Search results for ""bridge""

Schools are the ideal place to promote and apply the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. But until now, it has been difficult to bridge the gap between research in this area and day-to-day practice in order to establish solid programs. Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs guides you in effectively supporting physical education and increasing daily physical activity of school children using the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) model. The text mixes CSPAP research, theory and practice. It provides the most in-depth look at the model available. An international team of leaders in the field offer guidance and understanding of the most prominent concepts, issues and developments in the field. This guidance goes beyond the CSPAP model, as they also delve into assessment, evaluation, advocacy, policy, partnerships, international perspectives, technology and more. Organised into six parts, the first half of the text explores the history of the model, factors that impact programme design and the effectiveness of established programmes. The second half the text looks at programming for urban and rural setting, assessing a school community’s needs and the tools and potential of using technology to deliver and assess CSPAP efforts. Each chapter offers current research, knowledge gaps and directions for recommendations and applications, case studies and questions for discussion. Comprehensive School Physical Activity is an all-in-one resource that helps schools use strategies to sustain successful physical activity initiatives through CSPAP.

Read more less

Booker T. Washington, a founding father of African American education in the United States, has long been studied, revered, and reviled by scholars and students. Born into slavery, freed and raised in the Reconstruction South, and active in educational reform through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Washington sought to use education to bridge the nation's racial divide. This volume explores Washington's life and work through his writings and speeches. Drawing on previously unpublished writings, hard-to-find speeches and essays, and other primary documents from public and private collections, Michael Scott Bieze and Marybeth Gasman provide a balanced and insightful look at this controversial and sometimes misunderstood leader. Their essays follow key themes in Washington's life-politics, aesthetics, philanthropy, religion, celebrity, race, and education-that show both his range of thought and the evolution of his thinking on topics vital to African Americans at the time. Wherever possible, the book reproduces archival material in its original form, aiding the reader in delving more deeply into the primary sources, while the accompanying introductions and analyses by Bieze and Gasman provide rich context. A companion website contains additional primary source documents and suggested classroom exercises and teaching aids. Innovative and multifaceted, "Booker T. Washington Rediscovered" provides the opportunity to experience Washington's work as he intended and examines this turn-of-the-century pioneer in his own right, not merely in juxtaposition with W. E. B. Du Bois and other black leaders.

Read more less

This book provides a hands-on introduction to the construction and application of models to studies of vertebrate distribution, abundance, and habitat. The book is aimed at field biologists, conservation planners, and advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students who are involved with planning and analyzing conservation studies, and applying the results to conservation decisions. The book also acts as a bridge to more advanced and mathematically challenging coverage in the wider literature. Part I provides a basic background in population and community modeling. It introduces statistical models, and familiarizes the reader with important concepts in the design of monitoring and research programs. These programs provide the essential data that guide conservation decision making. Part II covers the principal methods used to estimate abundance, occupancy, demographic parameters, and community parameters, including occupancy sampling, sample counts, distance sampling, and capture-mark-recapture (for both closed and open populations). Emphasis is placed on practical aspects of designing and implementing field studies, and the proper analysis of data. Part III introduces structured decision making and adaptive management, in which predictive models are used to inform conservation decision makers on appropriate decisions in the face of uncertainty—with the goal of reducing uncertainty through monitoring and research. A detailed case study is used to illustrate each of these themes. Numerous worked examples and accompanying electronic material (on a website - http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/conroy - and accompanying CD) provide the details of model construction and application, and data analysis.

Read more less

An updated guide to the interaction between solids, liquids, and gases and their application to numerous everyday processes The revised and updated second edition of Applied Colloid and Surface Chemistry offers a comprehensive introduction to this interdisciplinary field that takes a practical approach and includes information on applications drawn from a wide range of industries. The easy-to-follow text contains new content that focuses on applications such as the prevention of propeller cavitation, industrial explosives, PFAS contamination, and bubble column evaporators. With contributions from noted experts on the topic, the book contains keynote sections written by practicing industrial research scientists, who highlight real-world industrial examples. These examples range from water treatment through to soil management as well as examples from the coatings and photographic industries. Designed as an accessible resource, the book separates the more demanding mathematical derivations from the main text. The text features approachable, structured chapters, learning objectives, tutorial questions with answers, and explanatory notes. This important book: Offers a combination of physicochemical background, industrial, and everyday applications and experiments Underlines the importance of colloidal sciences in science and industry Presents real-world industrial applications Includes tried and tested laboratory experiments Written for students of chemistry, materials science, and engineering, Applied Colloid and Surface Chemistry, Second Edition offers an updated guide to soft matter presenting the bridge between science, with proven laboratory experiments, and real-world industrial applications.

Read more less

A timely volume for understanding our future energy landscape and for creating a bridge towards a decarbonized energy system Alternative and Unconventional Energy Sources discusses various alternative energy sources and their present usage, including wind, solar, ocean, and geothermal energy, along with unconventional fossil energy sources, such as shale gas. The text covers the development and global adoption of each energy source, along with their environmental and economic impacts, resulting in a comprehensive and in-depth treatment of the subject. This approach provides the reader with a one-stop reference for each particular energy source, making the information accessible to all, regardless of discipline or current level of experience with each energy source. Specific topics covered in Alternative and Unconventional Energy Sources include: The controversial perception of shale gas and its future potential as an energy source Technologies to reduce harmful emissions of CO2 and other waste gases and their potential to cause less global warming Downsides of commonly accepted alternative energy sources, such as the disposal of nuclear waste and land requirements for solar panels How undeveloped countries can make use of local energy sources to become more efficient and competitive Alternative and Unconventional Energy Sources is a highly accessible and useful resource for geographers, geologists, petroleum engineers, renewable energy specialists, and policy makers who wish to understand the current state of global energy production and where the industry may turn in the coming years.

Read more less

The one-stop reference to the essentials of color science and technology—now fully updated and revised The fully updated Third Edition of Color: An Introduction to Practice and Principles continues to provide a truly comprehensive, non-mathematical introduction to color science, complete with historical, philosophical, and art-related topics. Geared to non-specialists and experts alike, Color clearly explains key technical concepts concerning light, human vision, and color perception phenomena. It covers color order systems in depth, examines color reproduction technologies, and reviews the history of color science as well as its relationship to art and color harmony. Revised throughout to reflect the latest developments in the field, the Third Edition: Features many new color illustrations, now fully incorporated into the text Offers new perspectives on what color is all about, diverging from conventional thinking Includes new information on perception phenomena, color order, and technological advances Updates material on such topics as the CIE colorimetric system and optimal object colors Extends coverage of color reproduction to display systems, photography, and color management Contains a unique timetable of color in science and art, plus a glossary of important terms Praise for the previous editions: "A nice bridge to areas usually not covered in academic visual science programs . . . outstanding." —Joel Pokorny, visual scientist at The University of Chicago "A good addition to any library, this should be useful for the color interests of artists, designers, craftsmen, philosophers, psychologists, color technologies, and students in related fields." —CHOICE

