Search results for ""currency""

Using original research to address cutting-edge topics, this Handbook explores the rapidly evolving and increasingly multifaceted relations between China and developing countries.Innovative, data-rich analysis by leading experts from around the world critically assesses such timely issues as the 'China model', Beijing's role in international development assistance, World Bank governance, Chinese peacekeeping and South-South relations, and developing countries and the internationalization of China's currency. China's engagement with individual countries and regions throughout the developing world is examined, including Chinese private sector investment in Africa.This unique and comprehensive study is an essential reference for scholars and policy experts alike, with a breadth and depth of coverage that will inform and guide analysis for academics, practitioners and postgraduates.Contributors: L. Austin, A. Bodomo, D. Bräutigam, D.J. Bulman, C. Cheng, G. Chin, C.P. Freeman, M. Gurtov, S. Ho, G.L. Le Pere, B. Mariani, H. Mo, G. Paz, R. Roett, S. Shen, X. Shen, Y. Sun, N.L.P. Swanström, X Tu, M. Turzi, T. Wesley-Smith, Y. Xu, J. Zhang, Q. Zhang, S. Zhao

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In recent years culture has become the primary currency of politics – from the identity politics that characterized the 2016 American election to the pushback against Western universalism in much of the non-Western world. Much less noticed is the rise of a new political entity, the civilizational state. In this pioneering book, the renowned political philosopher Christopher Coker looks in depth at two countries that now claim this title: Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He also discusses the Islamic caliphate, a virtual and aspirational civilizational state that is unlikely to fade despite the recent setbacks suffered by ISIS. The civilizational state, he contends, is an idea whose time has come. For, while civilizations themselves may not clash, civilizational states appear to be set on challenging the rules of the international order that the West takes for granted. China seems anxious to revise them, Russia to break them, while Islamists would like to throw away the rule book altogether. Coker argues that, when seen in the round, these challenges could be enough to give birth to a new post-liberal international order.

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Following the life of a charismatic woman committed to reform, The Pragmatic Ideal provides an introduction to the politics that dominated the early decades of the twentieth century, ideas that are the basis for much of today's progressive thought. As one of the "new women" who came of age during the Progressive era, Mary Field Parton, a close friend of Clarence Darrow, pursued social justice as a settlement house worker and as a leading writer on labor organizing, transforming pragmatic principles into action. Mark Douglas McGarvie shows how, following the upheavals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, liberals such as Mary Field Parton turned to pragmatism, hoping to generate greater social awareness from constructions of values rooted in personal experiences instead of philosophical or religious truths. The Pragmatic Ideal reveals how Mary Field Parton sought to expand her rights as a woman while nonetheless denigrating rights as artificial legal impediments to social progress. The issues she faced and the options she considered find important currency in the political divisions confronting Americans a century later.

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In Old Regime France credit was both a central part of economic exchange and a crucial concept for explaining dynamics of influence and power in all spheres of life. Contemporaries used the term credit to describe reputation and the currency it provided in court politics, literary production, religion, and commerce. Moving beyond Pierre Bourdieu's theorization of capital, this book establishes credit as a key matrix through which French men and women perceived their world. As Clare Haru Crowston demonstrates, credit unveils the personal character of market transactions, the unequal yet reciprocal ties binding society, and the hidden mechanisms of political power. Credit economies constituted "economies of regard" in which reputation depended on embodied performances of credibility. Crowston explores the role of fashionable appearances and sexual desire in leveraging credit and reconstructs women's vigorous participation in its gray markets. The scandalous relationship between Queen Marie Antoinette and fashion merchant Rose Bertin epitomizes the vertical loyalties and deep social divides of the credit regime and its increasingly urgent political stakes.

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In his Preface to The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature, James Twitchell writes that he is not interested in the current generation of vampires, which he finds "rude, boring and hopelessly adolescent. However, they have not always been this way. In fact, a century ago they were often quite sophisticated, used by artists varied as Blake, Poe, Coleridge, the Brontes, Shelley, and Keats, to explain aspects of interpersonal relations. However vulgar the vampire has since become, it is important to remember that along with the Frankenstein monster, the vampire is one of the major mythic figures bequeathed to us by the English Romantics. Simply in terms of cultural influence and currency, the vampire is far more important than any other nineteenth-century archetypes; in fact, he is probably the most enduring and prolific mythic figure we have. This book traces the vampire out of folklore into serious art until he stabilizes early in this century into the character we all too easily recognize.

