Search results for ""Author Rath"

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture's teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The NKJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is printed in the NKJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the New King James Version (NKJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read.Features: Complete text of the New King James Version (NKJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Leathersoft™ cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive NKJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 9.5

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is printed in the KJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the King James Version (KJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the King James Version (KJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Raised spine hubs Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Genuine calfskin leather cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive KJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 9.5

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Large Print is printed in the KJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the King James Version (KJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the King James Version (KJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Leathersoft™ cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive KJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 10.5

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Handy Size is printed in the KJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the King James Version (KJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the King James Version (KJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Personal size for easy carrying Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide European bonded leather cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive KJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 8

Read more less

When the State of Israel came into existence in 1948, its very legitimacy as a nation was immediately challenged, often by the same people who questioned the rights of the Jewish people to live at peace on their own land. Yet since its independence, Israel has stood out as a nation with a truly democratic form of government surrounded by countries and peoples mostly ruled by tyrants and despots.This has led to wars, border skirmishes and other assaults against Israel. This reached a pinnacle with the steady terrorist assaults against innocent civilians known as suicide bombings. Instead of condemning these attacks, many ignored the inhuman brutality or even worse, glorified the Palestinian Arab perpetrators as martyrs.One of the favored forums for attempts to isolate Israel is at the United Nations. Rather than empathy for the Jewish victims of terrorist attacks, the UN has repeatedly excoriated Israel for its actions toward the Palestinians, ignoring the fact that most of the Palestinian people lived in areas controlled by their own Arab leaders.As a result of the onslaught of the Second Intifada, Israel planned and began the construction of a terrorism prevention security barrier. Built roughly between Israel and the Palestinian territories, Israeli leaders made clear that it was not an attempt to create a border and preempt negotiations, but solely for the purpose of defending and protecting her people.There have been a number of objections from Palestinians, with support from some Israelis, who felt that they were unduly burdened by the barrier. Many of these complaints were lodged with Israel's vibrant and independent court system. Instead of rubber-stamping decisions, courts looked at each situation and in some cases have ordered that the route be changed or altered.In 2004, Israel's detractors at the UN, who refused to even recognize the right or need for Israel to be able to protect its citizens, saw another avenue to demonize the state. Defying its own charter, the UN General Assembly requested of the International Court of Justice at the Hague an advisory opinion about the security fence and its applicability under international law, some calling it an apartheid wall. Few people around the world were even aware that such an important tribunal was looming . Fewer still seemed to understand the potential difficulties it might cause for Israel and other countries desiring to protect their own citizens from terror attacks. One who immediately understood the danger if Israel was not allowed to adequately defend its citizens was Richard D. Heideman. An internationally known attorney, former President of B'nai B'rith International and advocate for the rights of victims of terrorism both in the US, in Israel, in Lebanon and in Europe, he understood how vulnerable innocent civilians would become under such limitations. Heideman filed the only brief on behalf of a non-governmental organization, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He forcefully laid out the case to the ICJ for Israel's right, and obligation, like every nation-state, to provide for the defense of her population. At the same time, he served as lead counsel at hearings held at The Hague, highlighting the victims and their suffering. We follow Heideman's meticulous and passionate defense of Israel's right to defend its people. He complements his arguments with sharp, insightful analysis of the Court's eventual negative and, some would say, inevitable ruling. and is sure to be essential reading for any contemporary discussion of the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the questionable ability of the United Nations to have a positive role in achieving a just and secure Israel.

Read more less

Margery Kempe, a middle-class English housewife at the turn of the fifteenth century, was called to weep and to pray for her fellow Christians and to adopt an unconventional way of life. Separating herself from her husband and many children, she became a pilgrim travelling around England and as far away as Jerusalem. In old age, she dictated to scribes an autobiography that recounts her extraordinary intimacy with Christ as well as her intense, commotion-filled life. At first glance, she does not seem very saintly in character or disposition, and her spiritual experiences can easily appear to be extreme or egotistical. To appreciate and interpret Margery Kempe's life and spirituality properly, one must go beyond conventional categories of social and religious history. In Mystic and Pilgrim, Clarissa Atkinson does this from six perspectives: the character of Margery's autobiography, her mysticism and pilgrim way of life, her social and family environment, her relations with her church and its clergy, the tradition that shaped her piety, and the context of late medieval female sanctity. Margery's Book was shaped by the writings of famous holy women and by pressures on memory and motivation that come with age. The vocation that called Margery to mysticism and pilgrimage made her unusual, therefore open to suspicion. It required her to leave her husband and children, to dress in white (a color usually reserved for virgins), to go on pilgrimage as a way to participate in Christ's earthly life and death. It graced her with a conspicuous gift: tears she could not control or resist. Her domestic and social background (she came from a powerful merchant family) gave her the courage to persist in her strange vocation and unpopular way of life. She met scorn from most of her relatives, but found encouragement in Christ, the saints, and the representatives of the Church. During Margery's lifetime the Church displayed intense anxiety over the related issues of religious enthusiasm, discernment of spirits, and female visionaries. Yet many church officials, including Dame Julian of Norwich, advised Margery to accept what God sent her and judged her feelings to be "the work of the Holy Ghost." Having examined these aspects of Margery's life and piety, Atkinson goes on to make an original and significant contribution by explaining their specific spiritual context. It is in the tradition of affective piety and of late medieval female sanctity, she argues, that Margery's religious emotions and expressions can best be understood. From Anselm of Canterbury, through Francis of Assisi, to Nicolas Love, affective writers and preachers aimed to promote intense feelings. Principal among these were compassion and contrition. Margery incorporated these feelings in her own devotional life: identification with the human Christ, conspicuous humility inspired by Saint Francis, and "boistrous" emotion in sympathy with Mary grieving at the Cross. Against this background, the religious life of Margery Kempe seems neither aberrant nor even very unusual. Rather, it is her unique response to a tradition established by great saints. Among the saintly persons of late medieval Europe were many women: Catherine of Siena, Birgitta of Sweden, Joan of Arc, Julian of Norwich. They characteristically saw visions, communicated directly with God, found scribes or biographers who publicized their experiences. An increasing number of them were wives and mothers who struggled, like Margery, with the married state and eventually transcended it, becoming in effect "honorary" virgins through their holiness and by God's special favor. Traveling widely, speaking publicly, departing from traditional women's roles, these women were a new creation of the late Middle Ages.

Read more less

Margery Kempe, a middle-class English housewife at the turn of the fifteenth century, was called to weep and to pray for her fellow Christians and to adopt an unconventional way of life. Separating herself from her husband and many children, she became a pilgrim travelling around England and as far away as Jerusalem. In old age, she dictated to scribes an autobiography that recounts her extraordinary intimacy with Christ as well as her intense, commotion-filled life. At first glance, she does not seem very saintly in character or disposition, and her spiritual experiences can easily appear to be extreme or egotistical. To appreciate and interpret Margery Kempe's life and spirituality properly, one must go beyond conventional categories of social and religious history. In Mystic and Pilgrim, Clarissa Atkinson does this from six perspectives: the character of Margery's autobiography, her mysticism and pilgrim way of life, her social and family environment, her relations with her church and its clergy, the tradition that shaped her piety, and the context of late medieval female sanctity. Margery's Book was shaped by the writings of famous holy women and by pressures on memory and motivation that come with age. The vocation that called Margery to mysticism and pilgrimage made her unusual, therefore open to suspicion. It required her to leave her husband and children, to dress in white (a color usually reserved for virgins), to go on pilgrimage as a way to participate in Christ's earthly life and death. It graced her with a conspicuous gift: tears she could not control or resist. Her domestic and social background (she came from a powerful merchant family) gave her the courage to persist in her strange vocation and unpopular way of life. She met scorn from most of her relatives, but found encouragement in Christ, the saints, and the representatives of the Church. During Margery's lifetime the Church displayed intense anxiety over the related issues of religious enthusiasm, discernment of spirits, and female visionaries. Yet many church officials, including Dame Julian of Norwich, advised Margery to accept what God sent her and judged her feelings to be "the work of the Holy Ghost." Having examined these aspects of Margery's life and piety, Atkinson goes on to make an original and significant contribution by explaining their specific spiritual context. It is in the tradition of affective piety and of late medieval female sanctity, she argues, that Margery's religious emotions and expressions can best be understood. From Anselm of Canterbury, through Francis of Assisi, to Nicolas Love, affective writers and preachers aimed to promote intense feelings. Principal among these were compassion and contrition. Margery incorporated these feelings in her own devotional life: identification with the human Christ, conspicuous humility inspired by Saint Francis, and "boistrous" emotion in sympathy with Mary grieving at the Cross. Against this background, the religious life of Margery Kempe seems neither aberrant nor even very unusual. Rather, it is her unique response to a tradition established by great saints. Among the saintly persons of late medieval Europe were many women: Catherine of Siena, Birgitta of Sweden, Joan of Arc, Julian of Norwich. They characteristically saw visions, communicated directly with God, found scribes or biographers who publicized their experiences. An increasing number of them were wives and mothers who struggled, like Margery, with the married state and eventually transcended it, becoming in effect "honorary" virgins through their holiness and by God's special favor. Traveling widely, speaking publicly, departing from traditional women's roles, these women were a new creation of the late Middle Ages.

Read more less

The ruthless military dictatorship that ruled Argentina between 1976 and 1983 betrayed the country's people, presiding over massive disappearances of its citizenry and, in the process, destroying the state's trustworthiness as the guardian of safety and well-being. Desperate relatives risked their lives to find the disappeared, and one group of mothers defied the repressive regime with weekly protests at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires. How do societies cope with human losses and sociocultural traumas in the aftermath of such instances of political violence and state terror? In Argentina Betrayed, Antonius C. G. M. Robben demonstrates that the dynamics of trust and betrayal that convulsed Argentina during the dictatorship did not end when democracy returned but rather persisted in confrontations over issues such as the truth about the disappearances, the commemoration of the past, and the guilt and accountability of perpetrators. Successive governments failed to resolve these debates because of erratic policies made under pressure from both military and human rights groups. Mutual mistrust between the state, retired officers, former insurgents, and bereaved relatives has been fueled by recurrent revelations and controversies that prevent Argentine society from conclusively coming to terms with its traumatic past. With thirty years of scholarly engagement with Argentina—and drawing on his extensive, fair-minded interviews with principals at all points along the political spectrum—Robben explores how these ongoing dynamics have influenced the complicated mourning over violent deaths and disappearances. His analysis deploys key concepts from the contemporary literature of human rights, transitional justice, peace and reconciliation, and memory studies, including notions of trauma, denial, accountability, and mourning. The resulting volume is an indispensable contribution to a better understanding of the terrible crimes committed by the Argentine dictatorship in the 1970s and their aftermath.

