Search results for ""Author Alison Winter""

Thousands of men and women all across Britain in the Victorian age were being mesmerized, twisted into bizarre postures and speaking out in unknown languages, and the Victorians were literally entranced with this phenomenon. The text focuses on mesmerism: who was entranced, who did the entrancing, why mesmerism was such a compelling experience to so many and how it became equally powerful evidence of fraud and "unscientific" behaviour to many others. It illuminates dark areas of the relationship between science and society, allowing the assessment of the role of authority in particular social contexts: who draws the line between the bogus and the authentic and how is the boundary maintained? More fundamentally, what is the nature of the powers that wield, and the influences that bind humans together in a social body?

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The workings of memory have fascinated scientists for hundreds of years, and in Memory: Fragments of a Modern History, Alison Winter shows that our understanding of them has changed dramatically in just the past century, with major consequences for science, medicine, and everyday life. Memories have been declared as reliable as sounds caught on tape, and they have been dismissed as inherently volatile. Researchers have tried to understand what we do when we remember by appealing to motion pictures, filing cabinets, and flashbulbs. Tracing the cultural and scientific history of such drastically opposed convictions, Winter introduces us to the innovative scientists, venturesome medical practitioners, determined police interrogators, and, in some cases, incorrigible sensation seekers who sought to master this mysterious power. Culminating in the climactic "memory wars" of the 1980s and '90s, the story she tells illuminates not only the practices of science and medicine, but also a subject that is absolutely essential to how we all live our daily lives.

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Picture your twenty-first birthday. Did you have a party? If so, do you remember who was there? Now step back: how clear are those memories? Should we trust them to be accurate, or is there a chance that you're remembering incorrectly? And where have the many details you can no longer recall gone? Are they hidden somewhere in your brain, or are they lost forever? Such questions have fascinated scientists for hundreds of years, and, as Alison Winter shows in "Memory: Fragments of a Modern History", the answers have changed dramatically in just the past century. Tracing the cultural and scientific history of our understanding of memory, Winter explores early metaphors that likened memory to a filing cabinet; later, she shows, that cabinet was replaced by the image of a reel of film, ever available for playback. That model, too, was eventually superseded, replaced by the current understanding of memory as the result of an extremely complicated, brain-wide web of cells and systems that together assemble our pasts. Winter introduces us to innovative scientists and sensationalistic seekers, and, drawing on evidence ranging from scientific papers to diaries to movies, explores the way that new understandings from the laboratory have seeped out into psychiatrists' offices, courtrooms, and the culture at large. Along the way, she investigates the sensational battles over the validity of repressed memories that raged through the 1980s and shows us how changes in technology-such as the emergence of recording devices and computers-have again and again altered the way we conceptualize, and even try to study, the ways we remember. Packed with fascinating details and curious episodes from the convoluted history of memory science, "Memory" is a book you'll remember long after you close its cover.

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Harry and Naomi are back in the TARDIS, travelling with a very different Doctor to the one they first met – and he has promised to get them home… The TARDIS takes them to Earth, but to a dangerous era decades before their own. And when they visit the aftermath of a distant supernova, Harry is keener than ever to return to home comforts. But Naomi isn’t so certain… Contains two new adventures: Operation Dusk by Alfie Shaw (three parts). London during the Blitz, a city covered in darkness. It keeps everyone safe - until the darkness gets hungry. As the questions and victims mount up, the Doctor, Harry and Naomi are called in to investigate. Why have the Vashta Nerada on Earth started eating people? And, perhaps more importantly, why didn’t they eat the cat? Naomi’s Ark by Alison Winter (three parts). Caught up in a galactic evacuation triggered by a supernova, Naomi is separated from her friends, in the company of some very unusual aliens. The Doctor and Harry are stranded too – and any attempt to reach Naomi is at the expense of a precious, endangered civilisation – one that rivals the Time Lords for longevity and wisdom… How far will the Doctor go for his friends? CAST: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Christopher Naylor (Harry Sullivan), Eleanor Crooks (Naomi Cross), Bridgitta Roy (Doctor Thorne / Opis PA), Nicholas Rowe (Sebastian Hardcastle), Emily Raymond (Marion Johnstone), Pepter Lunkuse (Georgina Stevens / Harriet Thompson), Leon Parris (Nathaniel Woodcote / Wallam), Indra Ové (Queen Maylee), Bethany Antonia (Captain Rocky), Nino Furuhata (Engineer Fixer). Other parts played by members of the cast.