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This is the long-awaited third edition of Dearlove and Saunders' highly acclaimed, best-selling, textbook on British politics. The book has been completely rewritten, reorganized and updated, while retaining the distinctive style and approach of the earlier editions. At root, this book is about political power - how it is organized formally within the State and how it is exercised and influenced informally from outside. Written in lively and provocative prose, the volume presents the most systematic and penetrating analysis of who really runs Britain, to what end, and to whose advantage. Fully up to date, this new edition provides comprehensive coverage of the issues of the day - constitutional change, welfare reform, New Labour's Third Way, the European common currency, globalization, and much more. The volume also provides students with a highly readable and engaging guide to the key theoretical perspectives that have shaped the study of British politics. This outstanding volume will prove invaluable reading for all students of British politics, whether they are studying for A-level or undergraduate university courses. Please visit the accompanying website at: http://www.polity.co.uk/britpol

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In the blizzard of attention around the virtues of local food production, food writers and activists place environmental protection, animal welfare, and saving small farms at the forefront of their attention. Yet amid this turn to wholesome and responsible food choices, the lives and working conditions of farmworkers are often an afterthought. Labor and the Locavore focuses on one of the most vibrant local food economies in the country, the Hudson Valley that supplies New York restaurants and farmers markets. Based on more than a decade's in-depth interviews with workers, farmers, and others, Gray's examination clearly shows how the currency of agrarian values serves to mask the labor concerns of an already hidden workforce. She also explores the historical roots of farmworkers' predicaments and examines the ethnic shift from Black to Latino workers. With an analysis that can be applied to local food concerns around the country, this book challenges the reader to consider how the mentality of the alternative food movements implies a comprehensive food ethic that addresses workers' concerns.

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In the fifty or so years since the Treaty of Rome, the European Union has evolved far beyond the scope of any other comparable entity. The EU is now a unique model of international cooperation and integration, and its reach extends into almost every sphere of the lives of its half a billion citizens. As well as the establishment of a single market, the Union has its own currency, is developing a foreign policy, and has a growing role in justice and cultural matters.Scholarly work on the European Union has undergone a similarly rapid evolution. For example, with the major expansions of the Union since the end of the Cold War, there has been a huge growth in the range and depth of research into the many challenges of integration. As serious thinking about and around this and other crucial aspects of the European Union continues to flourish and develop, this new title in Routledge's acclaimed Critical Concepts in Political Science series meets the need for an authoritativ

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Latin American neo-structuralism is a cutting-edge, regionally focused economic theory with broad implications for macroeconomics and development economics. Roberto Frenkel has spent five decades developing the theory's core arguments and expanding their application throughout the discipline, revolutionizing our understanding of high inflation and hyperinflation, disinflation programs, and the behavior of foreign exchange markets as well as financial and currency crises in emerging economies. The essays in this collection assess Latin American neo-structuralism's theoretical contributions and viability as the world's economies evolve. The authors discuss Frenkel's work in relation to pricing decisions, inflation and stabilization policy, development and income distribution in Latin America, and macroeconomic policy for economic growth. An entire section focuses on finance and crisis, and the volume concludes with a neo-structuralist analysis of general aspects of economic development. For those seeking a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Latin American economic thought, this collection not only explicates the intricate work of one of its greatest practitioners but also demonstrates its impact on the growth of economics.

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The last quarter of a century has seen major developments in the world of cycling. Heart-rate monitors, GPS and smartphone apps are all used by riders of all abilities up and down the country as part of their training programme, but it is the power meter that really stands out as the ultimate tool for any cyclist who wishes to train to their full potential. Power has become the common currency of training discussions amongst the growing number of cyclists who have splashed out on a power meter. But does the average cyclist fully understand the figures displayed on their bike computer screens and, even if they do, can they use that information in the most effective way? Professor Louis Passfield was the first scientist in the UK to work and study with power meters. In this book Professor Passfield shares some of his vast experience and shows that you don't have to be a pro cyclist, triathlete, or coach to reap the benefits of training with a power meter.

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This is the second edition of the Komshe travel guidebook to Bosnia and Herzegovina, written and published by travel specialists from South Eastern Europe. The guide is divided into sections based on 5 regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (including the capital, Sarajevo), and covering over 100 tourist destinations. The book includes regional and town maps, accommodation tips as well as other practical information. With this guide you can embark upon a journey of discovery through Bosnia and Herzegovina's history, culture, landscapes and cuisine while gaining an understanding of customs, manners and more! Other information and useful facts include: visa info, health and security, transport, currency, adventure holidays, hiking and mountaineering, winter sports and other important tips for travellers. There are hundreds of colour photos showing you what to expect or to inspire you to go. Of special note are places rarely visited by most tourists - ancient castles, monasteries, national parks and relics of the many civilizations that have crossed or settled in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The guide includes insider recommendations for food, drink, festivals and nightlife.

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The Irish hospitals sweepstake, initially established to provide money for cash-strapped voluntary hospitals in Dublin, provided funding for Irish hospitals for over fifty years. Apart from its role in bringing millions of pounds of foreign currency into Ireland to build new hospitals and provide employment, it also contributed to the development of Irish advertising and broadcasting, horse-racing, the growth of Irish business and commercial sponsorship of sport. But that was not the whole story. Marie Coleman also digs deep into the murkier side of the Irish Sweep. She successfully reveals scandals, skulduggery and gangsterism, which all played their part in the sweepstakes, exposing the blind eyes that were turned to its shortcomings and exploring the extent to which these failings ultimately damaged the Irish health services by postponing necessary reforms. Using original archive material, "The Irish Sweep" successfully draws together these disparate aspects of the sweepstake - its social and economic importance in independent Ireland, its contribution to the development of Irish health services, and its illicit operation outside Ireland - to construct the first detailed and comprehensive history of an iconic institution.

