Title says it all.
When reading research papers looking for improvements to an application or project, what's the best annotated bibliography template for LaTeX?
What I mean is, when people do an annotated bibliography for research papers that they read, what do they make note about?
For example, I have:
Summary, Application to current work, Significance to field, Quality of results.
I want to know what other people have found helpful to keep note of?
Also, if there is a LaTeX template that people like, that would be helpful as well.

A comprehensive list of books that might be of interest to people whom want to, or do practice SE.
They can also work as book recommendations for people whom you have spoken to, that want to read something that might improve their thinking or as gifts.
I have not read most of these, thus I can not personally vouch for them or recommend one over the other.
But if you do read any of them, or have any opinion it would be nice if you could create a post.
I'm not affiliated with Goodreads, but linked to them since they have links to several sources including libraries if you want to get any one of these, and often some quality reviews.
How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43885240-how-to-have-impossible-conversations by Peter Boghossian (Goodreads Author), James A. Lindsay (Goodreads Author)
3.99 · Rating details · 928 ratings
"This is a self-help book on how to argue effectively, conciliate, and gently persuade. The authors admit to getting it wrong in their own past conversations. One by one, I recognize the same mistakes in me. The world would be a better place if everyone read this book." -- Richard Dawkins, author of Science in the Soul and Outgrowing God
In our current political climate, it seems impossible to have a reasonable conversation with anyone who has a different opinion. Whether you're online, in a classroom, an office, a town hall -- or just hoping to get through a family dinner with a stubborn relative -- dialogue shuts down when perspectives clash. Heated debates often lead to insults and shaming, blocking any possibility of productive discourse. Everyone seems to be on a hair trigger.
In How to Have Impossible Conversations, Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay guide you through the straightforward, practical, conversational techniques necessary for every successful conversation -- whether the issue is climate change, religious faith, gender identity, race, poverty, immigration, or gun control. Boghossian and Lindsay teach the subtle art of instilling doubts and opening minds. They cover everything from learning the fundamentals for good conversations to achieving expert-level techniques to deal with hardliners and extremists. This book is the manual everyone needs to foster a climate of civility, connection, and empathy.
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
4.10 · Rating details · 12,354 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/774088.Difficult_Conversations
Whether you're dealing with an under performing employee, disagreeing with your spouse about money or child-rearing, negotiating with a difficult client, or simply saying "no," or "I'm sorry," or "I love you," we attempt or avoid difficult conversation every day. Based on fifteen years of research at the Harvard Negotiation Project, Difficult Conversations walks you through a step-by-step proven approach to having your toughest conversations with less stress and more success.
You will learn: -- how to start the conversation without defensiveness -- why what is not said is as important as what is -- ways of keeping and regaining your balance in the face of attacks and accusations -- how to decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation
Filled with examples from everyday life, Difficult Conversations will help you on your job, at home, or out of the world. It is a book you will turn to again and again for advice, practical skills, and reassurance.
The Thinker's Guide to Socratic Questioning by Dr. Linda Elder
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7276284-the-thinker-s-guide-to-socratic-questioning
Focuses on the mechanics of Socratic dialogue, on the conceptual tools that critical thinking brings to Socratic dialogue, and on the importance of questioning in cultivating the disciplined mind.
About author:
Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and a prominent authority on critical thinking. She is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking.
From a review:
"...it is primarily a set of instructions detailing how to lead a Socratic dialog among (different ages of) K-12 students."
-Feliks
A Manual for Creating Atheists
by Peter Boghossian (Goodreads Author), Michael Shermer (Foreword) 3.93 · Rating details · 1,983 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17937621-a-manual-for-creating-atheists
For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith—and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, A Manual for Creating Atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith—but for talking them out of it. Peter Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than twenty years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value reason and rationality, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition, and irrationality, and ultimately embrace reason.
The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths
by Michael Shermer 3.93 · Rating details · 6,985 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9754534-the-believing-brain
The Believing Brain is bestselling author Michael Shermer's comprehensive and provocative theory on how beliefs are born, formed, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished.
In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist, historian of science, and the world's best-known skeptic Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. From sensory data flowing in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. Our brains connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop of belief confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths.
Interlaced with his theory of belief, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not a belief matches reality.
Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life
by Richard Paul,Linda Elder 3.93 · Rating details · 1,082 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17296839-critical-thinking
Critical Thinking is about becoming a better thinker in every aspect of your life: in your career, and as a consumer, citizen, friend, parent, and lover. Discover the core skills of effective thinking; then analyze your own thought processes, identify weaknesses, and overcome them. Learn how to translate more effective thinking into better decisions, less frustration, more wealth Ñ and above all, greater confidence to pursue and achieve your most important goals in life.
The Thinker's Guide to Analytic Thinking by Linda Elder,Richard Paul
3.89 · Rating details · 163 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19227921-the-thinker-s-guide-to-analytic-thinking
This guide focuses on the intellectual skills that enable one to analyze anything one might think about - questions, problems, disciplines, subjects, etc. It provides the common denominator between all forms of analysis.
It is based on the assumption that all reasoning can be taken apart and analyzed for quality.
This guide introduces the elements of reasoning as implicit in all reasoning. It begins with this idea - that whenever we think, we think for a purpose, within a point of view, based on assumptions, leading to implications and consequences. We use data, facts and experiences (information), to make inferences and judgments,based on concepts and theories to answer a question or solve a problem. Thus the elements of thought are: purpose, questions, information, inferences, assumptions, concepts, implications and point of view. In this guide, authors Linda Elder and Richard Paul explain, exemplify and contextualize these elements or structures of thought, showing the importance of analyzing reasoning in every part of human life. This guide can be used as a supplement to any text or course at the college level; and it may be used for improving thinking in personal and professional life.
The Thinker's Guide to Intellectual Standards by Linda Elder, Richard Paul
4.19 · Rating details · 16 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19017637-the-thinker-s-guide-to-intellectual-standards
Humans routinely assess thinking – their own thinking, and that of others, and yet they don’t necessarily use standards for thought that are reasonable, rational, sound.
To think well, people need to routinely meet intellectual standards, standards of clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance, depth, logic, fairness, significance, and so forth.
In this guide authors Elder and Paul offer a brief analysis of some of the most important intellectual standards in the English language. They look at the opposites of these standards. They argue for their contextualization within subjects and disciplines. And, they call attention to the forces that undermine their skilled use in thinking well. At present intellectual standards tend to be either taught implicitly, or ignored in instruction. Yet because they are essential to high quality reasoning in every part of human life, they should be explicitly taught and explicitly understood.
The Truth Seeker’s Handbook: A Science-Based Guide by Gleb Tsipursky (Goodreads Author) 4.24 · Rating details · 63 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36800752-the-truth-seeker-s-handbook
How do you know whether something is true? How do you convince others to believe the facts?
Research shows that the human mind is prone to making thinking errors - predictable mistakes that cause us to believe comfortable lies over inconvenient truths. These errors leave us vulnerable to making decisions based on false beliefs, leading to disastrous consequences for our personal lives, relationships, careers, civic and political engagement, and for our society as a whole.
Fortunately, cognitive and behavioral scientists have uncovered many useful strategies for overcoming our mental flaws.
This book presents a variety of research-based tools for ensuring that our beliefs are aligned with reality.
With examples from daily life and an engaging style, the book will provide you with the skills to avoid thinking errors and help others to do so, preventing disasters and facilitating success for yourself, those you care about, and our society.
On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not
by Robert A. Burton 3.90 · Rating details · 2,165 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2740964-on-being-certain
You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do. In On Being Certain, neurologist Robert Burton challenges the notions of how we think about what we know.
He shows that the feeling of certainty we have when we "know" something comes from sources beyond our control and knowledge.
In fact, certainty is a mental sensation, rather than evidence of fact.
Because this "feeling of knowing" seems like confirmation of knowledge, we tend to think of it as a product of reason.
But an increasing body of evidence suggests that feelings such as certainty stem from primitive areas of the brain, and are independent of active, conscious reflection and reasoning. The feeling of knowing happens to us; we cannot make it happen. Bringing together cutting edge neuroscience, experimental data, and fascinating anecdotes, Robert Burton explores the inconsistent and sometimes paradoxical relationship between our thoughts and what we actually know.
Provocative and groundbreaking, On Being Certain, will challenge what you know (or think you know) about the mind, knowledge, and reason.
Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking
by M. Neil Browne, Stuart M. Keeley
3.94 · Rating details · 1,290 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/394398.Asking_the_Right_Questions
The habits and attitudes associated with critical thinking are transferable to consumer, medical, legal, and general ethical choices. When our surgeon says surgery is needed, it can be life sustaining to seek answers to the critical questions encouraged in Asking the Right Questions This popular book helps bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information, and the greater challenge of critical analysing the things we are told and read. It gives strategies for responding to alternative points of view and will help readers develop a solid foundation for making personal choices about what to accept and what to reject.
On Truth by Simon Blackburn 3.60 · Rating details · 62 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36722220-on-truth
Truth is not just a recent topic of contention. Arguments about it have gone on for centuries. Why is the truth important? Who decides what the truth is? Is there such a thing as objective, eternal truth, or is truth simply a matter of perspective, of linguistic or cultural vantage point?
In this concise book Simon Blackburn provides an accessible explanation of what truth is and how we might think about it.
The first half of the book details several main approaches to how we should think about, and decide, what is true.
These are philosophical theories of truth such as the correspondence theory, the coherence theory, deflationism, and others.
He then examines how those approaches relate to truth in several contentious domains: art, ethics, reasoning, religion, and the interpretation of texts.
Blackburn's overall message is that truth is often best thought of not as a product or an end point that is 'finally' achieved, but--as the American pragmatist thinkers thought of it--as an ongoing process of inquiry. The result is an accessible and tour through some of the deepest and thorniest questions philosophy has ever tackled
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
4.16 · Rating details · 317,352 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZNhf1bAIxd&rank=1
In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.
Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking.
He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you think about thinking.
Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do by John A. Bargh (Goodreads Author)
3.97 · Rating details · 788 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35011639-before-you-know-it
Dr. John Bargh, the world’s leading expert on the unconscious mind, presents a “brilliant and convincing book” (Malcolm Gladwell) cited as an outstanding read of 2017 by Business Insider and The Financial Times—giving us an entirely new understanding of the hidden mental processes that secretly govern every aspect of our behavior.
For more than three decades, Dr. John Bargh has conducted revolutionary research into the unconscious mind, research featured in bestsellers like Blink and Thinking Fast and Slow. Now, in what Dr. John Gottman said was “the most important and exciting book in psychology that has been written in the past twenty years,” Dr. Bargh takes us on an entertaining and enlightening tour of the forces that affect everyday behavior while transforming our understanding of ourselves in profound ways.
Dr. Bargh takes us into his labs at New York University and Yale—where he and his colleagues have discovered how the unconscious guides our behavior, goals, and motivations in areas like race relations, parenting, business, consumer behavior, and addiction.
With infectious enthusiasm he reveals what science now knows about the pervasive influence of the unconscious mind in who we choose to date or vote for, what we buy, where we live, how we perform on tests and in job interviews, and much more.
Because the unconscious works in ways we are completely unaware of, Before You Know It is full of surprising and entertaining revelations as well as useful tricks to help you remember items on your to-do list, to shop smarter, and to sleep better.
Before You Know It is “a fascinating compendium of landmark social-psychology research” (Publishers Weekly) and an introduction to a fabulous world that exists below the surface of your awareness and yet is the key to knowing yourself and unlocking new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38315.Fooled_by_Randomness
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 4.07 · Rating details · 49,010 ratings
Fooled by Randomness is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand.
Philosophy books
Epistemology by Richard Feldman 3.84 · Rating details · 182 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/387295.Epistemology
Sophisticated yet accessible and easy to read, this introduction to contemporary philosophical questions about knowledge and rationality goes beyond the usual bland survey of the major current views to show that there is argument involved. Throughout, the author provides a fair and balanced blending of the standard positions on epistemology with his own carefully reasoned positions or stances into the analysis of each concept. KEY TOPICS: Epistemological Questions. The Traditional Analysis of Knowledge. Modifying the Traditional Analysis of Knowledge. Evidentialist Theories of Justification. Non-evidentialist Theories of Knowledge and Justification. Skepticism. Epistemology and Science. Relativism.
Problems of Knowledge: A Critical Introduction to Epistemology by Michael J. Williams
3.79 · Rating details · 86 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/477904.Problems_of_Knowledge
"What is epistemology or 'the theory of knowledge'? Why does it matter? What makes theorizing about knowledge 'philosophical'? And why do some philosophers argue that epistemology - perhaps even philosophy itself - is dead?" "
In this introduction, Michael Williams answers these questions, showing how epistemological theorizing is sensitive to a range of questions about the nature, limits, methods, and value of knowing.
He pays special attention to the challenge of philosophical scepticism: does our 'knowledge' rest on brute assumptions? Does the rational outlook undermine itself?"
Williams explains and criticizes all the main contemporary philosophical perspectives on human knowledge, such as foundationalism, the coherence theory, and 'naturalistic' theories. As an alternative to all of them, he defends his distinctive contextualist approach.
As well as providing an accessible introduction for any reader approaching the subject for the first time, this book incorporates Williams's own ideas which will be of interest to all philosophers concerned with the theory of knowledge.
Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge by Robert Audi
3.54 · Rating details · 176 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/477976.Epistemology
This comprehensive book introduces the concepts and theories central for understanding knowledge. It aims to reach students who have already done an introductory philosophy course. Topics covered include perception and reflection as grounds of knowledge, and the nature, structure, and varieties of knowledge. The character and scope of knowledge in the crucial realms of ethics, science and religion are also considered. Unique features of Epistemology:

• Provides a comprehensive survey of basic concepts and major theories
• Gives an up-to-date account of important developments in the field
• Contains many lucid examples to support ideas
• Cites key literature in an annotated bibliography.

The Oxford Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14829260-the-oxford-handbook-of-thinking-and-reasoning
by Keith J. Holyoak (Editor), Robert G. Morrison (Editor)
4.08 · Rating details · 12 ratings
Thinking and reasoning, long the academic province of philosophy, have over the past century emerged as core topics of empirical investigation and theoretical analysis in the modern fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience. Formerly seen as too complicated and amorphous to be included in early textbooks on the science of cognition, the study of thinking and reasoning has since taken off, brancing off in a distinct direction from the field from which it originated.
The Oxford Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning is a comprehensive and authoritative handbook covering all the core topics of the field of thinking and reasoning.
Written by the foremost experts from cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and cognitive neuroscience, individual chapters summarize basic concepts and findings for a major topic, sketch its history, and give a sense of the directions in which research is currently heading.
Chapters include introductions to foundational issues and methods of study in the field, as well as treatment of specific types of thinking and reasoning and their application in a broad range of fields including business, education, law, medicine, music, and science.
The volume will be of interest to scholars and students working in developmental, social and clinical psychology, philosophy, economics, artificial intelligence, education, and linguistics.
Feminist Epistemologies
(Thinking Gender) by Linda Martín Alcoff, Elizabeth Potter 4.14 · Rating details · 43 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/477960.Feminist_Epistemologies
Noticed this review by an evangelical:
"I have found this an immensely suggestive book, collecting as it does essays from both prominent and rising figures in feminist philosophy of knowledge--albeit from about two decades ago. I am struck by how little impact feminist thought, even of this high and generally temperate quality, has had on evangelical theology, to the shame of my guild."
-John
The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us
by Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons 3.91 Rating details · 13,537 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7783191-the-invisible-gorilla
Reading this book will make you less sure of yourself—and that’s a good thing. In The Invisible Gorilla, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, creators of one of psychology’s most famous experiments, use remarkable stories and counterintuitive scientific findings to demonstrate an important truth: Our minds don’t work the way we think they do. We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing a whole lot.
Again and again, we think we experience and understand the world as it is, but our thoughts are beset by everyday illusions. We write traffic laws and build criminal cases on the assumption that people will notice when something unusual happens right in front of them. We’re sure we know where we were on 9/11, falsely believing that vivid memories are seared into our minds with perfect fidelity. And as a society, we spend billions on devices to train our brains because we’re continually tempted by the lure of quick fixes and effortless self-improvement.
The Invisible Gorilla reveals the myriad ways that our intuitions can deceive us, but it’s much more than a catalog of human failings. Chabris and Simons explain why we succumb to these everyday illusions and what we can do to inoculate ourselves against their effects. Ultimately, the book provides a kind of x-ray vision into our own minds, making it possible to pierce the veil of illusions that clouds our thoughts and to think clearly for perhaps the first time.
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely 3.94 · Rating details · 13,620 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13426114-the-honest-truth-about-dishonesty
The New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality returns with thought-provoking work to challenge our preconceptions about dishonesty and urge us to take an honest look at ourselves.
Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat? How do companies pave the way for dishonesty? Does collaboration make us more honest or less so? Does religion improve our honesty?
Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat.
From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere. None of us is immune, whether it's the white lie to head off trouble or padding our expense reports. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, award-winning, bestselling author Dan Ariely turns his unique insight and innovative research to the question of dishonesty.
Generally, we assume that cheating, like most other decisions, is based on a rational cost-benefit analysis.
But Ariely argues, and then demonstrates, that it's actually the irrational forces that we don't take into account that often determine whether we behave ethically or not.
For every Enron or political bribe, there are countless puffed résumés, hidden commissions, and knockoff purses. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about; how getting caught matters less than we think; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards.
But all is not lost. Ariely also identifies what keeps us honest, pointing the way for achieving higher ethics in our everyday lives. With compelling personal and academic findings, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty will change the way we see ourselves, our actions, and others.
How to Stop Believing in Hell: a Schizophrenic's Religious Experience: Intellectual Honesty and Hallucinations - A Memoir
by Robert Clayton Kimball
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22020049-how-to-stop-believing-in-hell
it was amazing 5.00 · Rating details · 1 rating Kirkus Reviews:
“…Kimball’s debut explores his hallucinatory religious mania, from his early childhood onward, beginning when he attended Catholic school. The early pages guide readers through narratives of his uncomfortable childhood traumas, sometimes in ugly detail…. Various other moments of shame revolved around school. Finding sex repugnant and sinful, he decided early on to remain celibate; he avoided sex until his eventual institutionalization. Meanwhile, hallucinatory monsters—including Lorus, “a turbulent face, golden like the comedy mask…”—and company pushed him away from religion, though he did convert to Pentecostalism in spite of them. Through this process, Kimball developed a solipsistic worldview, in which he was never sure others existed. Ultimately, though, it was his fear of damnation that became his greatest obsession, driving all the rest of his delusions and fears. He does exhibit a flair for description…: “On summer evenings, I liked to stand on the arroyo side of the house at night, alone, feeling the desert breeze through the tamarisks and smelling the clean desert smells in the warm darkness. The long row of tamarisks, with its tens of thousands of insects of a thousand species, hummed like the telephone network in The Castle, a beautiful, accidental music.’”
Author’s Description:
How to Stop Believing in Hell, describes the narrator's passage from a golden childhood to an adolescence of cringing guilt and religious fear. By the age of thirty, he had become a deranged street person, screaming horrible obscenities on crowded sidewalks in broad daylight. He desperately tried to stop but couldn’t. He was still filled with the fear of Hell. Then he had a spiritual awakening, broke free of his dementia, and learned to act deliberately. A paperback copy of this book can be purchased through my publisher, Chipmunka Publishing at their web site.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan (Goodreads Author)
4.27 · Rating details · 59,893 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349.The_Demon_Haunted_World
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.
How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age
by Theodore Schick Jr. Lewis Vaughn, Martin Gardner (Foreword)
4.00 · Rating details · 530 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41756.How_to_Think_about_Weird_Things
This text serves well as a supplemental text in:

• critical thinking
• logic
• introduction to philosophy
• philosophy of science
• epistemology
• metaphysics
• introduction to psychology
• anomalistic psychology
• perception and cognition

as well as any introductory science course.
It has been used in all of the courses mentioned above as well as introductory biology, introductory physics, and introductory chemistry courses. It could also serve as a main text for courses in evaluation of the paranormal, philosophical implications of the paranormal, occult beliefs, and pseudoscience.
Popular Statistics
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data
by Charles Wheelan 3.94 · Rating details · 10,367 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17986418-naked-statistics
Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you’ll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more. For those who slept through Stats 101, this book is a lifesaver. Wheelan strips away the arcane and technical details and focuses on the underlying intuition that drives statistical analysis. He clarifies key concepts such as inference, correlation, and regression analysis, reveals how biased or careless parties can manipulate or misrepresent data, and shows us how brilliant and creative researchers are exploiting the valuable data from natural experiments to tackle thorny questions.
And in Wheelan’s trademark style, there’s not a dull page in sight. You’ll encounter clever Schlitz Beer marketers leveraging basic probability, an International Sausage Festival illuminating the tenets of the central limit theorem, and a head-scratching choice from the famous game show Let’s Make a Deal—and you’ll come away with insights each time. With the wit, accessibility, and sheer fun that turned Naked Economics into a bestseller, Wheelan defies the odds yet again by bringing another essential, formerly unglamorous discipline to life.
The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—But Some Don't by Nate Silver
3.98 · Rating details · 43,804 ratings · 3,049 reviews
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588394-the-signal-and-the-noise
One of Wall Street Journal's Best Ten Works of Nonfiction in 2012
New York Times Bestseller
"Not so different in spirit from the way public intellectuals like John Kenneth Galbraith once shaped discussions of economic policy and public figures like Walter Cronkite helped sway opinion on the Vietnam War…could turn out to be one of the more momentous books of the decade." -New York Times Book Review
"Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise is The Soul of a New Machine for the 21st century." -Rachel Maddow, author of Drift
"A serious treatise about the craft of prediction-without academic mathematics-cheerily aimed at lay readers. Silver's coverage is polymathic, ranging from poker and earthquakes to climate change and terrorism." -New York Review of Books
Nate Silver built an innovative system for predicting baseball performance, predicted the 2008 election within a hair's breadth, and became a national sensation as a blogger-all by the time he was thirty. He solidified his standing as the nation's foremost political forecaster with his near perfect prediction of the 2012 election. Silver is the founder and editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight.com.
Drawing on his own groundbreaking work, Silver examines the world of prediction, investigating how we can distinguish a true signal from a universe of noisy data. Most predictions fail, often at great cost to society, because most of us have a poor understanding of probability and uncertainty. Both experts and laypeople mistake more confident predictions for more accurate ones. But overconfidence is often the reason for failure. If our appreciation of uncertainty improves, our predictions can get better too. This is the "prediction paradox": The more humility we have about our ability to make predictions, the more successful we can be in planning for the future.
In keeping with his own aim to seek truth from data, Silver visits the most successful forecasters in a range of areas, from hurricanes to baseball, from the poker table to the stock market, from Capitol Hill to the NBA. He explains and evaluates how these forecasters think and what bonds they share. What lies behind their success? Are they good-or just lucky? What patterns have they unraveled? And are their forecasts really right? He explores unanticipated commonalities and exposes unexpected juxtapositions. And sometimes, it is not so much how good a prediction is in an absolute sense that matters but how good it is relative to the competition. In other cases, prediction is still a very rudimentary-and dangerous-science.
Silver observes that the most accurate forecasters tend to have a superior command of probability, and they tend to be both humble and hardworking. They distinguish the predictable from the unpredictable, and they notice a thousand little details that lead them closer to the truth. Because of their appreciation of probability, they can distinguish the signal from the noise.
With everything from the health of the global economy to our ability to fight terrorism dependent on the quality of our predictions, Nate Silver's insights are an essential read.
Bayesian Statistics the Fun Way: Understanding Statistics and Probability with Star Wars, Lego, and Rubber Ducks
by Will Kurt 4.21 · Rating details · 128 ratings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41392893-bayesian-statistics-the-fun-way
Fun guide to learning Bayesian statistics and probability through unusual and illustrative examples.
Probability and statistics are increasingly important in a huge range of professions. But many people use data in ways they don't even understand, meaning they aren't getting the most from it. Bayesian Statistics the Fun Way will change that.
This book will give you a complete understanding of Bayesian statistics through simple explanations and un-boring examples. Find out the probability of UFOs landing in your garden, how likely Han Solo is to survive a flight through an asteroid shower, how to win an argument about conspiracy theories, and whether a burglary really was a burglary, to name a few examples.
By using these off-the-beaten-track examples, the author actually makes learning statistics fun. And you'll learn real skills, like how to:

• How to measure your own level of uncertainty in a conclusion or belief
• Calculate Bayes theorem and understand what it's useful for
• Find the posterior, likelihood, and prior to check the accuracy of your conclusions
• Calculate distributions to see the range of your data
• Compare hypotheses and draw reliable conclusions from them

Next time you find yourself with a sheaf of survey results and no idea what to do with them, turn to Bayesian Statistics the Fun Way to get the most value from your data.

