https://arab.news/g685y
Authors: Ralph S.J. Koijen and Motohiro Yogo
“Financial Economics of Insurance” provides a unified framework to study the impact of financial and regulatory frictions as well as imperfect competition on all insurer decisions.
The book covers all facets of the modern insurance sector, guiding readers through its complexities with empirical facts, institutional details, and quantitative modeling.
Imagine having a manual for the brain, the remarkable, mysterious machine that powers thoughts, dreams, and creativity, and stands as the force behind human civilization, setting our species apart from all others on Earth.
“The Brain: Everything You Need to Know” by Alison George, published by New Scientist, breaks down consciousness, memory, intelligence, and even why we dream, in a way that is light and easy to follow. It avoids scientific jargon, making it a good choice for readers who are curious about the brain but don’t want to get lost in technical details.
Along the way, the book asks a fundamental question: How can we understand, and even improve, the way our minds function?
The book argues that the brain is far more complex than we tend to assume. Many of its processes happen outside of conscious awareness, and even the ways we make decisions, form memories, or dream are shaped by forces we barely notice.
Understanding the brain, the book suggests, requires accepting that much of what drives us happens invisibly.
One chapter that stands out takes a closer look at the unconscious mind, described as the brain’s “unsung hero.” It’s where habits live and decisions form long before they reach awareness. Everyday actions like walking, typing, or even choosing what to eat are often driven by this autopilot system. The book explores how deeply the unconscious shapes behavior, challenging the idea that we are always fully in control of our actions.
Some of the chapters are short and punchy, which keeps the pace moving, but this also means the book doesn’t spend enough time exploring some of the topics. It can feel more like an introduction to neuroscience than a true exploration of it. For readers seeking a light, engaging overview of the mind’s mysteries, this approach may work well. Those hoping for deeper engagement, however, might be left wanting more.
Photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer’s recently published book “The Silk Road: A Living History” is more than just a travelogue or photo collection. Adorned with 150 original photographs, alongside personal reflections, it is a vivid reminder of the shared history that connects us all.
The Silk Road, which began during the Han Dynasty around 130 B.C., played a pivotal role in facilitating the exchange of goods, cultures and ideas. By the 15th century, however, its influence began to wane.
Wilton-Steer set out to build a new bridge between the past and present, and between the old and new.
Undertaken just before the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world, Wilton-Steer retraced that historic Silk Road path between July and November 2019, traveling 40,000 km using trains, buses, camels and horses to fully immerse himself in the places he visited.
He took the scenic route, and let his shutter do the talking. Photographs were taken in such places as Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, and, of course, China.
As the head of communications at the Aga Khan Foundation, a global nonprofit organization that works to improve quality of life in underdeveloped regions, the London-based Wilton-Steer brought his vision to life.
After a pause due to worldwide lockdowns, his photographs from the journey were displayed at an open-air exhibition in 2021 at London’s King’s Cross, featuring almost 100 photographs. Then, a more intimate selection was showcased at the Aga Khan Park in Toronto, lasting until May 2022.
Now, you can travel the Silk Road in the form of the book, without leaving your living room.
What makes “The Silk Road” stand out is the combination of visuals with the author’s personal insights.
He offers a fresh, personal perspective on the historic trade route that connected the East and West for more than 1,600 years. His writing explores the exchanges that took place on the Silk Road, which continues to shape life today.
From the bustling markets or ancient ruins, his insights add depth to the images.
The foreword by historian Peter Frankopan provides historical context, but it is Wilton-Steer’s own voice that really makes it worth a look.
Through his lens, we are reminded that history is not just something of the past — it is very much alive today. And if a photo can tell 1,000 words, there are many more to tell.
The Silk Road is no longer merely a mythical path you read about in history books. This book brings it to the present.
Published by Hemeria, a publisher specializing in high-quality photo books, “The Silk Road: A Living History” can be a great addition to your coffee table or bookshelf.
Why do we get a kick out of being scared? Why do we find it difficult to look away from a train wreck? In “Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction,” neuroscientist Austin Lim takes a scalpel to that question — examining fear, not just as a feeling nor merely as a survival mechanism, but as a thrill, and even a form of entertainment.
Published recently by Prometheus Books, the work dives into the science of what horror does to our brains and why we keep coming back for more.
“Curiosity exists only because of the unknown. Conveniently, the unknown is also the birthplace of horror,” writes Lim. “Even before literacy, people had been making haunting ‘what-if’ stories about the biggest unknowable: what happens after death.”
I was hooked.
Lim, who teaches neuroscience at DePaul University in the US, has made a career of blending biology with pop culture. He brings that dynamic energy to this book, cutting through academic jargon to explain the science behind it: how blood, suspense and dread dig into our brain’s deepest wiring. And why.
Each chapter dissects a different horror hallmark: jump scares, body horror, creepy music, monsters — even killer AI. Lim shows how horror stories hijack our neural pathways, from the amygdala’s panic response to the brain’s craving for novelty and resolution.
He argues that horror is more than shock value; it is a mental playground where we rehearse danger, confront taboos and make sense of the world’s chaos. Being scared jumpstarts us. Like a rollercoaster, that rush of blood and brush with danger make us feel alive.
Among the most provocative insights is his take on gore and violence. Why do we flinch — yet keep watching?
Lim explains how exposure to violence can affect empathy; how cultural background shapes what we fear and why some viewers are desensitized, while others are rattled for days.
“Horror on the Brain” is part neuroscience, part social commentary. A wicked read.
Lim also unpacks horror in literature and speculative fiction, tracing how science fiction from “Frankenstein” to “Black Mirror” taps into the same neural circuitry as slasher films.
Lim’s writing is sharp and crystal clear. You do not need a science degree to follow — just a curious mind and maybe a strong stomach.
This book will make you think twice about what really makes your skin crawl — and why you like it.
Dragonflies are large and beautiful insects, diverse in color and pattern. This premier field guide provides all the information you need to identify every male and female dragonfly found in North America, whether in the field, in the hand, or under the microscope.
The extensive illustrations are the heart of the book. Close-up color portraits of each species, often several times life size, show the best possible specimens for close examination.
In “Little Bosses Everywhere,” journalist Bridget Read tells the gripping story of multilevel marketing in full for the first time.
“Little Bosses Everywhere” exposes the deceptions of direct-selling companies that make their profit not off customers but off their own sales force.
The book lays out an almost prosecutorial case against many multilevel marketing schemes, explaining why regulators need to take the industry seriously, and the larger story it tells about whom the economy has set up to fail.
The book “reads like a thriller as it investigates the birth and growth of this shadowy and sprawling industry that polished up door-to-door sales with a new veneer of all-American entrepreneurialism,” said a review in The New York Times.
The book primarily focuses on a broader analysis of pyramid schemes and their history.
