Catalog All books

Claude Olievenstein, Carlos Parada
Like A Cannibalistic Angel Drugs, Adolescents and Society
Does it make sense to place hallucinogens and hard drugs in the same category and to regard them all as addictive? Should tobacco and alcohol be put on the same plane as heroin, cocaine and crack ? With the assistance of Carlos Parada, his collaborator at the Centre Médical de Marmottan, Claude Olievenstein offers the reader his latest thoughts and ideas on the highly distinctive world of substance abusers, which is characterised by pleasure, withdrawal, the need for warmth and haste and, above all, by instability and chaos. Claude Olievenstein is the head doctor at the Centre Médical de Marmottan, in Paris, and a senior research fellow at the University of Lyon-II. Carlos Parada, a physician specialising in drug addiction, works at the Centre Médical de Marmottan.

Antoine Garapon
The Guardian of Promises Justice and Democracy
The multiplying cases, the explosion of litigations, the sensational trials which catch the attention of the public : all are evidence of a growth in power of the judicial system, which we expect to be, at the same time, the arbiter of morals, the guarantee of public morality and responsible for the salvation of the people. But why dont we ask what things it cannot provide ? Isnt the idea of a judicial democracy just an illusion, which serves to hide serious problems ? The power of the judicial system is more worrying than exciting. It is an indicator of the discreditation of the State at the same time as a reduction in social cohesion. In the face of the fragility of democratic society, this book is a thorough reflection on the exercise of public power, affirming that the real role of the judge is not to take the place of the politic, but to diffuse the risk of democratic implosion by remaining the guardian of the promises at the very heart of republican laws. Antoine Garapon, a former judge and member of the editorial team of the journal Esprit, is the head of the Institute of Advanced Judicial Studies.

Jean-Pierre Petit
The Stock Exchange Renewal and Rupture
The current stock market crisis followed the period of fastest growth in world markets in history. How can this be explained? And what does it indicate for the future? While the bullish market that preceded the crisis was hyper-inflationist, we are now experiencing a period of deflation, a drop following on the heels of a vertiginous rise. In this respect, Petits interpretation is that of the regulationists: the crisis is one of confidence. He also describes how the crisis has revealed structural weaknesses in various countries. Jean-Pierre Petit is head of economic research for the investment company Exane.

Jean-Louis Fellous
Tempest Warning The New Climatic Order
Is it true that we are heading toward global warming? And if so, what is the time frame? What will be the consequences on our lives and those of our children and grandchildren? This book will help readers understand the physical phenomena that make up the Earths climate, as well as the possible consequences of the natural and human alterations which have been inflicted on it. It also makes a plea for a concerted effort on a global scale. Jean-Louis Fellous currently heads ocean exploration for Ifremer (Institut français de recherche pour lexploitation de la mer).

Alain Cassourra
The Energy, Emotion, Thought at your fingertips
From the body to the psyche, a new look at our aches and pains and what they mean.

Anka Muhlstein
Proust’s Library
This fascinating portrait of Proust as a reader offers an illuminating view of his work