Search results for ""Author Leonard"

The philosophy of La Rochefoucauld, which influenced French intellectuals as diverse as Voltaire and the Jansenists, is captured here in more than 600 penetrating and pithy aphorisms.

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Havana, 2003, fourteen years since Mario Conde retired from the police force and much has changed in Cuba. He now makes a living trading in antique books bought from families selling off their libraries in order to survive. In the house of Alcides de Montes de Oca, a rich Cuban who fled after the fall of Batista, Conde discovers an extraordinary book collection and, buried therein, a newspaper article about Violeta del Rio, a beautiful bolero singer of the 1950's, who disappeared mysteriously.Conde's intuition sets him off on an investigation that leads him into a darker Cuba, now flooded with dollars, populated by pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and other hunters of the night. But this novel also allows Padura to evoke the Havana of Batista, the city of a hundred night clubs where Marlon Brando and Josephine Baker listened to boleros, mambos and jazz. Probably Padura's best book, "Havana Fever" is many things: a suspenseful crime novel, a cruel family saga and an ode to literature and his beloved, ravaged island.

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"Advances in Ecopolitics Series" presents a collection of environmental alternatives worthy of consideration in light of the ongoing economic downturn which has accompanied the latest incarnation of unsustainable practices. Each publication discusses a significant element in the environmental theory which now represents an important aspect of sustainable living. The latest volume, "Global Ecological Politics", examines the range of environmental campaigns that are occurring across the planet. It showcases a selection of case studies on grassroots initiatives and activism in areas such as green economic alternatives, regional activism in defence of communities, alternative or utopian communities, green politics and ecotourism. This extensive array of ecological participation demonstrates that viable green alternatives are available in this current era of legitimation crisis across the formal political and economic sectors. "Global Ecological Politics" presents an important collection of articles for researchers, lecturers and academics in the socio-economic and political sector and is essential reading for those involved in all areas of environmentalism.

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Learn to automate SQL Server operations using frameworks built from metadata-driven stored procedures and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). Bring all the power of Transact-SQL (T-SQL) and Microsoft .NET to bear on your repetitive data, data integration, and ETL processes. Do this for no added cost over what you’ve already spent on licensing SQL Server. The tools and methods from this book may be applied to on-premises and Azure SQL Server instances. The SSIS framework from this book works in Azure Data Factory (ADF) and provides DevOps personnel the ability to execute child packages outside a project—functionality not natively available in SSIS.Frameworks not only reduce the time required to deliver enterprise functionality, but can also accelerate troubleshooting and problem resolution. You'll learn in this book how frameworks also improve code quality by using metadata to drive processes. Much of the work performed by data professionals can be classified as “drudge work”—tasks that are repetitive and template-based. The frameworks-based approach shown in this book helps you to avoid that drudgery by turning repetitive tasks into "one and done" operations. Frameworks as described in this book also support enterprise DevOps with built-in logging functionality.What You Will Learn Create a stored procedure framework to automate SQL process execution Base your framework on a working system of stored procedures and execution logging Create an SSIS framework to reduce the complexity of executing multiple SSIS packages Deploy stored procedure and SSIS frameworks to Azure Data Factory environments in the cloud Who This Book Is ForDatabase administrators and developers who are involved in enterprise data projects built around stored procedures and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). Readers should have a background in programming along with a desire to optimize their data efforts by implementing repeatable processes that support enterprise DevOps.

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Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Michael Forsberg Photography “. . . and the sky blackened with dark, gray bodies. In the blurry confusion, John lost Mary.” So begins Have You Seen Mary?, Jeff Kurrus’s fictional account of one sandhill crane’s faithful search during spring migration for his lost mate. Set on Nebraska’s Platte River, this tenderly woven story of love is also a stirring introduction to these majestic birds, replete with Michael Forsberg’s radiant color photographs. This book will appeal to all ages, for it both entertains and educates readers about sandhill cranes.

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The ecumene in prose.Strabo (ca. 64 BC to ca. AD 25), an Asiatic Greek of Amasia in Pontus, studied at Nysa and after 44 BC at Rome. He became a keen traveler who saw a large part of Italy, various near eastern regions including the Black Sea, various parts of Asia Minor, Egypt as far as Ethiopia, and parts of Greece. He was a long time in Alexandria where he no doubt studied mathematics, astronomy, and history. Strabo’s historical work is lost, but his most important Geography in seventeen books has survived. After two introductory books, numbers 3 and 4 deal with Spain and Gaul, 5 and 6 with Italy and Sicily, 7 with north and east Europe, 8–10 with Greek lands, 11–14 with the main regions of Asia and with Asia Minor, 15 with India and Iran, 16 with Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, and Arabia, 17 with Egypt and Africa. In outline he follows the great mathematical geographer Eratosthenes, but adds general descriptions of separate countries including physical, political, and historical details. A sequel to his historical memoirs, Geography is planned apparently for public servants rather than students—hence the accounts of physical features and of natural products. On the mathematical side it is an invaluable source of information about Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, and Posidonius. The Loeb Classical Library edition of Strabo is in eight volumes.

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The eight guides in the City Cycling Europe series are each devoted to a different city: London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Antwerp/Ghent, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and Milan. Each compact volume features cycle-friendly neighbourhoods, itineraries, cycle maps and places to visit where cyclists are always welcome. Aimed primarily at those looking to take casual weekend breaks, there is also information for hardcore racing enthusiasts and special routes for those wishing to escape the traffic.

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In Introduction to a Phenomenology of Life, renowned French philosopher Renaud Barbaras aims to construct the basis for a phenomenology of life. Called an introduction because it has to deal with philosophical limits and presuppositions, it is much more, as Barbaras investigates life in its phenomenological senses, approached through the duality of its intransitive and transitive senses. Originally published in French (Introduction à une phénoménologie de la vie) Introduction to a Phenomenology of Life first defines the problem of life phenomenologically, then studies the failures of the phenomenological movement to adequately think about life, and finally elaborates a new, original, and productive approach to the problem. Combining original interpretations and expert readings of philosophers such as Heidegger, Henry, Bergson, and Merleau-Ponty, Barbaras offers a powerful and important contribution to phenomenology and continental thought.

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Even though China has created an administrative structure and regulatory programs to curb pollution, environmental quality has continued to deteriorate. Are polluters following the rules? How do regulators and polluters alike respond to ChinaOs environmental controls? This thoroughly documented study examines these central questions by analyzing compliance with programs involving wastewater discharge standards, fees, and permits. The successes and failures of these programs are tracked in comprehensive case studies and remarkably candid surveys of factory managers in six Chinese cities. The authorsO final chapter adds an international dimension by comparing Chinese water pollution control programs with their counterparts in the United States.

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A collection of amazing real-life stories about space exploration and adventure.Do you know the true story of ...*The first astronauts to land on the moon and were nearly stranded there for ever, if it hadn't been for a felt tip pen that saved them?*The 'human computers' that launched NASA's first rockets into space?*The astronaut that trained to go to space by living in underground caves and completing underwater missions?Humans have always been fascinated by the universe, but only a few have been daring enough to travel beyond the Earth.From venturing into space for the first time to building the International Space Station in orbit, the history of space exploration is filled with peril, bravery and strokes of genius.In this beautifully illustrated anthology, spaceflight expert, Libby Jackson, reveals the very best true stories of humankind's thrilling journey to the stars.Grab your space suit and jump aboard - it's time for an astronomical adventure!

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'Not bloody likely' Ever since Pygmalion opened in London in April 1914 it has proved a very controversial play, from the (then) shocking language, to arguments about its correct ending. Critical interpretations have been similarly disputatious, encompassing views of the transformation of the impoverished Eliza Doolittle by phonetics expert Henry Higgins as either a story of economic and social liberation, or an example of the perpetuation of male control and self-interest. With subsequent film and musical adaptations and many stage revivals, Pygmalion remains one of Shaw's most engaging, provocative, and accessible plays. This new edition of Pygmalion includes Shaw's definitive text, with both Preface and Sequel, and provides the most comprehensive scholarly treatment of the play to date, containing: * a substantial introduction with biographical information on Shaw * detailed discussion of the genesis and sources of the play * varying interpretations, and a lengthy international stage history. * textual notes on each page explaining language, allusions, and staging * Appendices with Shaw's discarded scenes for the play, the British Censor's 1914 report, and texts of all stage and film endings of Pygmalion.

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Executives from The Second City-the world's premier comedy theater and school of improvisation-reveal improvisational techniques that can help any organization develop innovators, encourage adaptable leaders, and build transformational businesses. For more than fifty years, The Second City comedy theater in Chicago has been a training ground for some of the best comic minds in the industry-including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey. But it also provides one-of-a-kind leadership training to cutting-edge companies, nonprofits, and public sector organizations-all aimed at increasing creativity, collaboration, and teamwork. The rules for leadership and teamwork have changed, and the skills that got professionals ahead a generation ago don't work anymore. Now The Second City provides a new toolkit individuals and organizations can use to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by speed, social communication, and decentralization. Based on eight principles of improvisation, Yes, And helps to develop these skills and foster them in high-potential leaders and their teams, including: * Mastering the ability to co-create in an ensemble * Fostering a "yes, and" approach to work * Embracing failure to accelerate high performance * Leading by listening and by learning to follow * Innovating by making something out of nothing Yes, And is a must-read for professionals and organizations, helping to develop the invaluable leadership skills needed to succeed today.

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When Ronan Smith was in his twenties, his father, the theatre impresario Brendan Smith, developed obvious signs of early onset Alzheimer’s disease but steadfastly refused to acknowledge it. Brendan ran the Olympia Theatre and had founded the Brendan Smith Academy of Acting and the Dublin Theatre Festival. A theatre and film actor, Ronan later became a producer and manager, and part of the worldwide phenomenon of Riverdance. It fell to Ronan to protect his father, and eventually, as Brendan’s condition became more challenging, to commit him into care, a traumatic but pivotal event in their father-son relationship. So in 2014, when Ronan himself was diagnosed with the same illness, he knew exactly what the coming years would hold. But, unlike his father, Ronan chose to face his future positively, turning from work towards family, improving his diet and advocating for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. In doing so, Ronan’s radically different approach to this all-too-common disease has significantly changed the narrative around it in Ireland. Written in real time, If Memory Serves Me Wrong is a rare first-hand account of the experience of being both a family carer and of living with dementia. It is also a heartrending, sometimes harrowing and very often humorous memoir about the power of love in facing an uncertain future.

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When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? Is the apparent 'grand design' of our universe evidence for a benevolent creator who set things in motion? Or does science offer another explanation? In The Grand Design, the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe is presented in language marked by both brilliance and simplicity. Model dependent realism, the multiverse, the top-down theory of cosmology, and the unified M-theory - all are revealed here.This is the first major work in nearly a decade by one of the world's greatest thinkers. A succinct, startling and lavishly illustrated guide to discoveries that are altering our understanding and threatening some of our most cherished belief systems, The Grand Design is a book that will inform - and provoke - like no other.

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Jake Ahn, burglar and jewel thief, gets involved in a burglary in Seattle that turns violent when his partner tries to doublecross him. Escaping to San Francisco, Jake looks up his brother, Eugene, and finds himself in the middle of Eugene's marital and career problems, while gradually becoming attracted to Eugene's wife, Rachel. The brothers' painful memories of their childhoods are awakened with this visit, while Jake eventually turns back to his criminal pursuits, and involves Rachel. Meanwhile, Jake's ex-partner continues his search for Jake, and the result is a violent convergence of events.

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The liturgical drama arose in a period of rapidly integrating feudalism. Christians experienced contradiction between a Church that offered salvation and a Church that, through its large landholdings, exploited a large number of peasants. This study examines the attempts made by clergy to revitalize faith by creating new theology, new music, new prayers, tropes, new rituals, and the drama.

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A longtime leader among liberal Catholics lays out a practical program for democratizing and opening up the Church from the local parish and diocese level up, drawing on the unrealized potential of models and reforms through history. As background he especially focuses on the Enlightenment reform movement in 19th-century Germany that presaged the reforms proposed by Vatican Council II, many of which are still unfulfilled or even reversed. He also discusses the remarkably democratic and lay-involving practices of the Catholic Church in early America. He concludes with a draft constitution for parishes and dioceses to adapt.

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This text explains in common-sense terms, the fastest, most effective ways to sharpen your woodworking tools, from chisels to drill bits. You'll get better edges than on most razor blades, and you'll learn how to shape them to cut better and stay sharp longer.

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