Writing your first research article can be a challenge. Learning to discover and use sources and then mention them properly is an effort that many new students find overwhelming. Some professors like to add even more to this stress by requesting not just a research paper but an accompanying annotated bibliography. Since most students have never encountered the term annotated bibliography before entering post-secondary education, this additional requirement tends to leave students everywhere scratching their heads and wondering why they ever thought earning a degree was a good idea.
If you are presently starting to get research skills, you perhaps don't even understand how to make a bibliography, let alone how to write an annotated bibliography. What the heck is an annotated bibliography, anyway, and why is your professor so focused on your learning to create one? Didn't you acquire enough skills writing the cursed card? What does this teacher want from you? Where does it end? Madness! The audacity of this professor! That's enough to make you want to quit.
Don't despair, dear student. Because, like numerous things in academic, the term annotated bibliography is far less complex than it seems. Below we present a simple guide on how to write an annotated bibliography. We've also included a brief rationale to explain your professor's reason for making you take on this annoying extra task in the first place.
What is an annotation? An annotation is essentially a brief summary of a source's content and topic, as well as an explanation of how that source fits into the topic you're making in your article. Annotations are naturally written straight after the reference list entry for a source and naturally should not exceed 150 words. The goal is short and concise. Be sure to check your professor's guidelines, as they may have different expectations for the duration.
Annotations should not be confused with abstracts. Although both are short summaries of particular works, an abstract accompanies an article in a journal, providing a brief description of the article's content. An annotation also provides an assessment of the book, article, or resource in question.
When should I write my annotations? The basic sequence for creating an annotated bibliography should be this: 1. Decide your thesis. 2. Find sources to support your thesis, modifying it if necessary. 3. Keep track of those sources, including the information you are taking from them, so that you can cite them correctly in your article. 4. Write your article, including quotes. 5. Using the information gathered during the research process, create a bibliography with annotated entries. So, you basically want to gather the information you need to write each annotation as you write your article. You still need to keep track of what you're getting from each source, so this isn't really extra work. The difficult part of how to write an annotated bibliography is not gathering the correct information, rather it is stating that information as concisely as possible.
Subdivision: the anatomy of an annotation Now that you have (hopefully) the idea, here's an annotated reference example. This example was taken from a paper that claimed that purple is the best color because it is a combination of blue and red. Note that the sample quote is written in the APA style; the formatting, particularly of the citation, differs between style guides, but the basic information contained in the annotation generally remains the same. In the example below, orange text indicates what the article is about, purple explains what makes it a credible source, green outlines the article's findings, and blue describes how the topic in the document applies to the pap of the article. Author why do you have to understand how to create an annotated bibliography, anyhow?
If you've been working on the same card for years, the last thing you want to do is spend more time on that card. It may seem like your professor is simply trying to irritate you, but rest assured, there's a reason your teacher wants you to know how to write an annotated bibliography.
The reason is that creating a list that shows exactly how you used each source demonstrates two things. First, it shows that you have read and understood the research you mentioned in your work. This basically ensures that you've actually learned how to write a research paper correctly, which is a major focus of college classes. Secondly, the creation of an annotated bibliography
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Annotation. The author examines the situation of a fundamental scientific discovery made by an "unrecognized sectarian [in Russia this word is used to denote a religious cult]" and the possibility of rejection of his formulas by the Russian (scientific) community, which, according to the author, can lead to a "missing component" in Russian exact science, and, as a consequence, to a catastrophic lag in Russian science, education, and as a result of technology, labor productivity, economy and living standards. An analogy is drawn with the discovery of the theory of relativity by Einstein who lived in Nazi Germany. Such a situation really takes place with the author himself, which, according to the author, poses a real and existential threat to Russia. Possible measures for treating this "allergy" are given. Keywords. Religion in Russia, sect, sectarian, Russian science, Russian education, existential threat, interreligious hatred, religious discrimination, Russian fascism, science and religion, religion and science, public opinion, propaganda. 1 Introduction Consider a situation: a society in a part of the world (for example, a country) peremptorily does not accept the views, positions, and reputation of one of its members. This person has made a fundamental scientific discovery. Could this lead to that society will consciously or unconsciously reject his ideas, or it would be “forced” to reject by shame, contempt, moral differences, hatred, and as a result will lose one of the fundamental elements of science? Could the loss of a small part of the exact sciences lead to a catastrophic lag? This situation has really happened in the past with Albert Einstein, who discovered the special (and later also general) theory of relativity in Nazi Germany, which rejected Einstein because of his Jewish origin. Perhaps this was one of the key factors behind Germany's defeat in World War II, since the “absence” of special relativity makes it impossible to develop nuclear weapons. I argue that a similar situation was repeated in post-Soviet Russia. 2 The real situation at a glance I, Porton Victor Lvovich, is born in Perm, currently a citizen of the Russian Federation and Israel. During my first year at Perm State University, I discovered my first new fundamental mathematical formula (more precisely, a new axiom or definition[1] ), which I now call the definition of a funcoid. In the future, based on this formula, I have developed a few hundred pages of fundamental mathematical theory, which I called "algebraic general topology" [1]. In addition, I also developed another (not directly related to topology) fundamental theory, which I called the "axiomatic theory of formulas" [2] . [Notes to the Editor: It may be necessary to postpone the publication of this article until my newer results are published so that there are more relevant bibliographic references.] At the age of 15, I finally converted to the Protestant faith (at that time in its Baptist version). Soon after my conversion, I came to the conclusion that I should call myself a sectarian [the Russian word for a non-“Orthodox” cultist] and religious fanatic. This led to major problems: hunger and beatings. At the moment I live in Israel. 3 Fundamentality and importance of discoveries I will list my main fundamental mathematical discoveries: • definition (and properties) of a funcoid • definition and properties of the so-called filtrators • definition of such things as the action of a partially ordered semigroup, the action of a partially ordered precategory, "space" and "interspace" as an element of such semigroups and precategories ("space in general" in the framework of general topology) • definition and properties of generalization of the limit, defined for an arbitrary function at all points • definition of the basic properties of "point-free funcoids" - generalizations of funcoids • definition of the main properties of "multidimensional" generalizations of funcoids and pointless funcoids • axiomatic description of "infinite formulas" I've also done a number of other (less important) mathematical discoveries related to the above. A feature of the above discoveries is their extraordinary fundamentality for mathematical discoveries made at the end of the 20th and 21st centuries. Namely: • In one of the equivalent definitions (a predicate of two variables δ that is false on empty arguments on sets conforming to the axioms A ∪ B δ C ⇔ A δ C ∨ B δ C and C δ A∪B ⇔ C δ A ∨ C δ B ), the description of the funcoid is comparable simply to the definition of the group, if not simpler than it. Let me remind you that the concept of a group is one of the most fundamental and important concepts in modern mathematics. The funcoid generalizes and simultaneously contains (pre)topological spaces, (quasi)proximity spaces, and (directed) graphs. • The definition of a filtrator is even simpler: a filter is a pair of a partially ordered set and a subset of it (with the induced order). • Surprisingly, the actions of partially ordered semigroups and precategories were not investigated (this concept was not found at all on the Internet) before me. My "space in general" generalizes and contains at least all kinds of spaces of general topology: funcoids ((pre)topological spaces, (quasi)proximity spaces, as well as (directed) graphs), (quasi)uniform spaces, (quasi)metric spaces, locales, and frames. • The generalization of the limit for an arbitrary function makes it obvious the definitions of the derivative and integral of an arbitrary function, the sum of an arbitrary series, which makes possible a new branch of functional analysis that studies hitherto unknown properties of nondifferentiable and discontinuous functions. • The axiomatic description of formulas is also not inferior in simplicity to the definition of a group. The importance of the discoveries: • Obviously, fundamental mathematical discoveries are important. • Algebraic general topology is a breakthrough (and beyond) in research in the field of general topology (which by many scientists were considered mostly completed and the continuation of the research was considered unpromising). General topology is the basis of algebraic and differential topology, mathematical and functional analysis, that is, a "good" half of modern mathematics, as well as physics, engineering, apparently also economics and, possibly[2], statistics. • The generalization of the limit opens up tremendous possibilities in mathematical and functional analysis, which is the base for physics, engineering, economics, etc. It is not excluded (and in the author's opinion it is very likely) that future physics will be entirely based on the concept of a generalized limit introduced by the author. It is viable to suppose that the discovery of discontinuous analysis by the author is as important as the discovery of (continuous and differentiable) mathematical analysis by Isaac Newton. • The axiomatic description of formulas, perhaps (this issue has not yet been investigated), makes it possible to describe the whole electronic circuit as one “whole” formula, which means, perhaps, it will open up new methods for designing microcircuits, their optimization and expanding capabilities. It is not excluded (and in the opinion of the author it is very likely) that future electronics will be entirely based on the author's theory of formulas. The same can be applied to other areas of computer science. 4 What the lack of formulas can lead to It is a known fact [3] that mathematics is in a sense like a building, consisting of more fundamental parts and "superstructures" that cannot be built without a foundation. However, some parts mutually support each other. But in general, the division into more fundamental and less fundamental parts of mathematics clearly makes sense (although, apparently, still poorly researched and defined). Be that as it may, my mathematical research clearly belongs to the "foundation". The absence of a part of the foundation makes further "construction" extremely difficult, makes it hopeless, virtually impossible in some future. Let me give you an analogy: As you know, in a modern TV set there are several billions transistors, a failure of even one of them can lead to a complete lack of TV functionality. Another analogy: one "wrong" base in DNA can lead to deformity or death of a biological organism. Based on modern ideas about the building of mathematics, as well as the above analogies, it seems scientifically justified to assume that absence, for some reason, of even one fundamental formula in the culture of a country may lead to its catastrophic lag in development (economic dependence, slavery, military defeat, disappearance) in the future. Speaking about the future, it is natural to expect that this can happen within several decades (I remind you that the speed of development of technology and science tends to accelerate exponentially!) 5 "Cultist" Sect concept The concept of a sect is not a scientific term and is used mainly by propagandists in order to speak offensively about someone. In Russia, however, even the so-called religious scholars are actively conducting anti-sectarian propaganda [4], which, according to the author, is nothing more than a state-funded pseudoscience. However, some give this concept a more or less scientific definition “a sect is a closed religious group opposing itself to the main culture-forming religious community (or the main communities) of a country or region” [5] . This definition does not conform to the generally accepted one ("a religious, political, philosophical or other group, sometimes separated from the mainstream and opposing it, or an indication of an organized tradition that has its founder and a special teaching" [6]), but more accurately reflects the use of this word among the people and "anti-sectarian" propagandists. "Confession" of the author I am a Protestant. First I became a Baptist, then I transferred to the Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith. Now I profess a new religion [7], that emerged as a reaction to religious discrimination. I believed that I should openly declare my faith: (Luke 9: 6) "For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory both of the Father and the holy angels" and (Mark 8:38) "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels." Moreover, I "abbreviated" my confession: "I am a sectarian," "I am a religious fanatic." I considered the word "sectarian" as one of Christ's words, because the Gospel, 2 Cor. 6:17 contains the word "separate," the Greek root of which has the same meaning as the root of the word "sectarian." I considered the word “fanatic” one of Christ’s words, because the Bible says (Rev. 3:19) “be zealous”, and “jealous” and “fanatic” are words with a root similar meaning. Since Jesus demanded to confess his words "in this adulterous and sinful generation," I considered it necessary to use the word "sect", and not the words about "Protestant" that are incomprehensible to the majority of the "adulterous and sinful generation" [of Russians]. I propose to conduct a scientific experiment (it can be dangerous to the life and health of the experimenter!) : Write the word "sectarian" on a cap or T-shirt and try to enter some [Russian] institution or other room with people. The hypothesis is that you will not succeed. According to the author, as punishment for "sectarianism" his mother stopped feeding him, hit him several times (at intervals of several days or weeks) with a frying pan by the head, and then kicked him out of the house (the mother does not remember this, we consider each other to be people with memory problems). Claiming that he is a sectarian and religious fanatic and calling people "sinners" the author could not get any help and continued to die of hunger. The author ate grass on the street (by the way, my first new formula, the definition of funcoid, was discovered precisely after such a "meal"[3]). Then my mother, for some unknown reason (perhaps her brain was overloaded with excessive anger and she lost her memory or she was afraid of criminal liability), allowed me to return to the apartment and provided me with enough food to survive. In general, during his studies in high school and university, the author was on the verge of starving to death several times and experienced other hardships (for example, sometimes lack of paper). I had to stop studying at the university, mainly in order to be recognized as mentally disabled and not starve to death due to the inability to find a job. In short, I have at the initiative of Jesus blocked my sense of shame, that protects people from discrimination and probable death from starvation because of discrimination. 6 Features of the author's religion Some of the author's public statements: • On August 8, 1995 I was instantly healed by Christ from severe delirium, hallucinations and fits of anger, loss of the ability to read and count. • To save my formulas and punish the “fascists” (see below) I began to pray and make wishes about a thermonuclear war with the aim of destroying Russia. During the "war" to destabilize the situation in the world to create an opportunity for an attack on Russia, I said "Destroy two skyscrapers [in the USA]" by airplanes), which happened later. • For the fact that people (and religious organizations) did not accept my statement that the Old Testament should be read without vocalizations[4], and “punished” me with hunger and other hardships, said “let there be coronavirus” and other (more terrible) curses. • Engaged in astral sex with St. Mary with the aim of offending Russia ("fuck His mother" is a famous Russian curse) lead so by God. • (Mistakenly) predicted the destruction of Perm by nuclear weapons as punishment for the fact that the love with Maria was not recognized. Then I walked around the city and shouted "Russian animals, Christ has decided to kill you, nuclear war is coming soon!" • I consider all people to be freaks infected with a virus that affects the brain . • I argue that a period of about a month or two has been temporarily healed from the virus and turned into a superhero (with a brain-computer superior to the rest of humanity, gigantic strength and speed, as well as other superpowers). Thus, it is clear that my conflict with the Russian society in a sense has reached an extreme form. In my opinion, even the "Osama bin Laden’s formula" (if such one existed) would be a lesser threat to Russia than I, because Osama bin Laden belonged to the "traditional" [I refer to wording of a Russian legal law] religion (Islam), which means it is less "terrible" for Russians than I am, a person of a "non-traditional" religion ("sect" in the Russian vernacular). It's just that Osama bin Laden is less despised than me, and it is contempt that is dangerous. This is the case when the threat of the use of nuclear weapons (regardless of its reality) can be as dangerous for the economy of a country as its actual use. 7 The analogy with Nazi Germany The analogy to fascist Germany is obvious. Similarities and differences: • Important fundamental scientific discoveries. • The author belongs to a social group hated by the people. • Einstein was persecuted on a national basis, and I on a religious basis. • The persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany was reflected in official documents, the persecution of "sectarians" (primarily Protestants) in Russia is not officially recognized. • Einstein's discoveries relate to physics, mine to abstract mathematics. • Einstein discovered SRT, when the discovery was "ripe", I discovered funcoids about 60 years later than it was possible to do. • If Einstein had not been able to leave in time and ended up in a death camp, he probably would have suffered less than me, because in death camps they did not beat them by the head with pans, but only did not feed them. Open-ended question: How many Protestants have starved to death in post-Soviet Russia due to religious discrimination? It is a well-known fact that a person "caught" in sectarianism is usually fired from his job, and people without work often die of hunger. As I already wrote, it is worthwhile for an experiment (dangerous for the life and health of the experimenter!) To write the word “sectarian” on a T-shirt or cap and try to enter some institution. If this fails, the experiment will confirm my personal experience of the analogy "Dogs and sectarians are not allowed in" with Nazi Germany. In fascist Germany, the "problem" with Einstein was "solved" by the proclamation that SRT was discovered by "Aryan" scientists. In modern Russia, such a measure is impossible due to the prevalence of the Internet, including the blockchain, in which it is recorded that I am the discoverer of these theories. 8 Attempt at psychoanalysis I confess that I am not an educated psychologist or psychoanalyst, but due to the lack of other research on this topic, I will state my opinion on whether Russia may be deprived of my formulas. One should distinguish between conscience and shame [8] : The difference between shame and guilt is that guilt arises when a person has repented for what he did. That is, it became unpleasant for him that he had done this act. This is an internal state. At this moment, a person usually lowers his head, goes inside himself and begins to experience emotions. Shame arises only when there are witnesses. This is a feeling of fear of being rejected, not accepted by society. Shame can arise when we are different from others. The shame of Russians in front of sectarians is definitely not conscience, it is closer to shame; perhaps a more accurate word is contempt. Judging from my experience, most Russians despise sectarians precisely because we do not drink, do not sleep with other people's wives, etc. For this we are despised. This can be a sublimated conscience, namely the transfer of one's own pangs of conscience to the shame of another object (sectarian) in order to get rid of the pangs of conscience. Shame and contempt are often strong feelings: judging from my experience, the degree of contempt for sectarians, apparently, reaches a numerical overflow in the brain: people start screaming (including insults), fight, in general, react inadequately when they come to the conclusion, that interact with the "sectarian". In my opinion, these strong feelings and the supposed numerical overflow in the brain caused by these feelings pose a threat to Russia as a power. The desire to get rid of everything connected with the object of hatred and contempt by the "sect" can outweigh rational motives and lead to the suppression of my formulas in Russia by certain information dissemination agencies, which means a catastrophic lag in Russia. Thus, in this case, shame has become a serious pathology of Russian society. This is very similar to an allergy: society rejects its own members. An example of this pathology is that the judge Solopova Olga has not opened a civil case, when I filed a claim for compensation. Thus, it has been proven that the shame of sectarianism can outweigh the requirements of Russian and international legislation. As a treatment for pathological shame and contempt, I propose to supplant them with conscience. In other words, Russian society must recognize discrimination, the killing of Protestants by hunger. The disease is serious and the treatment should be radical: it is necessary at the highest level, to use the word "fascism" and "genocid" to describe the attitude of Russians to the "sectarians". Perhaps it makes sense to apply the same legal norms to the “concept” of “sect” as to the “concept” of “Jew”. It should be officially recognized that the ROC was actually a state church and, accordingly, the illegality of the existing state funding of religious propaganda. The activation of conscience (in order to mitigate the shame) must be accompanied by concrete actions (payment of compensation), otherwise the ousting of shame may become unstable and Russia will perish. 9 Analogy with the Roman Empire The author also puts forward the following scientific hypothesis about the reasons for the death of the Roman Empire: Jesus, called Christ, set the goal of destroying the Roman Empire in order to liberate Israel, which it conquered at that time. He came up with an ingenious plan: he gave the students highly moral (in the sense, beneficial for a society that observes them) commandments and such life principles that they were to be hated by the Romans. As a result, everything Christian, including Christian morality and the works of Christian philosophers, were rejected by the Romans. In accordance with Jesus' plan, this led to the degradation of Roman morality and philosophy. Literally, the demoralized Roman society was unable to resist the barbarians, whose development was not to the same extent limited (In the author's opinion, the persecution of Christians by the barbarians was not as significant as the “persecution of Christians by barbarians” (in Russian language) gives only four results in Google as of 12 Dec 2020, with at least two of them referring to the irrelevantly late date, 476). It should be noted that the Christianization of the Roman Empire (if the word “Christianity” is appropriate here, since the later religion of the Roman Empire had little to do with the teachings of such figures as Jesus and the Apostle Paul) did not lead to an improvement in the attitude of the Romans towards Israel: Judging by the surviving written records, starting from the II century, anti-Judaism in the Christian environment increased. Characteristic are the Epistle of Barnabas, the Word about the Passover of Meliton of Sardis, and later some passages from the works of John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Mediolan and some others. A specific feature of Christian anti-Judaism was the repeated accusation of the Jews of Deicide from the very beginning of its existence. Their other "crimes" were also named - their stubborn and malicious rejection of Christ and his teachings, lifestyle and lifestyle, profanation of Holy Communion, poisoning of wells, ritual murders, creating a direct threat to the spiritual and physical life of Christians. It was argued that the Jews, as a people accursed and punished by God, should be doomed to a “humiliating way of life” (Blessed Augustine) in order to become witnesses of the truth of Christianity. ... After the Edict of Milan (313) by the emperors Constantine and Licinius, who proclaimed a policy of official tolerance towards Christians, the influence of the Church in the empire steadily increased. The formation of the Church as a state institution entailed social discrimination against Jews, persecutions and pogroms committed by Christians with the blessing of the Church or inspired by the church hierarchy. So, according to Jesus' supposed plan, the destruction of the Roman Empire was still necessary. Will the fate of the Roman Empire come to Russia, too? We are witnessing a terrible loss of morality by Russians: the meaning of life for most of them is pleasure or personal money, theft is considered a virtue, almost all television movies about how Machiavellians do evil, and in fact are propaganda of evil. Usually, those who call themselves Orthodox simply observe religious rites in order to increase their "karma", without any purpose to serve God or do good, and are quite ready to go over to the side of the devil if he pays more (they are Satanists in accordance with the section "Satanism as a subculture» article [9]). The author assumes that the reason for this is hatred of "sectarian" morality, which, as you know, includes the rejection of theft, drunkenness, fights, swearing, etc. Bibliography 1: Victor Porton, Algebraic General Topology, 2019 2: Victor Porton, Axiomatic Theory of Formulas, 2020 3: авторы Википедии, Основания математики, 13 октября 2020 05:10 UTC, https://ru.wikipedia.org/?curid=2509222&oldid=109846469 4: Дворкин А. Л., Религиовед: В Калининграде действует 30 крупных и сотня мелких сект, 1 марта 2014 5: Дворкин А. Л., Сектоведение. Тоталитарные секты. Опыт систематического исследования., 2007 6: авторы Википедии, Секта, 11 сентября 2020 05:09 UTC, https://ru.wikipedia.org/?curid=12654&oldid=109213549 7: Victor Porton, End of Gospel, 8: nasch-mir.ru, Чем являются совесть и стыд для человека?, , https://nasch-mir.ru/sovest-i-styid/
[1] I will not analyze the difference between the axiom and the definition, since it is: a. does not correspond to the subject of the magazine; b. is not important for the topic of the article. [2] The author does not have sufficient expertise in an l asti statistics. [3] It should not be assumed that the possible narcotic effect of the herb helped me to discover the funkoids: I had only the last step to discover, since I had been thinking about this topic for several months before. [4] A special form of vowel letters in languages ​​such as Hebrew.

