What we make and buy is a major indicator of society’s collective priorities. Among twenty-four key trends, Vital Signs Volume 22 explores significant global patterns in production and consumption. The result is a fascinating snapshot of how we invest our resources and the implications for the world’s well-being. The book examines developments in six main areas: energy, environment and climate, transportation, food and agriculture, global economy and resources, and population and society. Readers will learn how aquaculture is making gains on wild fish catches, where high speed rail is accelerating, why plastic production is on the rise, who is escaping chronic hunger, and who is still suffering. Researchers at the Worldwatch Institute not only provide the most up-to-date statistics, but put them in context. The analysis in Vital Signs teaches us both about our current priorities and how they could be shaped to create a better future.

The bestselling “master of the medical thriller” (The New York Times) tells a harrowing tale of the lengths one doctor will go to in order to conceive—and the conspiracy that may be at the root of her struggles. Dr. Marissa Blumenthal’s dream of becoming pregnant has turned into an obsession. A successful pediatrician, she will try any scientific method available to conceive—until the horrible secrets of an urban clinic erupt in a nightmare of staggering proportions. As more women reveal their similar struggles and as suspicious deaths begin to look like murder, it’s up to Marissa to uncover the truth behind her plight, no matter how dangerous a mission that might be. “Controversial... believable and chilling.”—Houston Chronicle

Feelings by David Peter Malin Maxfield is a poignant collection of poetry that delves deep into the human heart. Born in Tickhill, Yorkshire, in 1948, Maxfield brings a lifetime of experiences to his work, offering a rich tapestry of emotions that resonate with readers of all backgrounds. His poems traverse a wide range of themes, from tributes to beloved figures like Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, to reflections on nature, love, loss, and the human condition. Through his verses, Maxfield explores life’s most profound moments, encapsulating the essence of joy, sorrow, hope, and despair with remarkable clarity and depth. His work serves as a testament to the power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human spirit, making Feelings a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the emotional landscapes we all navigate. Whether it’s the raw emotion of ‘Suicide’ and ‘Lonely Heart’ or the uplifting spirit of ‘Spring Love’ and ‘First Christmas,’ each poem in this collection is a window into the soul, offering a unique perspective on life’s many facets. This book is a journey through the heart, crafted by a poet who writes with authenticity and passion.

Moving through the exotic settings of California, Hawaii, and Africa, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Wood weaves a rich and compelling story of three women's lives and the challenges they face in their careers and in their relationships. In the late 1960s, three bright, ambitious women struggling to make a place in a man's world meet in medical school. Each has a past she wants to forget, and each has a dream she needs to fulfill. Mickey Long — Disfigured from birth, Mickey turns to plastic surgery to heal herself and others afflicted with her special pain. Sondra Mallone — Abandoned by her natural parents, Sondra becomes a missionary doctor to forgotten souls crying out for love. Ruth Shapiro — After discovering the miracle of motherhood, Ruth opens a pioneering fertility clinic that offers new hope to those who once had none. In the years that lie ahead — years of triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow, love and loneliness — each woman will find, in their unique bond of friendship, the courage and strength to succeed.

“Vital Signs,” a popular column featured in Discover Magazine, has long been a favorite of readers, showcasing, each month, fascinating new tales of strange illnesses and diseases that baffle doctors and elude diagnosis. Each tale is true and borders on the unbelievable. It’s no wonder that throughout the years the column has become an unofficial textbook for medical students, interns, doctors, and anyone interested in human illness and staying healthy. Now, physician and “Vital Signs” editor Robert Norman has compiled the very best of the series into an intriguing and suspenseful collection for fans and new readers alike. A young woman carries a baby that wasn’t her own—and wasn’t even a human; Aretha Franklin gives a physician the insight needed to save a life; a modern gynecologist faces an ancient disease. These cases and more, representing a wide variety of unique medical anomalies and life-or-death situations, bring readers to the front lines of the medical fray. Fans of hit medical dramas such as House MD will savor the opportunity to read of the real-life cases that puzzled doctors, the gripping detective work that ensued, and the completely unexpected, often life-saving diagnoses. Discover Magazine’s Vital Signs is a glimpse into the exciting work of real medical professionals, told from their perspective, and revealing that anything can happen in medicine. Readers will never look at a “routine check-up” the same again.

Thousands of measures are in use today to assess health and health care in the United States. Although many of these measures provide useful information, their usefulness in either gauging or guiding performance improvement in health and health care is seriously limited by their sheer number, as well as their lack of consistency, compatibility, reliability, focus, and organization. To achieve better health at lower cost, all stakeholders - including health professionals, payers, policy makers, and members of the public - must be alert to what matters most. What are the core measures that will yield the clearest understanding and focus on better health and well-being for Americans? Vital Signs explores the most important issues - healthier people, better quality care, affordable care, and engaged individuals and communities - and specifies a streamlined set of 15 core measures. These measures, if standardized and applied at national, state, local, and institutional levels across the country, will transform the effectiveness, efficiency, and burden of health measurement and help accelerate focus and progress on our highest health priorities. Vital Signs also describes the leadership and activities necessary to refine, apply, maintain, and revise the measures over time, as well as how they can improve the focus and utility of measures outside the core set. If health care is to become more effective and more efficient, sharper attention is required on the elements most important to health and health care. Vital Signs lays the groundwork for the adoption of core measures that, if systematically applied, will yield better health at a lower cost for all Americans.

Written by Nile Harper and six leading pastors, this volume tells the stories of twenty-eight urban churches that are successfully contributing to the transformation of inner-city communities in fifteen major cities across America -- Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Savannah, and Washington, D.C.