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Toronto writer Pamela Mordecai is a well-known voice in poetry of the Caribbean diaspora. She has long been a popular anthologist, a mentor to other writers, a frequent contributor to literary journals, and a vital link between the literary worlds of Canada and Jamaica; Certifiable presents a maturing vision of women's lives in both of her homes. Certifiable celebrates experience shot through with affection, family attachment, and madness.The poems in the first section, "Just a Likl Loving," explore the truths hidden beneath the ideal of love: love as comfort, love as currency, love as deathtrap. "Sister Sequence" embraces the fullness of sisterhood, from the conceptual "sister muse" as a power in the world to the ambivalent love among flesh-and-blood sisters. "Certifiable," the final section, springs from intimacy with little and big madnesses.The rhythms and rhymes of the creole soundscape crackle through Certifiable. Mordecai's deft hand wordplay flows through and beyond standard English and the Creole continuum to reveal the characters in Certifiable and record their experiences.

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Guidebook to trekking in the heart of Patagonia, with routes in Torres del Paine National Park (Chile) and Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina). While the region is primarily a remote and mountainous glaciated wilderness, walking is easily accessible with clear trails, good public transport and regular mountain huts and campsites. The centrepiece of this dramatic area is the 10-11 day Torres del Paine Circuit (also known as the 'O' Circuit), while the shorter Half Circuit (the 'W') visits much of the same sights in 4-5 days. The guidebook also includes four shorter day walks, a multi-day trek in Argentina's Los Glaciares national park, and several excursions from Puerto Natales and El Calafate. This guidebook includes advice on getting to and around the regions, languages, visa, currency, accommodation and facilities in the National Parks, as well as useful guidance on what to take and expect on the treks. Also featured is background information on the geology, history, wildlife, flora and cultures of the regions, resulting in an excellent companion guide to help you explore the region.

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A powerful examination of how property shaped the modern world - and why it now threatens the freedoms and stability it was meant to sustain.Property carries a great promise: that it will make you rich and set you free. But it is also a weapon, an agent of displacement and exploitation, the currency of kleptocrats and oligarchs. In Britain, it has led to a new class division between those who own and those who don't. Property is a vivid, far-reaching analysis of our concept of property ownership, from 16th-century enclosures to the present day. It tells powerful stories - of life in the developer-led boomtown of Gurgaon in India, of the struggles to form Black communities in Missouri and Georgia, of a giant experiment in co-operative living in the Bronx, of the impacts of Margaret Thatcher's "property-owning democracy." Above all, Property asks how we have come to view our homes as investments - and it offers hope for how things could be better, with reform that might enable the social wealth of property to be returned to society.

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Since his first public appearance in the late 1590s, Shylock has been synonymous with antisemitism. Many of his bon mots remain common currency among Jew-haters; among them "3000 ducats" and the immortal "pound of flesh". But Shakespeare, being Shakespeare, was incapable of inventing anyone so uninteresting; instead he affords Shylock such ambiguity that some of his other lines have become keynotes for believers in shared humanity and tolerance. Following Shakespeare's example these stories - all inspired by The Merchant of Venice - range from the comic to the melancholic. Many pivot on significant productions of the play: Stockholm in 1944, London in 2012, and Venice in 2016. Some are concerned with domestic matters, others with the political, including one - more outrageous than the others - that links Shylock via Israel with the American presidency; most combine both. Running through these linked stories - of which there are seven, like the ages of man - is the cycle of family life, with all its comedy and tragedy.

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For this authoritative collection, Mitchel Abolafia has chosen the most significant previously published papers and articles in the field of economic sociology, which contribute to an understanding of the organisation of markets. Economists are becoming increasingly aware of the institutional nature of markets, but to date, it is economic sociologists who have carried out much of the analytical work on real world market institutions. To develop our understanding of markets, the time is ripe for a fruitful dialogue across the disciplinary boundaries. Although economic sociologists recognize markets as mechanisms of exchange, they seem to be more concerned with how markets work, rather than with how well they work. The papers selected for this book are the result of empirical studies of particular markets, including markets in options, futures, currency, initial public offerings of stock, biotechnology, women's apparel, and auctions in a variety of commodities. They indicate an important research initiative to explore how markets really work.

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This volume provides a coherent analysis of the economic, monetary and political aspects of growth dynamics in the Euro area. The different relevant aspects in this debate, presented and discussed by leading scholars and representatives of international organizations, include an assessment of the newest theoretical growth models for open economies, and empirical investigation of: the growth divergence between the US and Europe the extent to which fiscal co-ordination is desirable in a monetary union the role of product and labor market reforms the complex relationships between exchange rates and growth the contribution of monetary policy to economic growth and the prospects for economic growth in monetary unions. Although primarily focused on the Euro area, the analysis is equally relevant to all other common currency areas and will be welcomed by academics and students with an interest in European studies and financial economics, as well as policy and decision makers in international organisations, national institutions and central banks.

