Download or read book A Most Remarkable Man written by Harry P. Massoth and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2022-10-20 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book highlights Daniel C. Jordan’s life and provides an overview of the Bahá’í Faith, which is essential to grasp to understand his quest to create an educational system to empower men to overcome challenges. The author presents thirteen articles Jordan wrote on topics such as the Bahá’í solution, the cause of poverty, and the psycho-spiritual approach to self-actualization. Other articles address the breakdown of civilization and a new educational model for creating a new race of men. He also examines Jordan’s growth, revealing how he became an atheist at age sixteen. Jordan then began reading challenging literature, such as David Hume’s A Treatise on Human Nature, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Bertrand Russell’s Why I’m Not a Christian. Fortunately, he did not remain an atheist for long. In 1950, at age eighteen, he matriculated to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he met Charlotte Gillen, who was studying international relations. Jordan was struck by this “extraordinary woman” who introduced him to a book written by the Bahá’í Prophet Bahá’u’lláh titled The Hidden Words.
Download or read book Meetings With Remarkable Men written by George Ivanovich Gurdjieff and published by Library of Alexandria. This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: EXACTLY A MONTH HAS ELAPSED since I finished the first series of my writings—just that period of the flow of time which I intended to devote exclusively to resting the parts of my common presence subordinate to my pure reason. As I wrote in the last chapter of the first series, I had given myself my word that during the whole of this time I would do no writing whatsoever, but would only, for the well-being of the most deserving of these subordinate parts, slowly and gently drink down all the bottles of old calvados now at my disposal by the will of fate in the wine-cellar of the Prieuré, and specially provided the century before last by people who understood the true sense of life. Today I have decided, and now I wish—without forcing myself at all, but on the contrary with great pleasure—to set to work at my writing again, of course with the help of all the corresponding forces and also, this time, with the help of the law-conformable cosmic results flowing in from all sides upon my person from the good wishes of the readers of the first series. I now propose to give a form understandable for everyone to everything I have written down for the second series, in the hope that these ideas may serve as preparatory constructive material for setting up in the consciousness of creatures similar to myself a new world—a world in my opinion real, or at least one that can be perceived as real by all degrees of human thinking without the All and Everything: Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, p. 1236 slightest impulse of doubt, instead of the illusory world which contemporary people picture to themselves. And indeed, the mind of contemporary man, of whatever level of intellectuality, is only able to take cognizance of the world by means of data which, whenever accidentally or intentionally activated, arouse in him all sorts of fantastic impulses. And these impulses, by constantly affecting the tempo of all the associations flowing in him, gradually disharmonize the whole of his functioning, with such sorrowful results that it is impossible for any man, if he is able to isolate himself even a little from the influences of the established abnormal conditions of our ordinary life and is willing to think about it seriously, not to be terrified—as, for example, by the shortening of our life with each decade. First of all, for the ‘swing of thought’, that is, for establishing a corresponding rhythm for my thinking and also for yours, I wish to follow somewhat the example of the Great Beelzebub and imitate the form of thinking of one highly respected by him and by me, and perhaps already, brave reader of my writings, by you, if of course you have had the daring to read through to the end all of the first series. That is to say, I wish to introduce at the very beginning of this writing of mine what our dear-to-all Mullah Nassr Eddin1 would call a ‘subtly philosophical question.’ I wish to do this at the very beginning because I intend to use freely, both here and in my later expositions, the wisdom of this sage, who is now recognized almost everywhere and upon whom, it is rumoured, the title of ‘The One and Only’ is soon to be officially conferred by the proper person. And this subtly philosophical question may already be sensed in that sort of perplexity which is bound to arise in the consciousness of every reader of even the very first paragraph of this chapter, if he compares the many data on which his firm convictions about medical matters are based with the fact that I, the author of Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson, after the accident which nearly cost me my life, with the functioning of my organism not yet fully re-established owing to the incessant active effort Mullah Nassr Eddin, a legendary figure in numerous countries of the Near East, is an embodiment of popular wisdom.
