyptians build the Giza Pyramids? Does it matter what brand of gasoline you buy? Could adult stem cells have as much promise as embryonic stem cells? Is a horsepower really the power of one horse? Does chocolate cause acne? What makes glue sticky? How is it possible to design bifocal contact lenses? What causes dandruff? And sometimes, inquiring minds ask questions that other inquiring minds did not even realize they wanted to know. Why do we get skin cancer from sun-damaged skin when damaged cells are continually sloughing off and being replaced? What causes out-of-body experiences? Is the Star Wars lightsaber possible? Are there beneficial viruses, just as there are beneficial bacteria? Why do some people have second toes that are longer than their big toes? Is increased environmental noise leading to increased violence? With their unwieldy number system, how did the ancient Romans engineer their magnificent buildings? These are some of the 162 questions compiled in this science Q&A anthology. The questions come from real people who range in age from high schoolers to octogenarians (and probably even younger and older folks too). Some of them are scientists, and others tell me, “I’m not a science person, but I’ve always wanted to know...” What they share is a deep curiosity about the world around them. The questions and answers in Curious Folks Ask can rekindle the natural wonder about science and the world around us that we all shared as children but that frequently gets pushed aside in formal education settings. To continue reading, download this Preface & Chapter 3. The full book is also available for sale in print and digital formats.

Why do lizards do pushups? What will happen if the Earth’s magnetic field reverses? How does water get from the roots to the tops of trees? Why and how do stars die? Is there really such a thing as the green flash? In Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Answers about Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond, gifted science explainer Sherry Seethaler presents 188 of the most fascinating new questions real people have asked about science–together with answers that are clear, accurate, honest, and a pleasure to read. Like her previous book, Curious Folks Ask, the Q&As in this book are collected from Seethaler’s popular weekly column in the San Diego Union-Tribune. From the Earth’s strangest lifeforms to the deepest reaches of the universe. Seethaler introduces exciting areas of research, cuts through myths, offers real insight into what science has learned–and reveals the continuing mysteries scientists are still working to understand. Written in Seethaler’s trademark style, Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Answers about Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond presents sophisticated science in a lighthearted, amusing way. Seethaler’s answers will help rekindle the wonder of science in readers of all ages and backgrounds–and help them intelligently interpret the latest news about science and medicine for years to come.

God created us to be curious. We innately wonder about the world, one another, ourselves, and our Creator. But fear of the unknown, cultural taboos, technology, or even church leaders can smother our curiosity. Popular writer Lore Ferguson Wilbert has belonged to Christian communities that discouraged curiosity. The point of the Christian life was to have the right answers, and asking questions reflected a wavering faith. But Wilbert came to discover that the Bible is a permission slip to anyone who wants to ask questions. Reflecting her own theological trajectory toward a more contemplative, expansive faith, Wilbert invites readers to foster curiosity as a spiritual habit. This book explores questions God asks us, questions we ask God, and questions we ask each other. Christianity is not about knowing good answers, says Wilbert, but about asking good questions--ones that foster deeper intimacy with God and others. A Curious Faith invites readers to go beyond pat answers and embrace curiosity, rather than certainty, as a hallmark of authentic faith. Foreword by Seth Haines.

Globally recognized expert on learning and leadership, Jeff Wetzler offers a hands-on, surprisingly effective way to find out what others really think, know, and feel. Ask leads to smarter decisions, more creative solutions, and deeper relationships. Too often, we don’t find out what’s truly on others’ hearts and minds because we don’t know how to ask the right questions in the right ways. Co-founder of Transcend and former international business consultant and Teach for America executive Jeff Wetzler wants to show you how to fix that. In Ask, he brings you a powerful method called The Ask Approach™, based on a simple premise: that tapping into what other people truly think, know, and feel is a game-changing superpower. In Section I, Wetzler reveals the most common things that people think and feel but often keep to themselves, as well as the key reasons why they choose to withhold information that could be valuable to you and your organization. Section II delves into the five steps of the Ask Approach, each answering an essential question. Choose Curiosity: How can you awaken your curiosity to make new discoveries and unexpected connections? Make it Safe: How do you make it easier for people to tell you hard things? Pose Quality Questions: What questions will best tap into the wisdom of anyone you ask? Listen to Learn: How can you hear what someone is really trying to tell you? Reflect & Reconnect: How do you turn talk into action? Section III helps you make asking an everyday superpower – not only for yourself but also for your team and organization, as well as for the next generation and society at large. The skills and messages of Ask could not be more timely. In a fast-changing world where AI is supplanting an increasing range of skills, the ability to learn from and connect with other people is one of the most important, fulfilling and uniquely human capabilities to master.

How can we design places that fulfill urgent needs of the community, achieve environmental justice, and inspire long-term stewardship? By bringing community members to the table with designers to collectively create vibrant, important places in cities and neighborhoods. For decades, participatory design practices have helped enliven neighborhoods and promote cultural understanding. Yet, many designers still rely on the same techniques that were developed in the 1950s and 60s. These approaches offer predictability, but hold waning promise for addressing current and future design challenges. Design as Democracy is written to reinvigorate democratic design, providing inspiration, techniques, and case stories for a wide range of contexts. Edited by six leading practitioners and academics in the field of participatory design, with nearly 50 contributors from around the world, it offers fresh insights for creating meaningful dialogue between designers and communities and for transforming places with justice and democracy in mind.

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted book explores the clash between a medical center in California and a Laotian refugee family over their care of a child.

From one of the most trusted and bestselling brands in business training and throughout the world, The 5 Essential People Skills shows how to deliver a message to others with power and clarity, how to build loyalty and inspire creativity by demonstrating assertiveness, and how to be assertive. Put these five essential skills to work and begin your transformation! Have you ever walked away from a conversation full of doubts and insecurities? Do you feel as if you’ve lost a little ground after every staff meeting? Most of us are either too passive or too aggressive in our business life, and we end up never getting the support, recognition, or respect we desire. The business leaders and trainers from Dale Carnegie Training have discovered that applying appropriate assertiveness to all your interactions is the most effective approach to creating a successful career. The 5 Essential People Skills will help you be the most positively commanding, prosperous, and inspired professional you can be. You will learn how to: · Relate to the seven major personality types · Live up to your fullest potential while achieving personal success · Create a cutting-edge business environment that delivers innovation and results · Use Carnegie’s powerhouse five-part template for articulate communications that grow business · Resolve any conflict or misunderstanding by applying a handful of proven principles Once you master these powerful skills, you will be well on your way to a new level of professional and personal achievement.