Olaf Brenninkmeijer Boeken

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? These unconventional questions are explored by Steven D. Levitt, a distinguished economist who examines everyday life’s complexities—from crime and cheating to parenting and sports. His insights often challenge conventional wisdom, beginning with extensive data and simple inquiries. This exploration leads to the concept of freakonomics, where economics is viewed as the study of incentives—how individuals pursue their desires amid competing needs. Through engaging storytelling, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner delve into various topics, including the inner workings of a crack gang, the realities of real estate agents, and the myths surrounding campaign finance. They argue that despite the world's complexities and deceptions, it remains decipherable and intriguing if approached with the right questions. Levitt’s sharp and insightful analysis reveals that while morality reflects our ideals, economics reveals the true nature of how the world functions. Readers will find themselves equipped with captivating riddles and stories, making this work not just entertaining but transformative in reshaping our understanding of modern society.

Port Mortuary, the title of Patricia Cornwell's eighteenth Scarpetta novel, is literally a port for the dead. In this fast-paced story, a treacherous path from Scarpetta's past merges with the high- tech highway she now finds herself on. We travel back to the beginning of her professional career, when she accepted a scholarship from the Air Force to pay off her medical school debt. Now, more than twenty years and many career successes later, her secret military ties have drawn her to Dover Air Force Base, where she has been immersed in a training fellowship. As the chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, a joint venture of the state and federal governments, MIT and Harvard, Scarpetta is confronted with a case that could shut down her new facility and ruin her personally and professionally.