Read more less

Trading strategies always look great on paper. But when it comes to trading in the real world, market chaos and human unpredictability often make even the best strategies seem inadequate to the task. The hard truth all traders eventually learn is that trading is far more difficult when your chips are down and the pressure is on. In the tradition of Edwin Lefèvre’s legendary book Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, Don Miller’s Chronicles of a Million Dollar Trader offers an inside look at the ups and downs, failures and victories of one of the few traders to have ever earned $1 million in a calendar year by trading futures intraday. In this detailed journal, Miller lets you peek over his shoulder as he tiptoes through a minefield of potential mistakes, miscalculations, and self-defeating behaviors in search of consistent profits. Along the way, he shares trading diary excerpts from 2008 to 2012, as well as his actual performance for every futures trading day from 2004 to 2011—almost 2,000 days worth of real trading results and analysis. You’ll follow along as the challenge of everyday trading teaches Miller the importance of focus, motivation, controlled aggression, and just showing up—especially on those mornings he’d rather sleep in. As you track his progress hour by hour and day by day through the journal, you’ll see how he recognizes his strengths and weaknesses, reaches or falls short of his daily goals, analyzes his results, and applies everything he learns to future trades, including valuable insights gleaned from sports, poker, and life. If you’re thinking of quitting your day job to be a full-time trader, Miller offers a clear-eyed look at what you’re getting into. His path to success was rocky, with ecstatic highs interspersed with intermittent setbacks. Despite his well-crafted plan, his intelligence, and his dedication, Miller began his trading career the way so many others do—with losses due to a lack of training and a poor business plan. Though he learned his lesson, ate his humble pie, and got back into the game successfully, there’s no reason for you to repeat his mistakes. Chronicles of a Million Dollar Trader reveals how successful trading is about much more than reading charts, because you’re not just playing the numbers—you’re competing against the markets, other traders, and yourself. Much like a sport, winning is the result of good planning, practice, and execution, and if you’re not on your game, then you’re already on your way to losing. If you’re a full-time trader, part-time trader, or just considering becoming one, this insightful, revealing look inside Miller’s mind offers vital lessons on how to trade like a champion.

Read more less

Book & CD. Husain Lehri, the director of Super Book House, approached Yashwant Pitkar, teaching at the Sir J J College of Architecture in Mumbai, to bring out a book on a contemporary Indian architect whose approach is different from the run of the mill. Pitkar had no hesitation in choosing Shirish Beri who in a career spanning almost forty years has built works ranging from private residences to educational complexes and large public projects across India. As it turned out, this book is the result of an extensive collaboration between Lehri, Piktar and Beri -- Pitkar describes the process of making the book as one of slow and deep unfolding. What is most interesting about this book is its structure. Interspersed with the projects are Beri's written and sketched expressions. Each set of two projects is bookended by his illustrated essays and poetry. The essays are more like collections of rambling thoughts, posers and anecdotes -- seeking connections between nature, art, architecture, and life. There is a seamless rhythm set up in the book that constantly keeps the reader acquainted with the architect's outer manifestations in form of his buildings and his inner thought processes, integral to that creation. The opening essay, "Working with Wature ... Towards Sustainability" sets a tone towards not just architecture but life in general. Beri asks whether man's relationship with nature could become a universal archetype for a sustainable future. He advocates an approach towards architecture that grows out from the place and its spirit rather than imposed technocratic solutions. The book features about a dozen projects in greater detail, well illustrated with clear drawings, evocative sketches and excellent photographs accompanied by the architect's own analysis of the design process and governing concerns in each project. The opening section of the book contains a note by B V Doshi and a foreword by Christopher Charles Benninger who was Beri's mentor when he was a student at the CEPT in Ahmedabad. The Hirwai Farmhouse in Nathawade for himself, one of his earliest projects, is perhaps the best example of his avowed philosophy: spaces inspired by nature. The Sanjeevan Primary School and the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species at Hyderabad display Beri's playful and unconventional approach towards space organisation which is at once in harmony with the site's topography and natural features. Projects such as the Dharwad Engineering College or the Computational Mathematics Laboratory in Pune display a nuanced sense of structure, construction and meticulousness towards detail. In the closing section of the book there is an exhaustive list of projects with thumbnails giving a good idea of the full range of the architect's work. Accompanying the book is a CD titled "The Unfolding White: Shirish Beri's search for wholeness.

Read more less

'Full of Christmas romance and just so gorgeous - you will not be able to put this book down!' Rather Too Fond of Books'It captivated me, drew me in, held me under its magical spell and left me feeling as if I'd just stepped out of a winter wonderland, the fairy-tale sort' Becca's BooksCome and spend a picture perfect romantic Christmas at White Cliff BayLibby Joseph is famous for her romantic Christmas stories. Every December, readers devour her books of falling in love against the magical backdrop of the Christmas season. If only Libby believed in the magic herself...Struggling to finish her current novel, Libby turns to her best friend and neighbour George Donaldson to cheer her up. But George also needs a bit of support himself. Nervous about getting back into the dating saddle after splitting from his wife, he and Libby strike a deal. She will teach George how to win over the ladies, and Libby will in turn be inspired to inject her novel with a good dose of romance.As Libby and George explore the beautiful White Cliff Bay on a series of romantic Christmas-themed dates, Libby finds herself having more fun than she's had in ages and...discovers feelings that she never knew she had for George.But is it too late? Will George win someone else's heart or can Libby act like the heroine in one of her stories and reach for her own love under the mistletoe this Christmas?Snuggle up with a piece of Christmas cake and mulled wine, and spend the festive season at White Cliff Bay. You won't want to leave!Read what everyone is saying about Snowflakes on Silver Cove:'It has been such a long time since I last laughed out so loud because of a book. This has to be the MOST HILARIOUS READ' A Page of Love'This whole book is just the most perfectly adorable, squishy, fluffy, festive, romantic and wonderful story!' Paris Baker's Book Nook'Charming and sweet like a Christmas treat' For the Love of Books'Holly's stories are always filled with a little bit of magic and lots and lots strong relationships that make you all warm and fuzzy inside' Silke Reads and Writes'A "feel good" book that will keep you entertained on a miserable cold winters night' The Review Café'A wonderful Christmassy book which will warm your heart and is a delight to read' Rachel's Random Reads'Holly Martin once again serves up a wonderful romance sprinkled with several laugh-aloud moments and a generous offering of holiday magic!' Kimberley's Bookshelf'Fantastic heart-warming read that had me longing for winter evenings watching films with popcorn and cuddles' Afternoon Bakery

Read more less

'A rapid-fire debut with a cinematographer's eye for detail... Fan strikes a deft balance between agile set-pieces and lingering beauty.' Naoise Dolan 'A vivid, powerful portrait of a vanishing world.' David Nicholls'Do you know what it was like here? You wouldn't believe the glamour. We had our own film studio, redbrick houses for the stars, even Jackie Chan. Now look at us - the Hollywood of the Orient will soon be gone altogether.'1987, Hong Kong. Trying to outrun his demons, a young man who calls himself Buddha returns to the bustling place of his birth. He moves into a small Buddhist nunnery in the crumbling neighbourhood of Diamond Hill, where planes landing at the nearby airport fly so close overhead that travellers can see into the rooms of those below.As Buddha begins to care for the nuns and their neighbours, this pocket of the old city is vanishing. Even the fiery Iron Nun cannot prevent the frequent landslides that threaten the nunnery she fights for, and in the nearby shanty town, a faded film actress who calls herself Audrey Hepburn is hiding a deep secret and trying to survive with her teenage daughter who has a bigger fish to fry.But no one arrives in Diamond Hill by accident, and Buddha's ties to this place run deeper than he is willing to admit. Can he make peace with his past and survive in this disappearing city?Beautifully written and utterly compelling, Diamond Hill is a gorgeous love letter that perfectly captures a lost place, filled with unforgettable characters. If you love books by Hanya Yanagihara, Colm Tóibín and Ocean Vuong, you'll adore this haunting and evocative novel.What people are saying about Diamond Hill:'The best debut I've read in ages... A glorious luminosity to the writing and the reading experience is rather like looking into a kaleidoscope and giving it several twirls.' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'A gripping and highly accomplished debut... A thoroughly enjoyable and profound exploration of powerlessness, identity and the evolution of a city.' Guardian'Fan is an exuberant chronicler of a lost time and place... It's a timely consideration of Hong Kong's recent past.' The Times'An exhilarating and original tale, Diamond Hill marks award-winning Fan as a writer to watch.' Cosmopolitan 'Fan creates a textured, unsettled portrait of a territory facing a decisive ending... The dark drama that unfolds is an elegy to that vanished vanishing world.' The Wall Street Journal'Gleams with pleasurable insights... Memorable moments are sketched by a poet's hand.' South China Morning Post

Read more less

National polls show that approximately 50 million adult Americans are born-again Christians. Yet most Americans see their culture as secular, and the United States is viewed around the world as a secular nation. Further, intellectuals and journalists often portray born-again Christians, despite their numbers, as outsiders who endanger public life. But is American culture really so neatly split between the religious and the secular? Is America as "modern" and is born-again Christian religious belief as "pre-modern" as many think? In the 1980s, born-again Christians burst into the political arena with stunning force. Gone was the image of "old-fashioned" fundamentalism and its anti-worldly, separatist philosophy. Under the leadership of the Reverend Jerry Falwell and allied preachers, millions broke taboos in place since the Scopes trial constraining their interaction with the public world. They claimed new cultural territory and refashioned themselves in the public arena. Here was a dynamic body of activists with an evangelical vision of social justice, organized under the rubric of the "Moral Majority." Susan Harding, a cultural anthropologist, set out in the 1980s to understand the significance of this new cultural movement. The result, this long-awaited book, presents the most original and thorough examination of Christian fundamentalism to date. Falwell and his co-pastors were the pivotal figures in the movement. It is on them that Harding focuses, and, in particular, their use of the Bible's language. She argues that this language is the medium through which born-again Christians, individual and collective, come to understand themselves as Christians. And it is inside this language that much of the born-again movement took place. Preachers like Falwell command a Bible-based poetics of great complexity, variety, creativity, and force, and, with it, attempt to mold their churches into living testaments of the Bible. Harding focuses on the words--sermons, speeches, books, audiotapes, and television broadcasts--of individual preachers, particularly Falwell, as they rewrote their Bible-based tradition to include, rather than exclude, intense worldly engagement. As a result of these efforts, born-again Christians recast themselves as a people not separated from but engaged in making history. The Book of Jerry Falwell is a fascinating work of cultural analysis, a rare account that takes fundamentalist Christianity on its own terms and deepens our understanding of both religion and the modern world.