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Toxic Masculinity and Its Health Implications
We currently live in a world with a dynamic and complex social climate. Within this climate, gender fluidity and typical norms are altered, reshaped, and pushed to new boundaries daily. One main facet of societies across the world that has ceased to be prodded to new boundaries and challenged is the concept of masculinity, more specifically toxic masculinity. As described by Maya Salam, a writer for New York Times, “Toxic masculinity is what can come of teaching boys that they can’t express emotion openly; that they have to be “tough all the time”; that anything other than that makes them “feminine” or weak” (Salam, 2019). Men have been held to standards and norms that are unrealistic to uphold. These ideals force men into a box that dictates and advises men on how they should behave with unwavering assertion. Toxic masculinity has a firm grip on the mental and physical health of men across the United States that is damaging an individual's personal health and well being daily.
For starters, toxic masculinity negatively affects the physical health and well being of men. For example, men are often taught not to show their emotions. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is something that is seen as weakness and not “manly”. This type of attitude has often led to men injuring themselves, and pushing their bodies past their limits. A prime example of this is sports. Take a sport like football for example, men are expected to push their bodies to absurd extremities, and are nodded on to not exhibit pain. Showing pain and that you are in pain makes you weak, and not being able to tolerate it conveys the same idea. These ideas create a toxic environment where men are deteriorating their bodies.
Furthermore, the ideals about being a strong figure for women plagues men across the world. These ideals push men to work out in unhealthy amounts. These behaviors that stem from these “masculine ideals” have been seen to lead to muscle dysmorphia and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) (Blashill .et al, 2020). This study reaffirms that conforming to conventional ideals of masculinity creates habits that are detrimental for the health and well being of a man. An individual that suffers from body dysmorphic disorder habitually checks their appearance in mirrors, assess their physical shape, makes social comparisons, and/or seeks reassurance due to their appearance concerns (Blashill et al., 2020). The concept of being strong individuals that are looked upon for their physical stature and individuals that are relied on for their draw strength are integral in the shaping of a man's ego. Those that are bigger in stature may not be insecure about their body compared to a leaner individual. BDD can lead to negative behaviors like bulimia, anorexia, and even over training of the body.
Not only are men being damaged by toxic masculinity, but toxic masculinity indirectly affects women’s health as well. Toxic masculinity reasserts traditional gender roles in a progressive and changing world. These ideals have the potential to indirectly harm women and their health. More specifically, violence in households and against women can be attributed to negative masculine ideals. Negative masculine ideals can instill aggressive behavior in male children throughout their childhood, which can persist throughout their lives and carry on into their adulthood (Broidy et al., 2003).
That is why it is imperative we educate our children to grow into young men of integrity. The masculine ideals that are of the past are of the past, and we as a society have to acknowledge we can be the prevention and intervention of toxic masculinity. We must be inclined to teach and educate others about the fluidity of gender, and how masculinity and femininity are displayed in many different capacities in different individuals.
Annotated Bibliography
Blashill, A. J., Grunewald, W., Fang, A., Davidson, E., & Wilhelm, S. (2020). Conformity to masculine norms and symptom severity among men diagnosed with muscle dysmorphia vs. body dysmorphic disorder. Plos one, 15(8), e0237651.
-This piece had quantitative and qualitative data that broke down the details of BDD and body dysmorphia. Source aimed to see the data and story behind muscle dysmorphia and BDD in men and its relationship to cultural norms.
Broidy, L.M., Nagin, D.S., Tremblay, R.E., Bates, J.E., Brame, B., Dodge, K.A., . . . Laird, R. (2003). Developmental trajectories of childhood disruptive behaviors and adolescent delinquency: a six-site, cross-national study. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 222.
-This piece looks at the correlation between cultural norms and violent behavior. This piece also assesses the aggressive traits and behaviors children may develop during their childhood.
Salam, M. (2019, January 22). What Is Toxic Masculinity? Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html
-This piece analyzes and defines toxic masculinity from the perspective of a woman. This article uses relatable content to aid her in her defining of the term. Furthermore this is a piece that is easily consumable and digestible by a general audience
Douglas, U., Bathrick, D., & Perry, P. A. (2008). Deconstructing Male Violence Against Women: The Men Stopping Violence Community-Accountability Model. Violence Against Women, 14(2), 247–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801207312637