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Economic Policy in the European Union analyses the key issues confronting Europe as we enter the 21st century. It focuses mainly on the transition problems linked with the creation of European Monetary Union as well as more specific issues such as social, labour, environmental and science and technology policy.It addresses major questions, including: is it true that the disappearance of exchange risks will benefit trade and growth? can the EMU function if integration is not speeded up in other areas? will the EMU enhance internal cohesion? is the creation of a single currency a popularly accepted idea in the member states? The authors also examine some more specific issues including European Work Councils, the possibility of coordinated environmental policy within the European Union, employment rights and technological collaboration.This topical book will be welcomed by those scholars, students and policymakers interested in some of the most important issues currently faced by Europe.

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This insightful book examines the impact of two competing visions of Asian-Pacific economic growth paths and development governance. It discusses law, development and finance in the context of the Indo-Pacific Strategy versus the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), whilst also comparing parallel development financing systems.Jin Sheng reflects on and connects a series of issues of global significance, such as the economic Cold War, global debt, industrialisation and development in the developing world, and the changing international economic order. In so doing the author posits that the BRI’s ultimate objective is to export China’s development model, which is characterised by a focus on exports, experimentalism, and oversupply of currency. The book also critically examines China’s ambition to dominate the international economic order and set up its own favoured international rules.Alternative Development Finance and Parallel Development Strategies in the Asia-Pacific will be an important read for researchers and policy makers in the fields of law, development and finance in the Asia-Pacific region.

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In Birthing Black Mothers Black feminist theorist Jennifer C. Nash examines how the figure of the “Black mother” has become a powerful political category. “Mothering while Black” has become synonymous with crisis as well as a site of cultural interest, empathy, fascination, and support. Cast as suffering and traumatized by their proximity to Black death—especially through medical racism and state-sanctioned police violence—Black mothers are often rendered as one-dimensional symbols of tragic heroism. In contrast, Nash examines Black mothers’ self-representations and public performances of motherhood—including Black doulas and breastfeeding advocates alongside celebrities such as Beyoncé, Serena Williams, and Michelle Obama—that are not rooted in loss. Through cultural critique and in-depth interviews, Nash acknowledges the complexities of Black motherhood outside its use as political currency. Throughout, Nash imagines a Black feminist project that refuses the lure of locating the precarity of Black life in women and instead invites readers to theorize, organize, and dream into being new modes of Black motherhood.

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In Birthing Black Mothers Black feminist theorist Jennifer C. Nash examines how the figure of the “Black mother” has become a powerful political category. “Mothering while Black” has become synonymous with crisis as well as a site of cultural interest, empathy, fascination, and support. Cast as suffering and traumatized by their proximity to Black death—especially through medical racism and state-sanctioned police violence—Black mothers are often rendered as one-dimensional symbols of tragic heroism. In contrast, Nash examines Black mothers’ self-representations and public performances of motherhood—including Black doulas and breastfeeding advocates alongside celebrities such as Beyoncé, Serena Williams, and Michelle Obama—that are not rooted in loss. Through cultural critique and in-depth interviews, Nash acknowledges the complexities of Black motherhood outside its use as political currency. Throughout, Nash imagines a Black feminist project that refuses the lure of locating the precarity of Black life in women and instead invites readers to theorize, organize, and dream into being new modes of Black motherhood.

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A Companion to Urban Anthropology BLACKWELL COMPANIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY A Companion to Urban Anthropology “The city is becoming the basic currency of human – and non-human – life: a pile of interconnections which makes a series of difficult wholes. This volume navigates the anthropology of this medium with the greatest aplomb.” Nigel Thrift, University of Warwick A Companion to Urban Anthropology presents original essays on central concepts in urban anthropology and ethnography. Featuring contributions from more than 25 leading international scholars in urban studies, the readings cover a wide variety of topics. Each essay explores a key phenomenon and is grounded in the author’s original research along with findings of other urbanists. Classic issues such as built structures and urban planning, community, markets, and race lead to emergent areas of study including borders, sexualities, nature, extralegality, and resilience and sustainability. A Companion to Urban Anthropology offers revealing insights into the complex forces that continue to shape the urban experience.

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For courses in English Composition. The platinum standard of handbooks – unmatched in accuracy, currency, and reliability The Little, Brown Handbook is an essential reference tool designed to help readers find the answers they need quickly and easily. While keeping pace with rapid changes in writing and its teaching, this meticulous handbook combines comprehensive research and documentation with grammar coverage that is second to none. Incorporating detailed discussions of critical reading, media literacy, academic writing, argument, and much more, The Little, Brown Handbook is an accurate, reliable, and accessible resource for writers of varying experience levels and in a variety of fields. The 14th Edition includes over 90 new student samples, new learning objectives, updates to MLA and Chicago style, a new chapter on writing about literature, and more. The Little, Brown Handbook is also available via RevelTM, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more about Revel.

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In this brilliant work, Amanda Vickery unlocks the homes of Georgian England to examine the lives of the people who lived there. Writing with her customary wit and verve, she introduces us to men and women from all walks of life: gentlewoman Anne Dormer in her stately Oxfordshire mansion, bachelor clerk and future novelist Anthony Trollope in his dreary London lodgings, genteel spinsters keeping up appearances in two rooms with yellow wallpaper, servants with only a locking box to call their own.Vickery makes ingenious use of upholsterer’s ledgers, burglary trials, and other unusual sources to reveal the roles of house and home in economic survival, social success, and political representation during the long eighteenth century. Through the spread of formal visiting, the proliferation of affordable ornamental furnishings, the commercial celebration of feminine artistry at home, and the currency of the language of taste, even modest homes turned into arenas of social campaign and exhibition.