Read more less

Winner of the Shimada Prize for Outstanding Work of East Asian Art History By the end of the sixth century CE, both the royal courts and the educated elite in China were collecting works of art, particularly scrolls of calligraphy and paintings done by known artists. By the time of Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) of the Song dynasty (960-1279), both scholars and the imperial court were cataloguing their collections and also collecting ancient bronzes and rubbings of ancient inscriptions. The catalogues of Huizong's painting, calligraphy, and antiquities collections list over 9,000 items, and the tiny fraction of the listed items that survive today are all among the masterpieces of early Chinese art. Patricia Ebrey's study of Huizong's collections places them in both political and art historical context. The acts of adding to and cataloguing the imperial collections were political ones, among the strategies that the Song court used to demonstrate its patronage of the culture of the brush, and they need to be seen in the context of contemporary political divisions and controversies. At the same time, court intervention in the art market was both influenced by, and had an impact on, the production, circulation, and imagination of art outside the court. Accumulating Culture provides a rich context for interpreting the three book-length catalogues of Huizong's collection and specific objects that have survived. It contributes to a rethinking of the cultural side of Chinese imperial rule and of the court as a patron of scholars and the arts, neither glorifying Huizong as a man of the arts nor castigating him as a megalomaniac, but rather taking a hardheaded look at the political and cultural ramifications of collecting and the reasons for choices made by Huizong and his curators. The reader is offered glimpses of the magnificence of the collections he formed and the disparate fates of the objects after they were seized as booty by the Jurchen invaders in 1127. The heart of the book examines in detail the primary fields of collecting -- antiquities, calligraphy, and painting. Chapters devoted to each of these use Huizong's catalogues to reconstruct what was in his collection and to probe choices made by the cataloguers. The acts of inclusion, exclusion, and sequencing that they performed allowed them to influence how people thought of the collection, and to attempt to promote or demote particular artists and styles. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Chinese art history, social history, and culture, as well as art collectors. Published with the assistance of The Getty Foundation.

Read more less

The Handbook of Psychiatric Education is a comprehensive, authoritative text that covers everything the educator needs to know about recruiting, teaching, supervising, mentoring, and evaluating students and trainees in psychiatry programs. This second edition is a total departure from the previous one, released more than 15 years ago, and constitutes an entirely original text rather than a revision. Under the direction of a new editor, who has many years of experience directing psychiatry training programs, as well as serving as president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Programs, the book's content has been expanded and completely updated by a stellar list of contributors with intimate knowledge of their topics. In addition to foundational knowledge about adult learning, professionalism, and supervision, the book explores essential topics such as residency recruitment, student advising, curriculum, assessment and evaluation, accreditation, financing, residency administration, and much more. Specifically, the book • Outlines a scholarly approach to psychiatric education to avoid burnout caused by concurrent clinical and educational demands. This entails building a framework of goals, objectives, and resources; implementing methods to identify barriers, measure outcomes, and seek feedback; and laying the foundation for educational scholarship, which advances knowledge in psychiatric education via peer review and publication.• Explores the burnout, depression, and suicide risks common among physicians, especially younger ones, and covers the new ACGME mandates that address faculty and resident wellness and mental health, as well as ways to enhance resilience by attending to stress over the residency trajectory.• Examines the key components of psychotherapy supervision, from defining learning goals and establishing clear contractual obligations for each party to maintaining critically important boundaries within supervision to maintain healthy professional relationships and educational environments.• Addresses diversity and inclusion in psychiatry training, first by examining the LCME accreditation standard introduced in 2009, next by considering the impact of recruiting international medical graduates, and finally by discussing holistic review, a flexible approach to increasing diversity and promoting equity in the GME recruitment process. • Includes references to web-based content so that the reader may obtain the most current information about training and employ the book's principles in the context of those updated regulations and guidelines, maintaining the book's usefulness as the landscape changes with time. Beautifully written, down-to-earth, and full of the kind of practical knowledge it takes years to acquire firsthand, the Handbook of Psychiatric Education should be required reading for any faculty member assuming administrative educational responsibilities.

Read more less

This book examines the post-9/11 African American novels, developing a new critical discourse on everyday discursive practices of whiteness. The critique of everyday life in the racial context of post-9/11 American society is important in considering diverse forms of the lived experiences and subjectivities of black people in the novels. They help us see that African American representations of the city have political significance in that the “neo-urban novel” explores the possibility of a black dialogic communication to build a transformative social change. Since the real power of Whiteness lies in its discursive power, the book reveals the urgency to understand not only how whiteness works in everyday life in American society. But it also explores how to cultivate new possibilities of configuring and performing Blackness differently, as a response to the post-9/11 configurations of the culture of fear, to produce new ways of interactional social relations that can eventually open up the space of critical awareness for white people to work against rather than reinforce discursive practices of White supremacy in everyday life. This book explores how the multiple subjectivities and transformative acts of blackness can offer ways of subverting the discursive power of the white embodied practices. What defines post-9/11 America as a nation that is consumed by the fear of racialized terrorists is its roots in the fear of (‘uncontrollable’) Blackness as excess and ominous threat in the domestic terrain through which the ideology of White supremacy has constructed for governing through Whiteness. African-American urban novels published in the twenty-first century respond to the discursive power of normative Whiteness that regulates black bodies, selves and lives. This book demonstrates how black people contest white dominant social spaces as sites of black criminality and exclusion in an attempt to re-signify them as the sites of black transformative change through personal and grassroots activism through their performativity of Blackness as an agential identity formation in their interpersonal urban social encounters with white people. Hence, the vulnerable spaces of Whiteness in interracial urban encounters, as it pervasively addresses those moments of transformative change, enacted by Black characters, in the face of the discursive practices of whiteness in the everyday life. These novels celebrate multifarious representations of black individuals, who are capable of using their agency to subvert White discursive power, in finding ways in their personal and grassroots activism to transform the culture of fear that locates Blackness as such in an attempt to make a difference in the American society at large.

Read more less

This is a definitive, deeply researched biography of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and is the first scholarly biography to be published in any language. The book is Todes's magnum opus, which he has been working on for some twenty years. Todes makes use of a wealth of archival material to portray Pavlov's personality, life, times, and scientific work. Combining personal documents with a close reading of scientific texts, Todes fundamentally reinterprets Pavlov's famous research on conditional reflexes. Contrary to legend, Pavlov was not a behaviorist (a misimpression captured in the false iconic image of his "training a dog to salivate to the sound of a bell"); rather, he sought to explain not simply external behaviors, but the emotional and intellectual life of animals and humans. This iconic "objectivist" was actually a profoundly anthropomorphic thinker whose science was suffused with his own experiences, values, and subjective interpretations. This book is also a traditional "life and times" biography that weaves Pavlov into some 100 years of Russian history-particularly that of its intelligentsia--from the emancipation of the serfs to Stalin's time. Pavlov was born to a family of priests in provincial Ryazan before the serfs were emancipated, made his home and professional success in the glittering capital of St. Petersburg in late imperial Russia, suffered the cataclysmic destruction of his world during the Bolshevik seizure of power and civil war of 1917-1921, rebuilt his life in his 70s as a "prosperous dissident" during the Leninist 1920s, and flourished professionally as never before in 1929-1936 during the industrialization, revolution, and terror of Stalin. Todes's story of this powerful personality and extraordinary man is based upon interviews with surviving coworkers and family members (along with never-before-analyzed taped interviews from the 1960s and 1970s), examination of hundreds of scientific works by Pavlov and his coworkers, and close analysis of materials from some twenty-five archives. The documents range from the records of his student years at Ryazan Seminary to the transcripts of the Communist Party cells in his labs, and from his scientific manuscripts and notebooks to his political speeches; they include revealing love letters to his future wife and correspondence with hundreds of lay people, scholars, artists, and Communist Party leaders; and unpublished memoirs by many coworkers, his daughter, his wife, and his lover.

Read more less

PORCHLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 2022 NONFICTION BESTSELLER “I can see this book helping estranged parties who are equally invested in bridging a gap—it could be assigned reading for fractured families aspiring to a harmonious Thanksgiving dinner.” —New York Times “Like all skills, these techniques take practice. But anyone who sincerely wants to bridge the gaps in understanding will appreciate this book. Guzmán is emphatic about making an effort to work on difficult conversations.” —Manhattan Book Review We think we have the answers, but we need to be asking a lot more questions.Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us and discovered the most eye-opening tool we’re not using: our own built-in curiosity. Partisanship is up, trust is down, and our social media feeds make us sure we’re right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding one another is hurting our relationships and our society.In this timely, personal guide, Mónica, the chief storyteller for the national cross-partisan depolarization organization Braver Angels, takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt—broken conversations among confounded people. She shows you how to overcome the fear and certainty that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is different from or even opposed to yours. Drawing from cross-partisan conversations she’s had, organized, or witnessed everywhere from the echo chambers on social media to the wheat fields in Oregon to raw, unfiltered fights with her own family on election night, Mónica shows how you can put your natural sense of wonder to work for you immediately, finding the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want, curiously. In these pages, you’ll learn: How to ask what you really want to know (even if you’re afraid to) How to grow smarter from even the most tense interactions, online or off How to cross boundaries and find common ground—with anyone Whether you’re left, right, center, or not a fan of labels: If you’re ready to fight back against the confusion, heartbreak, and madness of our dangerously divided times—in your own life, at least—Mónica’s got the tools and fresh, surprising insights to prove that seeing where people are coming from isn’t just possible. It’s easier than you think.

Read more less

Tom Brady's father is an estate planner. Aaron Rodgers' father is a chiropractor. Cam Newton's father tried to sell his son to Mississippi State when he was leaving junior college. Archie Manning played 14 years in the NFL and never made the playoffs, but his sons Peyton and Eli combined to win four Super Bowls. Joe Montana is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of all time, but his two sons bounced around college football with limited success."Fathers and Sons," will go behind the scenes to explore the unique relationship between quarterbacks and their fathers. The book will appeal to two generations: Fathers and mothers and their sons and daughters. It will explore the various approaches to parenting through the stories of some of the best quarterbacks and their fathers and include the back stories of fathers who were successful quarterbacks with sons attempting to follow in their footsteps.It will provide life lessons and a guide to what to do and what not to do raising children with special athletic skills. Can young athletes overcome helicopter parents? Todd Marinovich was basically bred by his father Marv to be an NFL quarterback and although he was a first-round pick and drafted ahead of Brett Favre, he turned out to be a bust with many off the field issues. What would have happened if he was allowed to live a normal childhood? Kerry Collins had an overbearing father who moved him out of his home and to a different highs school because he didn't like the way his son was being coached. It took an emotional toll on Kerry and destroyed family relationships.Brady came from a family with an athletic mother and three older sisters who all played college sports. He had such a close relationship with his father that when he decided to play at Michigan rather than stay in the Bay Area and play at Cal, his father needed months of counseling to overcome the separation. Even so, he never tried to influence Tom where to attend college, not wanting to be blamed if it turned out to be the wrong choice.How did the kids with NFL aspirations deal with fathers who made it in the NFL? What kind of pressure did they have to overcome? What kind of pressure did the father who succeeded put on their son to be an athlete? Would the expectations be lower and the results greater if the father was an attorney or doctor? Was it better for the fathers to be overbearing or border on disinterested?"Fathers and Sons" will be the real-life compelling stories of quarterbacks growing up and how they took advantage or overcame the relationships with their fathers.

