mental floss presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits
Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Non-Fiction | 9 April 2009
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Think of anything bad, from art heists to Genghis Kahn, and it's likely to be included in this wickedly smart and humorous guide to the seedy underbelly of basically everything. The brainiac team at "mental_floss", creators of the hit magazine and last year's Condensed Knowledge, have scoured the darkest, dirtiest corners of history and the globe to gather this ultimate collection of the bad stuff you're not supposed to know and you certainly never learned in school.
Organized by theme, with chapters for each of the seven deadly sins, the book includes feuds, plagiarists, hoaxes, lies, schemes, scandals, evil dictators, mob bosses, acts of revenge, angry queens, cannibals and much more, all organized into bite-sized—albeit foul-tasting—lists. It's the perfect way to add some spice to a dull conversation and proves that learning can be not only easy, but exquisitely sinful.
Behaviorism (Behavior Analysis) is a growing field. As more people get comfortable with the idea of a true science of human behavior, we will make strides in predicting and controlling human behavior. In the future, the controllers or nurturers (parents, teachers, coaches, military leaders, politicians, bosses, etc.) will have an evidenced-based science of human behavior to change people in positive ways. Effective checks can also be developed to control the new science of human behavior as B.F. Skinner recommends. This science and knowledge sure beats the haphazard techniques politicians, bosses, etc. use to influence people to do the right behaviors in order to achieve a common goal.