Tracking the Chupacabra

Tracking the Chupacabra
Author: Benjamin Radford
Publisher: UNM Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2011
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0826350151

This title explores the legend of the chupacabra, literally goat-sucker, a mythical being from Latin America.

The President's Book of Secrets

The President's Book of Secrets
Author: David Priess
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2016-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1610395964

Every president has had a unique and complicated relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be among the most valuable instruments of policy and power. Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, this relationship has been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president to know that day about global threats and opportunities. This top-secret document is known as the President's Daily Brief, or, within national security circles, simply "the Book." Presidents have spent anywhere from a few moments (Richard Nixon) to a healthy part of their day (George W. Bush) consumed by its contents; some (Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush) consider it far and away the most important document they saw on a regular basis while commander in chief. The details of most PDBs are highly classified, and will remain so for many years. But the process by which the intelligence community develops and presents the Book is a fascinating look into the operation of power at the highest levels. David Priess, a former intelligence officer and daily briefer, has interviewed every living president and vice president as well as more than one hundred others intimately involved with the production and delivery of the president's book of secrets. He offers an unprecedented window into the decision making of every president from Kennedy to Obama, with many character-rich stories revealed here for the first time.

Rumors

Rumors
Author: Jean-Noel Kapferer
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2017-07-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351492489

Rumors may be the oldest medium of mass communication of information or ideas. Even before there were newspapers, radio, or television, rumors communicated by word-of-mouth made and shattered reputations, and set off riots and wars. Yet contrary to predictions, rumors continue to thrive, in spite of and parallel to mass media. What accounts for the puzzling persistence and continuing significance of this little-studied social phenomenon? Jean-No;el Kapferer examines the theory and practice of rumors, focusing on specific areas such as entertainment, criminal behavior, business and finance, and politics. He describes the kinds of conditions that give birth to rumors, why we believe them, and the hidden messages they convey. Kapferer points out that rumors frequently serve useful social purposes and present rich examples. He speculates about how rumors can be controlled, changed, and prevented. Drawing upon contributions of disciplines ranging from psychology to history, and integrating the insights of Europeans with the latest work of American researchers, this is the most comprehensive examination of rumors, gossip, and urban legends yet published. Translated into nine languages, this edition was updated with advances in theory and research since the book's original French publication in 1987. Its brisk, accessible style makes the book of interest to psychologists, economists, political scientists, sociologists, and folklore analysts, as well as the general reader who is curious about the origins of this fascinating social phenomenon.

Rumors and Rumor Control

Rumors and Rumor Control
Author: Allan J. Kimmel
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135647100

This book offers a thorough examination of rumors and proposes strategies for organizations to use in combatting rumors that occur both internally and externally. Author Allan J. Kimmel explores the rumor phenomenon and distinguishes it as a distinct form of communication. He looks at psychological and social processes underlying rumor transmission to understand the circumstances under which people invent and circulate rumors. In addition, he examines how rumors are spread--both interpersonally and through mediated processes--and offers strategies for organizations to respond to rumors when they surface and methods for preventing their occurrence. Numerous examples are provided of actual rumor cases for which managers either successfully or unsuccessfully coped, including such companies as Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, Snapple, Pepsi-Cola, and Gerber. Intended to serve as a comprehensive compendium of strategies, this book was written with two objectives in mind. The first is to shed light on the often perplexing phenomenon of rumor by integrating disparate approaches from the behavioral sciences, marketing, and communication fields. The second is to offer a blueprint for going about the formidable tasks of attempting to prevent and neutralize rumors in business contexts. With these dual goals in mind--one theoretical, the other applied--this book will be of equal interest to both academics and managers in a wide range of professional contexts. In addition, it will guide organizational and marketing managers in their efforts to combat the potentially destructive consequences of rumors.

Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogations

Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogations
Author: Barry Leonard
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2010-10
Genre:
ISBN: 1437932460

Contents of this U.S. Army Field Manual: (1) Military Intelligence Missions and Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield; (2) Composition and Structure; (3) The Interrogation Process; (4) Processing and Exploiting Captured Enemy Documents. Appendices: (A): Uniform Code of Military Justice Extract; (B) Questioning Guides; (C) S2 Tactical Questioning Guide and Battlefield Exploitation of Captured Enemy Documents and Equipment; (D) Protected Persons Rights Versus Security Needs; (E) Reports; (F) Command Language Program; (G) Individual and Collective Training. Glossary. Charts and tables.

Rumors

Rumors
Author: Mladen Dolar
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 53
Release: 2024-11-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1509561714

When Socrates was standing before the Athenian tribunal in 399 BC, he said in his defence that the opponents he feared most were the invisible ones, those who had been spreading rumors against him for years but none of whom were being brought to court – it was like fighting shadows. The moment was iconic: Socrates, the harbinger of logos and true knowledge, was eventually defeated by rumors and mendacious slander. Where does the strange power of rumors come from? Everyone knows that rumors are unfounded and based on thin air, but still they pass them on: rumors spread, and what appeared as a small breeze can grow into a mighty whirlwind and produce serious effects, ruin people’s lives and change the course of events. This book scrutinizes the mysterious power of rumors and seeks to analyse it philosophically, examining along the way some key moments of our cultural history concerning rumors, from Shakespeare and Cervantes to Gogol and Kafka. It also underlines the fact that, although rumors are as old as humankind, the advent of the internet and social media has raised the spreading of rumors to an entirely new level, to the point where we could speak of the rumorization of the social. The more communication there is, the more the social fabric threatens to fall apart – and the more urgent it becomes to find strategies to counteract this.