Read more less

Things even Gonzalez can't fix is the shockingly brilliant debut memoir of a 24-year-old Greek South African girl, Christy Chilimigras. It is nothing like My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Although there are old women in black, plucking stray hairs from their chins, the nuts in the baklava appear by way of a dash of crack cocaine, a sneaky brand of sexual abuse and cereal Tupperwares, packed to the brim with dagga. It is also very funny. It is the story of a young girl growing up in Johannesburg in a space of pure chaos, raised by two addict parents. In reality Christy, otherwise known as Mouse (who becomes a Furious Masturbator), is raised by Tiger, her older sister. Their childhood is strange, made up of crack excursions to Hillbrow at 3am, courtesy of their father on second weekends, and a dope smoking mother, Old Lass, who raises the two young girls single-handedly while starting her own business. Tiger and Mouse's worlds are overturned when Old Lass proceeds to marry an alcoholic control freak under an unsuspecting tree, only to get arrested following an invasion by the Hawks. "Children of addicts are curious things. We are deathly serious. We tinker on the edge of the worst case scenario. We are manic in our joy. We mean to dip our toes, but rather dive head first into extremes. We despise drugs ... and people who do drugs. So what then does it say about me when at 16 I fall desperately in love with a boy who perpetually has a joint dangling from his lips?" Things even Gonzalez can't fix is also a disturbingly brutal story about two sisters, raised by a father who has been sexualising them since they were toddlers. "We are desperate for answers and the knowledge of where to place our discomfort. If it feels like abuse and hurts like abuse, but it doesn't look like the abuse we read about in magazines, does it even count?". At 16 Christy falls in love with Olive Oil, a dope head addict, then, at 22, with a much older sado masochist, The Italian, who introduces her to a world of dangerously rough sex. "The book is my attempt at reclaiming my sanity and sexuality, which was colonised a long time ago. It involved countless bowls of pasta, glasses of wine (which best you believe I overthought) and a compulsion to be honest; very honest. Like oh sweet Jesus it hurts to spill your guts. It hurts to be this honest." A book that simply pulsates with edgy originality, that unleashes a Millennial's unapologetic perspective of our world, Christy Chilimigras is a new voice that demands to be read. Not since Kopano Matlwa's Coconut has a book promised to shake perspectives and overturn the way we see things. Things even Gonzalez can't fix, published by MFBooks Joburg, will be launched in May 2018.

Read more less

Joint operating agreements (JOA) are well-accepted standard agreements in the oil and gas industry. The basic aim of a JOA is to regulate the relationship between the parties to the joint venture: the operator and the non-operators. The former is responsible for performing the operations on the behalf of the consortium, while the latter share in the costs of the joint venture. The main goal of the consortium is to provide joint operations to share the risks and costs of such an enterprise. Exclusive operations, by contrast, provide for independent operations rather than joint operations. If these independent operations are successful, the ultimate consequence is the creation of a sub-consortium with different rules and parties; that is why this provision is so complex. There are no standard JOA models presenting clear and safe guidance on how to structure and implement independent operations. For example, it is unclear how the parties decide whether and how these will affect the joint operations; what the consequences are if the operator for the joint operations refuses to be the operator for the exclusive operations; what happens should the government reject such a proposal (if the government is involved); what this provision should look like if a national oil company is a partner; and which provisions of the main JOA should apply to the exclusive operations. This title examines the most complex provision of the JOA, explaining everything that individuals working in the petroleum industry should know about exclusive operations and their consequences. It begins by explaining what exclusive operations are, the rationale (including pros and cons) behind them, and the parties to which they will be of interest. It goes on to conduct the most extensive practical analysis available on the market, with over 10 JOAs analysed from all regions of the world, together with historical models that are no longer available for consultation. It then compares how joint development zones and unit operating agreements deal with exclusive operations, as they share the same concept as a JOA, but with parties from different blocs or jurisdictions. It finally provides clear guidance on international best practices and their main flaws, along with suggestions for existing and future JOAs. In short, it offers a complete analysis of the most complex clause of the JOA, from its concept to its final implications. International oil companies, independents, national oil companies, consultants, legal advisers and consultants will be interested to learn how they could perfect their JOAs and understand the risks and issues that they might face in the future.

Read more less

The desire for the power to control the conditions in one's life is a basic need possessed by virtually everyone. Power is sometimes associated with the desire for personal safety. It is also referred to as closely associated with free will, the ability to choose, and the degree to which a person can influence others. In individualistic societies, personal power is a primary value of the culture and is considered more important than the priorities of the group. This book is about "power with" rather than "power over" others -- but also addresses power within oneself. We have written with the intent to help leaders to more effectively empower others within their organizations -- but we have focused as well on the critical importance of self-empowerment and the ability of individuals to take control of their own lives to become the best persons that they can be. It is painfully evident that today's leaders have failed badly at empowering their employees - resulting in relationships that are frequently strained and generating employee commitment that is often "marginal" at best. Worldwide, empowerment and employee engagement are both low and employees have lost trust for leaders in organizations of all types. The inability of organizations to engender employee commitment and extra-mile performance detracts from the ability of companies to compete in today's global environment -- but "old style" command and control management policies nonetheless prevail in many companies -- to the detriment of the companies, their customers and employees, and to society at large. Self-empowerment is equally a problem. Employees who wish to grow and progress on the job are common -- but 70% of all employees today report that they are actively looking for a new job and many have a low regard for their companies and their companies' leaders. Opportunities for growth are often diminished as managers and supervisors fail to involve their employees in decisions critical to their companies' success. Yet the status quo prevails. We focus not only on employee self-empowerment but on the personal self-development that many individuals yearn for as they strive to "find their voice" and become the best possible version of themselves. We cite scholars from a broad variety of disciplines in offering their wisdom and add recommendations that can help individuals to acquire the traits and qualities so important to self-improvement. We encourage the readers to invest their time and effort to not only reading this book but to reflecting on its insights. Our intention is to help every reader to discover within themselves abilities and opportunities beyond their expectations as they strive to achieve the success that empowerment and self-empowerment make possible.

Read more less

1619 offers a new interpretation of the significance of Jamestown in the long trajectory of American history. Jamestown, the cradle of American democracy, also saw the birth of our nation's greatest challenge: the corrosive legacy of slavery and racism that have deepened and entrenched stark inequalities in our society. After running Jamestown under martial law from 1610-1616, the Virginia Company turned toward representative government in an effort to provide settlers with more control over their own affairs and more incentive to invest further in the colony. Governor Edwin Sandys dreamed of creating a real commonwealth, to provide for the interests of settlers and Indians alike. Thus, in late July 1619, the newly-formed General Assembly gathered to introduce "just Laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people." It was the first legislature in America, and history has cast it as the foundation of American freedom and democracy. From that moment on, propertied white colonists became accustomed to freedoms that would have been unthinkable in England with its layers of customs and hierarchy of courts and regulations, and these expanding political and economic freedoms attracted countless British immigrants and other Europeans to Virginia and the American colonies. But those very freedoms also permitted the wholesale and largely unchecked exploitation of poor white laborers and non-European peoples. More than nine-tenths of all those arriving in Virginia at this time were brought in some form of servitude or labor contract. In a cruel irony, 1619 also saw the arrival of the first African slaves in Virginia. The establishment of the General Assembly did nothing to ameliorate these disparities, but rather put ever more power in the hands of local grandees. Sandys's dream of creating a commonwealth in the interests of settlers and Indians proved short-lived. But the twin pillars of democracy-the rule of law and representative government based on the consent of the people-survived and flourished. It was his greatest legacy to America. What was lost was his steadfast conviction that serving the common good served all. This is a pattern we recognize all too well in modern American society-opportunities are not shared, inequality is rampant, racism is systemic. We would like to think these are problems that can be solved by expanding representative democracy; Jamestown teaches us, instead, that these are problems have long been created and encouraged by American democracy. Casting a skeptical eye on deeply-cherished myths, 1619 will be essential reading for anyone struggling to understand the paradox of American freedom.

Read more less

'A rapid-fire debut with a cinematographer's eye for detail... Fan strikes a deft balance between agile set-pieces and lingering beauty.' Naoise Dolan 'A vivid, powerful portrait of a vanishing world.' David Nicholls'Do you know what it was like here? You wouldn't believe the glamour. We had our own film studio, redbrick houses for the stars, even Jackie Chan. Now look at us - the Hollywood of the Orient will soon be gone altogether.'1987, Hong Kong. Trying to outrun his demons, a young man who calls himself Buddha returns to the bustling place of his birth. He moves into a small Buddhist nunnery in the crumbling neighbourhood of Diamond Hill, where planes landing at the nearby airport fly so close overhead that travellers can see into the rooms of those below.As Buddha begins to care for the nuns and their neighbours, this pocket of the old city is vanishing. Even the fiery Iron Nun cannot prevent the frequent landslides that threaten the nunnery she fights for, and in the nearby shanty town, a faded film actress who calls herself Audrey Hepburn is hiding a deep secret and trying to survive with her teenage daughter who has a bigger fish to fry.But no one arrives in Diamond Hill by accident, and Buddha's ties to this place run deeper than he is willing to admit. Can he make peace with his past and survive in this disappearing city?Beautifully written and utterly compelling, Diamond Hill is a gorgeous love letter that perfectly captures a lost place, filled with unforgettable characters. If you love books by Hanya Yanagihara, Colm Tóibín and Ocean Vuong, you'll adore this haunting and evocative novel.What people are saying about Diamond Hill:'The best debut I've read in ages... A glorious luminosity to the writing and the reading experience is rather like looking into a kaleidoscope and giving it several twirls.' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'A gripping and highly accomplished debut... A thoroughly enjoyable and profound exploration of powerlessness, identity and the evolution of a city.' Guardian'Fan is an exuberant chronicler of a lost time and place... It's a timely consideration of Hong Kong's recent past.' The Times'An exhilarating and original tale, Diamond Hill marks award-winning Fan as a writer to watch.' Cosmopolitan 'Fan creates a textured, unsettled portrait of a territory facing a decisive ending... The dark drama that unfolds is an elegy to that vanished vanishing world.' The Wall Street Journal'Gleams with pleasurable insights... Memorable moments are sketched by a poet's hand.' South China Morning Post

Read more less

"Breast cancer may very well be history's oldest malaise, known as well to the ancients as it is to us. The women who have endured it share a unique sisterhood. Queen Atossa and Dr. Jerri Nielsen-separated by era and geography, by culture, religion, politics, economics, and world view-could hardly have been more different. Born 2,500 years apart, they stand as opposite bookends on the shelf of human history. One was the most powerful woman in the ancient world, the daughter of an emperor, the mother of a god; the other is a twenty-first-century physician with a streak of adventure coursing through her veins. From the imperial throne in ancient Babylon, Atossa could not have imagined the modern world, and only in the driest pages of classical literature could Antarctica-based Jerri Nielsen even have begun to fathom the Near East five centuries before the birth of Christ. For all their differences, however, they shared a common fear that transcends time and space." -from Bathsheba's Breast In 1967, an Italian surgeon touring Amsterdam's Rijks museum stopped in front of Rembrandt's Bathsheba at Her Bath, on loan from the Louvre, and noticed an asymmetry to Bathsheba's left breast; it seemed distended, swollen near the armpit, discolored, and marked with a distinctive pitting. With a little research, the physician learned that Rembrandt's model, his mistress Hendrickje Stoffels, later died after a long illness, and he conjectured in a celebrated article for an Italian medical journal that the cause of her death was almost certainly breast cancer. A horror known to every culture in every age, breast cancer has been responsible for the deaths of 25 million women throughout history. An Egyptian physician writing 3,500 years ago concluded that there was no treatment for the disease. Later surgeons recommended excising the tumor or, in extreme cases, the entire breast. This was the treatment advocated by the court physician to sixth-century Byzantine empress Theodora, the wife of Justinian, though she chose to die in pain rather than lose her breast. Only in the past few decades has treatment advanced beyond disfiguring surgery. In Bathsheba's Breast, historian James S. Olson-who lost his left hand and forearm to cancer while writing this book-provides an absorbing and often frightening narrative history of breast cancer told through the heroic stories of women who have confronted the disease, from Theodora to Anne of Austria, Louis XIV's mother, who confronted "nun's disease" by perfecting the art of dying well, to Dr. Jerri Nielson, who was dramatically evacuated from the South Pole in 1999 after performing a biopsy on her own breast and self-administering chemotherapy. Olson explores every facet of the disease: medicine's evolving understanding of its pathology and treatment options; its cultural significance; the political and economic logic that has dictated the terms of a war on a "woman's disease"; and the rise of patient activism. Olson concludes that, although it has not yet been conquered, breast cancer is no longer the story of individual women struggling alone against a mysterious and deadly foe.

Read more less

If the zodiac signs were a colouring book, this would be it! Get to know yourself, your intuition and the universe better as you colour these 100+ gorgeous, cosmic-inspired patterns. Whether you’re new to astrology or you know your way around the zodiac, there’s something for you in Astrology Colouring Book. These captivating colouring designs will help you tune in to your astrological potential and help you zone in on your celestial goings-on. Mindfully colour the unique, beautiful templates that are printed on both sides of the paper so you can extend your colouring experience. Just as there is no right or wrong way to use this book, there is no right or wrong way to colour. Colour these beautiful illustrations however you wish and in whatever way feels right to you. This is about getting in touch with yourself on your spiritual journey, so if one colouring page doesn’t appeal to you, simply move on to one that does. If you’re a fiery Aries, Leo or Sagittarius: Maybe you’ll be drawn to warmer colors (such as red, oranges and yellows), which are colours associated with initiative, courage and passion – much like these signs. If you’re an airy Aquarius, Gemini or Libra: The cool colours (such as blues, greens and purples) might have the more calming qualities your intellect is after. If you’re an earthy Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn: Then darker colours or shades, with their lower-energy vibes, might echo your practicality, diligence and sensitivity. If you’re a watery Pisces, Cancer or Scorpio: Bright colours tend to have more energy whilst pastel and tinted colours tend to communicate softer energy – either of which might speak to your emotions and intuition. So why make a colouring book for adults? As we add responsibilities to our lives, we sometimes push aside those things we used to do for sheer enjoyment. With that in mind, these astrology-inspired designs are intended for adult sensibility and dexterity, rather than for children, so these are all yours! One of the great things about colouring is that it’s accessible to anyone, and being able to add your own colours helps make the experience more personal. Astrology is so much more than your daily horoscope, as these colouring pages show. Pick the one that speaks to you, and see where it takes you!

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is printed in the KJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the King James Version (KJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the King James Version (KJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Leathersoft™ cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive KJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 9.5

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture's teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.Available for the first time in the beloved 1995 text of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible is printed in Zondervan's Exclusive NASB Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the New American Standard Bible text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), 1995 Text Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Leathersoft™ cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive NASB Comfort Print typeface Print size: 9.5

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture's teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The NKJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Handy Size is printed in the NKJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the New King James Version (NKJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read.Features: Complete text of the New King James Version (NKJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Personal size for easy carrying Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide Leathersoft™ cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive NKJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 8

Read more less

The hydration of ions and the interactions of ions with (bio)molecules play a key role in many natural and technological processes. These effects are usually framed in terms of the lyotropic or Hofmeister series which traditionally orders cations and anions according to their ability to salt-out proteins. Since its formulation more than one hundred years ago, the lyotropic series has been invoked in myriad effects including the crystallization of proteins, enzyme activities, the swelling of tissues, salt solubilities, ion exchange, surface tension of electrolytes, and bubble coalescence. Although it is now clear that the Hofmeister series is intimately connected with ion hydration in homogeneous and heterogeneous environments and with ion pairing, the molecular origin of these effects has been poorly understood. Biochemists and physical chemists have been typically using the term Hofmeister series to put a label on ion specific behaviour in various environments, rather than to reach a molecular level understanding and, consequently, an ability to predict a particular effect of a specific salt ion. This meeting (which took place at Queen's College Oxford in September 2012) aimed to respond to the emerging situation in which science has matured enough to be able to provide answers about the molecular nature of ion specific effects. It explored the most important issues in understanding the chemistry and biological effects of ions, with state of the art work being presented using advanced experimental and computational methods. Investigation of ion specific effects is truly interdisciplinary since it requires chemists, biochemists, and biophysicists to collaborate with each other, combining experimental and computational approaches. We invited researchers in these fields to take part in the Discussion and join the chosen speakers who are among the key scientists behind the recent renaissance of interest in ion specific effects. Themes covered included: Solvation of ions in the aqueous bulk and at interfaces Ion-ion interactions in water Interactions between ions and biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, membranes, etc.) in water. Specific Hofmeister effects of ions and osmolytes on protein association, precipitation, folding/unfolding, and activity

Read more less

An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible studyBeloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This unique reference Bible enables you to search the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics and allows you to follow those topics throughout the entire Bible. With over 100,000 references, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible also offers a library of additional study resources that allows readers to interpret the Bible using related scripture passages rather than consulting a commentary.The KJV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, Large Print is printed in the KJV Comfort Print® typeface for easy reading. Expertly designed specifically to be used for the King James Version (KJV) text, Comfort Print offers an easier reading experience that complements the translation. This Bible also features a fresh, two-color design that preserves the original look of the chain-reference system, while making each page cleaner and easier to read. Features: Complete text of the King James Version (KJV) Easy-to-understand chain-reference system with over 100,000 references Alphabetical and numerical indexes highlight study materials for over 8,000 topics, each with its own topic number, for exhaustive topical study An extensive study resource section includes biographical sketches, illustrated studies of the Bible, a concordance, Bible harmonies, and many other helpful study tools Fresh, two-color page design 66 book introductions 16-page full-color map section with map index Line-matched text for enhanced readability Words of Jesus in red Presentation page for gift-giving Gilded page edges Two double-sided satin ribbon markers, each 3/8-inch wide European bonded leather cover lies flat when open Thumb indexed to make finding the books of the Bible easier Exclusive KJV Comfort Print typeface Print size: 10.5

Read more less

A unique investigation into how alliances form in highly polarized times among LGBTQ, immigrant, and labor rights activists, revealing the impacts within each rights movement. Queer Alliances investigates coalition formation among LGBTQ, immigrant, and labor rights activists in the United States, revealing how these new alliances impact political movement formation. In the early 2000s, the LGBTQ and immigrant rights movements operated separately from and, sometimes, in a hostile manner towards each other. Since 2008, by contrast, major alliances have formed at the national and state level across these communities. Yet, this new coalition formation came at a cost. Today, coalitions across these communities have been largely reluctant to address issues of police brutality, mass incarceration, economic inequality, and the ruthless immigrant regulatory complex. Queer Alliances examines the extent to which grassroots groups bridged historic divisions based on race, gender, class, and immigration status through the development of coalitions, looking specifically at coalition building around expanding LGBTQ rights in Washington State and immigrant and migrant rights in Arizona. Erin Mayo-Adam traces the evolution of political movement formation in each state, and shows that while the movements expanded, they simultaneously ossified around goals that matter to the most advantaged segments of their respective communities. Through a detailed, multi-method study that involves archival research and in-depth interviews with organization leaders and advocates, Queer Alliances centers local, coalition-based mobilization across and within multiple movements rather than national campaigns and court cases that often occur at the end of movement formation. Mayo-Adam argues that the construction of common political movement narratives and a shared core of opponents can help to explain the paradoxical effects of coalition formation. On the one hand, the development of shared political movement narratives and common opponents can expand movements in some contexts. On the other hand, the episodic nature of rights-based campaigns can simultaneously contain and undermine movement expansion, reinforcing movement divisions. Mayo-Adam reveals the extent to which inter- and intra-movement coalitions, formed to win rights or thwart rights losses, represent and serve intersectionally marginalized communities—who are often absent from contemporary accounts of social movement formation.

Read more less

2019 NAUTILUS GOLD WINNER In a time of rapid climate change and species extinction, what role have the world’s religions played in ameliorating—or causing—the crisis we now face? Religion in general, and Christianity in particular, appears to bear a disproportionate burden for creating humankind’s exploitative attitudes toward nature through unearthly theologies that divorce human beings and their spiritual yearnings from their natural origins. In this regard, Christianity has become an otherworldly religion that views the natural world as “fallen,” as empty of signs of God’s presence. And yet, buried deep within the Christian tradition are startling portrayals of God as the beaked and feathered Holy Spirit – the “animal God,” as it were, of historic Christian witness. Through biblical readings, historical theology, continental philosophy, and personal stories of sacred nature, this book recovers the model of God in Christianity as a creaturely, avian being who signals the presence of spirit in everything, human and more-than-human alike. Mark Wallace’s recovery of the bird-God of the Bible signals a deep grounding of faith in the natural world. The moral implications of nature-based Christianity are profound. All life is deserving of humans’ care and protection insofar as the world is envisioned as alive with sacred animals, plants, and landscapes. From the perspective of Christian animism, the Earth is the holy place that God made and that humankind is enjoined to watch over and cherish in like manner. Saving the environment, then, is not a political issue on the left or the right of the ideological spectrum, but, rather, an innermost passion shared by all people of faith and good will in a world damaged by anthropogenic warming, massive species extinction, and the loss of arable land, potable water, and breathable air. To Wallace, this passion is inviolable and flows directly from the heart of Christian teaching that God is a carnal, fleshy reality who is promiscuously incarnated within all things, making the whole world a sacred embodiment of God’s presence, and worthy of our affectionate concern. This beautifully and accessibly written book shows that “Christian animism” is not a strange oxymoron, but Christianity’s natural habitat. Challenging traditional Christianity’s self-definition as an other-worldly religion, Wallace paves the way for a new Earth-loving spirituality grounded in the ancient image of an animal God.

Read more less

Romantic Returns explores the theorization and operation of "imagination" in pre-romantic and romantic writing. Drawing on the poetry and prose of William Collins, William Hazlitt, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, it shows the continuing importance of their understanding of imagination for contemporary debates about the historicity of literature. Historicist readings of romanticism have done much to establish how and why romantic aesthetics is ideological—an illusory if effective evasion of its material conditions. Romantic Returns challenges this position by arguing that romantic aesthetics is, rather, critical—a reflective if problematic articulation of those conditions. The argument foregrounds the ways in which the aesthetics of romanticism inform its political and economic speculations. The book opens with an examination of mid-eighteenth-century debates about the role of superstition in the constitution of a national literary tradition. It considers, in particular, how Collins's odes figure Scotland as the site of a "superstitious" poetry that must be assimilated into British history even as Collins questions the very framework of assimilation. This ambiguous defense of superstition in the national polity is rewritten by romanticism as a defense of imagination. For the romantics, the concept of imagination involves an explicit theorization of how the mind's projections play a constitutive role in what appear to be social norms and economic facts. Hazlitt clarifies this position in his Essay on the Principles of Human Action. The Essay develops a rhetorical theory of imagination in order to deconstruct the entire metaphysical basis of self-interest on which eighteenth- and nineteenth-century political economy is based. Hazlitt's political pamphlets bring this argument to bear on his analysis of the economic interests fueling the Napleonic wars. Despite Hazlitt's enormous and widely acknowledged influence, his writings have been little studied on their own account. Romantic Returns underlies their centrality to the romantic articulation of aesthetics and politics. The final sections of the book engage Shelley's complex interrogation of the contradictions involved in just such articulations. In both his poetry and prose, Shelley turns to law and history as fields in which these contradictions can be negotiated or even resolved. But Shelley, who once called poets "unacknowledged legislators," suggests that violence may be unavoidable in any imaginative legislation that attempts to realize itself in properly "historical" action. The passage from poetry to politics cannot evade the problem of force. Tracing the crossings between "superstition," "imagination," and "history" in all three of these writers, Romantic Returns shows how difficult it is to maintain such crossings. In doing so, it shows, too, the continuing challenge of romanticism to contemporary historicism.