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As the costs of a preemptive foreign policy in Iraq have become clear, strategies such as containment and deterrence have been gaining currency among policy makers. This comprehensive book offers an agenda for the contemporary practice of deterrence - especially as it applies to nuclear weapons - in an increasingly heterogeneous global and political setting. Moving beyond the precepts of traditional deterrence theory, this groundbreaking volume offers insights for the use of deterrence in the modern world, where policy makers may encounter irrational actors, failed states, religious zeal, ambiguous power relationships, and other situations where the traditional rules of statecraft do not apply. A distinguished group of contributors here examines issues such as deterrence among the Great Powers; the problems of regional and non-state actors; and, actors armed with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. "Complex Deterrence" will be a valuable resource for anyone facing the considerable challenge of fostering security and peace in the twenty-first century.

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THE CHINESE LORD OF THE RINGS - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD..ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE''S 100 BEST FANTASY NOVELS OF ALL TIME.Jin Yong''s work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of Harry Potter and Star Wars combined Nick Frisch, New YorkerLike every fairy tale you''re ever loved, imbued with jokes and epic grandeur. Prepare to be swept along. Jamie Buxton, Daily MailChina: 1200 A.D. The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure fo

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THE CHINESE LORD OF THE RINGS - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 100 MILLION COPIES SOLD.Jin Yong''s work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of Harry Potter and Star Wars combined Nick Frisch, New YorkerLike every fairy tale you''re ever loved, imbued with jokes and epic grandeur. Prepare to be swept along. Jamie Buxton, Daily MailIn the Jin capital of Zhongdu, Guo Jing learns the truth of his father''s death and finds he is now betrothed, against his will, to two women. Neither of them is his sweetheart Lotus Huang.Torn between following his heart and fulfilling his filial duty, he journeys through the country of his parents with Lotus, encountering mysterious martial heroes and becoming drawn into the struggle for the supreme martial text, the Nine Yin Manual. But his past is catching up wi

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In 1849, the Gold Rush was on! A hundred and fifty years later, the era still captures the American imagination. This fantastic book goes into great detail about the real lives of the brave `49ers and those who followed them, facing unbelieveable hardships in the hopes to striking it rich-finding the Mother Lode. This book discusses the expansion of mining from gold to silver, and eventually to copper, in many of the Western states. Significant mines in California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizonia are all discussed, including their dates of operation and production records. The growth of railroads and transportation is explored, as is the evolution of mining technology. This books is a must for those interested in the realities of Gold Rush life, shown in over 225 period photographs. Mining stock certificates, currency, and newspapers from the day are also shown, along with antique mining tools-all with current values provided for collectors.

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'A visionary look at how quality food should replace money as the new world currency' Tim Spector'Hugely ambitious and beautifully written...destined to become a modern classic' Bee WilsonHow we search for, make and consume food has defined human history. It transforms our bodies and homes, our politics and our trade, our landscapes and our climate. But by forgetting our culinary heritage and relying on cheap, intensively produced food, we have drifted into a way of life that threatens our planet and ourselves.What if there were a more sustainable way to eat and live? Drawing on many disciplines, as well as stories of the farmers, designers and economists who are remaking our relationship with food, this inspiring and deeply thoughtful book gives us a provocative and exhilarating vision for change, and points the way to a better future.'Utterly brilliant' Thomasina MiersWINNER OF THE 2021 GUILD FOOD OF WRITERS AWARD FOR BEST FOOD BOOK*Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2020*

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Praise for Handbook of Exchange Rates “This book is remarkable. I expect it to become the anchor reference for people working in the foreign exchange field.” —Richard K. Lyons, Dean and Professor of Finance, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley “It is quite easily the most wide ranging treaty of expertise on the forex market I have ever come across. I will be keeping a copy close to my fingertips.” —Jim O’Neill, Chairman, Goldman Sachs Asset Management How should we evaluate the forecasting power of models? What are appropriate loss functions for major market participants? Is the exchange rate the only means of adjustment? Handbook of Exchange Rates answers these questions and many more, equipping readers with the relevant concepts and policies for working in today’s international economic climate. Featuring contributions written by leading specialists from the global financial arena, this handbook provides a collection of original ideas on foreign exchange (FX) rates in four succinct sections: • Overview introduces the history of the FX market and exchange rate regimes, discussing key instruments in the trading environment as well as macro and micro approaches to FX determination. • Exchange Rate Models and Methods focuses on forecasting exchange rates, featuring methodological contributions on the statistical methods for evaluating forecast performance, parity relationships, fair value models, and flow–based models. • FX Markets and Products outlines active currency management, currency hedging, hedge accounting; high frequency and algorithmic trading in FX; and FX strategy-based products. • FX Markets and Policy explores the current policies in place in global markets and presents a framework for analyzing financial crises. Throughout the book, topics are explored in-depth alongside their founding principles. Each chapter uses real-world examples from the financial industry and concludes with a summary that outlines key points and concepts. Handbook of Exchange Rates is an essential reference for fund managers and investors as well as practitioners and researchers working in finance, banking, business, and econometrics. The book also serves as a valuable supplement for courses on economics, business, and international finance at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels.

