Meet Libiro the best indie-only ebook store

Meet Libiro the best indie-only ebook store Startups in Publishing: Meet the best indie-only ebook store For the second installment of our series featuring literary-minded start-ups, this week we spoke to Ben Galley, co-founder of Libiro. Libiro is an amazing ebook store that is exclusive to indie authors and small presses.   To get in touch with Cherry, the woman with the tablet – and Libiro’s #1 fan – drop Teague an email at  teague.fullick@libiro.com

The Conscious essays

The Conscious essays An altered state of consciousness is a mental state other than ordinary waking consciousness, such as sleep, meditation, hypnosis, or a drug-induced state. The alternate state of consciousness, sleep, is a necessary one. It is something that every living human must have to live. However, there are some alternate states of consciousness that are voluntary. Some of these are meditation, hypnosis, and drugs. Of these two alternate states, meditation interests me the most. The concentrative form of meditation is a group of techniques that involve focusing attention on an object, a word, ones breathing, or body movement in order to block out all distractions, to enhance well-being, and to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Some forms of meditation originated in Eastern religions and were used to attain a higher spiritual state. However, in the modern United States, those same forms are used as techniques to relax, and achieve other things. This alternate state of consciousness is voluntary, and so it is in contrast with sleep by that factor. Meditation is in contrast with hypnosis, because hypnosis is used to change thoughts, feelings, behavior, and a few other things. Hypnosis is also induced by another, a hypnotist; whereas, meditation is self-induced. Drugs are taken to deal with emotional or psychological problems, or simply for the thrill. This is not natural. So, since meditation is natural, it is also in contrast with a drug-induced state. I dont really understand how meditation works. I see that it is basically not thinking about anything else, but one thing. Concentrating on this one thing, takes away all the distractions in the world around the person who is meditating. However, I would like to see research done on all the different methods and the exact details of how they work. I would like to know the effects meditation has on people, both short...

Avoiding the Passive Voice in Spanish

Avoiding the Passive Voice in Spanish One of the most common mistakes made by beginning Spanish students who have English as a first language is to overuse passive verb forms. Sentences with passive verbs are very common in English, but in Spanish they arent used very much- especially in everyday speech. Key Takeaways: Spanish Passive Voice Although Spanish has a passive voice, it isnt used as much in Spanish as it is in English.One alternative to the passive voice is to turn it into the active voice. Either explicitly state the subject or use a verb that allows the subject to be implied rather than stated.Another common alternative is to use reflexive verbs. What Is the Passive Voice? The passive voice involves a sentence construction in which the performer of the action isnt stated, and in which the action is indicated by a form of to be (ser in Spanish) followed by a past participle, and in which the subject of the sentence is the one acted upon. If that isnt clear, look at a simple example in English: Katrina was arrested. In this case, it isnt specified who performed the arrest, and the person arrested is the subject of the sentence. The same sentence could be expressed in Spanish using the passive voice: Katrina fue arrestada. But not all English sentences using the passive voice can be translated into Spanish the same way. Take, for example, Jose was sent a package. Putting that sentence in a passive form in Spanish doesnt work. Josà © fue enviado un paquete just doesnt make sense in Spanish; the listener might think at first that Jose was sent somewhere. Also, Spanish has quite a few verbs that simply arent used in the passive form. And still others arent used passively in speech, although you may see them in journalistic writing or in items translated from English. In other words, if you want to translate an English sentence using a passive verb to Spanish, youre usually best off coming up with a different way. Alternatives to the Passive Voice How, then, should such sentences be expressed in Spanish? There are two common ways: recasting the sentence in the active voice and using a reflexive verb. Recasting in the passive voice: Probably the easiest way to translate most passive sentences in Spanish is to change them to the active voice. In other words, make the subject of the passive sentence the object of a verb. One reason for using a passive voice is to avoid saying who is performing the action. Fortunately, in Spanish, verbs can stand alone without a subject, so you dont necessarily have to figure out who is performing the action to revise the sentence. Some examples: Passive English: Roberto was arrested.Active Spanish: Arrestaron a Roberto. (They arrested Roberto.)Passive English: The book was bought by Ken.Active Spanish: Ken comprà ³ el libro. (Ken bought the book.)Passive English: The box office was closed at 9.Active Spanish: Cerrà ³ la taquilla a las nueve. Or, cerraron la taquilla a las nueve. (He/she closed the box office at 9, or they closed the box office at 9.) Using reflexive verbs:  The second common way in which you can avoid the passive voice in Spanish is to use a reflexive verb. A reflexive verb is one in which the verb acts on the subject. An example in English: I saw myself in the mirror. (Me vi en el espejo.) In Spanish, where the context doesnt indicate otherwise, such sentences are often understood in the same way as are passive sentences in English. And like passive forms, such sentences dont clearly indicate who is doing the action. Some examples: Passive English: Apples (are) sold here.Reflexive Spanish:  Aquà ­ se venden las manzanas. (Literally, apples sell themselves here.)Passive English: The box office was closed at 9.Reflexive Spanish: Se cerrà ³ la taquilla a las nueve. (Literally, the box office closed itself at 9.)Passive English: A cough isnt treated with antibiotics.Reflexive Spanish: La tos no se trata con antibià ³ticos. (Literally, the cough doesnt treat itself with antibiotics.) Some of the sample sentences in this lesson could be understandably translated to Spanish in the passive form. But native Spanish speakers dont normally speak that way, so the translations on this page would usually sound more natural. Obviously, you wouldnt use the literal translations above in translating such Spanish sentences to English! But such sentence constructions are very common in Spanish, so you shouldnt shy away from using them.

Computer Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Ethics - Essay Example Community standards are not necessarily very present on the Internet, unless one counts Internet social networking sites as formal ways which try to organize information in a way that is easily digestible by readers. Right now, as things stand, users have direct control over their options. Community standards criterion might be very difficult to be preserved on the Internet-namely because there weren’t any standards to begin with. According to Curry, Riley, & Battistoni, â€Å"With the Internet, the user can control very precisely the sites and information to be accessed. However,concerns about adult access to adult information and communications have arisen if regulators chose to protect adolescents from obscenity on the Internet†.While some sites can be blocked by parents and educators, obscenities on the Internet can’t necessarily be regulated completely. However, that does not mean that Internet regulation is not on the horizon. According to Tavani, â€Å"De spite some of the controversies and challenges that arise in schemes for regulating cyberspace, it is noted that we should not presume against Internet regulation. In fact, there is a 'strong moral case can be made for regulating the content of the Internet†. Morally speaking, many people would like it if the content of the Internet could be regulated in terms of language use on chat rooms and social networking sites. In fact, that is the next wave of technology that might come in handy some day, is the use of administrators, or Admin, to basically monitor the content placed online.

Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Racism - Essay Example This study is done because of such difference in physical location (Donaldson & Karen 37). Anthropology also studies various human races to help them determine how their lifestyle is connected to their past in relation to communication, culture and behaviors. Throughout scientific studies, there has been no proof of biological differences among individual because of race, it should be noted that all human are equal irrespective of their skin color, language, religion and culture. Scientific researchs shows that race is just a social aspect that has nothing to do with our biological and genetic origin. Race, according to various human activists, should not be the reason why certain individuals are looked upon as less human in our institutions and within the larger community. We should all start to look at one another in a different perspective because of the important things that we have learnt through them. Everyone should take it as a personal initiative to promote the spirit of togetherness to enable us make the world a better place for each

Housing Services Delivery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Services Delivery - Essay Example The change of social housing organizations was hastened by a number of political, economical, and social factors. The first group of political accelerators comprises of governmental policies and regulations aimed at the increase of private housing in the UK. In the post-WWII period the housing policy of the UK government was focused on rebuilding, and providing new homes for the population. However, three reasons were hindering rebuilding processes: first, the government could only spend on housing what the country could afford; second, governmental investments in housing policy required better targeting on the neediest classes of population; and third, the efficient use of public spending were ought to be achieved through drawing in private funding (Collier and Luther, 2002). Thatcher's conservative policy on housing included two main phases: the extension of home ownership and the privatisation of rented housing. Through the increase of private housing among the population the gove rnment was able to focus on social groups, which could not afford to buy a house. Tax incentives, efficiency agenda, and right to buy policy was the next step to increase home ownership among the population: "The rights of council tenants and, later some housing association tenants, to buy their homes under the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire policies has enabled significant numbers of people (over 2 million) become owner occupiers" (Shelter, 2005). Nevertheless it had a negative impact on the supply of affordable housing for rent in many UK regions, "where the provision of new affordable homes has failed to keep pace with the numbers being lost through sales" (Shelter, 2005). The new problem has arisen: in 2002 Britain saw the lowest number of new houses built(measured in starts) since the end of World War II (Cameron, 2003). The housing supply was short, but moreover it mismatched the demand in the cities and regions. Thus, along with the stimulation of private housing governmental policies have created several obstacles on the development of UK housing marke t. Economic Factors Economical factors that lead to the shift from the welfare to contractual resource management in the housing industry identified in the literature are connected to further development of globalization. The success of Western economy, and the spread of the US way of life has entailed the rapid development of private sector in housing. It also has another effect. World Trade Organisation not only reduces barriers to international trade, but also increases the commercial exploitation of public services, including social housing. Pollock and Price (2000) indicate that market-orientated policies including privatisation of public service infrastructure through public-private partnerships is a part of a larger trend of privatization, and redefining of public goods as private responsibilities. The hopes of WTO are concerned with the commercial exploitation of public funding streams, and promoting the commercial interests of transnational corporations. Promotion of privatisation leads to the increase of competition among housing organisations as transatlantic players enter the housing market of the UK (Pollock and Price, 2000). On the one side it allows government to reduce funding to minimal, allowing private owners

Rafaella Sartis Europe at Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rafaella Sartis Europe at Home - Essay Example Furthermore, Sarti not only studied material objects from their "economic point of view, but also in their symbolic and cultural cointexts" (Schuurman). More truly, Sarti exhibited less interest in general economics, and more in the diversity of gender, religion and wealth instead of in explaining the formulation or dynamics of those differences. As a matter of fact, Schuurman stated that there was "no direct relationship between the choice of research area and the research questions asked of it," when social history should have been more about the "choice of theme or social group" and not about the "choice of region." the three functions of a household, namely, reproduction, consumption, and production, with much emphasis on consumption. However, she paid no attention to the production sphere although she has included this as one of the functions. And even with the consumption sphere, Sarti unfairly left out the objects that played a large role in the diversity which she centrally addressed, those related to tea and coffee. The first chapter was about th