Read more less

In this book, sociologist William I. Robinson offers a theory of globalization that follows the rise of a new capitalist class and a transnational state. Growing beyond national boundaries, this new class comprises a global system in which Japanese capitalists are just as comfortable investing in Latin America as North Americans are in Southeast Asia. Their development of global, interconnected industries and businesses make them drivers of world capitalism. Robinson explains how global capital mobility has allowed capital to reorganize production worldwide in accordance with a whole range of considerations that allow for maximizing profit making opportunities. As a result, production systems that were once located in a single country have been fragmented and integrated externally into new globalized circuits of accumulation. What this means, however, is not simply that factories are located overseas where labor might be cheaper, but rather that the whole production process is broken down into smaller parts and each of those parts moved to a different country, depending on where investment might be highest. Yet at the same time, this worldwide decentralization and fragmentation of the production process has taken place alongside the centralization of command and control of the global economy in transnational capital. In turn, this economic organization finds a political counterpart in the rise of a transnational state. The leaders of global businesses and industries think about themselves and how they live in new ways. Hegemony in the twenty-first century, Robinson argues, will be exercised not by a particular nation-state but by this new global ruling class through the machinery of this transnational state. Robinson observes, for example, that global elites, regardless of their nationality, increasingly tend to share similar lifestyles and interact through expanding networks of the transnational state. Globalization is in this way unifying the world into a single mode of production and a single global system and bringing about the integration of different countries and regions into a new global economy and society. But the new global capitalism is rife with contradictions, such as the growing rift between the global rich and the global poor, concludes Robinson. The twenty-first century is likely to harbor ongoing conflicts and disputes for control between the new transnational ruling group and the expanding ranks of the poor and the marginalized. Sure to stir controversy and debate, A Theory of Global Capitalism will be of interest to sociologists and economists alike.

Read more less

Are you still designing web sites like it's 1999? If so, you're in for a surprise. Since the last edition of this book appeared five years ago, there has been a major climate change with regard to web standards. Designers are no longer using (X)HTML as a design tool, but as a means of defining the meaning and structure of content. Cascading Style Sheets are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but rather a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to the layout of the entire page. In fact, following the standards is now a mandate of professional web design. Our popular reference, "Web Design in a Nutshell", is one of the first books to capture this new web landscape with an edition that's been completely rewritten and expanded to reflect the state of the art. In addition to being an authoritative reference for (X)HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, this book also provides an overview of the unique requirements of designing for the Web and gets to the nitty-gritty of JavaScript and DOM Scripting, web graphics optimization, and multimedia production. It is an indispensable tool for web designers and developers of all levels. The third edition covers these contemporary web design topics: Structural layer - HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 (9 chapters), including an alphabetical reference of all elements, attributes and character entities; Presentation layer - ten all-new chapters on Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1, including an alphabetical reference of all properties and values; Behavior layer - JavaScript and scripting with the Document Object Model (DOM); Web environment - new web standards, browsers, display devices, accessibility, and internationalization; Web graphics optimization - producing lean and mean GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIFs; and Multimedia - Web audio, video, Flash, and PDF. Organized so that readers can find answers quickly, "Web Design in a Nutshell, Third Edition" helps experienced designers come up to speed quickly on standards-based web design, and serves as a quick reference for those already familiar with the new standards and technology. There are many books for web designers, but none that address such a wide variety of topics. Find out why nearly half a million buyers have made this the most popular web design book available.

Read more less

Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach chose a life of hardship and freedom in Texas rather than a life of comfort and influence in his native Germany, where he had lived his formative years within a framework of unconstitutional government. In 1845 the young liberal relinquished his hereditary German title, left behind his close family ties and his various intellectual and political associations, and arrived in Texas as John O. Meusebach, commissioner-general for the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants. His background enabled him to assume an enlightened leadership of fellow immigrants who were pouring in from Germany. Lacking adequate financial backing, he nevertheless led the settling of some five thousand people in a land that was largely occupied by Indians. Irene Marschall King presents the full sweep of Meusebach's vigorous life: Meusebach as the young liberal in Germany, as the colonizer in the 1840s, as a Texas senator and, later, an observer of the Civil War, and as a Texan who devoted his later years to bringing the Texas soil to fruition—all set against a background of the immigration movement and frontier life. "Freedom is not free; it is costly," Meusebach believed. In Texas he found for himself and others freedom worth the price he paid. Rich in historic detail, King's story recounts the founding of Fredericksburg, the crippling effect of the Mexican War upon the mass of immigrants huddled in illness on the coast, the signing of the Indian Treaty, which opened to settlement over three million acres of land, and the final collapse of the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants. Also depicted is the colonists' influence on the land—the gardens and orchards of south central Texas, the "Easter Fires" that blaze on the hills surrounding Fredericksburg, the mixture of German custom with American necessity that created a unique culture. Throughout the narrative Mrs. King presents a fascinating cast of characters: the noble Prince Solms, who tries to establish a German military outpost in Texas; Henry Fisher, who attempts by devious methods to control the colonists and their land and finally incites a mob which tries to hang Meusebach; Philip Cappes, a special commissioner and Meusebach's assistant, who plots through intriguing correspondence with Count Castell, the executive secretary in Germany, to overthrow Meusebach; and the colorful and courageous Indian fighter and Texas Ranger, Colonel Jack Hays. Primarily, however, this is the story of a man who found strength in his family's motto, "Perseverance in Purpose," and gave of his energies to build Texas.

Read more less

Over the course of the last few years, our healthcare system has begun a shift toward rewarding physicians for the quality of care rather than the quantity, and building off these efforts, providers, doctors, health systems, and payers are willing to explore new value-based arrangements and open the door to providing new benefits for their beneficiaries. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act began to shift Medicare towards being a more value-based payment system. Chapter 1 discusses the models that are working toward improve the quality of care and reducing cost. Total expenditures for the Medicare Part D drug program exceeded $100 billion in 2016. Part D plan sponsors may use a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to provide drug benefit management services for Part D coverage, such as negotiating drug rebates and other price concessions and paying pharmacy claims. Policymakers have sought a better understanding of PBMs' roles in the drug supply chain and plans' and PBMs' efforts to manage Part D drug spending and use. Chapter 2 examines, (1) the extent to which Part D plan sponsors use PBMs, (2) trends in rebates and other price concessions obtained by both PBMs and plan sponsors for Part D drugs, and (3) how PBMs earn revenue for services provided to Part D plans. The Social Security Act requires boards of trustees to issue reports to Congress by April 1 each year on the financial status of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Chapter 3 (1) describes how the boards of trustees develop the annual Trustees reports, and (2) examines the extent to which the boards of trustees have provided the reports to Congress by the April 1 deadline, and what factors account for any delays. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a competitive bidding program (CBP) for certain durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs and oxygen. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required CMS to adjust fee-for-service payment rates for certain DME items in non-bid areas. On January 1, 2016, adjusted rates for 393 items went into effect in non-bid areas. Chapter 4 examines (1) payment rate reductions and any changes in the number of suppliers; (2) any changes in the utilization of rate-adjusted items; and (3) available evidence related to potential changes in beneficiaries' access to rate-adjusted items.

Read more less

The collecting of Holocaust artifacts can often result in an emotional and historical dilemma. Survivors and some militaria collectors regard these items as “stained” with the blood of Holocaust victims, and therefore should not be bought and sold. However, to honor the memory of those who perished and to keep a proper historical record, these items must be preserved. While a small contingent of collectors deal in Holocaust artifacts, the vast majority of Holocaust-oriented artifacts are purchased by individuals who intend to donate these items to museums. This book is a reference and resource guide to help determine the authenticity of these artifacts, and provides a detailed look at various Holocaust-related artifacts in a manner that follows the experiences of the survivors and victims. As an example; the Germans identified some individuals with outward markings, forced them to register, pressed them into forced labor, ghettoized, and eventually deported them to concentration camps or labor facilities, and due to the different times that these activities took place in conquered and occupied countries, they are distinguished here by the action rather than by a general timeline (for example, Jews in occupied Poland were forced to wear “Jewish badges” in 1939, while this did not occur in Germany until 1941). The Holocaust is a difficult period of history to examine, and although some of the photographs contained in this book are horrific in nature, this book in no way trivializes the magnitude of the Holocaust by discussing the collection and identification of Holocaust-related artifacts. The issue at hand is the callous disregard by those who profit from the Holocaust by manufacturing and selling counterfeit and fake items. Alec Tulkoff has been a collector of World War II militaria for the past twenty-five years. Over the past seven years he has taken an interest in Holocaust history and artifacts. During the past two years, while working at the SHOAH Visual History Foundation as a cataloguer, he compiled the information and materials contained in this book. As a cataloguer in the Foundation, he had the opportunity to hear hundreds of first hand Holocaust survivor testimonies. Tulkoff has worked hard in combating the vast amount of Holocaust artifact fraud that has spread in the collecting community and has posted a website dealing with this fraud and also publishes a quarterly newsletter on this topic.

Read more less

Contained herein are 25 articles (20 in English, 5 in Hebrew) that, like the academic oeuvre of volume's honoree, span a broad array of topics within the fields of Hebraica, Judaica, and Biblica. The specific categories represented and the contributions they contain are: biography (Joel L. Kraemer presents a portrait of the honoree; Walter E. Kaegi shares personal reminiscences of Carl Herman Kraeling); text editions and translations, with analysis (Haggai Ben-Shammai analyzes and publishes a partial editio princeps of one of the early Judeao-Arabic endeavors to achieve a rapprochement between biblical and Graeco-Arab philosophy; Paul B. Fenton analyzes and publishes the editio princeps of a newly identified esoteric epistle from the hand of David II Maimondies; Mordechai A. Friedman analyzes and offers some new insights on four Geniza letters concerning the transfer of money to the well-known litterateur Judah ha-Levi; Israel M. Sandman analyzes and presents a critical edition of four fragments from Abraham Bar Hayya's Book of Intercalation that represent his harmonization of science and biblical exegesis; Michael G. Wechsler presents an editio princeps of 10 newly identified fragments of Saadia Gaon's commentary on the book of Esther as well an analysis and translation of those fragments, accompanied by an inventory of all known fragments of Saadia's commentary on that book); grammar/lexicography (Joshua Blau surveys certain vocables in Classical Arabic that sometimes have a different meaning in Judaeo-Arabic), exegesis, philosophy, theology, and polemics (Elinoar Bareket surveys the factors underlying the tendency of medieval Jewish writers to identify the names of biblical people and places with contemporary equivalents; Rachel Elior examines the Jewish realm of memory surrounding the Day of Atonement; Nahem Ilan analyzes Saadia Gaon's interpretation of Proverbs 30:10-17 with a view to his anti-Karaite polemical tendency, providing as well a structural outline of Saadia's introduction to Proverbs; Eve Krakowski considers the Karaite view of the history of the biblical text and the relevance of this view to their own collective self-conception, including a critical reassessment of the view that the Karaites were influenced by certain Dead Sea Scroll texts; Abraham Lipshitz critically assesses the notion that Abraham ibn Ezra held to a Philonic view of an infinitely durative rather than completed act of creation; Meira Polliack analyzes the relationship between Yefet b. Eli and Daniel al-Q?mis? in their exegetical approaches to biblical prophecy); history of modern scholarship (María Angeles Gallego presents an overview of the stages of modern European research -- beginning in the 18th century -- on medieval Judaeo-Arabic, with specific emphasis on Iberian Spanish scholarship), Jewish socio-cultural history (Moshe Gil provides a glimpse into the state of food commerce in the Geniza community from the evidence of merchants' letters; Joshua Holo considers the evidence for Gershom b. Judah's Italian extraction and its relevance for understanding the origin of Ashkenazic Jewish culture; Benjamin Z. Kedar evaluates the evidence for the timing of the relocation of the Tiberian Yeshiva first to Ramla and then to Jerusalem; Norman A. Stillman provides a comparative survey of the Islamic and Jewish perspectives on corporal modesty); textual criticism (Daniel J. Lasker surveys and assesses the history of a specific textual variation in Judah ha-Levi's Book of the Kuzari); codicological-textual history (Paul Saenger analyzes the relationship between chapter divisions of the Pentateuch in Christian -- especially Latin -- Bibles and those in Jewish tradition); Dead Sea Scrolls (Anthony J. Tomasino critically evaluates the formation and support data for the current consensus regarding the messianic nature of 4Q246; Michael O. Wise analyzes the content and dating of the manuscripts from Murabba'at and considers their contribution to our knowledge of various personalities both living during and involved in the First and Second Jewish Revolts); and historiography (Isaac Kalimi assesses the historiographical method of the writer of the book of Chronicles in light of both inner-canonical and extra-biblical considerations). Also included is a comprehensive bibliography of the honoree's works as well as discrete indexes of manuscripts, biblical references, classical and medieval works, and general items.

Read more less

For "Heinemann Mathematics P7", colour textbooks and workbooks are used by children to practise and record their understanding of concepts, skills and applications in number, measure, shape and handling data. They include a wide range of problem-solving and investigative work to develop children's ability to use and apply maths. The textbooks help promote children's recording skills using a variety of motivating contexts, and include activities to give further practice in applying maths. The format of the workbooks frees children to concentrate on the maths rather than on the presentation of their work, and each one contains a record-keeping grid to show work completed. The reinforcement sheets are for use selectively with those children who need extra practice of key maths topics, in addition to that provided in the textbooks and workbooks. Each sheet is clearly referenced to a workbook or textbook page for easier integration with the core work, and clear flagging in the textbooks and workbooks shows which topics are supported by a reinforcement sheet. All the extra work is at the same mathematical level as the core. The extension textbook provides additional work at every stage to consolidate and extend learning. Some of the work extends the range of a topic for all children, and some is specifically to stretch the more able. Some of the activities relate to topics in the textbooks and workbooks, and the remaining ones can be attempted at any time. The assessment and resources packs contain games and activities to enrich learning. These include photocopiable problem-solving activities and calculator work, and ideas for practical, theme-based work covering a range of maths topics. The corresponding teacher notes provide the starting point for each new maths topic, offering a wide choice of ideas for practical activities to introduce and develop the required skills. Guidance on which pages and components can be used to resource each topic is also included. Additional support includes detailed help with planning and preparing lessons and a scheme of work, clear highlighting of assessment opportunities, close cross-referencing to all the curricula, including the 1995 Order in England, and additional activities for consolidation and extension. This is the corresponding answer book.

Read more less

—Reed Holden, founder, Holden Advisors Corp., www.holdenadvisors.com coauthor, The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Profitable Decision Making, Third Edition "With Pricing on Purpose, Ron Baker had made an enormous contribution to the better understanding of pricing that will be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. People are intrigued by instances of what they see as idiosyncratic pricing. Sometimes it is idiosyncratic, but oft-times it is fiendishly clever and well researched. So is this book. There are examples that at first sight seem to have nothing to do with the subject at hand, but the learning points are all made and explained in any number of interesting and memorable ways. Pricing on Purpose is a welcome and valuable addition to the learning on pricing and I recommend it to professional pricers, marketers, and anyone interested in capturing the value their business creates." —Eric G. Mitchell, President, Professional Pricing Society, www.pricingsociety.com "Ron Baker is what I'd call a 'thought giant.' In his first two books he literally began a revolution in the accounting and legal professions. Thousands of professionals in public practice now lead far better, more rewarding lives thanks to him. Now he's broadened his impact in a huge way. Read this book, implement the ideas and you'll never look at your prices or your pricing policies in the same way again. You'll be richer in many ways because of it." —Paul Dunn, founder and CEO, ResultsNet Australia, coauthor, The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, www.resultsnetaustralia.com "As a reader of hundreds of business books, I am thrilled when I come across one that has something new to say. Pricing on Purpose does just that. Instead of presenting a set of feel-good items to check off a list, Ron Baker encourages us 'to think with him, not like him.' He methodically builds his argument leading us through the labyrinth of pricing theory and encourages us to look at pricing as the strategic tool that it is rather than taking the lazy cost-based tactical approach of most businesses. To paraphrase Karl Marx in terms of Baker's book, 'Cost-based pricing is the opium of business.'" —Ed Kless, Director, Partner Development and Recruitment, Sage Software "Baker has done it again! Building on the core principles that he advanced in Professional's Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future, Ron Baker has again evolved thought leadership on the critical dynamics of value and pricing. Baker's latest work, Pricing on Purpose: Creating and Capturing Value, provides real-world examples and practical strategies that provide a framework for pricing optimization. His clarity of purpose and passionate call to action resonates in today's intellectual capital economy." —Thomas Finneran, Executive Vice President, American Association of Advertising Agencies "We love this book! With detailed research, thorough references, and recommendations for further reading, this could be considered a textbook. That it is so readable and engaging is a triumph. The chapter providing the epitaph for cost-plus pricing is worth many times the price of this book. 'Got price-sensitive customers? Wonder why? Read and stop weeping. Who's in charge of value in your company?' Baker asks. If you can't immediately answer, you'd better read this book. Bravo, Baker!" —Paul O'Byrne and Paul Kennedy, partners, O'Byrne and Kennedy LLP, Chartered Accountants, United Kingdom, www.obk.co.uk "Ron Baker is nothing short of brilliant, and his enthusiasm for pricing is contagious. Pricing on Purpose will add more value to your firm than anything else you could do. As usual in Ron's books, he presents cutting-edge ideas. There is no greater value to your company than to read Pricing on Purpose and implement its ideas." —Scott Abbott, entrepreneur, former regional business development, manager, BDO Dunwoody, LLP, Manitoba, Canada

Read more less

A rare opportunity to go one-on-one with an industry giant and one of today's most respected financial thinkers, Merton Miller on Derivatives is a refreshingly accessible overview of derivatives, the revolution they have wrought, and the disasters they've supposedly caused. Though routinely assailed by regulators and the media, derivatives are hailed by a celebrated group of practitioners, analysts, and theorists, led most notably by Nobel laureate Merton Miller. Miller is legendary for repeatedly demonstrating-often with humor and always with grace-the value of derivatives in price discovery, managing financial risk, and tailoring a risk-return profile. Here, in this collection of his recent essays, Miller expounds on a number of critical derivatives issues. Is it a problem that some organizations have lost substantial sums on derivatives? Miller's short answer: Some organizations will always find ways to lose money. Nor does he believe that more government regulation is the answer. He notes, for example, that for all the horror stories about derivatives, the world's banks have lost vastly more in bad real estate deals than they'll ever lose on their derivatives portfolios. Merton Miller on Derivatives offers twenty-two provocative chapters. A sampling: "The Recent Derivatives 'Disasters': Assessing the Damage" takes a close look at such debacles as Procter & Gamble, Orange County, and Barings Bank. "Financial Regulation: The Inside Game" uses an apt sports analogy to show how the derivatives regulatory game is really played, as opposed to the way outsiders imagine it is played. "Japanese-American Trade Relations: Can Rambo Beat Godzilla?" succinctly sums up the nature of Japanese-American trade. And "Risk and Return on Futures Contracts: A Chicago View" highlights the pivotal role derivatives play in hedging risk. There are also penetrating pieces on corporate governance that compare the system existing in the United States and England with the one existing in Germany and Japan. To complete the collection, a section called "Questions I'm Often Asked" features Miller's unique perspective on a wide range of topics, from what's ahead for China to what we've learned from the Crash of 1987. Contrary to widely held perceptions, the so-called "derivatives revolution" has made the world safer, not more dangerous. This explains the phenomenal growth of financial futures. As Miller shows, derivatives enable organizations to deal effectively with risks that have plagued them for decades, even centuries. Praise for merton miller on derivatives "Miller is one of the clearest thinkers of our time. Once again, he provides a simple, insightful, and witty analysis of an important and complex topic. This book is truly fun to read." -Kenneth R. French Beinecke Professor of Management Studies and Finance Yale University School of Management. "Some of us trade markets; others of us observe markets; Merton Miller understands markets. As this volume demonstrates, Professor Miller is unsurpassed at cutting through fluff, misinterpretation, and even obfuscation to get to the heart of highly charged issues." -Charles W. Smithson Managing Director, CIBC Wood Gundy. "Vintage Merton Miller: zesty writing and forcefully communicated ideas, not only on derivatives, but on a wide range of topics in financial markets. This is no ponderous academic tome, but rather a series of entertaining, yet devastatingly analytical essays on controversial issues in finance. Great reading and great analysis." -Hans R. Stoll Walker Professor of Finance and Director of the Financial Markets Research Center, Vanderbilt University. "I am grateful to Merton Miller for setting the record straight, once again, regarding derivatives. With his customary brilliance, Merton cuts through the fog of misunderstanding and nonsense that too often surrounds derivatives and reveals them for what they truly are: phenomenally successful and essential risk management tools." -Jack Sandner Chairman, Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Read more less