Download or read book Meetings with Remarkable People written by Osho and published by Watkins Media Limited. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even now, nearly two decades after his death, Osho’s books continue to sell in the hundreds of thousands, and his website receives over a million hits every month. His host of admirers simply increases with every succeeding generation. Here, Osho brings to life many of mankind’s most influential religious and spiritual leaders from a variety of cultures, including Krishna, the Buddha, and Jesus; poets such as Lao Tzu and Rumi; philosophers from Pythagoras and Socrates to Heraclitus and Nietzsche; and great thinkers of more recent times, including Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Kahlil Gibran. Osho uses their lives and knowledge to guide the reader in a profound journey of spiritual discovery and wisdom
Download or read book Meetings with Remarkable Men written by G. I. Gurdjieff and published by Ravenio Books. This book was released on 1991-09-27 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meetings with Remarkable Men, Gurdjieff's autobiographical account of his youth and early travels, has become something of a legend since it was first published in 1963. A compulsive 'read' in the tradition of adventure narratives, but suffused with Gurdjieff's unique perspective on life, it is organized around portraits of remarkable men and women who aided Gurdjieff's search for hidden knowledge or accompanied him on his journeys in remote parts of the Near East and Central Asia.This is a book of lives, not of doctrines, although readers will long value Gurdjieff's accounts of conversations with sages. Meetings conveys a haunting sense of what it means to live fully - with conscience, with purpose, and with heart. Among the remarkable individuals whom the reader will come to know are Gurdjieff's father (a traditional bard), a Russian prince dedicated to the search for Truth, a Christian missionary who entered a World Brotherhood deep in Asia, and a woman who escaped white slavery to become a trusted member of Gurdjieff's group of fellow seekers. Gurdjieff's account of their attitudes in the face of external challenges and in the search to understand the mysteries of life is the real substance of this classic work.
Download or read book An Absolutely Remarkable Thing written by Hank Green and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-09-25 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Sparkling with mystery, humor and the uncanny, this is a fun read. But beneath its effervescent tone, more complex themes are at play.” —San Francisco Chronicle In his wildly entertaining debut novel, Hank Green—cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow—spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined. The Carls just appeared. Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.
Download or read book Weed Man written by John McCaslin and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2011-10-17 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that Americans in the early 1970s were smoking upwards of 35,000 pounds of marijuana per day. By the time the decade drew to a close, Time magazine reported that reefer had become “the most widely accepted illegal indulgence since drinking during Prohibition.” You can thank Jimmy Moree for helping to feed America’s insatiable pot habit. Nicknamed “Jimmy Divine” for his teetotaling ways, he would become one of the most successful marijuana traffickers of the 1970s, smuggling high-grade South American weed across the tempestuous seas into North American ports of call. He was born and grew up poor in the Bahamas. That life was forever changed on a morning jog when Jimmy literally stumbled onto several million dollars’ worth of prime Colombian grass. He disposed of the weed with a little help from a law-enforcement friend and was surprised to earn over three hundred thousand dollars for his trouble. It was the first deal of many. The money was easy, and the perks fantastic. Jimmy went on to make?and give away?a fortune. And now award-winning journalist John McCaslin is telling Jimmy’s story. Several of the characters are identified by their actual names or by nicknames. Identities of others have been changed to protect the guilty. Rest assured, you’re in for a white-knuckle ride on the open seas where adventure, enterprise, and entire fortunes go up in smoke. “McCaslin brings his exceptional reportorial talent to bear in a fascinating exposé of the drug trade.” —G. GORDON LIDDY “Told in a breezy, witty style, McCaslin’s book captures moments in relatively recent Caribbean history when it was . . . possible to make a fortune by the ability to steer a boat stealthily through dangerous seas.” —MARK BOWDEN Endorsements "I'm delighted to see that John McCaslin has climbed out of his political trench in Washington long enough to set sail on this astonishing journey through the precarious Caribbean reefs, and beyond. Somehow, in typical McCaslin fashion, he manages to bring his readers back to the nation's capital in a chapter that will certainly have official tongues wagging in Washington." -- Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and former co-host of NBC's Today "This story is so compelling . . . John McCaslin has put it all together in a way that simply made me want to just keep on reading. Wow." --Wolf Blitzer, anchor and host of the CNN newscast The Situation Room "For years everybody in Washington has turned to John McCaslin's Inside The Beltway column for the inside skinny on what is going on in our nation's capital. Now, in Weed Man: The Remarkable Journey of Jimmy Divine, McCaslin brings his exceptional reportorial talent to bear in a fascinating expose of the drug trade." --G. Gordon Liddy, Watergate figure and nationally-syndicated radio host
Download or read book This I Believe written by Jay Allison and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2006-10-03 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inspiring collection of the personal philosophies of a group of remarkable men and women Based on the National Public Radio series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty essayists—from the famous to the unknown—completing the thought that begins the book's title. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others. Featuring a well-known list of contributors—including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike—the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk from Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells Yellow Pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs—and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them—reveal the American spirit at its best.
Download or read book Leonard written by William Shatner and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles as Spock and Captain Kirk, in a new science fiction television series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In seventy-nine television episodes of Star Trek and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine. Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows. In this powerfully emotional book, Shatner tells the story of a man who was his friend for five decades, recounting anecdotes and untold stories of their lives on and off set, as well as gathering stories from others who knew Nimoy well, to present a full picture of a rich life. As much a biography of Nimoy as a story of their friendship, Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt book written by one legendary actor in celebration of another.