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This book discusses the various open issues of blockchain technology, such as the efficiency of blockchain in different domains of digital cryptocurrency, smart contracts, smart education system, smart cities, cloud identity and access, safeguard to cybersecurity and health care. For the first time in human history, people across the world can trust each other and transact over a large peer-to-peer networks without any central authority. This proves that, trust can be built not only by centralized institution but also by protocols and cryptographic mechanisms. The potential and collaboration between organizations and individuals within peer networks make it possible to potentially move to a global collaborative network without centralization. Blockchain is a complex social, economic and technological phenomenon. This questions what the established terminologies of the modern world like currency, trust, economics and exchange would mean. To make any sense, one needs to realize how much insightful and potential it is in the context and the way it is technically developed. Due to rapid changes in accessing the documents through online transactions and transferring the currency online, many previously used methods are proving insufficient and not secure to solve the problem which arises in the safe and hassle-free transaction. Nowadays, the world changes rapidly, and a transition flow is also seen in Business Process Management (BPM). The traditional Business Process Management holds good establishment last one to two decades, but, the internal workflow confined in a single organization. They do not manage the workflow process and information across organizations. If they do so, again fall in the same trap as the control transfers to the third party that is centralized server and it leads to tampering the data, and single point of failure. To address these issues, this book highlights a number of unique problems and effective solutions that reflects the state-of-the art in blockchain Technology. This book explores new experiments and yields promising solutions to the current challenges of blockchain technology. This book is intended for the researchers, academicians, faculties, scientists, blockchain specialists, business management and software industry professionals who will find it beneficial for their research work and set new ideas in the field of blockchain. This book caters research work in many fields of blockchain engineering, and it provides an in-depth knowledge of the fields covered.

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In today’s data-driven world, professionals need to know how to express themselves in the language of graphics effectively and eloquently. Yet information graphics is rarely taught in schools or is the focus of on-the-job training. Now, for the first time, Dona M. Wong, a student of the information graphics pioneer Edward Tufte, makes this material available for all of us. In this book, you will learn: to choose the best chart that fits your data; the most effective way to communicate with decision makers when you have five minutes of their time; how to chart currency fluctuations that affect global business; how to use color effectively; how to make a graphic “colorful” even if only black and white are available. The book is organized in a series of mini-workshops backed up with illustrated examples, so not only will you learn what works and what doesn’t but also you can see the dos and don’ts for yourself. This is an invaluable reference work for students and professional in all fields.

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Following the life of a charismatic woman committed to reform, The Pragmatic Ideal provides an introduction to the politics that dominated the early decades of the twentieth century, ideas that are the basis for much of today's progressive thought. As one of the "new women" who came of age during the Progressive era, Mary Field Parton, a close friend of Clarence Darrow, pursued social justice as a settlement house worker and as a leading writer on labor organizing, transforming pragmatic principles into action. Mark Douglas McGarvie shows how, following the upheavals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, liberals such as Mary Field Parton turned to pragmatism, hoping to generate greater social awareness from constructions of values rooted in personal experiences instead of philosophical or religious truths. The Pragmatic Ideal reveals how Mary Field Parton sought to expand her rights as a woman while nonetheless denigrating rights as artificial legal impediments to social progress. The issues she faced and the options she considered find important currency in the political divisions confronting Americans a century later.

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The origins of the modern, Western concept of money can be traced back to the earliest electrum coins that were produced in Asia Minor in the seventh century BCE. While other forms of currency (shells, jewelry, silver ingots) were in widespread use long before this, the introduction of coinage aided and accelerated momentous economic, political, and social developments such as long-distance trade, wealth creation (and the social differentiation that followed from that), and the financing of military and political power. Coinage, though adopted inconsistently across different ancient societies, became a significant marker of identity and became embedded in practices of religion and superstition. And this period also witnessed the emergence of the problems of money - inflation, monetary instability, and the breakup of monetary unions - which have surfaced repeatedly in succeeding centuries. Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, A Cultural History of Money in Antiquity presents essays that examine key cultural case studies of the period on the themes of technologies, ideas, ritual and religion, the everyday, art and representation, interpretation, and the issues of the age.

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In THE LOST CONTINENT BBC Europe Editor Gavin Hewitt tells the story of a flawed dream, a noble vision that turned dangerous, and which led Europe into its gravest crisis since World War Two - a crisis for which it was totally unprepared.A pillar of the post-war European dream was a shared currency, and with it came easy money, seducing some countries into a wild spending binge. After the financial crash in the United States, Europe caught the cold and was left with a debt crisis that came to threaten the entire European project. THE LOST CONTINENT is rich in anecdote, weaving together the stories of ordinary people with the high politics and drama of Europe in crisis to give an unparalleled and vivid portrait of a massive shift in modern history. It includes interviews with top officials and insiders, and dramatic accounts of key meetings. Gavin Hewitt's THE LOST CONTINENT is a clear-eyed book by a distinguished and well-connected journalist which tells the astonishing story of how we got here and where we might be headed.