So this story takes place yesterday and today. My English teacher is very uptight with her grading and takes it very seriously. She sometimes takes points off for things like grammar on a test about a novel. Basically a bunch of normally A students have b’s and c’s.
So on to the meat of the story. Yesterday we were assigned a research project where we research a controversial topic and make a slideshow/movie using Picture Story 3. In our notes we needed three articles annotated, and notes on a separate sheet including two quotes for each article, and two paraphrased facts each. I decided, since she gives low grades to slackers, that is do some extra work. Instead of paraphrasing with bullet points, (it said nothing about bullet points on the rubric) I wrote full sentences in a mini paragraph form thinking it would boost my grade. So at the end of class I hand her my papers, and she sorts through to grade. I knew I messed up when I saw her get a grin and look at me with these malicious eyes. She then says to me that I formatted my page wrong so I got half of the entire 20 point assignment wrong (even though formatting was only 5% of the grade) and gave me an F all because I didn’t do a bulleted list. She then says “Do it the way I tell you or get points off.” She said this which filled me with anger as sparks went off in my mind for revenge. I knew exactly how I was going to do it as well.
The next day we were working on citations and making our bibliography papers and I made sure to follow the rubric word for word. For the sake of time, I will tell you about the two biggest examples. First off, she said to leave two spaces between each source. So instead of pressing enter twice for two lines of space, I pressed space twice. Then, she said to title it [Works Cited]. I did these things exactly how she vaguely wrote her rubric. I mean, she could not give points off for me following the rubric because I did as she said. I printed the paper following her MLA format and as she came around the computer lab room, I got nervous and excited at the same time but mostly anxious. She got to me and I was almost laughing but I kept my cool and she turned to me and said, “What did I say to you yesterday?” In return I told her, “I did what you said.” She returned with a snarky attitude saying how she never said to put brackets on the title and the spaces needed to be two tall. I have her that same grin back and said to her face that she put it on the rubric and I did as she said. You could see it in her face that she was mad and she was searching for a way to get me in trouble, but she could not. I got an A+ on that assignment, but I have to worry now about her being on my back.
What did I take out of this? Learn how your teacher or instructor does their thing and do it how they want it. Another thing is that revenge is great, but it’ll bite your back.
This is my first post here so I hope you enjoy my life story. Also sorry if my format (haha) is bad or if I have grammaspelling mistake(s).
TLDR My teacher was super uptight and gave me a bad grade, so I got my little revenge.

This is the other half of that college paper I wrote. The formatting might be wonky; I just copy/pasted it from Google Docs. Let me know if you catch any formatting errors and I'll fix them. Thanks!
Here's a link to the full paper in Google Docs, including footnotes and the bibliography.

Guide: Steps to Create a Setting

This section, intended for those who wish to DM, will provide some advice on worldbuilding and how to apply the knowledge pulled from Westruun, Nicodranas, and Asarius. Due to the nature of Dungeons and Dragons as cooperative, it is exceedingly difficult to provide blanket advice on world creation, so you as the Dungeon Master must pay more attention to your own judgment than the words of any guide. Every campaign differs based on the composition of the players, the intent of the DM, and the desires of all those participating. Advice that allows one to create a grim, gritty, sword-and-sorcery game simply wouldn’t be useful for DMing for players who want a light, heroic romp. In the end, the most important note can only be to know your players’ expectations, and make your own clear to them. For this, it is crucial to host a “session zero” in which you explain how you intend the campaign to work, ask questions, and give players a time to build their characters and voice their concerns.
Concerning session zero, are several things to communicate to your players in it. Indicate the tone, length, and breadth of your campaign. Is it good- or evil-aligned? How much magic do you anticipate the world to have? Are any topics off-limits, such as self-harm or sexual assault? Make sure to also include your intent as far as mechanics go. Do you plan to run the game using D&D rules as written (“RAW”), or will you include other self-created (“homebrew”) rules? Will you change any spells or abilities? Are all races and classes allowed? What rulebooks will you be using? Once you've covered all of this, you can move on to helping the players organize themselves and their characters to ensure that the party is well-balanced and diversified. Of course, nothing prevents the players from all playing, say, halfling bards, as long as everyone understands the situation. It's also alright to change the rules midway through the campaign if something isn't working. If you do this, make sure to inform the players ahead of time, and give them time to voice their concerns. In the end, though, you as the Dungeon Master have ultimate authority, so don't be afraid to overrule them.
Given the vast amount of effort worldbuilding requires, a significant degree of worldbuilding needs to take place before a session zero. So long as time permits, fleshing out the world and the players’ homes can wait until character creation is underway in order to allow for greater flexibility in integrating the player characters seamlessly into the world. It can be helpful to have a certain degree of world development occur alongside the creation of your party’s characters.
So, in extraordinarily broad strokes, the steps to creating a world are as follows:

1. Draft a general framework. Where do you intend the campaign to begin? What will be the source of conflict in the first arc? What tones would be appropriate for this world? Flesh out any lands that will be accessible to the players, but be sure to leave gaps to maintain flexibility. If you have limited time, you don’t need to immediately write every detail about every location in your world, only those which will be relevant at the beginning.
2. Host a session zero. Communicate with your players both by explaining what you want, and listening to their requests. Take special note of their characters, and begin to work with them to build their backstories.
3. Working both privately and with the players, flesh out both the locations relevant to their backstories, and the starting location of the campaign. Be true to your original vision of the location, but be flexible with the details!

Once again, these steps apply for creation of the world as a whole. The details learned from Matthew Mercer’s Exandria, though, are far more useful for fleshing out specific cities within your world. How, then, ought this knowledge be applied?
First, to recap: those of Mercer’s cities examined above all have a connection to player backstories, an identity cemented by a “thing” or specific unique detail, a tie-in to a relevant story arc, and a conflict between the party and authority figures within the city. When applying these details, it’s helpful to work with a specific order: first, the city’s unique identity (step one); then, the connection to a player’s backstory (step two); next, the tie-in to a relevant story arc (step three); and finally, the conflict with local authorities (step four).
Step one should occur prior to session zero, and for a very simple reason: in order for a player to select a place in which to ground their backstory, they must first have an idea of the place in question. This need not be particularly detailed yet; you can paint the city in very broad strokes. For example, you might claim that Asarius is a city populated by monstrous races, but not specify that it uses enormous tortoises for its construction, or that it maintains an alliance with a nearby dynasty. So long as the player has a general idea of the type of location it is, they should be able to decide on it as a relevant backstory location.
Step two, the connection between the city and the player’s backstory, will obviously occur during or after session zero. This need not be particularly intricate; simply knowing that a player character grew up in a city is enough to open avenues for quests and relationships. Make sure to inform the player of as much relevant information as you can, telling them everything their character would know, within reason. All this said, not every setting needs to be immediately connected to a backstory. Most campaigns only have between three and five players, and worlds can easily have dozens of cities. This simply means that those cities which are connected to the backgrounds of player backgrounds are that much more intriguing, alluring, and immersive. For this, structuring the party’s questlines around such cities or locations will allow you to draw focus to those settlements which you have developed the most.
This brings us to step three, a tie-in to a relevant story arc. Given that long campaigns can easily take hundreds of hours to create, this process should begin prior to session zero. Finalizing it, however, can wait until the characters are built. Keep your plots flexible enough to involve the characters in them on a personal, relational level, rather than merely a vocational one. This means that the quests should ideally involve the player characters not merely because they are adventurers, but because they have some personal stake. Once the story is constructed in general terms, hold a session zero and incorporate the players into it, ideally without player knowledge. With this, the connection between the background and the city goes hand-in-hand with the connection between the story and the city. After session zero, cement your story, connecting it to the most appropriate cities. Ideally, the player backstory, the questline, and the city will all intersect in one place, leading to a compelling setting.
Lastly, for step four, add in an authority figure with which the players will quickly become at odds. Obviously, if this character is relevant to the questline in step three, then these steps must take place simultaneously. Likewise, if this character is crucial to the identity of the city itself, then this step should take place alongside step one. This need not be an official within the city, but could be a powerful merchant, guild leader, criminal, or any other option. This gives the players a sense of tension and danger, as well as an understanding that though they might be working for the good of the city, those people within it might not be willing to acquiesce to every request they have, keeping the game challenging. If this authority figure is a villain in the questline, then the setting gains depth by virtue of being immediately embroiled in conflict, regardless of the shape. The players might be forced into hiding, or to act undercover for fear of drawing the attention of an evil warlord. They might begin a revolution, or wage a shadow war against the leader of a local thieves’ guild. If, on the other hand, this character is not connected to the current quest, then the world also gains depth through increase in detail, rather than increase in intensity. This means that the players will have more with which to contend, being forced to deal with multiple sources of antagonism, or even simply threats. If this is the case, the figure ought to take a backseat to the primary quest, at least at first. This gives the players time to become accustomed to the setting.
With all of this brought together into one plan, the development of a setting runs along these lines:

1. Create a general framework for your world. This should include your broad-strokes ideas for setting identities, as well as your general adventure plans.
2. Host a session zero. In addition to the basic communication recommended above, inform them of the general setting identities (created prior to session zero) in order to allow them to situate their characters in your world.
3. Once your players have settled on their backstory locations, cement your questlines, ideally incorporating into them those locations which are relevant to the player characters’ backstories. This draws multiple facets of a quality setting (questline, player background relevance, and the setting itself) together into one cohesive location.
4. Assuming your city lacks an authority figure who is crucial either to its identity or to a relevant questline, add such a character. Even multiple characters will do for this, potentially creating background conflict within the setting through which the players must navigate.

These steps together should provide DMs with guidelines for creating their own compelling city settings. All this said, each setting, campaign, DM, and party of players is different. While these steps are a logical application of knowledge gleaned from Matthew Mercer’s Exandria, they might not apply perfectly for your specific campaign world. For example, if your players wish to play evil characters, then the setting itself could become the antagonist. Use your judgement in applying all of this. To make the application of these points clear, in the next section I offer a detailed setting for Dungeons and Dragons, created using the guide above and annotated with notes on how I went about applying it.

Example: an Application of this Guide

Step One: General Framework

Before I begin building the setting in earnest, I need to establish the city’s identity through its signature “thing” or “gimmick.” This need not be particularly unique, but it does need to stand out enough to be distinguishable from other cities.
Identity: A dwarven city, built into the sides of a deep ravine, with a portal to the elemental plane of fire at the bottom. The dwarves use this as an engine for their various machines and foundries, channeling seawater in from the far edges of the ravine to create steam pressure, which they distribute throughout the city using brass pipes. They likewise use it for transportation, riding small air balloons along updrafts of hot steam, allowing them to ascend the ravine quickly. The city is religiously affiliated with Moradin, patron god of dwarves, clans, mining, and smithing. Its name is “Dhothor Crags,” “Dhothor” being a fantasy (read: made-up) word that sounds vaguely dwarvish, and “crag” being a term for a rough cliff face. Later, I can decide on the significance of “Dhothor,” perhaps as a proper noun.
Next, in order to properly illustrate application of the points detailed above, I need to create a general questline. Once again, this can remain in broad strokes.
Questline (broad strokes): For the primary antagonist, I want to include a character that would choose to jeopardize the city. An administrator in the city likely would not do so unless they were undercover or disguised. While an agent of a rival faction would work for this, since this example won’t dive deeply into creating other cities, kingdoms, and nations, a solitary agent suits this scenario best. An adult or ancient chromatic dragon polymorphed into a dwarf in a position of some authority fits this criterion. Finally, since the city is situated directly above a portal to the elemental plane of fire, a red dragon suits this role nicely.

Step Two: host a session zero

Due to the nature of the steps detailed in the previous section, and lacking a party with which to consult during my session zero-equivalent, I instead take this time to build a character, pulling from typical adventurer backstory tropes. Understanding that the setting is largely dwarven, I know that my character should have some connection to dwarven culture, if not be dwarven himself. In session zero, the DM can work with the players to together create a backstory for the character. The following description might represent a collaborative effort by the player, who would design the character and his motivations, and the DM, who would help the player decide how the character fits into the city of Dhothor Crags.
Example character: Damien Nicandro, human cleric of Moradin
Damien was born in the city of Dhothor Crags to human parents, both of whom were scholars studying dwarven culture. In typical adventurer fashion, he suffered the loss of both of his parents at a young age, leaving him orphaned. A priest of Moradin, Galrik, took the young human boy in and raised him in a nearby temple. Damien, seeking to repay the Galrik for his kindness, emulated his worship of Moradin, eventually becoming a cleric of the dwarven deity himself. This background means that Damien has never fit in with humans (due to his worship of a dwarven god), nor with dwarves (due to his human nature), providing him with ample reason to leave his home and seek adventure in order to find a place in which he truly belongs.

Step Three: finalize setting and quests

The third step is the most work-intensive, requiring a great deal of creative energy. In this particular case, I follow the general format provided by Matthew Mercer’s Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting, which features Westruun as a described city. I also periodically include annotations explaining the reasons for various details.
​
Dhothor Crags
Large city, population ~35,220
78% Dwarf, 12% Gnome, 5% Human, 5% Other
Since this is a dwarven city, the majority of the population should be dwarves. Gnomes make sense for the largest minority, being considered an “underground” race, much like dwarves.
Dhothor Crags is a dwarven city built into the sides of an impossibly deep chasm. It acts as a halfway point between the underground dwarven clans and the nations of surface creatures above. Unfortunately, due to its geographical position between the sea and some frozen wastelands, travel to the city is difficult, and thus it is still primarily populated by dwarves. At the bottom of the city lies a portal to the elemental plane of fire, which provides heat for the entire ravine.
Government
Dhothor Crags, as a dwarven city, operates largely in a clan-based system. Every twenty years, each of the five most populous clans elect a representative to the ruling council. This council has absolute administrative and legislative authority. It supervises the various guilds, conducts censuses, and manages the city’s defenses against internal crime and external invasion.

Clans and Guilds

Dwarves are a communal people. In every aspect of their lives, they group together and accomplish great things, from beautiful architecture to brilliant feats of scientific engineering. Thus, their populations are often broken into loosely-related clans, each ruled by a chieftain. The various clans have their own identities and constantly squabble with one another due to their signature stubbornness and pride, but when faced with an external threat, they will immediately unify as one enormous family. The current five great clans are:
Stonefist
Grodmere
Irongut
Velgok
Alebringer
​
The city can also be divided among guilds. While some guilds may be more heavily associated with clans, almost all of them feature members of multiple clans. The most powerful guilds tend to pressure the administrative council to achieve their ends, but never act maliciously against one another. Among the greatest guilds are:
The Plumbers Guild, which oversees the Steamworks (see below)
The Smithies Guild, which deals in crafting valuable metal supports and tools for both guild- and general-use
The Miners Guild, which acquires resources from undergrounding mining operations
The Travelers Guild, which deals in trading both underground with other dwarven settlements, and with surface cities
The Church of Moradin, which is by far the most powerful religious organization
Each guild has a rigorous process of apprenticeship and registration, and grants great prestige upon any who are able to prove themselves sufficiently skilled in their trade.

History

Dhothor Crags represents the life’s work of Dhothor, a dwarven adventurer from long ago. He sought to create a place of peaceful contact between the isolated underground dwarves and the populous cities of surface-dwellers. Unable to find either appropriate places to settle, or a patron willing to assist him, he travelled far north on the surface. On the verge of freezing to death, he stumbled upon an enormous ravine which radiated heat. Realizing he had found his place, he began the work of creating his city, carving out dozens of structures by his own hands. Slowly, people migrated in, whether seeking a new life or merely curious about the now-famous fiery glow from below. Centuries later, as Dhothor lay on his deathbed, he laid out the system of governance by clan election. This is the same system that still holds to this day.

Geography

The Great Channel
The Great Channel was carved by Dhothor himself. It begins at the the farthest western extent of the ravine, and allows for the free flow of seawater to be distributed evenly along the entire length. This water pours directly into the portal to the plane of fire down below, resulting in vast quantities of steam. It also cools the overall temperature of the ravine to manageable levels.
The Steamworks
Dhothor Crags’ most famous feature is undoubtedly the Steamworks, a vast and intricate series of brass pipes. Begun by Dhothor himself, it is constantly expanding due to the diligent work of the Plumbers Guild. The pipes convey extremely hot steam (created by the Great Channel) throughout the city, providing various engines and forges with nearly unlimited power. Various valves and locks also enable rapid transport up and down the cliffside, riding updrafts of hot air and steam in small hot air balloons.
Northern Cliff District
The cliff on the northern side of the ravine has a smaller population than does its counterpart. The northern cliff has fewer tunnels into the underground, and is slightly more exposed to weather from the surface. As such, it is the site of more industrial than residential development, and houses several of the largest forges in the city, including the Allfather’s Hammer, a hybrid temple/forge, and Damien’s adopted home.
Southern Cliff District
The cliff on the southern side has roughly twice the development of its opposite. It is the site of several large terraces on which residential neighborhoods rest. The whole of the cliff face is pockmarked with caves of various sizes, inside of which are carved structures for commerce, travel, military endeavors, and city administration.

Landmarks

Dhothor’s Crest
Dhothor’s Crest is a horizontal circular platform, roughly two hundred feet in diameter, suspended in a narrow part of the ravine towards the bottom. It marks the lowest extent of the city in which the heat is survivable for long periods of time. Residents who wish to prove their mettle in extreme heat come to the crest for various initiation ceremonies for the guilds. It is also the site of religious observances and ritualistic forging, using gouts of flame pulled from the portal below.
Council Chambers
The Council Chambers are in the largest cave in the Southern Cliff District. They feature an intricate series of buildings, both carved into the walls and constructed on the floor. The Council Chambers are the site of the vast majority of city administration. They also house a large arena which the various clans may temporarily reserve for festivities, voting practices, and combat showcases.
Allfather’s Hammer
The Allfather’s Hammer is a large, multilayered temple/forge structure near the bottom of the Northern Cliff District. The bottom layers are typically used for forging, crafting, and education of various traditional dwarven pursuits, while the top layers are reserved for religious observances such as prayer, meditation, and great feasts. The temple is also in possession of a magical hammer believed to be that carried by Dhothor himself.
Step Four: Authority Figure
Already knowing that I want my authority figure, a polymorphed red dragon, to be the villain of the first major campaign arc, I must find a way to tie it into the city itself. First, however, I must create its own identity and motivations.
Example Villain: Vuldrasz, the Lord of Embers
Vuldrasz is a mysterious and evil female ancient red dragon. Recognizing that the portal
is a place of powerful interplanar magics, she seeks to dominate the city so she may possess it for herself and draw energy from the plane of fire in order to grow more powerful. She recognizes that in the confines of the city, a frontal assault would be suicidal even for her, so she has infiltrated the city over the span of a century under the guise of Syrolen Stonefist, elected official of the Stonefist clan. She understands that adventurers are a threat to her plans, so she will apply increasing pressure to a potential party, seeking (first legally, then violently) to eliminate them.
Were I to run a game in this campaign, I would farther construct Vuldrasz’s plot and actions against the city and player characters, but for the purposes of this demonstration, the given details will suffice.
Working with a player, as I DM, I might suggest a way that Vuldrasz could be connected to a player backstory. Ideally, I would not inform the player that Vuldrasz is a dragon that has infiltrated the city, so as to maintain an element of surprise and suspense. For instance, I might suggest that Damien’s player incorporate into his backstory that the cause of his parents’ death was a red dragon, or that they were killed for uncovering a hidden plot. A simple hint along these lines allows for personal intrigue and interaction with the plotline. Giving the player an occasional hint can feed their curiosity.
With this, I have constructed a simple setting. There are of course many more things to fill in. A DM could include the names of important figures in the city, various shops and economic details, relationships with other cities and organizations, and more. For now, however, the basic structure is completed. The players have an antagonist to discover and oppose, a complicated, alien city to explore, and a culture to navigate.
In this paper, I have provided an introduction to Dungeons and Dragons and its related scholarship and amateur work. I have also analyzed parts of the famous campaign world of Matthew Mercer’s Exandria, and used my findings to create a simple guide for constructing a compelling city setting, intended for DM use. Lastly, I applied the principles of the guide to create my own city setting in order to illustrate how the guide works in action.
Finally, to the hardworking DMs and brave adventurers who read this, I wish you luck, excitement, and camaraderie in your games and many adventures to come!

