The Suicide Magnet

The Suicide Magnet
Author: Paul McLaughlin
Publisher: Dundurn
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2023-11-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1459751426

FINALIST FOR TORONTO BOOK AWARDS The inside story of the grassroots fight to have a suicide barrier erected on Toronto’s “bridge of death.” Most Torontonians have no idea their city once hosted the second most popular suicide magnet in North America, behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Since its completion in 1918, more than four hundred people jumped to their death from the Bloor Viaduct, which spans the cavernous Don Valley. That number might still be rising if not for the tireless efforts of a group of volunteers, led by two citizens, who fought City Hall for years to get a suicide barrier erected. Not only did they win, they saved numerous lives and brought to light valuable research on how barriers actually lower suicide numbers overall. The resulting barrier — The Luminous Veil — has been praised for its ingenious and inspiring design. The Suicide Magnet tells how the battle was won, and explores the ongoing efforts to help those suffering from mental health challenges.

The Final Leap

The Final Leap
Author: John Bateson
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2012-04-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520951409

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed structures in the world. It’s also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. It’s also the only international landmark without a suicide barrier. Weaving drama, tragedy, and politics against the backdrop of a world-famous city, The Final Leap is the first book ever written about Golden Gate Bridge suicides. John Bateson leads us on a fascinating journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths, provides insight into the phenomenon of suicide, and examines arguments for and against a suicide barrier. He tells the stories of those who have died, the few who have survived, and those who have been affected—from loving families to the Coast Guard, from the coroner to suicide prevention advocates.

Famous West Coast Suicides and Shocking Celebrity Deaths

Famous West Coast Suicides and Shocking Celebrity Deaths
Author: Marques Vickers
Publisher: Marquis Publishing
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2020-03-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN:

Death sometimes arrives randomly to those seemingly insulated from risk by virtue of their wealth, celebrity and protective environments. Periodically the world halts in shock and reflection upon the abrupt and sudden headlines of a celebrated personality’s death. Their demise jolts and reinforces our understanding of the fragility and vulnerability of life. This edition chronicles the background stories and detailed locations of some of the most newsworthy, famous and even infamous unexpected sudden passings. The profiles feature self-induced suicides, drug overdoses, celebrity murders, unexplained deaths and even brazen homicides where the perpetrator has taken their own life. The West Coast historically remains a vortex for the unexpected. Understanding the circumstances beyond simple summary reporting often clarifies the motivations behind each unfortunately and often desperate act. The contents are divided into four sectional categories including: FAMOUS SUICIDES Actress Peg Entwistle’s leap from the Hollywood sign, Oil swindler C. C. Julian, Valhalla Cemetery savior John E. Osborne Sr., Actor Ross Alexander, Actresses Lupe Velez and Carol Landis, Superman actor George Reeves, Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Pier Angeli, Actors Pete Duel and Freddie Prinze, Punk Rocker Darby Crash, San Francisco assassin Dan White, Seattle judge Gary Little, Singer Del Shannon, Actor Herve Villechaize, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Actor Hugh O’Connor, Model Margaux Hemingway, Heaven’s Gate cult mass poisoning, Actor Brian Keith, Punk Rocker Dee Dee Ramone, Film Director Tony Scott, Right-to-Die Advocate Brittany Maynard, Comedian Robin Williams, Rock keyboardist Keith Emerson and Actor Verne Troyer. SHOCKING ABRUPT CELEBRITY DEATHS President Warren Harding, Evangelist Sister Aimee Semple-McPherson, Actor James Dean’s fatal car collision, Soul singer Sam Cooke, Comedian Lenny Bruce, Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination, Actor Roman Novarro, Rock singer Janis Joplin and actor John Belushi’s drug overdoses, Actress Dominique Dunne’s strangulation, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson’s drowning, Marvin Gaye’s domestic shooting, Actress Rebecca Schaeffer’s stalker killing, Rock Promoter Bill Graham’s helicopter crash, Actor River Phoenix’s drug overdose, Jockey Ron Hansen’s mysterious drowning, Actor Haing Ngor’s killing, Sublime’s Bradley Nowell’s drug overdose, Revenge shooting of Notorious B. I. G., Rock singer Layne Staley, Singers Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston’s drug overdose, Paul Walker’s street racing crash and Singer George Michael’s outing and premature death. INFAMOUS MURDER SUICIDES Brides of Christ cult, LAPD Captain Walter Auble, Ned Doheny and Hugh Plunkett, Teenage Orcutt California Freeway sniper, Newhall California Highway Patrol shootout, Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, Richard Trenton Chase the Vampire Killer, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, Lynwood Jim Drake, 101 California Building Massacre, Actor Phil Hartman, Seattle Bus Shooting on Infamous Aurora Bridge, Kyle Huff and the Capitol Hill shooting, John Williams the man of a thousand identities, Bruce Pardo’s Christmas Eve firestorm, Portland’s The Zone nightclub massacre, Jed Waits obsession killing, Publicist Ronni Chasen midnight slaying, Speedfreak mass killing and burial grounds, Seattle’s Café Racer coffee house killings, Survivalist Peter Keller’s family murder, Actor Johnny Lewis’ outburst, Marysville-Pilchuck cafeteria shooting and the vindictive Isla Vista shooting spree rampage of Elliot Roger REPUTED SUICIDE LOCATIONS Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Cecil Hotel Los Angeles, Vista Point Bridge Portland, Aurora Bridge Seattle and the USS Hornet

Don't Go There!