Download or read book A Most Remarkable Fella written by Susan Loesser and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2000 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Book). Composer, lyricist and driving force behind such songs and stage productions as "Heart and Soul," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Guys and Dolls and The Most Happy Fella , Frank Loesser left an indelible mark on American music. In this rich and revealing biography, his daughter profiles this prolific musical mastermind, piecing together her own memories with those of singers, songwriters, producers, friends and family members. The result is an accurate account of what it was like to know Frank Loesser: a very funny man with a fiery temper whose ferocious commitment to his art drove singers out of their minds and to their best. This comprehensive account of Loesser's life and career includes photos, drawings, lyrics and an index.
Download or read book A Most Remarkable Creature written by Jonathan Meiburg and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind.”—Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way “A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story.”—David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. “As curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject.”—Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive . . . quarrelsome and passionate," and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it. Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting.
Download or read book Behind Every Great Man written by Marlene Wagman-Geller and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2015-03-03 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who Said Men Get to Monopolize the Glory? Discover the Little Known Women Who Have Put the World's Alpha Males on the Map. From ancient times to the present, men have gotten most of the good ink. Yet standing just outside the spotlight are the extraordinary, and overlooked, wives and companions who are just as instrumental in shaping the destinies of their famous—and infamous—men. This witty, illuminating book reveals the remarkable stories of forty captivating females, from Constance Lloyd (Mrs. Oscar Wilde) to Carolyn Adams (Mrs. Jerry Garcia), who have stood behind their legendary partners and helped to humanize them, often at the cost of their own careers, reputations, and happiness. Through fame and its attendant ills—alcoholism, infidelity, mental illness, divorce, and even attempted murder—these powerful women quietly propelled their men to the top and changed the course of history. Meet the Untold Half of History, Including: •Alma Reville (Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock) •Elena Diakonova (Mrs. Salvador Dali) •Winifred Madikizela (Mrs. Nelson Mandela) •Ann Charteris (Mrs. Ian Fleming, a.k.a. Mrs. James Bond) •Ruth Alpern (Mrs. Bernie Maddoff) And 35 more!
Download or read book A Great Man s Friendship written by Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington and published by London : J. Murray. This book was released on 1927 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Remarkable Contributions written by Akanksha Anand and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-02 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed to meet the needs of students, teachers, practitioners, and researchers, this fascinating and insightful, contemporary text is from an author who is a research scholar in the area of leadership, gender, and organizational studies. The book provides a firm grounding in theory driven by mixed methods research, including the inquiry into leadership behaviors in India. It uniquely addresses two profound changes taking place in the 21st century: namely, the explosion of interest in the leadership of India’s growing service industry, and secondly, the emergence in the leadership of women in service sectors of India. Globalization demands the reliance on effective organizational leadership, and women’s leadership in India specifically has long gone unexamined. This book brings the understanding of this remarkable leadership of women to life through the use of case studies that capture their extraordinary real lives, and a survey of their team members. Remarkable Contributions: India’s Women Leaders and Management Practices is drawn from the author’s funded research on leadership behaviors, women in management, and organizations. Key Features: Boxed, inserted case examples illustrate key concepts and methodological findings, exposing the readers to a variety of applications of leadership behaviors. Multiple research methods, such as the survey, in-depth interviews, and case studies, build upon the content of the book to examine leadership behaviors and styles in India. A diverse leadership study offers suggestions and information based on the author’s successful experiences in conducting the studies with experts in the field both in India and abroad. A review of studies strengthens the methodological instruction order to aid the research findings. Exclusive survey responses from the leader’s team members on their perceptions of women leaders in India. Cross-cultural context of leadership, covered through reviewing international studies on work cultures and environments.
Download or read book View from the Summit written by Edmund Hillary and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2000-05 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a memoir by the first man to reach the peak of Everest, Hillary discusses the adventures that shaped his life, from the South Pole to the Ganges River.
Download or read book A Great Man s Friendship written by The Duke of Wellington and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-11 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1927 and edited by Lady Winifred Anne Henrietta Christiana (Herbert) Burghclere, this book is a collection of the Duke of Wellington’s letters to one of his regular correspondents and friend, Mary Catherine Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury. The letters in this volume cover the years 1850-1852—the last two years of the Duke of Wellington’s life. It ends with the Duke’s final note dated September 13, 1952, the eve of his death. “The Duke’s actions were sometimes mistaken, his judgments sometimes faulty, but the advocatus diaboli can find nothing to challenge in the limpid sincerity of his selfless motives. In these letters, too, the man’s kindliness, the “good nature” he proclaimed as so important an ingredient, even in public affairs, is markedly apparent. “It is also an illustration of the force of willpower to see an octogenarian able to put through the business which every day brought him. He might grumble that “every animal but the Duke of Wellington is allowed a rest,” but the myriad tasks, the countless courtesies and kindnesses, were achieved largely by his lifelong system “to do the business of the day in the day.” It is therefore to be hoped that the perusal of these letters will give their readers a more intimate acquaintance with one whose whole career and character must be a source of pride to those of his own race.” Illustrated with Portraits.