Hey guys, I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out. I need to know if I'm in the wrong here. I recently got a B in a class because I got a zero on my final paper because my professor accused me of plagiarism. I know a B in a class isn't horrible, but this class is a simple GE class I should have gotten an A in.
Here are the instructions to the assignment for clarity:
For this assignment, you will pick one chapter from the book Why Evolution is True, read it, and write an annotated bibliography.
How to do the project:

1. Write the citation for Why Evolution is True at the top of the page (in the format shown below – this is the only part of the paper that is single-spaced).
2. Pick a chapter.
3. Spend one paragraph summarizing the chapter (note which chapter it is in the beginning).
4. Write a second paragraph describing one specific aspect of the chapter (this can be a specific example or story within the chapter that Coyne describes).
5. Use at least one short quote (one sentence or less) in the bibliography and cite the quote in the correct style as shown below (using author last name, date of publication, and page number).

Here's the story:
My professor gave me a zero out of thirty points on my final paper because Turn-it-in, the plagiarism software, claimed that I had 44% similarity to other papers on the internet. Here is what my professor said:
"44% plagiarized on turnitin (this paper is not original work - it has been pasted together from various internet sources and lightly changed from there). Please don't do this in the future."
I honestly could not believe this. I would never and have never plagiarized in my life. I put my paper through Easybib's plagiarism software which said that I had 27% of my paper plagiarized. Easybib claimed that I had "plagiarized" quotes from my book (which I had properly cited) and terminology from the book that I could have not avoided using in my paper since my professor had asked for a summary of the chapter. I emailed him back with screenshots of the plagiarism check and said this:
"Hello Professor,
You may have seen my comment on the assignment for the annotated bibliography, but I am emailing you to prove that I did not plagiarize a single thing on my assignment. I looked at the Turn-it-in evaluation of my paper and it claimed I had plagiarized the title of the book, the title of the chapter I wrote about, and phrases such as "the theory of evolution" and "natural selection", all of which I could not have avoided. Additionally, Turn-it-in also says I plagiarized quotes from the book that were written on other papers online. Shouldn't this be normal because those other papers have used those quotes before? I ran my paper through another plagiarism checker and it says that what I have "plagiarized" is the citation at the top of my paper, the six parts of evolution (which I had to use straight from the book), and quotes from Why Evolution is True which I properly cited according to the format you requested. I have attached screenshots below so you can view the results. I would never support plagiarism nor would I do it. Please review the evidence I have provided you with and reconsider my grade on this paper because I believe that I don't deserve a zero on this assignment or a permanent mark on my record for something I didn't even do."
He replied with:
"Unfortunately, you did plagiarize, and the grade stands. I know you did not take someone else's paper and copy it directly. What you did was take sentences from the book and lightly change them by replacing a verb or adjective, and pass them off as your own. These are not the quotes, but rather the body of your essay. Your percent plagiarized was 44%, not the 27% that you claim. I do not expect 0% (because direct quotes will of course come up as "plagiarized"), but once the paper hits about 25% or so, there is likely something wrong. 44% is way off.
This is because you did things like this:The book - "Gradualism does not mean, however, that a species evolves at an even pace."You - "gradualism does not mean that a species evolves at a steady pace."What you did was take a sentence from the book, erase the word "however," and change "even" to "steady." There are other examples of this in your paper. Again, these are not quotes, but passed off as your original work. You simply cannot do this kind of thing in college.Ultimately, you need to change your writing style. You need to read the article, then use your own words to describe what you read, instead of looking over the article and picking a few choice sentences to lightly change."
I don't know where I went wrong. He asked me to summarize the book, and I did. For the quote he used to prove that I plagiarized, I wrote this: "Finally, Coyne mentions that gradualism does not mean that a species evolves at a steady pace." I never branded these words as my own (I wrote "Finally, COYNE"; aka the author) and I gave multiple in-text-citations. I always gave credit to the author when I used the words of the book. I felt like he changed his argument; initially he said that I had plagiarized off of multiple sources online, but now he was saying that I plagiarized directly from the book by slightly changing sentences.
Please help me out. I really don't want a B in the class and I want to appeal to the professor or the dean so I can either have this class taken out of my record or get another chance to receive an A in the class.
Edit: Thanks everyone for the help. I'm not going to take further action on this. I didn't get an A, but I learned a valuable life lesson.

A family member of mine has been working as an accounts payable clerk for about 25 years now for the same government organization, and she only has an A.A. in Business Administration. Her boss (also of 25 years) told her that she plans to retire in a couple years and that she would like her to continue her education to get her bachelor's in order to be promoted to a salary position with much better compensation compared to her current hourly position of 25 years.
That family member of mine is currently enrolled in an intermediate accounting class, and with only 3 weeks left in the condensed summer class, has to complete a 5-7 page research paper talking about the current FASB Balance Sheet Simplification Initiative Classification of Current versus Noncurrent Debt.
Although the parameters of the research paper are pretty narrow in scope and the page requirements are small, I know that that family member of mine is struggling because verbose academic papers, annotated bibliographies, and keeping a research log per the grading requirements of the project are not in her wheelhouse. She is a very hands-on, "just show me how to do it" type of individual. And she would rather work with the concrete than the theoretical, especially something practical that can immediately be applied. I was also curious to ask her if she felt that she has learned the actual techniques of accounting from the class and if she could easily use those skills on the job. She said she felt like with a little bit of guidance from her superiors, that she felt she could quickly apply the techniques of accounting from the class on the job in her organization. So it really is just the homework assignments like analyzing ongoing events like evaluation of Boeing assets and stock or proposed changes from FASB on GAAP that starts to go above her head.
I also can't help but wonder how much critical thinking and research ability her organization really requires.
I wanted to ask what other opinions that professionals (CPAs, accounting clerks, certified bookkeepers, certified auditors, etc.) have on the subject:
How useful or important is collegiate critical thinking, liberal arts education, academic research ability, etc. to working day to day in the accounting field for most typical positions?
Do you feel that continuing education programs (i.e. bachelor's degree programs for adults beyond 25 years old and especially who have several years or more of experience in the field) should be more practical and job-training focused, or provide the traditional liberal arts education of critical thinking and academic skills and abilities?
Accounting and business administration are not career fields that I am familiar with, and I concede that it's possible that the family member of mine is just put into an odd position simply because she works for a government organization that has a promotion structure that might require her to get a bachelor's degree that maybe she won't actually need to do her job and receive additional responsibilities.
Perhaps accounting and accounting clerk jobs in the private workforce allow for greater opportunities for career advancement without requiring a bachelor's degree or a CPA -- for example, certifications in bookkeeping, and seeking out other job opportunities with greater responsibility (like moving from an accounts receivable clerk position to bookkeeper for a small company).

Chapter Thirty-one – Instructions [הוראות, HORah’OTh] [on] behavior to a king  

“An instruction, unusual in being attributed to a king’s mother (cf. [compare with] 1:8b = 6:20b).” (Thomas P. McCreesh, 1990, p. 461)  

-1. Words of LeMOo-’ayL [“To Him God”, Lemuel], king,
burden that chastised him [יסרתו, YeeÇahRThO], his mother.  

“There is no evidence whatever that Muel or Lemuel means Solomon: - the chapter seems to be much later than his time; and the several Chaldaisms which occur in the very opening of it are no mean proof of this. If Agur was not the author of it, it may be considered as another supplement to the Book of Proverbs. Most certainly Solomon did not write it.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 558)  
“Taught: Lit. [literally], ‘corrected,’ ‘set in the right way.’” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 953)  

-2. What, my son [ברי, BahReeY, Aramaic], and what, son of my belly, and what, son of my vow?  

“The word for son in each case in this verse is Aramaic [בר, BahR] not Hebrew [בן, BeN].” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 953)  

-3. Do not give to women your force,
and your ways to wipers‎[-out] [‎למחות‎, LahMHOTh] [of] ‎kings [מלכין, MeLahKheeYN, Aramaic].  
-4. It is not ‎[‎אל‎, ’ahL]‎ to kings, LeMO’aYL*, not to kings, his drinking ‎[of]‎ wine,
and to barons [ולרוזנים, OoLeROZNeeYM] nor [אי, ’eeY, (qere - read for או, 'O in text)] strong drink ‎[‎שכר‎, ShayKhahR]‎,  

“The general meaning is clear, but the text is corrupt. The opening word ‘al, a negative, ordinarily goes with a verb, which is missing here. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, has probably gotten into the Hebrew text by dittography of the following words.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 953)  

-5. lest he drinks and he forgets legislation [מחקק, MeHooQahQ],
and hates court [דין, DeeYN], all sons of need.  

“All the verbs are singular in the Hebrew.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 954)

-6. Give strong drink to [one] perishing [לאובד, Le’OBayD],
and wine to an embittered soul;
-7. he will drink and forget his poverty,
and his labor he will not remember [any]more [עוד, `OD].  

“We have already seen that inebriating drinks were mercifully given to condemned criminals, to render them less sensible of the torture they endured in dying. This is what was offered to our Lord: but He refused it. See… Psa. [Psalm] civ, 15.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 559)  

-8. Open your mouth to a mute,
do not [bring to] court [דין, DeeYN] all [the] sons of vanishing [חלוף, HahLOoPh].  

“All…appointed to destruction or all who are left desolate… Lit., sons of passing away… A difficult expression, interpreted by the KJV [King James Version] to mean ‘those who disappear,’ i.e. [in other words], ‘perish,’ and by the RSV [Revised Standard Version], ‘those who are left behind.’” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 954)  

-9. Open your mouth,
judge righteously,
and bring to court the needy and impoverished. [See 19:17]  
 

A WOMAN OF FORCE  

I presume to translate the word חיל HaYL as “force” rather than “good” or “virtuous” because it means “strength, might, bravery”, because it is the root of the word for soldier (חייל, HahY-YaL), because it is used with that meaning in modern Hebrew (חיל אוויר HaYL ‘ahVVeeYR, “air-force”), and because “good” is usually a translation of טוב TOB and “virtuous” is usually a translation of the synonyms מוסרי MOÇahReeY “disciplined”, ישר, YahShahR “upright”, and צדיק TsahDeeYQ “righteous”. Once that decision had been made I read this section with an eye to whether the content would support my decision. I found that it did, and I got some help from Clarke (see his comment on verse 10). It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the translators and other commentators could not bring themselves to ascribe the adjective to a woman which they would have most naturally done had the subject been a man. I don’t usually defend my translation, but in this case I believe it makes a rare contribution to the sense.  
“In Proverbs woman is portrayed in a bad light as well as in a good one. A contentious woman is referred to in 19:13… as an undesirable companion. The wicked woman who lures young men to the sins of the flesh is frequently mentioned throughout the book, especially in chs. [chapters]1-9… On the other hand we also find in Proverbs the most complimentary picture of woman in the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] As wife (vss. [verses]10-31…) and as mother who helps with the training of the children and thereby demands their respect and obedience (1:8-9…), she holds an important place with the father in the household. Although polygamy was allowed by law, it is not even hinted at in Proverbs. The ideal of the wise men was monogamy, which is definitely encouraged in 5:15-19.  
“This eulogy of the good wife is written in the form of an acrostic poem in which the first letter of each verse follows the order of the Hebrew alphabet. By this device the writer may be indicating that he is dealing exhaustively with the subject in an orderly way. It also facilitates the memorization of the passage…” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 954)  

-10. A woman of force, who will find?
And distant [ורחק, VeRahHoQ] from corals is her price.  