Rumors, Race and Riots

Rumors, Race and Riots
Author: Terry Ann Knopf
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2017-07-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351492454

Are race-related rumors rooted in the personality traits of the individual? Are they a kind of "improvised news" for a community? Do they come and go at random or form definite, recognizable patterns? What role do the news media play in spreading rumors? These and other questions are treated in this classic study, now available in paperback with a new introduction by the author, of how and why rumors emerge in connection with racial disorders. Included is an examination and critique of the three major models of rumor formation: the psychological approach, emphasizing the emotional needs and drives of the individual; the functional approach, which views rumors as a form of "improvised news"; and the conspiratorial approach, which sees rumors as deliberately planted and not spontaneous. The author's "process model" of rumor formation is based on the premise that rumors cannot "cause" violence and that violence cannot "cause" rumors. Both are viewed as parts of the same process. Rumors are seen as just one of a series of determinants, each of which increases the likelihood of a collective outburst. Among the determinants examined are: conditions of stress; a rigid social structure supported by a racist ideology; and a hostile belief system (or negative set of generalized perceptions) held separately by different groups. Race-related rumors are functionally tied to the latter point and crystallize, confirm, and intensify these beliefs by linking them to actual events. Hundreds of pertinent rumors are documented from local newspapers and investigative accounts. An exhaustive, systematic inquiry is made into the series of disorders that occurred between 1967 and 1970. The role played by rumors during these disturbing times is examined and compared to earlier periods of unrest. Implications for public policy are explored along with a hard look at rumor-control centers. The influence of the police and other public officials as well as the news media are

Tales, Rumors, and Gossip

Tales, Rumors, and Gossip
Author: Gail de Vos
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 426
Release: 1996-04-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0313069875

Explore the stories and themes that capture the imagination of young people today. A sampling of tales is organized into broad subject areas, such as contaminated food, threats to children, and satanic legends, and the tales are analyzed according to function, structure, and international variants. De Vos also discusses film and literary adaptions and offers suggestions for adapting tales for the junior high and high school curriculum. Explore the stories and themes that capture the imagination of young people today. After a fascinating overview and discussion of contemporary legends (commonly referred to as modern urban legends and often told as true), de Vos examines them in their relationship to rumors and gossip, ostension (acting out the legends), the role of the media in formulation and dissemination, and related tales (e.g., literary horror tales). A sampling of tales is organized into broad subject areas, such as contaminated food, threats to children, and satanic legends, and the legends are analyzed according to function, structure, and international variants. De Vos discusses some of the literary and visual adaptations in popular culture and offers suggestions for adapting tales for the junior high and high school curriculum. A fascinating professional book, this is a great resource to use with young adults.

Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi (Chronicles of the Avatar Book 1)

Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi (Chronicles of the Avatar Book 1)
Author: F.C. Yee
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2019-07-16
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1683355334

From the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender comes the instant USA Today and New York Times bestselling novel starring Avatar Kyoshi—now in paperback! Written in consultation with Michael Dante DiMartino, the visionary cocreator and executive producer of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra animated TV series. Justice begins with one woman. After nine years of desperate searching for the next Avatar, the discovery of young, charming Avatar Yun has brought stability to the four nations—that is, until Earth Kingdom-born Kyoshi, Yun’s unassuming friend and servant, demonstrates remarkable bending during a mission to the South Pole. With the identity of the true Avatar at stake and the growing unrest among her allies turning into violence, Kyoshi is forced to flee the Avatar mansion with her fiery friend Rangi, taking little more than the metal war fans and headdress her parents left behind. It isn’t easy finding Avatar training on the run, but Kyoshi and Rangi find unlikely supporters in the daofei: ragtag criminals and outlaws living in the shadows of the Earth Kingdom. Torn between following the traditional path of an Avatar and seeking vengeance for those she has lost, Kyoshi struggles to accept her newfound power as she trains in secret. But while Kyoshi, Rangi, and her daofei friends face off against brutal underworld rivals, those who seek to control the Avatar draw ever closer to her, leaving trails of the dead in their wake. The story behind the longest-living Avatar in the history of this beloved world, The Rise of Kyoshi maps Kyoshi’s journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice still feared and admired centuries after becoming the Avatar. “Yee artfully weaves in political entanglements as well as complex cultural identities to fully immerse readers in Kyoshi’s world. . . . An action-packed tale that answers some long-awaited questions; fans will look forward to the promised sequel.” —Kirkus Reviews

Rumors of God Participant's Guide

Rumors of God Participant's Guide
Author: Darren Whitehead
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2012-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1401675328

Rumors of God DVD-Based Study is a call to Christians seeking a vision of the life God is calling them to, one that transcends the shallowness of our culture. This DVD-based small group study will challenge group members to reject what is plausible and to cry out for God to bring what is possible in their lives and in the church.