Download or read book A Great Man A Frolic written by Arnold Bennett and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2023-10-01 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Step into the captivating world of "A Great Man: A Frolic" by Arnold Bennett, a delightful and thought-provoking exploration of fame, ambition, and the nature of greatness. Join Arnold Bennett as he invites you to embark on a whimsical journey through the world of high society and celebrity culture. In "A Great Man: A Frolic," Bennett offers a satirical glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous, weaving a tale of ambition, intrigue, and unexpected twists of fate. As you delve into the pages of this charming novel, you'll encounter a colorful cast of characters, from the larger-than-life celebrity Sir William Tresham to the ambitious young journalist George Trebell. Through their interactions and adventures, Bennett explores themes of ambition, integrity, and the elusive nature of greatness, inviting readers to ponder the true meaning of success in a world driven by fame and fortune. Themes of ambition, integrity, and the pursuit of excellence permeate the narrative of "A Great Man: A Frolic," inviting readers to reflect on the values that define a life well-lived. Through Bennett's sharp wit and keen insight, readers gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of human nature and the choices that shape our destinies. The overall tone of "A Great Man: A Frolic" is one of wit and humor, with Bennett's sparkling prose and clever dialogue infusing every page with a sense of playfulness and charm. His writing is characterized by its wit, warmth, and keen observation of human foibles, making it a delight to read from start to finish. Since its publication, "A Great Man: A Frolic" has been hailed as a classic of English literature, revered for its wit, intelligence, and timeless relevance. Its enduring popularity and continued influence make it a must-read for anyone interested in the human comedy and the pursuit of greatness. Whether you're a fan of satire, a lover of literature, or simply someone who enjoys a good laugh, "A Great Man: A Frolic" offers a delightful escape into the world of fame, ambition, and the quest for meaning. Don't miss your chance to experience the wit and wisdom of Arnold Bennett's unforgettable masterpiece. Grab your copy now and prepare to be entertained and enlightened.
Download or read book Shadows Bright as Glass written by Amy Ellis Nutt and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On a sunny fall afternoon in 1988, Jon Sarkin was playing golf when, without a whisper of warning, his life changed forever. As he bent down to pick up his golf ball, something strange and massive happened inside his head; part of his brain seemed to unhinge, to split apart and float away. For an utterly inexplicable reason, a tiny blood vessel, thin as a thread, deep inside the folds of his gray matter had suddenly shifted ever so slightly, rubbing up against his acoustic nerve. Any noise now caused him excruciating pain. After months of seeking treatment to no avail, in desperation Sarkin resorted to radical deep-brain surgery, which seemed to go well until during recovery his brain began to bleed and he suffered a major stroke. When he awoke, he was a different man. Before the stroke, he was a calm, disciplined chiropractor, a happily married husband and father of a newborn son. Now he was transformed into a volatile and wildly exuberant obsessive, seized by a manic desire to create art, devoting virtually all his waking hours to furiously drawing, painting, and writing poems and letters to himself, strangely detached from his wife and child, and unable to return to his normal working life. His sense of self had been shattered, his intellect intact but his way of being drastically altered. His art became a relentless quest for the right words and pictures to unlock the secrets of how to live this strange new life. And what was even stranger was that he remembered his former self. In a beautifully crafted narrative, award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Ellis Nutt interweaves Sarkin’s remarkable story with a fascinating tour of the history of and latest findings in neuroscience and evolution that illuminate how the brain produces, from its web of billions of neurons and chaos of liquid electrical pulses, the richness of human experience that makes us who we are. Nutt brings vividly to life pivotal moments of discovery in neuroscience, from the shocking “rebirth” of a young girl hanged in 1650 to the first autopsy of an autistic savant’s brain, and the extraordinary true stories of people whose personalities and cognitive abilities were dramatically altered by brain trauma, often in shocking ways. Probing recent revelations about the workings of creativity in the brain and the role of art in the evolution of human intelligence, she reveals how Jon Sarkin’s obsessive need to create mirrors the earliest function of art in the brain. Introducing major findings about how our sense of self transcends the bounds of our own bodies, she explores how it is that the brain generates an individual “self” and how, if damage to our brains can so alter who we are, we can nonetheless be said to have a soul. For Jon Sarkin, with his personality and sense of self permanently altered, making art became his bridge back to life, a means of reassembling from the shards of his former self a new man who could rejoin his family and fashion a viable life. He is now an acclaimed artist who exhibits at some of the country’s most prestigious venues, as well as a devoted husband to his wife, Kim, and father to their three children. At once wrenching and inspiring, this is a story of the remarkable human capacity to overcome the most daunting obstacles and of the extraordinary workings of the human mind.