Don't Go There!
Author: Peter Greenberg
Publisher: Rodale Books
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2008-11-11
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 160529800X

We've all suffered through bad vacations: tourist traps, endless lines, rundown hotels, and the worst airports on earth. Before you book your next trip, get all of the facts--that "idyllic" beachfront hotel could really be one of the world's hellholes. In this follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, The Complete Travel Detective Bible, Peter Greenberg shares his experiences and hard-won knowledge of where not to go and why, so you can make sure your big vacation isn't to a dismal destination. From dangerous roads, crime-ridden cities, and countries overrun with disease to depressing destinations, polluted beaches, and places that (literally) stink, the ultimate travel expert leaves no stone unturned, no garbage heap unexplored, to list the locations you should forget even exist. Backed up by information he has been compiling for years, Don't Go There! unapologetically exposes misrepresented resorts, corrupt countries, and cringe-worthy cruise ships so that travelers can confidently pack their bags and avoid vacation tragedy.

The Enigma of Suicide

The Enigma of Suicide
Author: George Howe Colt
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 580
Release: 1992
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0671760718

For anyone trying to understand how and why suicide happens, here is a provocative exploration of the subject. Colt interviewed hundreds of people who have had intimate encounters with suicide to unveil the mysteries that surround this tragic phenomenon.

Twisted Tour Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area

Twisted Tour Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area
Author: Marques Vickers
Publisher: Marquis Publishing
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2019-08-25
Genre: Travel
ISBN:

Avoid The Tourist Herds. What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades? This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don’t want to talk about anymore…the same places people once couldn’t stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery. Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter). Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales. Paranormal activity in the aftermath is common. The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you’re seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tourist Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. You will never imagine or scrutinize the San Francisco Bay area through rose tinted glasses again. The contents include: SAN FRANCISCO: CIA’s Sex and Drug Playhouse, Diamond Jessie Hayman’s Brothels, Jerome Bassity’s Tenderloin Fiefdom, Sublime’s Bradley James Nowell’s Heroin Overdose, 1937 Brothel Addresses, Chambers Mansion, 1885 Chinatown Vice, Cliff House and Sutro Baths, Killer Piano of the Condor Club, Curran Theater’s Haunting, Dan White’s Infamous Murders and Suicide, Dog Mauling of Diane Whipple, Chinatown’s Belle Cora and Donaldina Cameron, Gangland Slaying of Fung Little Pete Jing Toy, 101 California Building Massacre, Golden Gate Bridge Suicides, Jeff Adachi’s Double Life and Death, Contract Killing of Joe The Animal Barboza, Kevin Collins Kidnapping, Maiden Lane’s Infamous History, Mary Ellen Pleasant’s Legacy, Miles Archer’s Murder Plaque, Golden Dragon Massacre, President Warren Harding’s Death, People’s Temple, Queen Anne Hotel Legacy, Fatty Arbuckle’s Fall From Grace, Political Fixer Abe Ruef’s Penthouse, Spreckel’s Mansion, St. Elizabeth’s Center for Unwed Mothers, Terrific Street, and the International Settlement, Whittier Mansion Nazi Connection, Westerfield House and the Zebra Killings EAST BAY AREA Ashkenaz Murder, Port Chicago Explosion and Mutiny, Journalist Chancey Bailey’s Shooting, Children of Thunder Murders, Oakland Superintendent of Schools Assassination, Fat Lady Restaurant, Ghost Ship Warehouse Inferno, Henry’s Bar Hostage Nightmare, Port Costa’s Hotel Burlington, Huey Newton’s Demise, Laci Peterson’s Saga, Lovelle Mixon’s Police Killings, Gambling Era Survivor Oaks Card Room, Oikos University Massacre, Oscar Grant III’s Homicide, Patty Hearst Kidnapping, Pleasanton Hotel Phantom, Jockey Ron Hansen’s Plunge, Unabomber’s Berkeley Experience, USS Hornet’s Suicide Reputation and El Cerrito’s Dens of Iniquity MARIN COUNTY Mitchell Brothers Curse, Blue Rock Inn’s Seedy Past, Litchfield’s: California’s Las Vegas, Marin County Courthouse Shootings, Tamalpais Trailhead Killer, Marin Barbeque Murders, Robin Williams’ Suicide and Sausalito’s Infamous Madame Sally Stanford PENINSULA Brook Hart’s Kidnapping, Cameron’s Pub, Kohl Mansion, Moss Beach Distillery’s Blue Lady, Ocean Beach Hotel, PG& E’s San Bruno Pipeline Explosion, Sam’s Eclectic Castle and Historic Sanchez Adobe, SOLANO COUNTY Promoter Bill Graham’s Fatal Helicopter Crash, Benicia’s Capital and Brothel Heritage and Zodiac Killer Murders SONOMA & NAPA COUNTIES Blue Wing Inn, California Industrial Farm for Women, Fishhead Beach Murder, Petaluma’s Crooked History, Polly Klaas Abduction, Ramon Salcido’s Family Slayings, Napa’s Infamous Spanish Town and Washoe House Stagecoach Stop