Read more less

Since their spectacular rise in the 1990s, Russian gangs have remained entrenched in many parts of the country. Some gang members have perished in gang wars or ended up behind prison bars, while others have made spectacular careers off the streets and joined the Russian elite. But the rank and file of gangs remain substantially incorporated into their communities and society as a whole, with bonds and identities that bridge the worlds of illegal enterprise and legal respectability. In Gangs of Russia, Svetlana Stephenson explores the secretive world of the gangs. Using in-depth interviews with gang members, law enforcers, and residents in the city of Kazan, together with analyses of historical and sociological accounts from across Russia, she presents the history of gangs both before and after the arrival of market capitalism. Contrary to predominant notions of gangs as collections of maladjusted delinquents or illegal enterprises, Stephenson argues, Russian gangs should be seen as traditional, close-knit male groups with deep links to their communities. Stephenson shows that gangs have long been intricately involved with the police and other state structures in configurations that are both personal and economic. She also explains how the cultural orientations typical of gangs—emphasis on loyalty to one’s own, showing toughness to outsiders, exacting revenge for perceived affronts and challenges—are not only found on the streets but are also present in the top echelons of today’s Russian state.

Read more less

From the Agenda for Education in a Democracy Series Sponsored by the National Network for Educational Renewal "This book is comprehensive in its account of what goes into the substance and process of preparing the professional educator, from selection to induction into teaching. The story that unfolds in the collaboration of the University of Connecticut and several schools is one of redesigning virtually every component into something quite different from what existed before without stopping the traffic of future teachers from crossing the bridge topractice."—from the Foreword by John I. Goodlad, codirector, Center for Educational Renewal, University of Washington, and president, Institute for Educational Inquiry This practical volume redefines teaching as a profession with pronounced service and moral dimensions. The Professional Teacher shows how this new paradigm can be instilled in teacher education programs and in teaching practice. The authors argue that thepractice of teaching requires much more than knowledge andtechnical competence. It calls for reflection and inquiry, adedication to democratic principles, and a strong commitment to educational renewal and change. The authors reveal how teacher education can be structured to emphasize the moral and service responsibilities of the profession—especially by forging closeties with local schools and communities—to produce caring and effective teachers. Richly illustrated with research and real-lifeexamples of good practice, The Professional Teacher proposes a newstandard that focuses on preparing teachers for a climate of school renewal and change.

Read more less

In a fresh and invigorating look at British cinema that considers film as an art form among other arts, John Orr takes a critical look at the intriguing relationship between romanticism and modernism that has been much neglected in the study of UK cinema and downplayed in the development of Western cinema. Encompassing a broad selection of films, film-makers and debates, this book brings a fresh perspective to how scholars might understand and interrogate the major traditions that have shaped British cinema history. Covering the period between 1929 and the present, this book examines outstanding directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Carol Reed, Nicholas Roeg, Terence Davies and Bill Douglas, and articulates two genres vital to British cinema - the fugitive film and the trauma film - which bridge the gap between romantic and modern forms. Two detailed chapters also assess the powerful impact of major expatriate directors like Losey, Antonioni, Polanski, Kubrick and Skolimowski on modernism in the 1960s and 1970s. Detailed critical readings explore Blackmail, The Lady Vanishes, Black Narcissus, Odd Man Out, The Passionate Friends, The Innocents, Lawrence of Arabia, The Servant, Blow-Up, A Clockwork Orange, Don't Look Now, The Wicker Man, Moonlighting, the Bill Douglas trilogy and The Long Day Closes. The book concludes with an analysis of the persistence of romantic and modernist forms in the 21st century in two recent prize-winning features, Control and Hunger.

Read more less

Andrew Leach’s Rome is the first book in Polity’s exciting new ‘Cities in World History’ series, which aims to provide the general reader and traveller with historically informed companions to the world’s greatest cities. Most city guides are good on practical details but very thin when it comes to recounting the histories of cities and contextualizing the buildings and sites for which they are famous. These new books from Polity bridge the gulf between guide and history by offering concise and accessible accounts written by some of the world’s leading historians. Rome has a history unmatched in richness by any city on the globe. It looms large in the word’s cultural imagination, and for millennia it has been a meeting point of great cultures, a place where myth mixes freely with history, leaving neither unscathed. In this compact history, Leach demonstrates what most visitors to the Eternal City will instinctively understand: that the buildings, streets, monuments and gardens of this ancient city give the visitor moments of direct communion with its past. He reveals the long, twisting history of Rome through its ruins, art works and monuments, its metro stations and modern apartment blocks. Each chapter takes the reader on a physical journey invoking Rome in different moments of its life. Engaging historical narrative is supplemented with maps and photos, making Rome an indispensable companion for those who want to dig below the city’s surface.

Read more less

The Literary Channel defines a crucial transnational literary "zone" that shaped the development of the modern novel. During the first two centuries of the genre's history, Britain and France were locked in political, economic, and military struggle. The period also saw British and French writers, critics, and readers enthusiastically exchanging works, codes, and theories of the novel. Building on both nationally based literary history and comparatist work on poetics, this book rethinks the genre's evolution as marking the power and limits of modern cultural nationalism. In the Channel zone, the novel developed through interactions among texts, readers, writers, and translators that inextricably linked national literary cultures. It served as a forum to promote and critique nationalist cliches, whether from the standpoint of Enlightenment cosmopolitanism, the insurgent nationalism of colonized spaces, or the non-nationalized culture of consumption. In the process, the Channel zone promoted codes that became the genre's hallmarks, including the sentimental poetics that would shape fiction through the nineteenth century. Uniting leading critics who bridge literary history and theory, The Literary Channel will appeal to all readers attentive to the future of literary studies, as well as those interested in the novel's development, British and French cultural history, and extra-national patterns of cultural exchange. Contributors include April Alliston, Emily Apter, Margaret Cohen, Joan DeJean, Carolyn Dever, Lynn Festa, Francoise Lionnet, Deidre Shauna Lynch, Sharon Marcus, Richard Maxwell, and Mary Helen McMurran.

Read more less

Can moral vision influence the dynamics of the world system? This inquiry into the evolving foreign aid policies of eighteen developed democracies challenges conventional international relations theory and offers a broad framework of testable hypotheses about the ways ethical commitments can help structure global politics. For forty years development assistance has been the largest and steadiest net financial flow to the Third World, far ex- ceeding investment by multinational corporations. Yet fifty years ago aid was unheard of. Investigating this sudden and widespread innovation in the postwar political economy, David Lumsdaine marshals a wealth of historical and statistical evidence to show that aid was based less on donor economic and political interests than on humanitarian convictions and the belief that peace and prosperity could be sustained only within a just international order. Lumsdaine finds the developed countries adhered to rules that, increasingly, favored the neediest aid recipients and reduced their own leverage. Furthermore, the donors most concerned about domestic poverty also gave more foreign aid: the U.S. aid effort was weaker than that of other donors. Many lines of evidence--how aid changed over time, which donors contributed heavily, where the money was spent, who supported aid efforts--converge to show how humanitarian concerns shaped aid. Seeking to bridge the gap between normative theory and empirical analysis, Lumsdaine's broad comparative study suggests that renewed moral vision is a prerequisite to devising workable institutions for a post-cold war world.

Read more less

Renowned for its madrassas and archives of rare Arabic manuscripts, Timbuktu is famous as a great center of Muslim learning from Islam’s Golden Age. Yet Timbuktu is not unique. It was one among many scholarly centers to exist in precolonial West Africa. Beyond Timbuktu charts the rise of Muslim learning in West Africa from the beginning of Islam to the present day, examining the shifting contexts that have influenced the production and dissemination of Islamic knowledge—and shaped the sometimes conflicting interpretations of Muslim intellectuals—over the course of centuries.Highlighting the significant breadth and versatility of the Muslim intellectual tradition in sub-Saharan Africa, Ousmane Kane corrects lingering misconceptions in both the West and the Middle East that Africa’s Muslim heritage represents a minor thread in Islam’s larger tapestry. West African Muslims have never been isolated. To the contrary, their connection with Muslims worldwide is robust and longstanding. The Sahara was not an insuperable barrier but a bridge that allowed the Arabo-Berbers of the North to sustain relations with West African Muslims through trade, diplomacy, and intellectual and spiritual exchange.The West African tradition of Islamic learning has grown in tandem with the spread of Arabic literacy, making Arabic the most widely spoken language in Africa today. In the postcolonial period, dramatic transformations in West African education, together with the rise of media technologies and the ever-evolving public roles of African Muslim intellectuals, continue to spread knowledge of Islam throughout the continent.

Read more less

Hong Kong is perched on the fault line between China and the West, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Leo Ou-fan Lee offers an insider’s view of Hong Kong, capturing the history and culture that make his densely packed home city so different from its generic neighbors. The search for an indigenous Hong Kong takes Lee to the wet markets and corner bookshops of congested Mong Kok, remote fishing villages and mountainside temples, teahouses and noodle stalls, Cantonese opera and Cantopop. But he also finds the “real” Hong Kong in a maze of interconnected shopping malls, a jungle of high-rise residential towers, and the neon glow of Chinese-owned skyscrapers in the Central Business District, where land development, global trade, capital accumulation, consumerism, and free-market competition trump every value—except family. Lee illuminates the relationship between Hong Kong’s geography and its colonial experience, revisiting colonial life on the secluded Peak, in the opium-filled godowns along the harborfront, and in crowded, plague-infested tenements. He examines, with a critic’s eye, the “Hong Kong story” in film and fiction: romance in the bars and brothels of Wan Chai, crime in the walled city of Kowloon, ennui on the eve of the 1997 handover. Whether viewed from Tsing Yi Bridge or the deck of the Star Ferry, from Victoria Peak or Lion Rock, Hong Kong sparkles here in all its multifaceted complexity, a city forever between worlds.

Read more less

This book proposes a new science of self-control based on the principles of behavioral psychology and economics. Claiming that insight and self-knowledge are insufficient for controlling one's behavior, Howard Rachlin argues that the only way to achieve such control--and ultimately happiness--is through the development of harmonious patterns of behavior.Most personal problems with self-control arise because people have difficulty delaying immediate gratification for a better future reward. The alcoholic prefers to drink now. If she is feeling good, a drink will make her feel better. If she is feeling bad, a drink will make her feel better. The problem is that drinking will eventually make her feel worse. This sequence--the consistent choice of a highly valued particular act (such as having a drink or a smoke) that leads to a low-valued pattern of acts--is called "the primrose path."To avoid it, the author presents a strategy of "soft commitment," consisting of the development of valuable patterns of behavior that bridge over individual temptations. He also proposes, from economics, the concept of the substitutability of "positive addictions," such as social activity or exercise, for "negative addictions," such as drug abuse or overeating.Self-control may be seen as the interaction with one's own future self. Howard Rachlin shows that indeed the value of the whole--of one's whole life--is far greater than the sum of the values of its individual parts.

Read more less

In the history of Western thought, friendship's relationship to politics is checkered. Friendship was seen as key to understanding political life in the ancient world, but it was then ignored for centuries. Today, friendship has again become a desirable framework for political interaction. In Friendship Reconsidered, P. E. Digeser contends that our rich and varied practices of friendship multiply and moderate connections to politics. Along the way, she sets forth a series of ideals that appreciates friendship's many forms and its dynamic relationship to individuality, citizenship, political and legal institutions, and international relations. Digeser argues that, as a set of practices bearing a family resemblance to one another, friendship calls our attention to the importance of norms of friendly action and the mutual recognition of motive. Focusing on these attributes clarifies the place of self-interest and duty in friendship and points to its compatibility with the pursuit of individuality. She shows how friendship can provide islands of stability in a sea of citizen-strangers and, in a delegitimized political environment, a bridge between differences. She also explores how political and legal institutions can both undermine and promote friendship. Digeser then looks to the positive potential of international friendships, in which states mutually strive to protect the just character of one another's institutions and policies. Friendship's repertoire of motives and manifestations complicates its relationship to politics, Digeser concludes, but it can help us realize the limits and possibilities for generating new opportunities for cooperation.

Read more less

Henry Petroski’s previous bestsellers have delighted readers with intriguing stories about the engineering marvels around us, from the lowly pencil to the soaring suspension bridge. In this book, Petroski delves deeper into the mystery of invention, to explore what everyday artifacts and sophisticated networks can reveal about the way engineers solve problems.Engineering entails more than knowing the way things work. What do economics and ecology, aesthetics and ethics, have to do with the shape of a paper clip, the tab of a beverage can, the cabin design of a turbojet, or the course of a river? How do the idiosyncrasies of individual engineers, companies, and communities leave their mark on projects from Velcro® to fax machines to waterworks? Invention by Design offers an insider’s look at these political and cultural dimensions of design and development, production and construction.Readers unfamiliar with engineering will find Petroski’s enthusiasm contagious, whether the topic is the genesis of the Ziploc® baggie or the averted collapse of Manhattan’s sleekest skyscraper. And those who inhabit the world of engineering will discover insights to challenge their customary perspective, whether their work involves failure analysis, systems design, or public relations. Written with the flair that readers have come to expect from his books, Invention by Design reaffirms Petroski as the master explicator of the principles and processes that turn thoughts into the many things that define our made world.

Read more less

The coffee-table book London Vertical is a delight both for lovers of the British capital and for fans of Hamann's work. Whether Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye or The Shard, Hamann presents all these sights, which have already been photographed thousands of times, in his own creative way and thus creates something completely new. It is fun to pick up this illustrated book again and again, because the unusual approach to the motifs is interesting for the eye and brings new details to the fore. The passionate photo artist was born in Mannheim in 1958 and discovered the camera for himself at the age of 11. Having grown up on two continents, Europe and America, he began an intensive artistic exploration of the extreme format of panorama photography in 1985. But it was not until 1991 that what Hamann's followers adore about him today happened: He turned his camera to portrait format for the first time at the intersection of 41st Street and Avenue of the Americas and has since been called the "inventor" of vertical photography among insiders. His photographs not only testify to his great skill and compositional talent, Hamann manages in a unique way to stage well-known motifs in a completely new way. As a reader, you look at his pictures with curiosity and look forward anew to recognising the sights in each photo. Text in English and German.

Read more less

Furniture generated by smart algorithms, the first fully functional 3-D printed steel bridge, and a 3-D printable chair that can be downloaded from the Internet—these are but a few examples of the ingenious oeuvre of Dutch designer and inventor Joris Laarman (born 1979), who works at the intersection of design, art and engineering. Part of the recent high-profile Dutch design movement, Laarman quickly set himself apart from his peers with the Heat Wave Radiator, which erases the lines between the functional and the decorative. Quickly embracing digital technologies and applying them to the traditional field of design, Laarman has produced instant icons such as the Bone Chair designs, which harnesses a computer algorithm to mimic bone growth for the form of the designs. He has also bridged the distance between digital technology and craftsmanship with his Makerchair, downloadable as an open-source design. Abolishing the distinctions between natural and manmade, Laarman’s work opens a new avenue for the future of design. In parallel with the touring exhibition, this handsome hardcover catalog with over 300 color illustrations goes far beyond the exhibition, revealing Laarman’s process, his studio and numerous designs in office, home and workshop settings. Flowing throughout the book are informative project descriptions, a statement from the LAB and assorted essays. The American museum tour includes the Cooper Hewitt, NY (2017), the High Museum, Atlanta, and MFA Houston (2017–18).

Read more less

"One of contemporary fiction's most gifted sentence builders" Beejay Silcox, GuardianBehind the ornate doors of 30, rue du Métal in Brussels, twenty students begin their apprenticeship in the art of decorative painting - that art of tricksters and counterfeiters, where each knot in a plank of wood hides a secret and every vein in a slab of marble tells a story.Among these students are Kate, Jonas and Paula Karst. Together, during a relentless year of study, they will learn the techniques of reproducing materials in paint, and the intensity of their experience - the long hours in the studio, the late nights, the conversations, arguments, parties, romances - will cement a friendship that lasts long after their formal studies end.For Paula, her initiation into the art of trompe l'œil will take her back through time, from her own childhood memories, to the ancient formations of the materials whose depiction she strives to master. And from the institute in Brussels where her studies begin, to her work on the film sets of Cinecittà, and finally the prehistoric caves of Lascaux, her experiences will transcend art, gradually revealing something of her own inner world, and the secret, unreachable desires of her heart.A coming-of-age novel like no other: an atmospheric and highly aesthetic portrayal of love, art and craftsmanship from the acclaimed author of Birth of a Bridge and Mend the Living.Translated from the French by Jessica Moore

Read more less

Can you create material success and keep your spirit alive? Is it possible to combine prosperity with purpose and passion? Can you sell your product without losing your soul? Expert coach and beloved teacher Alan Cohen demonstrates the answer is yes. In Spirit Means Business, he identifies - and then dismantles - the 10 primary illusions that keep us from connecting spirituality and prosperity. To name a few: - If you want to succeed, you have to suffer first. - There's only so much to go around. - Competition is healthy and necessary. - To do well in your work, you must give up your life. In each case, Alan shows us how to replace the illusion with a higher truth, using principles that always work when we apply them consciously. You'll learn from down-to-earth examples of individuals who have combined soul and success, and you'll find crisp, clear formulas to bridge the gaps and surmount the hurdles along the way. Drawing on wisdom sources from the Tao Te Ching to A Course in Miracles, as well as stories from Alan's clients and his own life, this book will help you navigate a spiritually sound path to the success you desire. 'Spirit Means Business teaches us that our desire for spiritual evolution and business success are not in conflict with one another. As Alan Cohen beautifully reminds us, they're linked in a powerful way.' Mike Robbins, author of Bring Your Whole Self to Work

Read more less

Corporate finance and corporate strategy have long been seen as different sides of the same coin. Though both focus on the same broad problem, investment decision-making, the gap between the two sides--and between theory and practice--remains embarrassingly large. This book synthesizes cutting-edge developments in corporate finance and related fields--in particular, real options and game theory--to help bridge this gap. In clear, straightforward exposition and through numerous examples and applications from various industries, Han Smit and Lenos Trigeorgis set forth an extended valuation framework for competitive strategies. The book follows a problem-solving approach that synthesizes ideas from game theory, real options, and strategy. Thinking in terms of options-games can help managers address questions such as: When is it best to invest early to preempt competitive entry, and when to wait? Should a firm compete in R&D or adopt an accommodating stance? How does one value growth options or infrastructure investments? The authors provide a wide range of valuation examples, such as acquisition strategies, R&D investment in high-tech sectors, joint research ventures, product introductions in consumer electronics, infrastructure, and oil exploration investment. Representing a major step beyond standard real options or strategy analysis, and extending the power of real options and strategic thinking in a rigorous fashion, Strategic Investment will be an indispensable guide and resource for corporate managers, MBA students, and academics alike.

Read more less

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's contextThe books of Judges and Ruth have relevance for our lives today. Judges, because it reveals a God who employs very human deliverers but refuses to gloss over their sins and their consequences. And Ruth, because it demonstrates the far-reaching impact of a righteous character. K. Lawson Younger Jr. shares literary perspectives on the books of Judges and Ruth that reveal ageless truths for our contemporary lives.To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's context, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights, they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

Read more less

In a similar style to Comet!: The World's First Jet Airliner and Boeing Group: A History, Graham Simons presents us with a colourful, thoroughly engrossing, well-researched and highly illustrated history of The British Overseas Airways Company, from its origin in 1940 to its closure in 1974. The scope of the book takes in the history of the Second World War, examining the ways in which this conflict shaped the development of the airline. BOAC kept wartime Britain connected with its colonies and the allied world, often under enemy fire, and initially with desperate shortages of long-range aircraft. It played an important role in the transportation of passengers during an incredibly fraught and dangerous era. Post-war, jets were brought into the mix and aircraft types such as the de Havilland Comet saw employment. In the 1970s, an Act of Parliament saw BOAC merged with BEA, with effect from 31 March 1974, forming today's British Airways. But the era of The British Overseas Airways Company marked an important bridge between wartime services and the contemporary operations that we recognise today as being part of British Airways' day-to-day working practices. The era 1940-1974 saw a great deal of development change the face of flight in a variety of contexts. By choosing to record the history of BOAC, Graham M. Simons is confronting an era of ongoing interest to students of aviation and historians of mid-Twentieth century history.

Read more less

This is the story of the 1st Air Landing Light Regiment RA and its role in the Italian campaign and at the Battle of Arnhem. It is also the story of one of its soldiers: 14283058 Gunner Eric Wright Chrystal, father of the authors. Eric joined the army in September 1942 and, after training, joined the newly formed glider-borne regiment the following year. He first saw action in Italy in 1943, where he was seriously wounded. On 17 September 1944, two years to the day since he enlisted, he and the regiment were landed by glider near to Arnhem in the Netherlands. The authors recount set their father's experiences in context by describing the formation of the unit and the many months of training in England. Their involvement in the Italian campaign, where Eric served with E Troop, 3 Battery, is then recounted, detailing their actions at Rionero, Foggia and Campobasso, where Eric was wounded. It then moves on to describe 1st Air Landing Light Regiment's preparation for and involvement in Operation Market (the Airborne half of Market Garden). This very detailed account of the fighting highlights the regiment's pivotal (but often neglected) role near Arnhem bridge. Here, after nine days of intense combat, Eric was among the many captured and held until the end of the war. The inclusion of Eric's own eyewitness testimony lends a very personal touch to this excellent account of the regiment's experience of combat and life in the PoW camps.

Read more less

Transform your school’s culture for the better In Rising Above, we meet Serenity Springs High School’s new school counselor Monica Sheppard as she is fielding a barrage of school conflict issues coming at her from what seems like every direction. Backed by a team of veteran school culture experts from different facets of education, author JC Pohl delivers an engaging, ripped-from-the-headlines narrative about a fictional school community devolving into chaos. With social media running out of control, teachers feeling burnt out, and a principal that has simply lost her way, Monica immerses herself into the school community and strives to bridge many of the divides that define contemporary school environments across the United States. The book includes insights from real-world experts, including Principal Dr. Pete Getz, relationship expert Emil Harker, LMFT, and school counselor educator Dr. Stephanie Eberts. It also offers: A comprehensive set of strategies and tools to help cure the ailments destroying school culture Insightful discussions of teacher-student, teacher-teacher, teacher-administration, teacher-parent, teacher-staff, and student-student conflict management and resolution A compelling narrative of a school leader rising above the chaos that surrounds her and showing readers a tangible pathway that leads to positive school conflict resolution An engrossing and essential read for principals, assistant principals, school counselors, and other district administrators, Rising Above also proves invaluable to K-12 teachers and higher education professors with an interest in building exemplary school cultures.

Read more less

Readers of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith will love this stirring tale of naval warfare, bravery and courage from multi-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman. With battle scenes so vivid and immediate, you'll feel in the midst of the action!'A stirring tale of the Atlantic war...one can almost smell the sea and the burning oil as Hitler's U-boats wreak havoc' -- Sunday Express'Vivid naval action at its most authentic' -- Sunday Times'Mr Reeman writes with great knowledge about the sea and those who sail on it' --The Times'Douglas Reeman at his best' -- ***** Reader review'Another first-class book from this author' -- ***** Reader review'Could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review'An excellent read' -- ***** Reader review'Gripping' -- ***** Reader review'Typical Douglas Reeman. MARVELLOUS' -- ***** Reader review**************************************************************************************The Western Ocean. 1942: from the bridge of HMS Gladiator, Lieutenant-Commander David Howard's orders were chillingly clear. There could be no mercy.To the men who fought to protect the vital, threatened Merchant Navy convoys in the Western Approaches, the Battle of the Atlantic was a full-scale war; a relentless, savage war against an ever-present enemy and a violent sea - in an arena known only to its embittered survivors as the killing ground.HMS Gladiator was part of that war. An ordinary, hard-worked destroyer and her company of men. Fighting for survival in a war with no rules...

Read more less

In a sweeping reinterpretation of the history of disfranchisement, Steve Suitts illuminates how a century of political conflicts in Alabama came to shape both some of America’s best achievements in voting rights and its continuing struggles over voter suppression. A War of Sections tells the unknown political history symbolized today by the annual pilgrimage of presidents and celebrities across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It is the story of how that crucial, tragic day in Selma in 1965 was only the flashpoint of a much longer history of failures and successes involving conflicts not only between Blacks and whites in Alabama but between white political factions warring in the state over voting rights.Suitts recasts the context and much of the content of disfranchisement in Alabama as an unremitting, decades- long sectional battle in white-only politics between the state’s rural Black Belt and north Alabama counties. He uncovers important Black and white heroes and villains who collectively shaped the arc of voting rights in Alabama and ultimately across the nation. A War of Sections offers a new understanding of the political dynamics of resistance and change through which a southern state’s longstanding democratic failures ironically provided motivation for and instruction to a reluctant nation regarding unmatched ways to advance universal voting. Along the way, the book introduces from this unheard past some prophetic voices that speak to the paramount issues of America’s commitment to the universal right to vote—then and now.

Read more less

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's contextEzra-Nehemiah chronicles the return of the exiles to Jerusalem during the Persian Period. Empowered by the Persian authorities, Ezra and Nehemiah came on the scene in Jerusalem to restore the worship of the "God of Heaven" and the sanctity of Zion and His people. God's sovereignty over temporal powers, confession of sin and repentance, and worship according to Yahweh's holiness undergird the account. In the face of tremendous odds, opposition and betrayal, both Ezra and Nehemiah displayed selflessness and devotion by following their calling and trusting God's plan. In the commentary, Donna and Thomas Petter lead us through this narrative of restoration and help us discover how to apply Scripture to our lives today.To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's context, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved.

Read more less

"Her life was a bridge from the nineteenth century to the twentieth, from the time-hallowed beauty and rigidity of a samurai household to the disorienting, forward-looking freedoms of the West." —Janice P. Nimura, from the foreword.This is the story of one woman's remarkable life successfully navigating two very different cultures—the first memoir of an Asian-American woman.Beautifully told, this immigrant's account of an unforgettable journey is the story of a headstrong and empowered woman—a loyal wife, a widowed mother and a bilingual breadwinner—finding her way and finding her voice in a strange new world.Follow in her footsteps and trace the remarkable trajectory of her life as she: Witnesses her father prepare and perform the ritual seppuku and her mother burn down the family home Bids an emotional farewell and sails across the ocean to marry a wealthy merchant in a new land Returns to Tokyo with her two daughters and mother-in-law, only to find her homeland just as alien as America, forcing her to reinvent herself again in order to provide for her family Returns to America with her children following the death of her mother-in-law An international bestseller when it was first published a century ago, A Daughter of the Samurai emerges as a rare testament to a singular woman's resolve, strength and endurance. This edition features a new foreword by 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Janice P. Nimura.

Read more less

In The Capitalist Revolution in Eastern Europe, Laszlo Csaba offers an applied economics interpretation of the modernization attempts which followed the collapse of the Soviet empire and of the state socialist experiment. This important book presents a comprehensive overview of empirical and theoretical developments in order to analyse and interpret what common factors or trends are discernible in the transformation process. From 1989 to 1994 a loss of employment and production was recorded in Eastern Europe which exceeded that of the great depression of the 1930s. This book questions why conventional economic doctrines seem to have failed in some countries but have been more successful in others. What - if anything - went wrong with an experiment which involved some of the most prominent economists in the world? Why did shock therapy fail in Russia and why is gradualism reaching its outer most limits in Hungary? In attempting to build a bridge between abstract economic theory and the empirical material available in Eastern Europe, the author adopts a broad framework of analysis making use of data and theories drawn from sociology, history and political science. In developing an analytical framework, and through its application by a single author, this book presents a unique, authoritative perspective on the transformation of Eastern Europe. Students, academic researchers, journalists and policymakers will welcome this decisive assessment of the empirical and theoretical insights resulting from the transformation of Eastern Europe.

Read more less

This book gets to the root of how and why multinational firms differ in the cross-border creation, transfer and diffusion of technology, and provides fresh evidence on the effects that these differences have on productivity and innovation in the economic systems in which they are active. Davide Castellani and Antonello Zanfei consider multinationals as heterogeneous institutions that combine internal networks of subsidiaries with external networks of collaborative linkages, to bridge different economic and innovation systems. They examine heterogeneity in productivity and innovative behaviour between multinational and national firms, as well as across and within multinationals. The authors argue that not every foreign firm is a good source of externality, and not every domestic firm is equally well placed to benefit from multinationals. It is shown that spillovers from multinationals differ according to the technological profiles, embeddedness and linkage creation of both foreign and domestic firms active in local markets. The book supports this view with empirical evidence based on illustrative case studies, and on econometric analysis using extensive firm-level datasets on multinational activities, innovation and economic performances.Integrating an in-depth account of state of the art literature with detailed evidence, this book will be of great interest to an extensive audience. This will encompass students, researchers, academics, policy makers and practitioners across a wide range of disciplines including: international business, economics and management of innovation, international economics and industrial organisation.

Read more less

A new analysis of the neglected genre of medieval Biblical poetry. Medieval England had a thriving culture of rewriting the Bible in art, drama, and literature in Latin, French and English. Middle English biblical poetry was central to this culture, and although these poems have suffered from critical neglect, sometimes dismissed as mere "paraphrase", they are rich, innovative and politically engaged. Read in the same gentry and noble households as secular romance, biblical poems borrow and adapt romance plots and motifs, present romance-inflected exotic settings, and share similar concerns: reputation, order, family and marriage. This book explores six poems from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries that retell episodes from the Old Testament: the ballad-like Iacob and Iosep, two lives of Adam and Eve; an alliterative version of the Susanna story, the Pistel of Susan; and the Gawain-poet's Patience and Cleanness. Each chapter identifies new sources and influences for the poems, including from biblical glosses and manuscript illustration. The book also investigates the poems' relationships with contemporary cultures of literature and religion, including with secular romance, and offers new readings of each poem and its cultural functions, showing how they bridge the chasm between medieval Christian England and the Jews and pagans of the pre-Christian Mediterranean world. It also considers reading contexts, arguing that the poems and their manuscripts offer hints about the social class and gender of their household audiences.

Read more less

A moving and heroic memoir about surviving suicide and long-term mental health complications, while summoning the courage required to persist in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and spread a message of positivity.Lost in the depths of a devastating depression, Kevin Hines did the unthinkable and jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge. He is one of only four to ever have survived that jump with his full health and mobility intact. Hines then went on to accomplish what had formerly seemed impossible: he has dedicated his life to suicide prevention, reaching audiences well into the millions. With the help of his wife and family, he has spread his message of compassion and fighting to “be here tomorrow” on Good Morning America, the Today show, Larry King, and BuzzFeed, as well as countless other in-person speaking venues. Going far beyond his first book, The Art of Being Broken takes full advantage of the perspective Kevin has gained since his suicide attempt. In this new story, we learn that recovery is not a straight path but a constant journey, and often the best way to help ourselves stay grounded is by helping others in need. Including raw and moving contributions from those whose lives Kevin has saved, The Art of Being Broken will be indispensable for all those who are grappling with suicidal ideation and provides key insights to their loved ones.

Read more less

For generations, New Yorkers have joked about "The City's" interminable tearing down and building up. The city that the whole world watches seems to be endlessly remaking itself. When the locals and the rest of the world say "New York," they mean Manhattan, a crowded island of commercial districts and residential neighborhoods, skyscrapers and tenements, fabulously rich and abjectly poor cheek by jowl. Of course, it was not always so; New York's metamorphosis from compact port to modern metropolis occurred during the mid-nineteenth century. Empire City tells the story of the dreams that inspired the changes in the landscape and the problems that eluded solution. Author David Scobey paints a remarkable panorama of New York's uneven development, a city-building process careening between obsessive calculation and speculative excess. Envisioning a new kind of national civilization, "bourgeois urbanists" attempted to make New York the nation's pre-eminent city. Ultimately, they created a mosaic of grand improvements, dynamic change, and environmental disorder. Empire City sets the stories of the city's most celebrated landmarks--Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the downtown commercial center--within the context of this new ideal of landscape design and a politics of planned city building. Perhaps such an ambitious project for guiding growth, overcoming spatial problems, and uplifting the public was bound to fail; still, it grips the imagination. Author note: David M. Scobey is Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the Arts of Citizenship Program at the University of Michigan.

Read more less

Brings to life the breathtaking and often heartbreaking stories of the workers who built New York City in the Twentieth Century Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives tells the stories of the men and women who built the City—of towering structures and the beam walkers who assembled them; of immigrant youths in factories and women in sweatshops; of longshoremen and typewriter girls; of dock workers and captains of industry. It provides a glimpse of the traditions they carried with them to this country and how they helped create new ones, in the form of labor organizations that provided recent immigrants, often overwhelmed by the intensity of New York life, with a sense of solidarity and security. Astounding in their own right, the book's photographic images, most drawn from seldom-seen labor movement photographers, are complemented by poignant oral histories which tell the stories behind the images. Among the extraordinary lives chronicled are those of Philip Keating, who, seven years after a fellow worker photographed him painting the Queensboro Bridge in 1949, plunged to his death from another worksite; William Atkinson, who broke the color bar at Macy’s and tells of fighting racism at home after fighting fascism abroad during World War II; and Cynthia Long, who fought gender barriers to become, in the late 1970s, an electrician with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3. With narratives at the beginning of each section providing historical context, this book brings the past clearly, emotionally, and fascinatingly alive.

Read more less

CLINICAL DENTISTRY DAILY REFERENCE GUIDE The first and only practical reference guide to clinical dentistry Clinical dentistry involves the practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating patients’ oral health conditions. Clinical Dentistry Daily Reference Guide is a one-stop resource loaded with critical information for day-to-day decision making regarding a myriad of clinical scenarios. This invaluable resource saves time by eliminating the need to search through websites, textbooks, and phone apps to find answers. This book offers step-by-step assistance on health history treatment modifications, oral cancer screening, radiographic interpretation, treatment planning, preventive dentistry, periodontics, operative dentistry, endodontics, oral surgery, toothaches, crown and bridge, dentures, partials, implant crowns, occlusal guards, pharmacology, pediatric dentistry, nitrous sedation, and more. This comprehensive guide: Provides quick access to information in an easy-to-read bulleted format Includes hundreds of high-quality clinical images, illustrations, and tables Answers real-life patient questions Contains procedural steps including post-operative instructions, lab prescriptions, troubleshooting, and clinical pearls Features alphabetized medical conditions and treatment modifications, evidence-based guidelines including the dental traumatology guidelines, tables of common medications converted to pediatric dosages, and more. Helps dentists gain confidence in their decision making Clinical Dentistry Daily Reference Guide is a must-have book for all dental students and practicing dentists, both new and seasoned. Other dental professionals that will benefit from this book include dental educators, expanded function dental assistants, and dental hygienists.

Read more less

In 1988 the documentary Ring of Firewas released to great acclaim. The most startling sequence in the film is that of a Chinese-Javanese acupuncturist who demonstrates his full mastery of the phenomenon of chi, or bio-energy, by generating an electrical current within his body, which he uses first to heal the filmmaker of an eye infection and then to set a newspaper on fire with his hand. Ring of Firecaused thousands to seek out this individual, John Chang, in pursuit of instruction. Of the many Westerners who have approached him, John Chang has accepted five as apprentices. Kosta Danaos is the second of those five. In his years of study with John Chang, Danaos has witnessed and experienced pyrokinesis, telekinesis, levitation, telepathy, and much more exotic phenomena. He has spoken with spirits and learned the secrets of reincarnation. Most important, he has learned John Chang's story. John Chang is the direct heir to the lineage of the sixth-century b.c. sage Mo-Tzu, who was Confucius's greatest rival. His discipline, called the Mo-Pai, is little-known in the West and has never before been the subject of a book. Now, John Chang has decided to bridge the gap between East and West by allowing a book to be published revealing the story of his life, his teachings, and his powers. It will surely expedite what may well become the greatest revolution of the twenty-first century--the verification and study of bio-energy.

Read more less

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Ironbridge Gorge was the scene of dramatic industrial activity which today's resident or visitor finds difficult to envisage. Coal had been extracted from the hillsides of Benthall, Brosely and Madeley for some time before Abraham Darby I settled in Coalbrookdale in 1708. However, it was the rapid growth of the iron industry which transformed this part of East Shropshire. The old-established town of Madeley expanded to meet the needs of a growing workforce, whilst Dawley developed as an important centre for mining and iron making. The town of Ironbridge sprang up as a direct result of the building of the Iron Bridge, and another settlement was created at Coalport. On the south side of the river, Jackfield thrived as a busy inland port. From the mid-nineteenth century, problems with transport and the availability of better raw materials elsewhere led to the migration of the iron making industry to other parts of the country. Thus by the time photography came on the scene the area, although still dependent on heavy industry, was in decline. This trend continued into the twentieth century and was only reversed with the arrival of Telford New Town on the 1960s. This selection of photographs will appeal equally to those who recall the scattered and fiercely independent communities of the industrial era, and to the many recent arrivals who only know Telford as it is today. There is a companion volume, North Telford.

Read more less

Psychoanalysis: A Critical Introduction is a clearly written and accessible introduction to the main schools of psychoanalysis and the practice of psychotherapy. Unusually, it is written by an academic sociologist specializing in social theory who is also a practising psychotherapist. Craib emphasizes the complexity of psychoanalysis -- an approach that works at many different levels. The unique contribution of this perspective is to understand the creativity of the individual. Psychoanalyis is less about 'curing' mental illness or making people happy, Craib suggests, and more about the understanding of individual lives and about the importance of thinking as well as feeling. Craib argues that psychoanalysis is a depth psychology and a developmental psychology, as well as enabling an understanding of everyday feelings and thoughts. He explores the work of Freud, Klein, Lacan, the object-relations theorists, attachment theory and American self psychology, and feminist developments of Freud's work. In the final section he offers an account of psychoanalytic practice as a way of opening up a life and allowing it to develop in different directions, and of enabling people to deal with the inevitable failures, contradictions and disappointments of being alive. This fascinating book will bridge the gap between academic textbooks on psychoanalysis and the books written primarily for those training in the field. It will be of major interest to students of psychology, social psychology, sociology and social theory, as well as to psychoanalytic practitioners

Read more less

The literature on Kierkegaard is often content to paraphrase. By contrast, Michael Theunissen articulates one of Kierkegaard's central ideas, his theory of despair, in a detailed and comprehensible manner and confronts it with alternatives. Understanding what Kierkegaard wrote on despair is vital not only because it illuminates his thought as a whole, but because his account of despair in The Sickness unto Death is the cornerstone of existentialism. Theunissen's book, published in German in 1993, is widely regarded as the best treatment of the subject in any language. Kierkegaard's Concept of Despair is also one of the few works on Kierkegaard that bridge the gap between the Continental and analytic traditions in philosophy. Theunissen argues that for Kierkegaard, the fundamental characteristic of despair is the desire of the self "not to be what it is." He sorts through the apparently chaotic text of The Sickness unto Death to explain what Kierkegaard meant by the "self," how and why individuals want to flee their selves, and how he believed they could reconnect with their selves. According to Theunissen, Kierkegaard thought that individuals in despair seek to deny their authentic selves to flee particular aspects of their character, their past, or the world, or in order to deny their "mission." In addition to articulating and evaluating Kierkegaard's concept of despair, Theunissen relates Kierkegaard's ideas to those of Heidegger, Sartre, and other twentieth-century philosophers.

Read more less

The quest for extraterrestrial life doesn't happen only in science fiction. This book describes the startling discoveries being made in the very real science of astrobiology, an intriguing new field that blends astronomy, biology, and geology to explore the possibility of life on other planets. Jeffrey Bennett takes readers beyond UFOs to discuss some of the tantalizing questions astrobiologists grapple with every day: What is life and how does it begin? What makes a planet or moon habitable? Is there life on Mars or elsewhere in the solar system? How can life be recognized on distant worlds? Is it likely to be microbial, more biologically complex--or even intelligent? What would such a discovery mean for life here on Earth? Come along on this scientific adventure and learn the astonishing implications of discoveries made in this field for the future of the human race. Bennett, who believes that "science is a way of helping people come to agreement," explains how the search for extraterrestrial life can help bridge the divide that sometimes exists between science and religion, defuse public rancor over the teaching of evolution, and quiet the debate over global warming. He likens humanity today to a troubled adolescent teetering on the edge between self-destruction and a future of virtually limitless possibilities. Beyond UFOs shows why the very quest to find alien life can help us to grow up as a species and chart a course for the stars.

Read more less

What is the best way to photograph a speeding bullet? Why does light move through glass in the least amount of time possible? How can lost hikers find their way out of a forest? What will rainbows look like in the future? Why do soap bubbles have a shape that gives them the least area? By combining the mathematical history of extrema with contemporary examples, Paul J. Nahin answers these intriguing questions and more in this engaging and witty volume. He shows how life often works at the extremes--with values becoming as small (or as large) as possible--and how mathematicians over the centuries have struggled to calculate these problems of minima and maxima. From medieval writings to the development of modern calculus to the current field of optimization, Nahin tells the story of Dido's problem, Fermat and Descartes, Torricelli, Bishop Berkeley, Goldschmidt, and more. Along the way, he explores how to build the shortest bridge possible between two towns, how to shop for garbage bags, how to vary speed during a race, and how to make the perfect basketball shot. Written in a conversational tone and requiring only an early undergraduate level of mathematical knowledge, When Least Is Best is full of fascinating examples and ready-to-try-at-home experiments. This is the first book on optimization written for a wide audience, and math enthusiasts of all backgrounds will delight in its lively topics.

Read more less

The story of the intrepid young women who volunteered to help and entertain American servicemen fighting overseas, from World War I through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.The emotional toll of war can be as debilitating to soldiers as hunger, disease, and injury. Beginning in World War I, in an effort to boost soldiers’ morale and remind them of the stakes of victory, the American military formalized a recreation program that sent respectable young women and famous entertainers overseas.Kara Dixon Vuic builds her narrative around the young women from across the United States, many of whom had never traveled far from home, who volunteered to serve in one of the nation’s most brutal work environments. From the “Lassies” in France and mini-skirted coeds in Vietnam to Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe, Vuic provides a fascinating glimpse into wartime gender roles and the tensions that continue to complicate American women’s involvement in the military arena. The recreation-program volunteers heightened the passions of troops but also domesticated everyday life on the bases. Their presence mobilized support for the war back home, while exporting American culture abroad. Carefully recruited and selected as symbols of conventional femininity, these adventurous young women saw in the theater of war a bridge between public service and private ambition.This story of the women who talked and listened, danced and sang, adds an intimate chapter to the history of war and its ties to life in peacetime.

Read more less

Economists and theologians usually inhabit different intellectual worlds. Economists investigate the workings of markets and tend to set ethical questions aside. Theologians, anxious to take up concerns raised by market outcomes, often dismiss economics and lose insights into the influence of market incentives on individual behavior. Mary L. Hirschfeld, who was a professor of economics for fifteen years before training as a theologian, seeks to bridge these two fields in this innovative work about economics and the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.According to Hirschfeld, an economics rooted in Thomistic thought integrates many of the insights of economists with a larger view of the good life, and gives us critical purchase on the ethical shortcomings of modern capitalism. In a Thomistic approach, she writes, ethics and economics cannot be reconciled if we begin with narrow questions about fair wages or the acceptability of usury. Rather, we must begin with an understanding of how economic life serves human happiness. The key point is that material wealth is an instrumental good, valuable only to the extent that it allows people to flourish. Hirschfeld uses that insight to develop an account of a genuinely humane economy in which pragmatic and material concerns matter but the pursuit of wealth for its own sake is not the ultimate goal.The Thomistic economics that Hirschfeld outlines is thus capable of dealing with our culture as it is, while still offering direction about how we might make the economy better serve the human good.

Read more less

Take an economically and racially diverse urban school district emerging from a long history of segregation. Add an energetic, capable, bridge-building superintendent with ambitious district-wide goals to improve graduation rates, school attendance, and academic performance. Consider that he was well funded and strongly supported by city leaders, teachers, and parents, and ask how much changed in a decade of his tenure—and what remained unchanged? Larry Cuban takes this richly detailed history of the Austin, Texas, school district, under Superintendent Pat Forgione, to ask the question that few politicians and school reformers want to touch. Given effective use of widely welcomed reforms, can school policies and practices put all children at the same academic level? Are class and ethnic differences in academic performance within the power of schools to change?Cuban argues that the overall district has shown much improvement—better test scores, more high school graduates, and more qualified teachers. But the improvements are unevenly distributed. The elementary schools improved, as did the high schools located in affluent, well-educated, largely white neighborhoods. But the least improvement came where it was needed most: the predominantly poor, black, and Latino high schools. Before Forgione arrived, over 10 percent of district schools were failing, and after he left office, roughly the same percentage continued to fail. Austin’s signal successes amid failure hold answers to tough questions facing urban district leaders across the nation.

Read more less

One of the masterpieces of Greco-Roman literature is the history written by Ammianus Marcellinus near the end of the fourth century A.D. His work bears unique witness to an empire struggling at once toward traditional and transformation, the old Rome of Augustus and the new Rome of Christ. Embodied within Ammianus's history is a universally admired spirit of independence that has, however, led to a steady denaturing of the historian's personal commitment to particular causes. At the hands of modern critics, Ammianus frequently seems to lose his character, and his frequently seems to lose his character, and his religion too vanishes. Rike reconstructs Ammianus's religion from the beginning and concludes that he was an enthusiastic pagan whose firm commitment to traditional beliefs cannot be understood without changing our usual conceptions of late Roman religion. Rike's study widens our too narrowly philosophical sense of paganism; the historian's striving will remind us of the vital spiritual continuum which joined the ages of Augustus and Constantine. Accordingly, this book should itself serve as a useful bridge between students of Late Antiquity and traditional classicists. 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 1987.

Read more less

Harriet Douglass lives with her historian father on an old plantation in Louisiana, which they've transformed into one of the South's few enslaved people's museums. Together, while grieving the recent loss of Harriet's mother, they run tours that help keep the memory of the past alive.Harriet's world is turned upside down by the arrival of mother and daughter Claudia and Layla Hartwell-who plan to turn the property next door into a wedding venue, and host the offensively antebellum-themed wedding of two Hollywood stars.Harriet's fully prepared to hate Layla Hartwell, but it seems that Layla might not be so bad after all-unlike many people, this California influencer is actually interested in Harriet's point of view. Harriet's sure she can change the hearts of Layla and her mother, but she underestimates the scale of the challenge...and when her school announces that prom will be held on the plantation, Harriet's just about had it with this whole racist timeline! Overwhelmed by grief and anger, it's fair to say she snaps.Can Harriet use the power of social media to cancel the celebrity wedding and the plantation prom? Will she accept that she's falling in love with her childhood best friend, who's unexpectedly returned after years away? Can she deal with the frustrating reality that Americans seem to live in two completely different countries? And through it all, can she and Layla build a bridge between them?

Read more less