This new edition of Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem may be the most important resource you can own for helping you understand Scripture and grow as a Christian.The most widely used resource of the last 25 years in its area, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem has been thoroughly revised and expanded (all 57 chapters) for the first time while retaining the features that have made it the standard in its field: clear explanations, an emphasis on each doctrine's scriptural basis, and practical applications to daily life.Praise for the second edition:"After a quarter century of remarkable usefulness globally . . . it remains remarkable. I thank God for this precious gift to Christ's people worldwide." - John Piper"Stands out for its clarity and accessibility." - Thomas R. Schreiner"One of those rare works that can challenge the scholar and instruct the beginner . . . It is simply indispensable." - Jack DeereWith nearly 250 pages of new content and revisions that took several years, this new edition now includes the following distinctive features, making it even better: Updated, fuller analysis of several recent controversies within evangelicalism, including the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son in the Trinity, the question of God's atemporal eternity, the role of women in the church, "seeker-sensitive" churches, miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, and contemporary worship music. New, thoughtful critiques of open theism, the "new perspective on Paul," Molinism (or "middle knowledge"), "Free Grace" theology, and the preterist view of Christ's second coming Completely revised, stronger chapter on the clarity of Scripture Completely revised, stronger chapter on creation and evolution, including a longer critique of theistic evolution and an extensive discussion on the age of the earth New discussion of how biblical inerrancy applies to some specific "problem verses" in the Gospels Additional material respectfully explaining evangelical Protestant differences with Roman Catholicism (with extensive interaction with the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church), Protestant liberalism, and Mormonism Completely updated bibliographies All Scripture quotations updated from RSV to ESV An explanation of why monogenes in John 3:16 and elsewhere should be translated as "only begotten" rather than merely "only" (this is a change from the first edition) A contemporary worship song added at the end of each chapter (while retaining the traditional hymns as well) New discussion on the impassibility of God An extensive discussion on the eternal submission of the Son to the Father, taking into account controversies in recent years Updated section on contemporary worship music A discussion of recent criticisms of the penal substitutionary view of the atonement Numerous other updates and corrections that have be prompted by letters and emails from people around the world and by interaction with the students Wayne has taught over the last 26 years both at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and at Phoenix Seminary Part of the brilliance of Systematic Theology over the years has been its simplicity and ease of use. Each chapter follows the same structure. First, there is discussion of the doctrine being considered, such as justification or the Trinity or the deity of Christ. An explanation of that doctrine's biblical support and possible objections follow. Personal application and key terms to know for personal growth are then provided. Chapters also include a Scripture memory passage, references to other literature on the topic, and suggested hymns and worship songs.If you are someone who thinks theology is hard to understand or boring, then this new edition of Systematic Theology will likely change your mind.

Read more less

Military Recruiting is a war. It’s just a different kind of war than what you were prepared and trained to fight for. Recruiting is a war for talent. Smart, competent, and capable people are rare and in high demand. Every organization, from commercial enterprises, healthcare, non-profit, sports, and education, to the military is in an outright battle to recruit and retain these bright and talented people. Rather than bullets and bombs, the war for talent is won through high-impact prospecting activity, time discipline, intellectual agility, emotional intelligence, and human to human relationships. On this highly competitive, ever changing, asymmetrical battlefield, to win, you must operate at a level of excellence beyond anything asked of military recruiters before. Yet, in this new paradigm, many recruiters are struggling, and most recruiting units are staring down the barrel at 50 percent or more of their recruiters consistently missing Mission. It is imperative that we arm military recruiters with the skills they need to win in this challenging environment. The failure to make Mission is an existential threat to the strength and readiness of America’s fighting forces and our democracy. Fanatical Military Recruiting begins where the Recruiting and Retention colleges of the various branches of the military leave off. It is an advanced, master’s level training resource designed specifically for the unique demands of Military Recruiting. In FMR, you’ll learn: The Single Most Important Discipline in Military Recruiting How to Get Out of a Recruiting Slump The 30-Day Rule and Law of Replacement Powerful Time and Territory Management Strategies that Put You in Control of Your Day The 7 Step Telephone Prospecting Framework The 4 Step Email and Direct Messaging Framework The 5 C’s of Social Recruiting The 7 Step Text Message Prospecting Framework How to Leverage a Balanced Prospecting Methodology to Keep the Funnel Full of Qualified Applicants Powerful Human Influence Frameworks that Reduce Resistance and Objections The 3 Step Prospecting Objection Turn-Around Framework Mission Drive and the 5 Disciplines of Ultra-High Performing Military Recruiters In his signature right-to-the-point style that has made him the go-to trainer to a who’s who of the world’s most prestigious organizations, Jeb Blount pulls no punches. He slaps you in the face with the cold, hard truth about what’s really holding you back. Then, he pulls you in with stories, examples, and lessons that teach you exactly what you need to do right now to become an ultra-high performing recruiter. Fanatical Military Recruiting is filled with the high-powered strategies, techniques, and tools you need to keep your funnel packed with qualified applicants. As you dive into these powerful insights, and with each new chapter, you’ll gain greater and greater confidence. And, with this new-found confidence, your performance as a military recruiter will soar and you will Make Mission, Fast.

Read more less

Money and Plan concerns the changing role of money and finance in the East European countries as they enact economic reforms designed to decentralize economic decisions, extend enterprise autonomy, and rationalize the management of their economies. The book is the first in the Western world to address itself directly to this theme. In the Stalinist economic system, which all European communist countries shared until the mid-sixties and which most still do, money lays a subordinate role. In the production sector its use in planning and by state-owned enterprises has been restricted and circumscribed in many ways. Objectives and performance standards are defined in physical terms (i.e., in physical units of inputs and output). Planning also is executed in physical units. Although banking and other financial institutions exist, they mainly supervise enterprises rather than redistribute national resources or appraise commercial prospects. As for foreign trade, it has been conducted largely on a barter basis. Nevertheless, insofar as money has been used, it has posed a number of important problems. One of these has been chronic inflationary pressure. In the present volume two contributors investigate the historical record and the cause of inflation in Poland, and develop theoretical models to explain the phenomenon. Inflation is only one national economic problem raised by current forms requiring new monetary and financial policies. Decentralization also raises important questions of full employment, balance of payments management, sectoral and regional relations, and incomes policy--matters that will have to be handled increasingly by monetary and financial means, often quite similar to those developed and practices in the West. Moreover, as individual enterprises gain more autonomy in their current operations and investment, and as physical planning and control are curtailed, redit policies, instruments, and institutions will have to be devised to guide micro-economic activity in consonance with national plans. The East European contries that are carrying economic reform much further than the rest are Czechoslovakia and Hungary, which intend to introduce a functioning market mechanism together with considerable enterprise autonomy in the production (state-owned) sector. Three contributors consider the case specially. Another contributor discusses the majore attempt thus far by the East European countries to abandon bilateral, barter-like trade among themselvs in favor of a financial framework for multilateral clearing and a new monetary unit, the "transferable ruble." The editor's Introduction and a concluding chapter by a final contributor view the changing role of money and finance in comprehensive terms. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1968.

Read more less

Plain language, clear explanations, and a focus on practical business applications. A recent A. T. Kearny study found that information technology is the number-one item on the agendas of a majority of CEOs and boards of directors. However, while senior managers are spending more time keeping abreast of developments in IT, many remain uncomfortable making decisions concerning technology issues that they don't entirely grasp. Executive's Guide to Information Technology presents a comprehensive, nontechnical model for understanding the IT environment. Focused on the issues that are most important to upper-level managers, this book supplies the big-picture perspective needed to understand IT as a whole, while explaining how various components work together to support business functions. Without getting bogged down in details, it provides clear, comprehensible overviews of: * Networking and platform technologies * Software infrastructurE * Information management systems * Enabling technologies * Applications * Middleware, application servers, and system management technologies The future belongs to organizations with the knowledge and confidence to exploit their IT resources wisely and use them aggressively. Executive's Guide to Information Technology gives business leaders the tools they need to do both. In a business environment increasingly driven by information technology, it is essential for top-level executives to keep abreast of the latest developments in IT. They must understand how information systems can help achieve business goals and be able to use this understanding to make critical business decisions. Unfortunately, many senior-level executives find themselves at the mercy of technicians who have little grasp of business issues, focus on details rather than broader functions, and speak an arcane and mystifying language. There is a clear need for an intermediary to help executives decipher technological language, seek and get the answers that are most important from a business perspective, and develop better working relationships with IT personnel. Executive's Guide to Information Technology provides a "Rosetta stone" that makes sense of a seemingly chaotic cluster of components-a coherent, trustworthy frame of reference that lays the foundation for more effective working relationships among business executives and technology managers. This book helps executives ask better questions about IT issues and better understand the answers they receive. Using integrated models that illustrate how information technologies form an infrastructure that supports practical business uses of information, it keeps the discussion focused on matters of direct concern to executives. Understanding these models develops a stronger grasp of the evolving role IT plays within organizations and establishes a comfort zone within which managers can develop a keener comprehension of component technologies and the strategic and tactical business decisions that surround them. Whether it is read from cover to cover or consulted as a quick reference, Executive's Guide to Information Technology is an indispensable tool for CEOs, board members, COOs, CFOs, controllers, treasurers, and other business professionals who need to establish firm control of the governance, direction, and management of two of their most valuable assets: information and the technologies that support it.

Read more less

Most Islamic biographies deal with this issue by using an understandable but insufficient logic: that because Muḥammad, as the Messenger of Allah, was the ideal and paradigmatic human, he must have been an ideal and paradigmatic military commander. His successes flowed from his prophetic status and his moral perfection. Following this logic and wanting Muḥammad’s behavior to conform to very modern ethical concepts and widespread (but not necessarily accurate) beliefs about the nature and conduct of war, the writers have inadvertently created a narrative which, in significant ways, departs from the account clearly and consistently revealed in the earliest extant Arabic sources. The writers’ narrative also removes the Prophet from his historical and cultural context and the realities of the harsh and competitive tribal society in which he lived. Professor Joel Hayward sees this as an unhelpful explanatory tendency and believes that the modern depiction of the Prophet’s relationship with warfare — which presents him as being rather antipathetic to war, indeed as virtually a pacifist who only fought reluctantly in self-defense — cannot actually be sustained by an even-handed analysis of the early Islamic sources. A committed Muslim himself, Hayward agrees that Muḥammad was a moral and decent man who saw peace as a highly desirable state in which humans should live and as a goal worth pursuing. Yet Hayward has approached the Prophet’s understanding and employment of warfare from a different vantage point. He has painstakingly scrutinized the earliest Arabic sources impartially according to the strict standards of historical inquiry in order to ascertain whether Muḥammad’s actions, habits and methods can — when understood within their original seventh-century stateless Arabian context — provide any substantial and meaningful insights into the way that he understood and undertook warfare. Hayward concludes that Muḥammad was an astute, situationally aware, and self-reflective man who created and communicated a believable strategic vision of a necessary and desirable future. That vision persuaded increasing numbers of people to follow him and risk everything willingly in the struggle to create the optimal conditions for their survival, security, and prosperity. In a competitive and conflictual environment with ubiquitous threats, warfare was necessary to make real the bold new world that he foresaw. Through original, meticulously researched, and rigorous analysis, Hayward covers all the raids and campaigns and demonstrates that Muḥammad correctly understood the necessity and utility of force and duly developed into an intuitive, effective, and victorious military practitioner who developed and enforced a strict moral code so as to attain his goals whilst safeguarding the innocent. This engaging, accessible yet deeply scholarly book makes a major contribution to strategic and military analysis and to the Prophet’s biography.

Read more less