Where Minds and Matters Meet

Where Minds and Matters Meet
Author: Volker Janssen
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2012-12-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520289102

The American WestÑwhere such landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge rival wild landscapes in popularity and iconic significanceÑhas been viewed as a frontier of technological innovation. Where Minds and Matters Meet calls attention to the convergence of Western history and the history of technology, showing that the regionÕs politics and culture have shaped seemingly placeless, global technological practices and institutions. Drawing on political and social history as well as art history, the bookÕs essays take the cultural measure of the regionÕs great technological milestones, including San DiegoÕs Panama-California Exposition, the building of the Hetch Hetchy Dam in the Sierras, and traffic planning in Los Angeles. Contributors: Amy Bix, Louise Nelson Dyble, Patrick McCray, Linda Nash, Peter Neushul, Matthew W. Roth, Bruce Sinclair, L. Chase Smith, Carlene Stephens, Aristotle Tympas, Jason Weems, Peter Westwick, Stephanie Young

Learning in Nature

Learning in Nature
Author: Kelli Nigh
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2021-07-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1648025692

There is love on these pages, love for nature, the cosmos, the body’s deep knowing and students. Learning in Nature focuses on the lives of 6 drama students who gathered weekly at a community arts center during their childhood and adolescence. Before each play rehearsal the students explored contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, breathing and visualization. After these warm-up sessions the rehearsals were dynamic and highly creative. So, what might happen if these students went out into nature and experimented with the same practices? What would happen, over a year long period, if they stopped the noise of life and just listened, deeply, just looked and inhaled, phenomenologically? Returning the experience of learning to nature, the book tells the story of this group, it tells of their lives and their growing understanding of consciousness, and does so through the complex and rich perspectives of holistic teaching and learning. Praise for Learning in Nature: "Learning in Nature is a rich resource for holistic educators at all levels of education. It offers a wealth of insights and ideas, theoretical perspectives and practical activities. This writing sings as it invites us to be alive to our senses, our imaginations, our intellects, and intuitions---alive and in the moment---in the fullness of our humanity." Mary Beattie Professor Emerita, OISE, University of Toronto "In this sensitive and moving inquiry Kelli Nigh begins with a constellation of academic references that bear directly on aspects of ourselves that come into play in our life transformations––images, felt senses, dreams, imagination, meditation, symbolism, and mind-body experience. Against this thoroughly woven backdrop, the dramas of six young participants who share in Nigh’s inquiry unfold. The inquiry is long––over years. There is another crucial aspect of it. The landscapes and weather of Nature itself––bluffs, skies, water, trees, wildlife, flowers––become the scenery through which all the participants’ stories gain significance. Nigh, with gentle insight and attention to detail, demonstrates the evolution of what essentially becomes their imaginal learning in nature. Throughout this play of sharing in nature, Nigh includes glimpses of her own evolution of self as she inter-folds her experiences with those of the others. As Nature cycles through the seasons, so cycle the lives of these individuals. Nigh’s academic and lyrical passages will inspire educators to widen teaching methods to include what it is beyond our everyday thought that significantly influences what we learn." Vivian Darroch-Lozowski Professor Emerita, University of Toronto

Stay

Stay
Author: Jennifer Michael Hecht
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2013-11-12
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0300186088

A leading public critic reminds us of the compelling reasons people throughout time have found to stay alive

CRC Handbook of Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields

CRC Handbook of Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields
Author: Charles Polk
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 512
Release: 2019-07-23
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1351079468

The objective of this book is to present in a concise manner what is actually known at the present time about biological effects of time invariant, low frequency and radio frequency (including microwave) electric and magnetic fields. In reviewing the vast amount of experimental data which have been obtained in recent years, the authors tried to select those results that are, in their opinion, of major importance and of lasting value. In discussing mechanisms of interaction of electromagnetic fields with living matter they have tried to differentiate between what is clearly established, what is suggested by available evidence without being convincingly proven, and what is conjecture at the present time.