After five mass extinctions over the past half billion years, during which the number of plant and animal species has suddenly and drastically decreased, ‘The Sixth Extinction’ provides insight into the disappearance happening before our eyes.
Scientists around the world are currently monitoring and researching the sixth extinction of which we are witnesses, and it may be the largest since the asteroid impact 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs and many other animal and plant species. The cause of the sixth extinction is us. In an exceptionally interesting read, Elizabeth Kolbert, a journalist for The New Yorker, writes about why and how humans have changed life on the planet like no other species. Weaving together research from several scientific fields, she depicts the disappearance of species before our eyes.
The Sixth Extinction
+ Elizabeth Kolbert
Knowledge, Zagreb, 2015.
A positive outlook cannot accompany one’s entire life and cannot be a reliable guide through life – claim two American ‘happiness researchers’ who, by engaging in positive psychology, realized how important negative feelings are. Anger and doubt can be uncomfortable, but their information helps us adapt. In the book, Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Dienner show us through a series of studies how anger fuels our creativity, guilt enhances progress, self-doubt perfects our performance, selfishness encourages courage, and superficiality can lead to better decisions. The key phrase is ’emotional agility’, the ability to be aware of the full range of emotions more often – not just the good ones.
The Bright Side of Your Dark Side
+ Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Dienner
Profile, Zagreb, 2015.
We perceive two events (for example, the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America and the death of John Lennon) as ordered in time, meaning one occurs before the other. We usually think of time as something comprehensive and therefore it makes sense to ask what exactly is happening at this moment in another place in the universe. However, when two events occur in two places that are far enough apart, it generally makes no sense to say which one occurs first. Similarly, it makes no sense to ask what exactly is happening at this moment, for example, in the Andromeda galaxy. The reason is that time does not flow equally everywhere. We have our time, and Andromeda has its own, and these two times, generally speaking, cannot be related.
And What If Time
Does Not Exist?
+ Carlo Rovelli
TIMpress, Zagreb, 2015.
In today’s globalized world and modernized companies, it is essential to understand the human factor for achieving efficiency and effectiveness in companies. Therefore, human resource management, profession, and resources are becoming increasingly important and valued. The richness of the book lies in its comprehensive approach, as well as examples from various global and international companies and patterns from human resource management that readers can easily apply in practice. Therefore, the work is intended not only for students but also for professionals and those who wish to become one. Additionally, the author reflects on the importance of human resources in smaller and entrepreneurial companies, which is rare for such types of textbooks. The global edition has been enriched to include expansions important to readers outside the USA.
Human Resource Management
+ Gari Dessler
Mate, Zagreb, 2015.