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This is the long-awaited third edition of Dearlove and Saunders' highly acclaimed, best-selling, textbook on British politics. The book has been completely rewritten, reorganized and updated, while retaining the distinctive style and approach of the earlier editions. At root, this book is about political power - how it is organized formally within the State and how it is exercised and influenced informally from outside. Written in lively and provocative prose, the volume presents the most systematic and penetrating analysis of who really runs Britain, to what end, and to whose advantage. Fully up to date, this new edition provides comprehensive coverage of the issues of the day - constitutional change, welfare reform, New Labour's Third Way, the European common currency, globalization, and much more. The volume also provides students with a highly readable and engaging guide to the key theoretical perspectives that have shaped the study of British politics. This outstanding volume will prove invaluable reading for all students of British politics, whether they are studying for A-level or undergraduate university courses. Please visit the accompanying website at: http://www.polity.co.uk/britpol

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What racist rumors about Barack Obama tell us about the intractability of racism in American politics. Barack Obama and his family have been the objects of rumors, legends, and conspiracy theories unprecedented in US politics. Outbreaks of anti-Obama lore have occurred in every national election cycle since 2004 and continue to the present day—two elections after his presidency ended. In Trash Talk, folklorist Patricia A. Turner examines how these thought patterns have grown ever more vitriolic and persistent and what this means for American political culture. Through the lens of attacks on Obama, Trash Talk explores how racist tropes circulate and gain currency. As internet communications expand in reach, rumors and conspiracy theories have become powerful political tools, and new types of lore like the hoax and fake news have taken root. The mainstream press and political establishment dismissed anti-Obama mythology for years, registering concern only when it became difficult to deny how much power those who circulated it could command. Trash Talk demonstrates that the ascendancy of Barack Obama was never a signal of a postracial America.

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For several years now, the Roman Catholic Church and the institution of the priesthood itself have been at the center of a firestorm of controversy. While many of the criticisms lodged against the actions of the Church - and a small number of its priests - are justified, the conventional wisdom that has gained currency as an explanation for these actions is, according to Andrew M. Greeley in Priests, often flat-out wrong. Neither liberal nor conservative, Priests offers nothing less than a portrait of the priesthood today. No stranger to controversy himself, Greeley challenges those analysts and the media who parrot them in placing the blame for recent Church scandals on the mandate of celibacy or a clerical culture that supports homosexuality. Drawing upon reliable national survey samples of priests, Greeley demolishes current stereotypes about the percentage of homosexual priests, the level of personal and professional happiness among priests, the role of celibacy in their lives, and many other issues. With Greeley's statistical evidence and provocative recommendations for change, Priests offers a new vision for American Catholics.

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THINK Currency. THINK Relevancy. THINK World Religions THINK World Religions is informed with the latest research and the most contemporary examples, allowing you to bring current events directly into your classroom with little additional work. An engaging visual design developed through extensive student feedback will appeal to your students and deliver the core concepts of World Religions in a way that they can actually understand. In addition, a groundbreaking instructor supplements package will help you bring the core concepts of World Religions to life without burdening your students with heavy, too dense or too expensive learning solutions. A better teaching and learning experience The teaching and learning experience with this program helps to: . Improve Critical Thinking – The text will help you consider how each religion grapples with a series of important ideas Engage Students – Written in an anecdotal style, students will be pulled in with the author’s narrative’s of his real-world experiences and work. Support Instructors – All supplements were developed around the textbook’s carefully constructed learning objectives.

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Look at Abraham Lincoln through others' eyes, seeing history in an entirely different light. While historical text details what Lincoln thought or did and how he planned his actions, the collector of Lincoln holds tangible items, revealing how society saw or portrayed the president. Through collectibles, Lincoln is revealed not only as politician, but also as the subject of painters and sculptors. His influence on society and politics is brought to life in a way which can't be produced in a purely historical or biographical text. The first president to be photographed and have his photographs distributed to hundreds of thousands of citizens, Lincoln's image appears on medals, coins, stamps, and currency, and his story is told in books and pamphlets. Lincoln relics elevate him to an almost saint-like figure in society, and his assassination brought the nation to its knees in mourning. Over 950 photographs illustrate this multi-faceted look at Lincoln and how society still reveres him more than one hundred years after his death.

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This new edition examines some of the philosophical and theoretical issues underlying the ‘democratic project’ which increasingly dominates the fields of comparative development and international relations. The first concern presented here is normative and epistemological: as democracy becomes more widely accepted as the political currency of legitimacy, the more broadly it is defined. But as agreement decreases regarding the definition of democracy, the less we are able to evaluate how it is working, or indeed whether it is working at all. The second issue is causal: what are the claims being made regarding how best to secure a democratic system in developing states? To what extent do our beliefs and expectations of how political relations ought to be governed distort our understanding of how democratic societies do in fact emerge; and, conversely, to what extent does our understanding of how democracy manifests itself temper our conception of what it ought to be?The volume will be of interest to those in international development studies, as well as political theorists with an interest in applied ethics.