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This is a distinct new era for UNIT. Set in the late 1990s, the Cold War is over and the geopolitical landscape is in flux. Brigadier Bambera is deemed the right candidate to lead UNIT into the 21st century. But in this shadowy, unpredictable world of deadly threats and hidden enemies, Bambera and her new team - including sarcastic second-in-command, Sergeant Jean-Paul Savarin and tough scientific advisor, Dr Louise Rix - will need to prove their mettle. The stakes are higher than ever. 1. Rogue State by Robert Valentine In the war-torn republic of Valge Maja, Brigadier Bambera is hot on the trail of arms-dealing terrorist Roman Krojac, when she's ordered back to Geneva. Her old sponsor, Dame Lydia Kingsley, offers her a job as the new head of UNIT. Reluctant to accept, she nevertheless teams up with sarcastic UNIT officer Sergeant Jean-Paul Savarin to prevent a monstrous Soviet-era weapon from falling into Krojac's hands. 2. Time Flies by Alison Winter Bambera and Savarin are summoned to a secretive genetic research facility by Dr Louise Rix, UNIT's rebellious new scientific adviser. Two scientists have vanished in mysterious circumstances, and despite the assurances of the sinister Dr Grange, UNIT suspects there's something very wrong with the centre's caterpillar population. Can they survive the fruits of Dr Grange's experiments? And will Savarin survive Bambera and Rix's rocky new relationship? 3. Dark Side of the Moon by Alfie Shaw A new British space station, the Britannia, is due to be launched at the end of the week, but Bambera, Rix and Savarin fear that some kind of psychic entity is trying to sabotage it. Is it really the spirit of Helena McNamara, deceased astronaut and old friend of Rix? And does it speak the truth when it warns that something terrible is waiting for humanity on the dark side of the moon? CAST: : Angela Bruce (Brigadier Winifred Bambera), Alex Jordan (Sergeant Jean-Paul Savarin), Yemisi Oyinloye (Dr Louise Rix), Silas Carson (Dr Winston Grange), Simone Lahbib (Sylvia Brooks/DI Alison Lees), Simon Ludders (Dr Andrews/Control/Colin Carter), Lorne MacFadyen (McManis), Debra Michaels (Dr Megan Hollands), Wilf Scolding (Roman Krojač/Professor Ian Fenning), Liz SutherlandLim (Dame Lydia Kingsley), Homer Todiwala (Trooper 1/Astronaut 1/UNIT Medic), George Watkins (Eyrie Six (Bragg)/Chuchuna), Tracy Wiles (Trooper 2/Astronaut 2/Cleaner/Helena). Other parts played by members of the cast.

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Rose and her friends and family are trapped in another dimension on a parallel Earth. With her world doomed and a universe at stake, Rose must continue her frantic search for the only person who can help... the Doctor. Contains three new adventures: 2.1 Saltwater by Alison Winter. Rose finds an Earth under threat, as something steals the salt from the oceans. As global tensions escalate, Rose wants to make those in charge listen, and finds an ally in the shape of another Clive... 2.2 Now is the New Dark by AK Benedict. On an Earth where science never advanced from the Dark Ages, Rose and Clive find themselves under suspicion. Someone is killing the Melancholics, but apparently, there's a Doctor here who can help... 2.3 The Rogue Planet by Emily Cook. Rose finds herself closer to home than ever - but she's in for a shock. Meanwhile, Jackie is a hit on daytime TV and Clive is a professor, but nobody seems to realise how much danger the world is in. CAST: Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Mark Benton (Clive Finch), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Nicola Blackman (Reverend Georgina Stacey), Robert Cavanah (President Gilbert), Luke R Francis (PC Lee Jeffries), Indigo Griffiths (Brooke Robinson), Victoria Jeffrey (Assessor/Mistress Spinner), Malcolm Jeffries (Giovanni Bianco/John White), Hywel Morgan (Dr Richard Acres), Sarah Priddy (Femi/Producer), John Rayment (Archibald). Other parts played by members of the cast.

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It's the near future, and mankind has expanded its presence in space. Maintaining law and order beyond Earth is the responsibility of the International Space Police Force, known colloquially as the Star Cops. Nathan and his team step up their investigations into the secretive and ruthless criminal organisation known as the Collective. As they come closer to identifying who's in charge, with enquiries on Earth and in space, the Collective strikes back. The Star Cops must identify who is a friend and who is a deadly foe. 2.1 Old Flame, New Fire by Alison Winter. Earth leave in Liverpool is disrupted for both Devis and Paul when a figure from Paul's undercover past comes back into his life. On Moonbase, an investigation into a contraband food additive leads Nathan and Kenzy into danger. 2.2 Grandma's Footsteps by Katharine Armitage. Kenzy enlists the help of an old friend on Earth to follow a trail that could lead to the unmasking of the leader of the Collective. On the Moon, Nathan and Devis are dealing with a series of accidents that don't look very accidental - and that will force Devis to reveal a secret. 2.3 Escape and Evasion by Andrew Smith. The leader of the Collective is in custody on the Moon, with arrangements in hand for their transport back to Earth under armed guard. But an escape plan is in place. And the Collective's operatives are prepared to kill anyone who gets in their way. CAST: David Calder (Nathan Spring), Trevor Cooper (Colin Devis), Linda Newton (Pal Kenzy), Philip Olivier (Paul Bailey), Lynsey Murrell (Alice Okoro), Joy Blakeman (Patricia Bailey / Jennifer Kyne), Martin Mednikarov (Anton Makowski), Nisha Nayar (Sanchita Varma / Custodian 1), Laura Rollins (Anya Selby), Wilf Scolding (Russell Wolfe). Other parts played by members of the cast. PLEASE NOTE: Star Cops features some mild swearing and content which may not be suitable for younger listeners.

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