Stephen Baker

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2011 EAST MIDLANDS BOOK AWARDMoving from the gas-flares of Teesside, to marine adventures in the South Atlantic, Hemispheres is a salutary and searing debut novel for anyone who enjoyed Kes and The Northern Clemency.When sixteen-year-old Dannys father, Yan, leaves their Teesside home to fight in the Falklands War, he never returns and Danny imagines he is either dead or has abandoned him and his mother for good. So when, thirty years later, Yan reappears, there is much to be explained, and forgiven, if father and son are to reconcile their broken relationship. Yan has spent the lost years half a world away, adrift on a remarkable chain of adventures set in motion when he deserted from the army. But when he discovers he is dying from lung cancer, he returns to his homeland in the north-east of England to reconcile his damaged relationship with his son. Separated by years and experience, father and son find unexpected solace and harmony together through their shared love of birds and birdwatching. Hemispheres is a gloriously ambitious debut novel about family, destiny, nature and coming home.

Every day we produce loads of data about ourselves simply by living in the modern world: we click web pages, shop with credit cards, and make cell phone calls. Companies like Yahoo! and Google are harvesting an average of 2,500 details about each of us every month. Who is looking at this data and what are they doing with it? Journalist Stephen Baker explores these questions and provides us with a fascinating guide to the world we''re enteringand to the people controlling that world. The Numerati have infiltrated every realm of human affairs, profiling us as workers, shoppers, voters, potential terroristsand lovers. The implications are vast. Privacy evaporates. Our bosses can monitor our every move. Retailers can better tempt us to make impulse buys. But the Numerati can also work on our behalf, diagnosing an illness before we''re aware of the symptoms, or even helping us find our soul mate. Entertaining and enlightening, The Numerati shows how a powerful new endeavorthe mathematical modeling of humanitywill transform every aspect of our lives.

You think your life is crazy. Try looking at the world through your dog''s big melting brown eyes. If your dog is neurotic (and what dog isn''t these days?), consider these helpful pointers: Don''t interrupt your dog''s napsremember, he needs your bed far more than you do. Don''t force your dog to play fetch just because you feel like itkeep in mind his busy schedule too. Never bark orders at your dog. "Please" and "thank you" work wonders with the neurotic dog. Give your dog a canine personality quizit''s the first step before starting him on full-fledged psychoanalysis. If all else fails, feed him! Stephen Baker''s delightful HOW TO LIVE WITH A NEUROTIC DOG is sure to have both you and your canine companion rolling on the floor and begging for more.

Cat owners know the truth: cats, in fact, own them and their feline needs must be met—sooner rather than later. In this delightfully irreverent book, highlighted by Jackie Geyer's evocative illustrations, the author of the highly successful, How to Live with a Neurotic Dog, offers coping mechanisms for those who struggle with the endless task of keeping their cats pampered and therefore happy.

What kind of teacher are you? What values, beliefs and principles do successful teachers have and how do they sustain these in the face of challenging pupil behaviour?In this timely book, Stephen Baker contends that rigid punishment systems weaponize young peoples defiance against them and that punishment doesnt work. He believes that teachers need to take responsibility for behaviour and to lead it, not just manage it, that we need to love the kids (even if we dont like them), that children are people, thatweare an event intheirlives, and that teaching is a relationship-based activity.With each chapter followed by engaging takeaway tasks,That Behaviour Bookwill allow teachers to rapidly improve both their practice and their relationships with pupils and classes. The book looks at the values that will sustain you as a teacher, how routines will help you teach better and what positive expectations really mean, making child-centred relational practice easy to apply in the classroom. Teachers will have a more realistic appreciation of their own situation and of the context in which they teach. In short, this book will help teachers learn how to get the very best out of their pupils.That Behaviour Bookis an essential guide for both the beginner and the more experienced teacher. Its unique tone makes it an indispensable companion for the busy teacher, providing a sense of connection, challenge and reassurance all at once. Stephen Bakers anecdotes, drawn from his years as a pupil, teacher and trainer pack an emotional punch and are often hilarious.Suitable for all teachers.

Una nueva mafia matemática, los Numerati, analiza nuestros actos para averiguar nuestros hábitos. Los resultados son funestos: manipulan nuestra conducta y nuestra privacidad se evapora.