“She is virtuous woman – a woman of power and strength. אשת חיל eshet chayil…” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 559)  

-11. Relied in her, heart [of] her husband [בעלה, Bah`ahLaH],
and bounty [ושלל, VeShahLahL] would not lack.  

“Heart: If the word is taken in its usual meaning in Proverbs as ‘mind’… the verse does not refer to the husband’s affection for her but to his confidence in her ability to manage things… Spoil or gain: The word shālāl means booty taken in war. Here it means general wealth.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 955)  

-12. She requited him [גמלתהו, GeMahLahTheHOo] good and not evil
all [the] days of her life.  
-13. She sought wool [צמר, TsehMehR] and flaxes [ופשתים, OoPheeShTheeYM],
and would make, in delight [בחפץ, BeHayPheTs], her palms.  

“She did not buy ready woven cloth: she procured the raw material, if wool, most probably from her own flocks; if flax, most probably from her own fields.  
“… It needs no arguments to prove that women, even of the highest ranks among the Greeks, Romans, and Israelites, worked with their hands at every kind of occupation necessary for the support of the family.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 559)  

-14. She was like ships [of] merchandise [סוחר, ÇOHayR], from a distance bringing her bread,
-15. and would rise in more night,
and would give prey to her house[hold],
and [the] allotment [וחק, VeHoQ, “law”] to her youths [feminine].  

“Food: The word ṭéreph literally means ‘prey.’ Portion: Whether the word refers to allotted work… or to food… is uncertain. The third stich was probably added later as a gloss on the preceding one, since no other verse in the poem has three stichs.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 955)  

-16. She plotted [זממה, ZahMeMaH] a field and would take it,
from [the] fruit of her hands she planted [נטעה, NahTe`aH (qere for נטע)] a vineyard.  

“If taken literally, this verse reveals a remarkably high status of woman in the economic world… The fruit of her hands: That which has been earned with her hands.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 955)  

-17. She girded [חגרה, HahGahRaH] in might [בעוז, Be`OZ her loins [מתניה, MahThNehHah],
and makes mighty her arms.  

She gathers her up her skirt and bares her arms for serious work.  

-18. She tasted if [כי, KeeY] good, her merchandise,
and would not put out at night her lamp.  

“… the good wife working late at night and early in the morning.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 956)  

-19. Her hands she sends forth in [the] distaff [בכישור, BeKeeYShOR]
and her palms support [תמכו, ThahMKhOo] [the] spindle [פלך, PahLehKh].  

“The Hebrew word for distaff is found only here. Its meaning is not certain.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 956)  
Figure 8 Distaff and Spindle  
“She gives an example of skill and industry to her household. She takes the distaff, that on which the wool or flax was rolled: and the spindle, that by twisting *of which she *twisted the thread, with the right hand, while she held the distaff in the guard of the left arm, and drew down the thread with the fingers of the left-hand…. The spindle and distaff are the most ancient of all the instruments used for spinning, or making thread.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 560)  

-20. Her palm she spread to [one] needy,
and her hands she sent forth to a pauper.  

“She is truly charitable. She knows that in every portion of a man’s gain God requires a lot for the poor; and if this is not given, God’s blessing is not in the rest. And she is not contented to give common alms. While with one hand ‎(‎יד‎, yad)‎ she relieved the general poor; with both hands (ידיה yadeyah) both hands [actually, “her hands”] she gives to the needy…” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 560)  

-21. She will not fear, to her house[hold] from snow,
for all her house[hold] are clothed [in] scarlets [שנים, ShahNeeYM].  

“The LXX [The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible] and Vulg. [Vulgate, the authorized Latin Bible] read ‘double’ (shenáyim) for this word (shānîm), probably referring to ‘double’ garments.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 956)  

-22. Carpets [מרבדים, MahRBahDeeYM] she made to her,
linen [שש, ShaySh] and purple [וארגמן, Ve’ahRGahMahN] is her clothing.  

“Covering: See… 7:16. This word occurs only in Proverbs… Purple: Garments dyed with this coloring matter were very costly. Her wardrobe is luxurious.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 956)  
“The purple was supposed to have been dyed by a precious liquor obtained from the pinna magna, a large shell fish, of the muscle kind, found on the coasts of the Mediterranean sea. I have seen some of them nearly two feet in length. But it is a doubt whether ever any such liquor was obtained from this or any other fish; and the story itself is invented merely to hide the secret, the proper method of dying purple; which was kept so well, that it certainly died with the ancients.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 561)  

-23. Known [נודע, NODah`] in [the] gates is her husband,
in his sitting with [the] elders of [the] land. [See 1:21]  
-24. A sheet [סדין, ÇahDeeYN] she made and sells,
and a girdle [וחגור, VeHahGOoR] she gave to a trader.  

“The סדון [sic] sidon , is supposed to come from سرن [SeeDaN] in Arabic; and to signify a kind of loose inner garment, shirt, chemise, or fine muslin covering. Some of these are so exceedingly fined, like the abrooan, that when spread on the grass, they are scarcely discernible. Some such garments as these are still worn by ladies in India, and in China; and are so thin and transparent, that every part of the body may be seen through them. I have many representations of persons clothed in this way before me, both of the Chinese, the Hindoo, and the Malabar ladies. Probably this eminent Jewish matron had such articles manufactured in her own house.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 561)  

-25. Might and splendor [והדר, VeHahDahR] her clothing,
and will laugh to day the last.  
-26. Her mouth she opened in wisdom,
and instruction of mercy upon her tongue.  

“This is the most distinguishing excellence of this woman. There are very few of those who are called managing women who are not lords over their husbands, tyrants over their servants, and insolent among their neighbours.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 562)  

-27. Scouter [צופיה, TsOPheeYaH] ‎[of]‎ the goings on [הליכות, HahLeeKhOTh] in her house[hold],
and [the] bread [of] laziness does not eat. ‎ 

“… she looks to” Hebr [Hebrew] ṣôpiyyâ is a hymnic participle and a play on the Gk [Greek] word for wisdom, sophia…” (Thomas P. McCreesh, 1990, p. 461) ‎ 
“She knows that idleness leads to vice; and, therefore, everyone has his work, and every one has his proper food. That they may work well, they are fed well; and every one, at least, earns the bread that he eats – eateth not the bread of idleness.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 562) ‎ 

-28. Rise, her sons, and make her fortune [ויאשרוה, VahYe’ahShROoHah],
her husband, and he would praise her [ויהללה, VahYeHahLeLaH]:
-29. “Multitudes [of] daughters have made force,
and you ascended upon all of them.” ‎ 

“This verse, according to the RSV, is the expression of praise from the lips of the good wife’s husband… this custom of using the word ‘daughter’ for ‘woman’ may be a survival from the time when a woman, even after marriage, remained a member of her father’s family, and so was called daughter.” (Fritsch, 1955, p. IV 957) ‎ 

-30. A lie, the charm, and vain the lovely [היפה, HahYoPheeH];
a woman revering YHVH, she is to be praised. ‎ 

“Favour, חן chen, grace of manner may be deceitful, many a fair appearance of this kind is put on, assumed for certain secular or more unworthy purposes: it is learned by painful drilling in polished seminaries, and being the effect of mere physical discipline, it continues while the restraint lasts… ‎ 
“Beauty… elegance of shape, symmetry of features, dignity of mien, and beauty of countenance, are all vanity; sickness impairs them, suffering deranges them, and death destroys them.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 562) ‎ 

-31. Give to her from [the] fruit of her hands,
and they will praise her, in [the] gates, her doings. ‎ 
‎ 

Conclusion ‎ 

“The Arabic concludes thus: - ‘The discipline of Solomon written out by the friends of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the interpretation of which is extremely difficult, (but) is now completed by the assistance and influence of the Son of God.’” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 563) ‎ 
Clarke goes on for several crowded pages with examples of Asiatic proverbs, I include one of them: ‎ 

“The words of Ali to his sons. ‎ 
My sons, never despise any person: consider your superior as your father, your equal as your brother, and your inferior as your son.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 566) ‎ 

 
Footnotes  
¹ SIC – the word here is כפה, KahPhaH, “her palm”, an uncharacteristic blunder on Clarke’s part. It is fine to use “hand” as a synonym for “palm” but not to substitute יד, YahD for כף, KahPh.  
Study Aids  
The Interlinear Bible,
Hebrew, Greek, English, With Strong’s Concordance Numbers Above Each Word, Jay. Green, Sr., Hendrickson Publishers. A gift from my parents. Essential, but even the pocket dictionary has a better binding, so see if you can find a better one.  
The Comprehensive Concordance of the Bible:
Together With Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original, With References to the English,
by James Strong,
Mendenhall Sales, Inc.
Also a gift (or appropriation) from my parents. Excellent binding. A most curious introduction. Lacks perfection; when the number is wrong, you’re really stuck. There is one word in II Chronicles for which I never did find a definition. Way out of date; a concordance is essential, according to my cousin, Dr. John Cook, one should consider Mandelkern’s.  
ספר הבריתות, תורה נביאים כתובים והברית החדשה [ÇayPheR HahBReeYThOTh, ThORaH NeBeeY’eeM KeThOoBeeYM VeHahBReeYTh HehHahDahShaH, “The Account of the Covenants: Instruction, Prophets, Writings, and the Covenant the New”] The Bible Society in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 1991. Will survive anything short of untrained puppies, but the back is broken now. Easy to read “Arial” type font. A gift from Joy; the one I read and annotate.  
Compendious Hebrew-English Dictionary, Comprising a Complete Vocabulary of biblical, Mishnaic, Medieval and Modern Hebrew, complied by Reuben Avinoam (Grossmann) in collaboration with H. Sachs, revised and edited by M. H. Segal, The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950. Part of a three volume set (the others being English-Hebrew and a supplement). A hand me down from dad. My first recourse when the pocket dictionary fails me.  
Hebrew-English, English-Hebrew Dictionary in three volumes, by Israel Efros, Ph.D., Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman Ph.D, Benjamin Silk, B.C.L., Edited by Judah Ibn-Shmuel Kaufman, Ph.D., The Dvir Publishing Co. Tel-Aviv, 1950 The Megiddo pocket dictionary is basically a copy of this, but often leaves out cultic terms, so this one is often useful. The back of the Hebrew-English volume is gone, and it has fallen in half, but the pages are sewn; one might say that it is doing about as well as I am.  
המלון החדש [HaMaLON HeHaDaSh – “The New Dictionary”] by Abraham Even Shoshan, a Hebrew-Hebrew dictionary in seven volumes, Sivan Press Ltd., Jerusalem, Israel, 1970 – The gold standard, given to me by Mom; sorry Homer.  
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm - A Hebrew - English Bible According to the Masoretic Text and the JPS 1917 Edition – Really useful for ensuring consistency in translation, I use it frequently; it also has an audio feature which helps with transliterating.  
Bibliography  
Adam Clarke, L. F. (1831). The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testament... with Commentary and Critical Notes (first ed., Vols. III Psalms - Isaiah). New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh.  
Fritsch, C. T. (1955). The Book of Proverbs - Introduction and Exegesis. In G. A. Terrien (Ed.), The Interpreters' Bible (Vol. 4). Nashville: Abingdon Press.  
Schloerb, R. W. (1955). The Book of Proverbs, Exposition. In R. W. Charles T. Fritsch, & W. R. George Arthur Buttrick (Ed.), The Interpreters' Bible (Vol. IV, p. 957). Nashville: Abingdon Press.  
Thomas P. McCreesh, O. (1990). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.  
An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible