Search results for ""pacific""

The Indo-Pacific is fast becoming the world's dominant region. Now, as it grows in power and wealth, geopolitical competition has reemerged, threatening future stability not merely in Asia but around the globe. China is aggressive and uncooperative, and increasingly expects the world to bend to its wishes. The focus on Sino-US competition for global power has obscured 'Asia's other great game': the rivalry between Japan and China. A modernizing India risks missing out on the energies and talents of millions of its women, potentially hampering the broader role it can play in the world. And in North Korea, the most frightening question raised by Kim Jong-un's pursuit of the ultimate weapon is also the simplest: can he control his nukes? In Asia's New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific, Michael R. Auslin examines these and other key issues transforming the Indo-Pacific and the broader world. He also explores the history of American strategy in Asia, from the 18th century through today. Taken together, Auslin's essays convey the richness and diversity of the region: with more than three billion people, the Indo-Pacific contains over half of the global population, including the world's two most populous nations, India and China. In a riveting final chapter, Auslin imagines a war between America and China in a bid for regional hegemony and what this conflict might look like.

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The Economics of Pollution Control in the Asia Pacific adapts environmental economics to the special conditions of the Asia Pacific region, emphasizing the importance of local conditions and culture. Global warming, air pollution and water pollution are all addressed by a distinguished group of authors who rigorously apply economics to the analysis of pollution control in societies undergoing rapid industrialization. As this pioneering volume demonstrates, citizens of rapidly developing Taiwan and Korea are willing to pay substantial amounts for the protection and improvement of air and water quality, and face potentially huge losses from global climate change. A number of the papers also point to some cost effective alternatives for helping to reduce global greenhouse gas emission. As this major book reveals, the make-up of Asian politico-economic systems has a direct impact on environmental policies, from benefit estimation to instrument choice. As the authors argue, policymakers and researchers in the Asia Pacific cannot draw on European and American methods, arguments and conclusions without considerable modification for regional conditions.

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A fascinating exploration of how between February 1 and March 10, 1942, three small US task forces launched several unexpected raids across the Japanese defensive perimeter in the Central and South Pacific. After the devastating Japanese blows of December 1941, the Allies found themselves reeling with defeat everywhere in the Pacific. Although stripped of his battleships and outnumbered 10:3 in carriers, the US Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Ernest J. King decided to hit back at Japan’s rapidly expanding Pacific empire immediately, in an effort to keep the Japanese off-balance. On February 1, 1942, Vice Admiral Bill Halsey led the US Pacific Fleet carriers on their first raid, using high-speed hit-and-run tactics to strike at the Japanese, at a time when most of the Japanese carrier fleet was in the Indian Ocean. Halsey’s aggressive commitment inspired its American participants to invent the mythical “Haul Ass With Halsey” club. The last of the 1942 US carrier raids in March 1942 would form a defining moment in the Pacific War, prior to a new phase of high-seas battles between the opposing fleets. This superbly illustrated book documents for the first time in a single volume this little-known but important World War II naval campaign. The fabulous illustrations, including maps and colour artworks, bring to life the US air and naval raids on the Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, Rabaul, Wake Island, Marcus Island, and Lae and Salamaua in northern New Guinea.

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This edited volume examines the political and security issues influencing and shaping the developing maritime order in the Indo Pacific. If focuses specifically on the impact of China’s maritime expansion upon the policies and strategies of the regional states as well as the major players. The chapters examine the interaction of these players, paying particular attention to Japan, as the originator of the Indo Pacific idea and promoter of security cooperation and regionalism. It also covers the responses of the ASEAN claimants, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines as well as Indonesia, alongside the key players, India, the US and also the EU.

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- Private Sidney Phillips- First Lieutenant Austin Shofner- Ensign Vernon Micheel- Private Eugene Sledge- Sergeant John BasiloneThrough the eyes of these five fearless and devoted men, Hugh Ambrose tells the epic story of the war in the Pacific. It is an intimate, personal history of a brutal, unforgiving conflict.

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From gray whales giving birth in the lagoons of Baja California to sea otters nestled in kelp beds off California to killer whales living around Vancouver Island - this spectacular stretch of the Pacific Coast boasts one of the most abundant populations of sea mammals on earth. This handy interpretive field guide describes the 45 whales, dolphins, seals, and otters that are resident in, migrate through, or forage from Baja in Mexico to British Columbia in Canada. The guide's rich species accounts provide details on identification, natural history, distribution, and conservation. They also tell where and how these fascinating animals can best be viewed. Introductory chapters give general information on the ecology, evolution, and taxonomy of marine mammals; on the Pacific Coast's unique environment; and on the relationship between marine mammals and humans from native cultures to today. Featuring many color illustrations, photographs, drawings, and maps, this up-to-date guide illuminates a fascinating group of animals and reveals much about their mysterious lives in the ocean.

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Following on from their previous book Economic Efficiency and Productivity Growth in the Asia-Pacific Region, the authors in this volume analyse the economic performance of many of the major economies in the Asia-Pacific region including Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Japan. They examine economic and productivity growth, competitiveness and efficiency developments in the region. An introductory essay by the editors surveys recent economic developments in the region whilst introducing and cohesively integrating the chapters that follow. The studies employ a variety of modern analytical constructs and empirical techniques of open economy growth accounting as well as the measurement of productivity change, technical change and economic efficiency. A number of the chapters examine the entire region while others focus exclusively on a nation or industry. Several chapters study the causes and consequences of the financial crises in the region in 1997 from a recent historical perspective.This book will be of special interest to scholars of economic growth and its determinants as well as all those interested in Asian studies.

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Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest, in five parts, offers the first complete guide, with keys, to the ferns, fern-related, and seed-bearing plants of Washington, northern Oregon, Idaho north of the Snake River plains, the mountainous western part of Montana, and southern British Columbia. Each volume gives complete regional synonymy, type collections, geographic ranges, “genuine” common names, and chromosome numbers for each species, as well as economic importance and horticultural features. Part 5 is a comprehensive guide to the composites of the Pacific Northwest, with emphasis upon the biology of the species. Attention is given to an ecological view of the species, emphasizing the concept of interaction of environment and plant population and the evolution within the latter of distinct ‘ecotypes.’ Part 5 is illustrated by John H. Rumely. All other volumes are illustrated by Jeanne R. Janish.

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In September 2020 the UK signed its first major free trade deal as an independent country outside the EU, with Japan. This deal is viewed by the UK government as the first step in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Further, Joe Biden’s presidency is expected to result in the United States joining the partnership and, with the US and the UK, the CPTPP would be the largest free trade bloc by GDP in the world. Where there is close trade between countries regulated by a free trade agreement, there is also the need for rigorous intellectual property, in particular patent protection, especially in the pharmaceutical, biotech and telecoms sectors. Companies need to know: • that their technology will be protected; • the scope of that protection; and • how it can be enforced. In particular, this book will provide readers with a structured account of the relevant enforcement procedures and substantive patent law in each country, enabling a quick compare and contrast to be made between countries and the identification of relevant issues. In-depth country chapters featured include: US, Japan, South Korea, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. Patent Enforcement in the UK and Trans-Pacific Countries is an essential guide for private practitioners, in-house lawyers and other professionals with responsibility for intellectual property who are interested in the Trans-Pacific region.

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A PNBA Bestseller! Color the Pacific Northwest is an inky exploration of the people, places, plants, and popular culture that define Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The 50 illustrations appear on only one side of a high-quality paper that supports a variety of mediums, including pencils and markers. You can color Sasquatch, ink your own latte art, fill in the details of an intricate family of salmon, discover the Oregon Trail, and color a flying fish from Seattle’s Pike Place Market, all from the comfort of your own home.

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Drawing on insights from differentiation theory, this book examines the participation of middle powers in multilateralism. Taking Australia, Indonesia and South Korea as examples, the book examines these countries’ roles in regional organizations, and particularly during the creation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and East Asia Summit. Through its analysis, the book argues that middle powers pursue dilution of major power stratificatory forces, as well as functionally differentiated roles for themselves in multilateral diplomacy. The book sets out a valuable new framework to explain and understand the behaviour of middle powers in multilateralism.

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Rugged mountains, wild coastlines, and dense forests coexist with vibrant, diverse cities in one of the wildest corners of North America. Explore the PNW with Moon Pacific Northwest. Inside you'll find:*Flexible, strategic itineraries ranging from two-day getaways to Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver to a two-week Pacific Northwest road trip*The best spots for outdoor adventures, including hiking, cycling, whitewater rafting, and skiing*The top sights and unique experiences: Hike through rain forests and alpine meadows, trek jagged ridges in the Cascade Mountains, or drive along the wild Oregon coast. Learn about the First Nations culture in Vancouver, catch a performance at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, or visit Pike Place Market in Seattle. Spot orcas in the San Juan Islands, or head up to Whistler to ski the powdery slopes. Taste world-class cabernets and merlots in wine country, stomp your own grapes during the harvest, and hop your way through local craft breweries. Grab a bite from Portland's famous food trucks, enjoy freshly caught salmon, or stroll along Vancouver's scenic waterfront*Expert advice from Seattle local Allison Williams on when to go, where to stay, and where to eat*Full-colour photos and detailed maps throughout*Background information on the landscape, plants and animals, history, and culture*Travel tips for international visitors, seniors, families with children, and LGBTQ travellers*Full coverage of Seattle, the Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juan Islands, Washington Wine Country, Portland, the Willamette Valley, Bend and Central Oregon, the Oregon Coast, Ashland and Southern Oregon, Vancouver, Victoria, and Vancouver IslandWith Moon Pacific Northwest's expert tips and local know-how, you can plan your trip your way.Sticking to one region? Check out Moon Oregon, Moon Washington, or Moon Victoria & Vancouver Island.

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This book explores the links between globalization, agriculture and development in a number of contemporary Asia-Pacific nations. It highlights the complex and diversified nature of agricultural change in these contexts, and the ways in which this shapes patterns of economic and social development. Globalisation, Agriculture and Development shows that while agriculture continues to play an important role in local, regional and national development, both the industry and the communities it supports are facing an increasing number of economic, social and environmental challenges.This well-researched book will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students in development studies, development economics, geography and rural sociology, public policy, politics and agricultural science. Researchers working in development studies, development economics, human geography, rural sociology, agricultural economics and rural sociology will also find this book beneficial.

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2015 JAMES BEARD WINNER BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST Sea and Smoke is a travelogue chronicling the plucky ambition of a young chef determined to create a world class dining destination in an unlikely place. A native of the Pacific Northwest, two-time James Beard winning chef Blaine Wetzel saw Lummi Island, with fewer than 1,000 residents, as the perfect vehicle for his brand of hyperlocalism: a culinary celebration of what is good and nearby and flavorful. Now, a reservation at The Willows Inn is one of the most sought-after in the world. The smokehouse, the fishermen, and the farmer yield the ingredients for unforgettable meals at The Willows, reflecting the foggy, sea-salty coast that surrounds the island. The tale of the restaurant's rise to the top is told by award-winning journalist Joe Ray, who immersed himself in life on Lummi Island for a year, documenting how it all comes together to make The Willows Inn one of the world's great destination restaurants.

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This rigorously analytical yet readable book examines trends in new terror - understood here to be the capacity of sub-state actors to secure religious or politically motivated objectives by violent means. The contributors argue that whilst the use of violence to achieve political ends is scarcely original, what distinguishes new terror is its potential for lethality. This, combined with its evolving capacity to draw upon the resources of globalisation, particularly the revolution in communications which has advanced global markets, has also rendered them, and the more developed core states in the international trading order, increasingly vulnerable to asymmetric threats.The book's objectives are to: examine the character of new terror and its ambivalent relationship to the evolving cybernetic order made possible by technology and globalisation identify emerging trends and threats in terrorism including cyber-terrorism, eco-terrorism, bombings and CBR material consider the implications of these characteristics for the Asia Pacific region. This careful examination of the key paradox facing the modern condition, namely that the freedoms of communication themselves facilitate terror cells aimed at unravelling the prevailing order, will be of great interest to academics and researchers of contemporary politics, international relations, business, and Asian studies. The lay reader will also find the book accessible.

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Human trafficking is widely considered to be the fastest growing branch of trafficking. As this important book reveals, it has moved rapidly up the agenda of states and international organisations since the early-1990s, not only because of this growth, but also as its implications for security and human rights have become clearer. This fascinating study by international experts provides original research findings on human trafficking, with particular reference to Europe, South-East Asia and Australia. A major focus is on why and how many states and organisations act in ways that undermine trafficked victims' rights, as part of 'quadruple victimisation'. It compares and contrasts policies and suggests which seem to work best and why. The contributors also advocate radical new approaches that most states and other formal organisations appear loath to introduce, for reasons that are explored in this unique book. This must-read book will appeal to policymakers as well as advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of criminology, human rights law, gender studies, political science and international studies.Contributors: J. Debeljak, L. Holmes, S. Kneebone, Z. Lasocik, K. Leong, S. Milivojevic, S. Schwandner-Sievers, M. Segrave, O. Simic, S. Yea

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The chapters in this book will focus on pre-service and in-service science teacher education, because both are equally important. With case studies for China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan topics include: Professional Development of Chemistry Teachers in the New Curriculum, Using Classroom Observation to Assist Teacher Professional Development and Science Teacher Education and Science as Inquiry: Promises and Dilemmas.

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Suburban Empire takes readers to the US missile base at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, at the matrix of postwar US imperial expansion, the Cold War nuclear arms race, and the tide of anti-colonial struggles rippling across the world. Hirshberg shows that the displacement of indigenous Marshallese within Kwajalein Atoll mirrors the segregation and spatial politics of the mainland US as local and global iterations of US empire took hold. Tracing how Marshall Islanders navigated US military control over their lands, Suburban Empire reveals that Cold War–era suburbanization was perfectly congruent with US colonization, military testing, and nuclear fallout. The structures of suburban segregation cloaked the destructive history of control and militarism under a veil of small-town innocence.

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Suburban Empire takes readers to the US missile base at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, at the matrix of postwar US imperial expansion, the Cold War nuclear arms race, and the tide of anti-colonial struggles rippling across the world. Hirshberg shows that the displacement of indigenous Marshallese within Kwajalein Atoll mirrors the segregation and spatial politics of the mainland US as local and global iterations of US empire took hold. Tracing how Marshall Islanders navigated US military control over their lands, Suburban Empire reveals that Cold War–era suburbanization was perfectly congruent with US colonization, military testing, and nuclear fallout. The structures of suburban segregation cloaked the destructive history of control and militarism under a veil of small-town innocence.

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Immigrants from South Asia first began settling in Washington and Oregon in the nineteenth century, but because of restrictions placed on Asian immigration to the United States in the early twentieth century, the vast majority have come to the region since World War II. Roots and Reflections uses oral history to show how South Asian immigrant experiences were shaped by the region and how they differed over time and across generations. It includes the stories of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka who arrived from the end of World War II through the 1980s. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHjtOvH0YdU&list=UUge4MONgLFncQ1w1C_BnHcw&index=3&feature=plcp

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The ongoing Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of aircraft which served throughout Australia, New Guinea and the South Pacific. This Volume 11 covers the P-40 Warhawk series, which served with a dozen USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force fighter and reconnaissance squadrons, service units, combat replacement pools and other miscellaneous units.Most profiles are presented for the first time, alongside markings derivations, including squadron heraldry and codes. Frequent airframe reassignments between units resulted in wide-ranging and oft-changing unit markings and nose art. Until now there has been a paucity of material about several units, particularly those in the Thirteenth Air Force. This volume also rectifies past mistakes which continue to be perpetrated, especially those representing the early Australian theatre.Wide ranging primary reference material is cited including official Australian assignment data, squadron records, colour slides and movies, maintenance logs, diaries, wreck site inspections and factory specifications. A brief history of each unit and the rationale of its unit markings accompanies the text.The author is world-renowned for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before have USAAF Pacific P-40s and their colourful artwork been illustrated with such accuracy and detail.

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When the more than eighteen million visitors poured into the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, they encountered a vision of the world born out of San Francisco’s particular local political and social climate. By seeking to please various constituent groups ranging from the government of Japan to local labor unions and neighborhood associations, fair organizers generated heated debate and conflict about who and what represented San Francisco, California, and the United States at the world’s fair. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition encapsulated the social and political tensions and conflicts of pre–World War I California and presaged the emergence of San Francisco as a cosmopolitan cultural and economic center of the Pacific Rim.Empress San Francisco offers a fresh examination of this, one of the largest and most influential world’s fairs, by considering the local social and political climate of Progressive Era San Francisco. Focusing on the influence exerted by women, Asians and Asian Americans, and working-class labor unions, among others, Abigail M. Markwyn offers a unique analysis both of this world’s fair and the social construction of pre–World War I America and the West.

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An innovative anthology showcasing Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s histories Our Voices, Our Histories brings together thirty-five Asian American and Pacific Islander authors in a single volume to explore the historical experiences, perspectives, and actions of Asian American and Pacific Islander women in the United States and beyond. This volume is unique in exploring Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s lives along local, transnational, and global dimensions. The contributions present new research on diverse aspects of Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s history, from the politics of language, to the role of food, to experiences as adoptees, mixed race, and second generation, while acknowledging shared experiences as women of color in the United States. Our Voices, Our Histories showcases how new approaches in US history, Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, and Women’s and Gender studies inform research on Asian American and Pacific Islander women. Attending to the collective voices of the women themselves, the volume seeks to transform current understandings of Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s histories.

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Between 1942 and 1945 more than two million servicemen occupied the southern Pacific theater, the majority of whom were Americans in service with the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. During the occupation, American servicemen married approximately 1,800 women from New Zealand and the island Pacific, creating legal bonds through marriage and through children. Additionally, American servicemen fathered an estimated four thousand nonmarital children with Indigenous women in the South Pacific Command Area. In Of Love and War Angela Wanhalla details the intimate relationships forged during wartime between women and U.S. servicemen stationed in the South Pacific, traces the fate of wartime marriages, and addresses consequences for the women and children left behind. Paying particular attention to the experiences of women in New Zealand and in the island Pacific—including Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and the Cook Islands—Of Love and War aims to illuminate the impact of global war on these women, their families, and Pacific societies. Wanhalla argues that Pacific war brides are an important though largely neglected cohort whose experiences of U.S. military occupation expand our understanding of global war. By examining the effects of American law on the marital opportunities of couples, their ability to reunite in the immediate postwar years, and the citizenship status of any children born of wartime relationships, Wanhalla makes a significant contribution to a flourishing scholarship concerned with the intersections between race, gender, sexuality, and militarization in the World War II era.

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Examines the way in which the British transformed the Pacific islands during the nineteenth century The discovery of the Pacific islands amplified the qualities of mystery and exoticism already associated with `foreign’ islands. Their `savage’ peoples, their isolation, and their sheer beauty fascinated British visitors across the long nineteenth century. Dark Paradise argues that while the British originally believed the islands to be commercial paradises or perfect sites for missionary endeavours, as the century progressed, their optimistic vision transformed to portray darker realities. As a result, these islands act as a `breaking point’ for British theories of imperialism, colonialism, and identity. The book traces the changing British attitudes towards imperial settlement as the early view of `island as paradise’ gives way to a fear of the hostile islanders and examines how this revelation undermined a key tenant of British imperialism – that they were the `superior’ or `civilized’ islanders. Key Features The first monograph to trace the Pacific islands as represented through the lens of British fiction and non-fiction across the long nineteenth century Examines texts written by Pacific islanders and published in the British press Significantly broadens our understanding of the British Pacific by analysing understudied Pacific texts and authors alongside more canonical works

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The September 2001 terrorist attacks shocked the world. But what did they change? In this book Asia specialists from academe and policy think tanks assess the impact of 9/11 on the Asia Pacific. Drawing on unique fieldwork, access to a wide range of documents and inside expertise, the authors consider how old geo-strategic and cultural fault lines have been overlaid with new security threats from state and non-state actors. With chapters on specific countries and regions, defense policies, terrorism, and current and potential conflict zones, this collection critically examines the Asia Pacific region's post-9/11, as well as post-Iraq war, security architecture. The 14 contributors to this volume consider regional and global security in ways that go beyond the narrow focus on nation-states. They examine the 'hardware' of security (WMD, missiles, etc.) without excluding more fundamental issues of governance, identity, religion, economic collaboration, and the destabilizing impact of poverty and disease. The depth and breadth of research provides a wide perspective on security problems in the Asia Pacific.A timely and comprehensive examination of the effects and consequences of September 11 and the war in Iraq, Regional Security in the Asia Pacific is a critical book for political scientists, scholars and policymakers engaged in security and terrorism debates, as well as all those interested in the changing landscape of global relations.

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During the summers of 1792-94, George Vancouver and the crew of the British naval ships Discovery and Chatham mapped the northwest coast of North America from Baja California to Alaska. Vancouver’s voyage was the last, and longest, of the great Pacific voyages of the late eighteenth century. Taking the art and technique of distant voyaging to a new level, Vancouver eliminated the possibility of a northwest passage and his remarkably precise surveys completed the outline of the Pacific.But to map an area is to appropriate it – to begin to bring it under control – and Vancouver’s charts of the northwest coast were part of a process of economic exploitation and cultural disruption. Although he and the other great navigators of his age exercised no control over the ideas and enterprises spawned by their voyages, their names have come to symbolize the consequences of European expansion – good or bad.From Maps to Metaphors grew out of the Vancouver Conference on Exploration and Discovery, held to observe the bicentennial of Vancouver’s arrival on the Pacific northwest coast. It brings to light much of the new research on the discovery of the Pacific and illuminates the European and Native experience. The chapters are written from a variety of perspectives and provide new insights on many aspects of Vancouver’s voyages – from the technology employed to the complex political and power relationships among European explorers and the Native leadership.While it is no longer possible to “celebrate” the arrival to the northwest coast of explorers such as Vancouver, their achievements cannot be overlooked. The charts, log books, journals, and specimens from these voyages are important sources of information and essential for the reconstruction of an image of the Pacific region and its people in the eighteenth century.

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In the second half of the twentieth century, Reiki went from an obscure therapy practiced by a few thousand Japanese and Japanese Americans to a global phenomenon. By the early twenty-first century, people in nearly every corner of the world have undergone the initiations that authorize them to channel a cosmic energy—known as Reiki—to heal body, mind, and spirit. They lay hands on themselves and others, use secret symbols and incantations to send Reiki to distant recipients, and strive to follow five precepts to cultivate their spiritual growth. Reiki’s international rise and development is due to the work of Hawayo Takata (1900–1980), a Hawai‘i-born Japanese American woman who brought Reiki out of Japan and adapted it for thousands of students in Hawai‘i and North America, shaping interconnections across the North Pacific region as well as cultural transformations over the transwar period spanning World War II.Alternate Currents: Reiki’s Circulation in the Twentieth-Century North Pacific analyzes how, from her training in Japan in the mid-1930s to her death in Iowa in 1980, Takata built a vast trans-Pacific network that connected Japanese American laborers on Hawai‘i plantations to social elites in Tokyo, Hollywood, and New York; middle class housewives in American suburbs; and off-the-grid tree planters in the mountains of British Columbia. Using recently uncovered archival materials and original oral histories, Stein examines how these relationships between healer and patient, master and disciple, became deeply infused with values of their time and place and how they interplayed with Reiki’s circulation, performance, and meanings along with broader cultural shifts in the twentieth-century North Pacific. Highly readable and informative, each chapter is structured around a period in the life of Takata, the charismatic, rags-to-riches architect of the network in which Reiki spread for decades. Alternate Currents explores Reiki as an exemplary transnational spiritual therapy, demonstrating how lived practices transcend artificial distinctions between religion and medicine, and circulate in global systems while maintaining strong connections with the practices’ homeland.

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After the astonishing Japanese successes of 1941 and early 1942, the Allies began to fight back. After victories at Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Midway and other islands in the Pacific, by 1944, the Japanese had been pushed back onto the defensive. Yet there was no sign of an end to the war, as the Japanese mainland was beyond the reach of land-based heavy bombers. So, in the spring of 1944, the focus of attention turned to the Mariana Islands - Guam, Saipan and Tinian - which were close enough to Tokyo to place the Japanese capital within the operational range of the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The attack upon Saipan, the most heavily-defended of the Marianas, took the Japanese by surprise, but over the course of more than three weeks, the 29,000 Japanese defenders defied the might of 71,000 US Marines and infantry, supported by fifteen battleships and eleven cruisers. The storming of the beaches and the mountainous interior cost the US troops dearly, in what was the most-costly battle to date in the Pacific War. Eventually, after three weeks of savage fighting, which saw the Japanese who refused to surrender being burned to death in their caves, the enemy commander, Lieutenant General Saito, was left with just 3,000 able-bodied men and he ordered them to deliver a final suicide banzai charge. With the wounded limping behind, along with numbers of civilians, the Japanese overran two US battalions, before the 4,500 men were wiped out. It was the largest banzai attack of the Pacific War. As well as placing the Americans within striking distance of Tokyo, the capture of Saipan also opened the way for General MacArthur to mount his invasion of the Philippines and resulted in the resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister Tojo. One Japanese admiral admitted that 'Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan'. This is a highly illustrated story of what US General Holland Smith called 'the decisive battle of the Pacific offensive'. It was, he added, the offensive that 'opened the way to the Japanese home islands'.

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This book brings together interdisciplinary perspectives from across the Asia Pacific region, covering four main sections: 1) Governance, 2) Education and Capacity, 3) Science, Technology, Risk Assessment and Communities, and 4) Recovery. The chapters address different dimensions of Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), which are linked to Sustainable Development Goals, as well as Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

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Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award Foundation Award for Design and Artistic Merit This book is a work of art from every possible angle - from the exquisite photographs, to the book's design, to its flawless printing and production process. . . . Hall has everything right in this book. There is nothing extraneous, and nothing missing. This is a complete and moving immersion in the breathtaking underwater world of the Pacific Northwest. For more information: http://www.beneathcoldseas.com

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The SBD Dauntless dive-bomber was a key cog in the US Navy’s aerial arsenal throughout the Pacific War. Although a product of aviation design in the mid to late 1930s, the type soldiered on even as more advanced aircraft were appearing from American factories as the war progressed. Despite its classification as a dive-bomber and rather dated appearance, the SBD Dauntless could more than handle its own against the feared A6M Zero-sen – a regular opponent, especially during the first 18 months of the campaign in the Pacific. The SBD was credited with 138 victories in aerial combat (principally in 1942), 107 of which were fighters and the rest bombers. Seven SBD units claimed five or more aerial victories, with future ace Lt(jg) John Leppla of VS-2 being credited with four victories while flying from the carrier USS Lexington during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. The Zero-sen came to symbolise Japan’s military prowess during the early stages of the war in the Pacific, and it quickly became the world’s premier carrier-based fighter – a title it would hold well into 1943. The psychological impact of the Zero-sen was so great that all Allied fighters were judged by the standards set by it. The aviators flying the A6M in 1941-42 were amongst the most experienced fighter pilots in the world, and they claimed a significant number of the SBDs destroyed while trying to defend their carriers from attack during the Battles of Coral Sea, Midway and Santa Cruz in 1942. While one was a dive-bomber and the other a nimble fighter, both met in combat many times, with the Dauntless proving an elusive and deadly target thanks to the tenacity and skill of the pilots and gunners manning the Douglas aircraft. While the Zero-sen was credited with shooting down many SBDs, the rugged dive-bomber gave as good as it got and emerged, not surprisingly, victorious on many occasions. This book examines these aircraft in detail, exploring their history and development and contains accurate descriptions of the combats between the SBD Dauntless and Zero-sen throughout the first four carrier battles of 1942 and the Solomons Campaign.

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This book illustrates contested perspectives on globalisation represented by the diverse experiences of selected economies within the Asia-Pacific region, namely Australia, China, India and Sri Lanka as case studies. Academics and practitioners from national governments and international organisations have contributed their unique experiences and skill-sets to a volume written in a non-technical but rigorous fashion, enabling the reader to follow complex and technical debates pertaining to globalisation. The book begins by studying the nature of disagreements among economists on the benefits and costs of globalisation, highlighting ways in which one can consolidate the gains from globalisation while mitigating its costs, offering a critique of macroeconomic conservatism and discussing the promises, pitfalls and perils of foreign direct investment. The contributors then go on to anchor global debates in regional and country specific circumstances. The issues discussed range from broad political economy perspectives to industry case studies but all are united by concerns about socio-economic disparities in an age of globalisation.Scholars and researchers at many levels and in many fields of study including Asian studies and international economics will find this readable volume of great interest and value, as will policymakers.

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The 50-mile wide lagoon of Truk Atoll, far out in the remote expanses of the Pacific, is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. Scores of virtually intact Japanese WWII wrecks of transport ships, still filled with cargoes of tanks, trucks, artillery, beach mines, shells and aircraft, rest in the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon - along with two Japanese destroyers and one submarine - each today a man-made reef teeming with sea life. The seemingly impregnable fortress islands of Truk Atoll were a powerful air base and the main forward anchorage for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). By 1944, the Allies were pushing westwards across the Pacific islands towards the Japanese homeland. On 4 February 1944, a daring 2,000-mile long-range U.S. reconnaissance flight revealed the Truk lagoon to be full of the might of the Imperial Japanese Navy, along with scores of large supply ships and transports. The Allies decided to attack immediately. Sensing this, the Imperial Japanese Navy scattered, but the merchant ships remained, as crews rushed to offload their war cargoes of aircraft, tanks, artillery, mines and munitions. Other heavily laden supply ships continued to arrive from Japan, unaware of the Allied assault plans. Task Force 58, codename Operation HAILSTONE, was formed for an immediate attack. In total secrecy, nine U.S. aircraft carriers, holding more than 500 combat aircraft, steamed towards Truk - supported by a screen of battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. At dawn on 17 February 1944, an initial fighter sweep of Truk by 72 F6F Hellcat fighters roared in over Truk under Japanese radar - catching the Japanese by complete surprise. The Hellcats immediately began strafing Japanese airfields and soon hundreds of aircraft were involved in one of the largest aerial dogfights of WW II. The F6F Hellcat was by now vastly superior to the Japanese Zero fighter, and the Japanese planes were shot out of the sky within an hour. With air superiority established, U.S dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers spent two days sinking all the large ships trapped in the lagoon. These sunken ships, with their war cargoes, were largely forgotten about until 1969, when Jacques Cousteau located and filmed many of the wrecks. The resulting TV documentary, Lagoon of Lost Ships, went viral. Truk's secret was out - and the beautiful wrecks, untouched since WWII, have proved an irresistible lure for thousands of divers each year since then. New illustrations of most of the previously unillustrated wrecks have now been specially created to make this book the most comprehensive guide to diving Truk Lagoon that has ever been produced.

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The true tale of a voyage that broke a man down and built him back up, with the help of one special horse. At 37 Jesse McNeil - at times carpenter, commercial fisherman, dabbler in real estate - decided to buy an untrained horse, make himself into a horseman, and ride all the way across the United States, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. A fiercely independent traveler, Jesse had navigated previous coast-to-coast trips - solo journeys by moped, bicycle, and small airplane. This time, however, he had a partner: a five-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse named Pepper. An inexperienced horseman with an equally inexperienced mount, Jesse would quickly discover the immense challenges of his new undertaking. Over the course of eight months and fourteen states - beginning in Oregon and ending on a beach in New Hampshire - he would be tested many times over as he learned not only what it took to keep Pepper safe and healthy, but the true value of qualities that he had once easily dismissed: patience and companionship. The generosity of strangers, from helpful ranchers and storekeepers to suburban families, shaped the pair's journey east. And while at some points the miles didn't unfold as Jesse hoped, others yielded unexpected events that changed his perspective - and quite possibly, his future. Written with honesty, grit, and grace, On the Hoof captures an arduous voyage that broke a man down and built him back up, with the help of one special horse.

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As a painter and writer of prodigious talent and remarkable visionary sensibility, Barbara Earl Thomas continues to spark increasing attention both regionally and nationally. The granddaughter of southern sharecroppers who migrated to Seattle in the middle 1940s, Thomas expresses in her art a dual heritage, translating her own vision of southern roots and culture into a Northwestern landscape. Storm Watch is a radiant book, offering a richly satisfying combination of luminous images and the written word. Generously illustrated, it includes a color sequence of more than twenty powerful paintings, representing two decades of Thomas’s career. In her paintings, Thomas incorporates themes of people and their rituals with the land, weaving images around the metaphor of place as both a geographical and spiritual location. Her writing, too, pulses with life. Her essay, “Passing Secrets,” not only offers a perceptive sketch of the attitudes of black immigrants to the Northwest but also provides a personal insight into her technical and philosophical approach. Because her use of imagery is highly symbolic, Storm Watch has an appeal that crosses the boundaries of artistic media—of painting and writing—and transcends regional locale. Vicki Halper’s masterful introduction chronicles Barbara Thomas’s life and education and traces the impact of those experiences in the development of her art. Halper quotes extensively from Thomas’s discussions about herself and her work, and draws useful comparisons between her art and that of selected painters, in particular, Americans Jacob Lawrence and Guy Anderson, and British artist William Blake. Most of all, she sheds light on the magic realism that infuses the stories Thomas tells with her paintings.

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