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Since the second edition of this text, the use of the Internet and networks generally has continued to expand at a phenomenal rate. This has led to both an increase in demand for network software and to improvements in the technology used to run such networks, with the latter naturally leading to changes in the former. During this time, the Java libraries have been updated to keep up with the new developments in network technology, so that the Java programming language continues to be one of the mainstays of network software development.In providing a very readable text that avoids getting immersed in low-level technical details, while still providing a useful, practical guide to network programming for both undergraduates and busy IT professionals, this third edition continues the trend of its predecessors. To retain its currency, the text has been updated to reflect changes that have taken place in Java's network technology over the past seven years (including the release of Java 7), whilst retaining its notable features of numerous code examples, screenshots and end-of-chapter exercises.

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Teaching Games and Game Studies in the Literature Classroom offers practical suggestions for educators looking to incorporate ludic media, ranging from novels to video games and from poems to board games, into their curricula. Across the globe, video games and interactive media have already been granted their own departments at numerous larger institutions and will increasingly fall under the purview of language and literature departments at smaller schools. This volume considers fundamental ways in which literature can be construed as a game and the benefits of such an approach. The contributors outline pedagogical strategies for integrating the study of video games with the study of literature and consider the intersections of identity and ideology as they relate to literature and ludology. They also address the benefits (and liabilities) of making the process of learning itself a game, an approach that is quickly gaining currency and increasing interest. Every chapter is grounded in theory but focuses on practical applications to develop students’ critical thinking skills and intercultural competence through both digital and analog gameful approaches.

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The poems in Tsitsi Ella Jaji’s Beating the Graves meditate on the meaning of living in diaspora, an experience increasingly common among contemporary Zimbabweans. Vivid evocations of the landscape of Zimbabwe filter critiques of contemporary political conditions and ecological challenges, veiled in the multiple meanings of poetic metaphor. Many poems explore the genre of praise poetry, which in Shona culture is a form of social currency for greeting elders and peers with a recitation of the characteristics of one’s clan. Others reflect on how diasporic life shapes family relations. The praise songs in this volume pay particular homage to the powerful women and gender-queer ancestors of the poet’s lineage and thought. Honoring influences ranging from Caribbean literature to classical music and engaging metaphors from rural Zimbabwe to the post-steel economy of Youngstown, Ohio, Jaji articulates her own ars poetica. These words revel in the utter ordinariness of living globally, of writing in the presence of all the languages of the world, at home everywhere, and never at rest.

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Before the spectacular economic catastrophes that have recently befallen the newly-emergent economies of Asia - notably those of Korea and Thailand - it was fashionable amongst economists to speak of an impending "Asian century" in which the Asia-Pacific region would supplant America as the centre of gravity for world affairs. Conventional wisdom held that the high growth rates enjoyed by the Asian "tiger" economies would continue relentlessly, even spreading within the region, while Western institutions, by contrast, would decline irreversibly. The author challenges this view and reveals how many of the institutions credited wuth the "miracle" performance of East Asian economies simply cannot withstand close scrutiny. Events of late 1997 prove the accuracy of his thesis - as each day seems to herald some new currency crisis or financial sector failure. Lingle is no stranger to controversy, following his forced departure from Singapore after the publication of an article, critical of the government, in the "International Herald Tribune". This book questions all international perceptions of East Asia's future and promises to stimulate debate.

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Few countries experienced the period of turbulence surrounding the global financial crisis as intensely as Greece. The country topped the global news agenda as images of mass protests in Athens jostled for space with reports of torturous negotiations between political leaders struggling to agree support packages. Dramatic headlines proclaimed not only Greek bankruptcy and a possible exit from the euro, but the collapse of the single currency itself. This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the lengthy crisis that beset Greece and the wider Eurozone. Written for the general reader, it explores the passage of events from different perspectives as it probes the story behind the headlines to reveal the full complexity of the crisis. Were its causes to be found in the prevailing international financial environment or in the economic and political system which evolved in Greece since the early 1970s? Did the choices made by both domestic and international actors such as the IMF and the EU exacerbate the crisis? Most importantly, what has been the impact of the crisis on the daily lives of the country’s inhabitants?

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In recent years culture has become the primary currency of politics – from the identity politics that characterized the 2016 American election to the pushback against Western universalism in much of the non-Western world. Much less noticed is the rise of a new political entity, the civilizational state. In this pioneering book, the renowned political philosopher Christopher Coker looks in depth at two countries that now claim this title: Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He also discusses the Islamic caliphate, a virtual and aspirational civilizational state that is unlikely to fade despite the recent setbacks suffered by ISIS. The civilizational state, he contends, is an idea whose time has come. For, while civilizations themselves may not clash, civilizational states appear to be set on challenging the rules of the international order that the West takes for granted. China seems anxious to revise them, Russia to break them, while Islamists would like to throw away the rule book altogether. Coker argues that, when seen in the round, these challenges could be enough to give birth to a new post-liberal international order.

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