Search results for ""Author Neil""

With topics ranging from language death to sign language, Language, Frogs and Savants offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of linguistics. Written by one of the most senior figures in linguistics. Features fascinating topics ranging from language death to sign language. Includes an introduction to the current vision of linguistics most closely associated with Noam Chomsky. Contains a glossary of all technical terms and interpretations.

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There is a newfound interest in architectural education. This AD is a survey of some of the best contemporary architecture student work in the world. The most forward-looking architecture schools worldwide are reinventing pedagogy in the hope of developing radical syllabi that are a rich mix of the virtual and the actual. Design education is changing and adapting to compensate for the new material changes to the discipline, and is being used to disentangle old, outmoded spatial practices and replace them with new paradigms of space and representation. This issue showcases the students and teachers who are pushing the envelope of architecture in extraordinary ways, offering their insights into its future materiality and spatial dexterity. It premieres a new young generation of architects who are likely to become names in the architectural profession and possibly important teachers themselves. Their work has been selected by their own influential teachers of architecture who describe the studio methodologies – and reasons for them – that prompted the work. Contributors: Daniel K Brown, Jane Burry, Nat Chard, Odile Decq, Evan Douglis, Riet Eeckhout, Mark Garcia, Nicolas Hannequin, Perry Kulper, Elena Manferdini, Mark Morris, Hani Rashid, and Michael Young. Featured institutions: A Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan; Architectural Association, London; Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London; Carleton University, Ottawa; CONFLUENCE Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture, Paris; Cooper Union, New York; University of Greenwich, London; KU Leuven, Belgium; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York; Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles; Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne; Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; and the University of Applied Arts, Vienna

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PROPERTIES FOR DESIGN OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES A comprehensive guide to analytical methods and source code to predict the behavior of undamaged and damaged composite materials In Properties for Design of Composite Structures: Theory and Implementation Using Software, distinguished researcher Dr. Neil McCartney delivers a unique and insightful approach to the development of predictive methods for the properties of undamaged and damaged laminated composite materials. The book focuses on presenting compact analytical formulae for several important effective properties—including mechanical, thermal, and electrical—that can be applied to a variety of reinforcement geometries. The author introduces a compact notation that enables an explicit treatment of laminate property determination, including the out-of-plane shear properties required for three-dimensional numerical simulations of structural features using finite and boundary element analyses. There is also a detailed consideration of ply crack closure and a useful study of the interrelationships between the effective thermoelastic constants of damaged laminates. The book also offers: A thorough introduction to the principles and formulae for homogenous materials and applications, including continuum and fracture concepts for homogeneous materials A comprehensive exploration of the properties of undamaged composites, including undamaged composite materials with multiple phases and the properties of a single undamaged lamina Practical discussions of the properties of damaged composites, including matrix cracking in UD composites and damaged laminates Consideration of effects of delamination, fatigue, and environmentally induced damage In-depth examinations of derivations of key results, including the analysis of bridged cracks and stress transfer mechanics for cross-ply and general symmetric laminates Perfect for composite design engineers in all types of material-supplying industries and manufacturing companies, Properties for Design of Composite Structures: Theory and Implementation Using Software will also earn a place in the libraries of undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, aerospace, and materials departments.

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A special hardback edition of Neil Gaiman's internationally bestselling novel with stunning new contemporary artwork by Monet Alyssa. **Highly anticipated television adaptation of Anansi Boys coming soon to Amazon Prime Video**'Neil could never have known that he was writing for a confused Jamaican kid who, without even knowing it, was still staggering from centuries of erasure of his own gods and monsters' MARLON JAMES---Fat Charlie Nancy never knew his dead dad was a god - Anansi the trickster. He never knew he had a brother either.Now brother Spider is on his doorstep, about to make life more interesting . . . and a lot more dangerous.It's a meeting that will take Fat Charlie from his London home to Florida, the Caribbean, and the very beginning of the world itself. Or the end of the world, depending on which way you're looking.**Includes black and white chapter artwork, foiled and designed boards and beautiful full-colour illustrated endpapers by Monet Alyssa**---'It's virtually impossible to read more than ten words by Neil Gaiman and not wish he would tell you the rest of the story' OBSERVER'A warm, funny, immensely entertaining story about the impossibility of putting up with your relations - especially if they happen to be Gods' SUSANNA CLARKE

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There are particular challenges involved in teaching social work. As with other professional disciplines, it is not simply a matter of passing on the key elements of the knowledge base; there is also the need to equip students to be able to make use of that knowledge in practice and in the context of relevant professional values.This book offers broad insights into effective social work education. It provides insightful guidance to 50 aspects of the social work curriculum and warns of common pitfalls and obstacles to learning. Practical suggestions for exercises and activities are presented in a clearly written, successful blend of theory and practice.Neil Thompson is a distinguished, international scholar and brings over 30 years of experience to a wide range of case studies and transferable skills that will provide a foundation for future social workers everywhere. This guide will be essential for academics teaching social work, practice educators and workforce and freelance development officers.

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- the book can be used by beginners in the field, tracking from basic principles to how to bend the rules, in reader-friendly language throughout - the book is based on a popular blog which dovetails as a fantastic companion website: https://questionsindataviz.com/ - the author is a very experienced and well-respected practitioner in the field, with a good-size following on social media: https://twitter.com/theneilrichards

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For decades, Israel and Palestine have been locked in ongoing conflict over land that each claims as its own. The conflict is often considered a calculated landgrab, but this characterization does little to take into account the myriad motivations that have shaped it in ways that make it seem intractable, from powerful nationalist and theological ideologies to the more practical concerns of the people who live there and just want to carry out their lives without the constant threat of war. In 2011, Neil Hertz lived in Ramallah in Palestine's occupied West Bank and taught in nearby Jerusalem. With "Pastoral in Palestine", he offers a personal take on the conflict. Though the situation has resulted in the erosion of both societies, Hertz could find no one in either Israel or Palestine who expressed much hope for a solution. Instead, they are resigned to find ways to live with the situation. Illustrated throughout with full-color photographs captured by Hertz, "Pastoral in Palestine" puts a human face to politics in the Middle East.

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The Owl and the Nightingale is one of the first and greatest long comic poems in the English language and one of the best-known and most accomplished of all medieval literary texts. By turns both gleefully trivial and allusively serious, it has been described by literary critics as a "most miraculous piece of writing", "a marvel of literary art" and "a truly amazing phenomenon". There is no other edition currently in print and this is the first new English edition of the poem since 1960.The book contains a lively parallel-text translation in modern English, as well as a glossary, notes and Introduction. The edition has involved a complete reconsideration of the poem's complex textual history, its linguistic provenance and the practices of its scribes, as well as its possible sources.

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It has never been more important to sleep well. Stop sabotaging your own sleep and finally wake up energised and refreshed How to Sleep Well is a guidebook that can change your sleep and help you live your life more fully. Whether you struggle to fall asleep, sleep too lightly, wake too often or simply cannot wake up, this book can help you get on track to sleeping well and living better. It all starts with the science of sleep: how much you really need, what your body does during sleep and the causes behind many common sleep problems. Next, you’ll identify the things in your life that are disrupting your sleep cycle and learn how to mitigate the impact; whether the pressure of workplace or you simply cannot quiet your own mind, these expert tips and tricks will help you get the sleep you need. Finally, you’ll learn how to support healthy sleep during the waking hours — what works with or against your sleep — and you’ll learn when the problem might be best dealt with by your GP. Don’t spend another restless night waiting for a bleary, groggy morning and sleepy day. Take control of your sleep tonight! Learn how sleep — or a lack thereof — affects every aspect of your life Identify the root causes of your sleep issues and cut them off at the source Discover the sleep advice that works, and the tips that are just plain daft. Create a healthy, calming bedtime routine that will help you get the rest you need Sleep affects everything. Work and school performance, relationships, emotional outlook, your appearance and even your health. Sleeping poorly or not sleeping enough can dramatically impact your quality of life, but most sleep problems can be solved with a bit of self-adjustment. How to Sleep Well puts a sleep expert with over 36 years’ experience at your disposal to help you finally get the restful, restorative sleep you need to live better and be productive.

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Hack into the secret power of your brain Your Brain100 Billion Neurons100 Trillion ConnectionsAnd you only command 5% of it. Now it's time to take back control! In Brainhack, creativity coach Neil Pavitt gives you tips and tricks to re-programme your brain, developing the skills and insights that can transform how you think, solve problems and make decisions. This book will help you: • Learn to think smarter• Become more focused• Discover creative approaches to problem-solving• Generate ideas with innovative techniques• Unlock your brain blocks

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This book describes the methodology for predicting the genetic merit of animals in the context of genetic improvement in an animal breeding programme. Information on an animal and its relatives, on either the characteristic to be improved or from other traits, can be used to predict the animal’s genetic merit, taking account of the relationships between measurements and the economic values of traits. The methodology is developed from first principles, without unnecessary detail or complexity, and all the required statistical and mathematical concepts are fully described in the book. The text discusses the methods for combining different sources of information and illustrates their use with examples of breeding programmes in cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. A series of questions with detailed answers is included in the book, to help reinforce the ideas and provide some practical experience in the prediction of genetic merit. The text is aimed at final year undergraduate and first year postgraduate students of quantitative genetics and animal breeding.

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Why were modernist works of art, literature, and music that were neither by nor about Jews nevertheless interpreted as Jewish? In this book, Neil Levi explores how the antisemitic fantasy of a mobile, dangerous, contagious Jewish spirit unfolds in the antimodernist polemics of Richard Wagner, Max Nordau, Wyndham Lewis, and Louis-Ferdinand Celine, reaching its apotheosis in the notorious 1937 Nazi exhibition “Degenerate Art.” Levi then turns to James Joyce, Theodor W. Adorno, and Samuel Beckett, offering radical new interpretations of these modernist authors to show how each presents his own poetics as a self-conscious departure from the modern antisemitic imaginary. Levi claims that, just as antisemites once feared their own contamination by a mobile, polluting Jewish spirit, so too much of postwar thought remains governed by the fear that it might be contaminated by the spirit of antisemitism. Thus he argues for the need to confront and work through our own fantasies and projections—not only about the figure of the Jew but also about that of the antisemite.

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In this substantially revised second edition, Neil MacCormick delivers a clear and current introduction to the life and works of H.L.A. Hart, noted Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University from 1952 to 1968. Hart established a worldwide reputation through his powerful philosophical arguments and writings in favor of liberalizing criminal law and applying humane principles to punishment. This book demonstrates that Hart also made important contributions to analytical jurisprudence, notably by clarifying many terms and concepts used in legal discourse, including the concept of law itself. Taking into account developments since the first edition was published, this book provides a constructively critical account of Hart's legal thought. The work includes Hart's ideas on legal reasoning, judicial discretion, the social sources of law, the theory of legal rules, the sovereignty of individual conscience, the notion of obligation, the concept of a right, and the relationship between morality and the law. MacCormick actively engages with current scholarly interpretations, bringing this accessible account of England's greatest legal philosopher of the twentieth century up-to-date.

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DNA testing and banking has become institutionalized in the Canadian criminal justice system. As accepted and widespread though the practice is, there has been little critique or debate of this practice in a broad public forum on the potential infringement of individual rights or civil liberties. Neil Gerlach's The Genetic Imaginary takes up this challenge, critically examining the social, legal, and criminal justice origins and effects of DNA testing and banking. Drawing on risk analysis, Gerlach explains why Canadians have accepted DNA technology with barely a ripple of public outcry. Despite promises of better crime control and protections for existing privacy rights, Gerlach's examination of police practices, courtroom decisions, and the changing role of scientific expertise in legal decision-making reveals that DNA testing and banking have indeed led to a measurable erosion of individual rights. Biogovernance and the biotechnology of surveillance almost inevitably lead to the empowerment of state agent control and away from due process and legal protection. The Genetic Imaginary demonstrates that the overall effect of these changes to the criminal justice system has been to emphasize the importance of community security at the expense of individual rights. The privatization and politicization of biogovernance will certainly have profound future implications for all Canadians.

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Neil Gaiman's extraordinary Fragile Things, from the bestselling author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and American Gods, reveals one of the world's most gifted storytellers at the height of his powers, and harnesses the Gothic power of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber to the storytelling genius of Stephen King. 'The collections also boasts lush prose . . . and a winning faith in the enchantment of stories' Kirkus ReviewsThe distinctive genius of Neil Gaiman has been championed by writers as diverse as Norman Mailer and Stephen King. With THE SANDMAN Neil Gaiman created one of the most sophisticated, intelligent and influential graphic novel series of our time. Now Gaiman has produced FRAGILE THINGS, his second collection of short fiction. These stories will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul.

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Do motorists pick up a phantom hitchhiker on Blue Bell Hill during stormy nights? Does Satan appear if you dance round the Devil's Bush in the village of Pluckley? Do big cats roam the local woods? And what happens if you manage to count the 'Countless Stones' near Aylesford? For centuries strange urban legends have materialised in the Garden of England. Now, for the first time, folklorist and monster-hunter Neil Arnold looks at these intriguing tales, strips back the layers, and reveals if there is more to these Chinese whispers than meets the eye. Folklore embeds itself into a local community, often to the extent that some people believe all manner of mysteries and take them as fact. Whether they’re stories passed around the school playground, through the internet, or round a flickering campfire, urban legends are everywhere. Kent Urban Legends is a quirky and downright spooky ride into the heart of Kent folklore.

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Although the saying, ‘Pigs might fly…’ may bring a smile to one’s lips, even stranger things have been reported as appearing in Britain’s skies over the centuries. Eye-witnesses have testified that various terrifying and bizarre forms have appeared in the skies, from ghostly planes, phantom airships and UFOs, to reports of sky serpents, celestial dragons, flying jellyfish, rains of fish (or blood, or metal, or frogs…) – even reports of a griffin seen over London! It also considers reports of haunted aircraft hangars and airfields. Shadows in the Sky compiles hundreds of accounts from the spine-chilling to the downright bizarre, that’ll keep your eyes fixed looking upwards!

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Includes an audio version of the picture book.

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Digital technologies are a key feature of contemporary education. Schools, colleges and universities operate along high-tech lines, while alternate forms of online education have emerged to challenge the dominance of traditional institutions. According to many experts, the rapid digitization of education over the past ten years has undoubtedly been a ‘good thing’. Is Technology Good For Education? offers a critical counterpoint to this received wisdom, challenging some of the central ways in which digital technology is presumed to be positively affecting education. Instead Neil Selwyn considers what is being lost as digital technologies become ever more integral to education provision and engagement. Crucially, he questions the values, agendas and interests that stand to gain most from the rise of digital education. This concise, up-to-the-minute analysis concludes by considering alternate approaches that might be capable of rescuing and perhaps revitalizing the ideals of public education, while not denying the possibilities of digital technology altogether.

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Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin for a fourth presidential term in 2018 has seen Russian democracy weaken further and Russia’s relations with the West deteriorate seriously. Yet, within Russia, Putin’s position remains unchallenged and his foreign policy battles have received widespread public support. But is Putin as safe as his approval ratings lead us to believe? And how secure is the regime that he heads? In this new book, Neil Robinson places contemporary Russian politics in historical perspective to argue that Putin’s regime has not overcome the problems that underpinned the momentous changes in twentieth-century Russian history when the country veered from tsarism to Soviet rule to post-communist chaos. The first part of the book, outlining why crises have been perennial problems for Russia, is followed by an exploration of contemporary Russian political institutions and policy to show how Putin has stabilised Russian politics. But, while Putin’s achievements as a politician have been considerable in strengthening his personal position, they have not dealt successfully with the enduring problem of the Russian state’s functionality. Like other Russian rulers, Putin has been much better at establishing a political system that supports his rule than he has at building up a state that can deliver material wealth and protection to the Russian people. As a result, Robinson argues, Russia has been and remains vulnerable to political crisis and regime change.

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History is a weapon. The powerful have their version of events, the people have another. And if we understand how the past was forged, we arm ourselves to change the future. This is a history of struggle, revolution and social change: of hominids, hunters and herders; of emperors and slaves; of patriarchs and women; of rich and poor; of dictators and revolutionaries. From the ancient empires of Persia and Rome to the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War, and the 2008 Crash, this is a history of greed and violence, but also of solidarity and resistance. Many times in the past, a different society became an absolute necessity. Humans have always struggled to create a better life. This history proves that we, the many, have the power to change the world.

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History is a weapon. The powerful have their version of events, the people have another. And if we understand how the past was forged, we arm ourselves to change the future. This is a history of struggle, revolution and social change: of hominids, hunters and herders; of emperors and slaves; of patriarchs and women; of rich and poor; of dictators and revolutionaries. From the ancient empires of Persia and Rome to the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War, and the 2008 Crash, this is a history of greed and violence, but also of solidarity and resistance. Many times in the past, a different society became an absolute necessity. Humans have always struggled to create a better life. This history proves that we, the many, have the power to change the world.

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This magisterial analysis of human history - from 'Lucy', the first hominid, to the current Great Recession - combines the insights of earlier generations of Marxist historians with radical new ideas about the historical process. Reading history against the grain, Neil Faulkner reveals that what happened in the past was not predetermined. Choices were frequent and numerous. Different outcomes - liberation or barbarism - were often possible. Rejecting the top-down approach of conventional history, Faulkner contends that it is the mass action of ordinary people that drives great events. At the beginning of the 21st century - with economic disaster, war, climate catastrophe and deep class divisions - humans face perhaps the greatest crisis in the long history of our species. The lesson of A Marxist History of the World is that, if we created our past, we can also create a better future.

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This book champions social movements as one of the most influential agents that shape our conceptions of human rights. It argues that human rights cannot be understood outside of the context of social movement struggles. It explains how much of the literature on human rights has systematically obscured this link, consequently distorting our understandings of human rights. Neil Stammers shows how human rights can be understood. He suggests that what he calls the 'paradox of institutionalisation' can only be addressed through a recognition of the importance of human rights arising out of grassroots activism, and through processes of institutional democratisation.

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The Sicilian BB5 Revealed follows the huge success of The Benko Gambit Revealed and The Queen's Pawn Attack Revealed in a new and innovative series of books. Using fresh, clear presentation, the key ideas of the openings are explained in an entertaining and accessible way. The aim of this series is to provide the essential knowledge to play the opening, while at the same time revealing the current thinking of the World’s elite players. For example, ‘First Moves’ leads readers through the basic opening moves. ‘Heroes & Zeroes’ gives the best and worst performances with the opening and features some of the leading exponents of the Benko Gambit. ‘Tricks & Traps’ reveals how you might catch out your opponent. ‘What’s Hot’ pinpoints the very latest ideas from the world’s elite. A detailed table in the style of ECO is given at the close of the book, summarising the main variations with assessments. 'The Sicilian BB5' is the most popular and successful Anti-Sicilian Variation. It first came to attention when it was used by Vassily Ivanchuk to score a stunning win against Gary Kasparov at Linares in 1991. It has since become recognised as the perfect way to avoid mainline Sicilian theory without compromising White’s attacking ideals. As such it has proved a deadly weapon in the hands of Adams and Grischuk – and even Kasparov himself. In this book you will find full coverage of both 2…d6 3.Bb5+ and 2…Nc6 3.Bb5. You will be shown how to implement in your own games the ideas and attacking systems that have worked so successfully at the highest level.

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Language, Bananas, and Bonobos presents a series of engaging reflections on concerns such as our knowledge and use of language, political correctness, and the linguistic abilities of chimpanzees. In doing so, this volume provides new insights into linguistics that are of universal interest.

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This unique book provides an introductory overview of modern theoretical linguistics which manages to be both accessible and humorous without sacrificing either scholarship of insight. In a series of magisterial vignettes Smith emphasizes the perennial necessity of appealing to linguistic theory if we are to gain any real understanding of the phenomena of language. However profound or however trivial the questions we raise and try answer - What exactly does one have to know to count as a speaker of a language? What would it mean for a language to have no vowels? Why do little children call lorries 'lollies'? Precisely what with this sentence is wrong? - we need to recourse to a theory even to make them coherent. In particular, the author argues that we can find solutions to our puzzles, and explanations for these phenomena, if we exploit on the one hand Chomsky's theory of Generative Grammar, and on the other Sperber and Wilson's theory of Relevance.

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This textbook provides a highly readable account of the current state of knowledge of the origins and nature of many psychological disorders.

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Seamus Heaney's poetic career has been one of constant development and expansion, and his place among the world's greatest literary figures is universally acknowledged. When it first appeared in 1986, Neil Corcoran's A Student's Guide to Seamus Heaney was immediately recognized as the clearest and most thorough account of his work so far, and it has not been rivalled since. The new edition, which like the original has had the advantage of Seamus Heaney's own cooperation and unstinted access to the poet's papers, follows the same pattern, adding a chapter apiece on the major collections of poems published since 1986, as well as separate discussions of Heaney's work as a translator and essayist. The published chapters have also been revised. In consequence, this not only remains the most useful introduction to a singularly varied and important body of work, but is the most up-to-date as well.

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When the web transitioned from a publishing to an interactive e-commerce medium, standardised web-browsers entered widespread use and developers were able to rely on a relatively stable client component. Since then, server-side developments have blossomed and resulted in considerable ease of programming, efficiency and increasing sophistication of the server-side environment. Focusing on various technologies that support the server-side processing of data from web-based forms, principally CGI style programs, scripting and Java solutions, this is a book tailored to the technical and computational components of running a commercial and successful website. To benefit most from this approach, you will have a working knowledge of HTML, some programming experience in Java or C++, and limited experience with databases. Its concentration on server-side to the exclusion of web-page design and client-side concerns will be welcomed by practitioners and students who want hands-on and in-depth guidance on: * Setting up and running an Apache server * Use of Perl for web CGI programming and support administrative tasks * PHP Scripting - ideal for prototyping small web services * Servlet technologies * JSP - separating the issues of business programming and presentation * XML - a few of its applications * Advanced services with EJBs * NET's new world order - a better model for client/server interaction The unified presentation allows for evaluation and comparison and cuts down on tedious duplication of content. Use it as a map to navigate the strengths and niches of each of the tools to help judge which best suits your environment and requirements. Realistic examples help to ground this broad coverage of server technologies and will prove invaluable for web masters, systems administrators and students looking for careers requiring web programming skills. Please visit booksite: www.uow.edu.au/~nabg/WebServer

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Will there ever be an end to the supply of books about Alfred Hitchcock?', pleaded the Times Literary Supplement in 2008. It is a fair question for, as Michael Walker pointed out in Hitchcock's Motifs, more has been written about Hitchcock (18991980) than any other film director. Indeed, Jane E. Sloan's 1993 Hitchcock bibliography revealed that well over seventy-five scholarly books and nearly 1,000 articles had been published by 1990; and those figures have, of course, continued inexorably to rise.So, while the prospective viewer of Vertigo or Rear Window is likely to feel a compelling need for some preparation before consuming the film itself, the daunting quantity (and variable quality) of Hitchcock criticism makes it difficult to discriminate the useful from the tendentious, superficial, and otiose. That is why this new Routledge title, compiled by Neil Badmington, is so urgently needed. In four volumes, the collection meets the need for

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During World War II, 110,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and incarcerated by the US government. In Looking After Minidoka the "internment camp" years become a prism for understanding three generations of Japanese American life, from immigration to the end of the twentieth century. Nakadate blends history, poetry, rescued memory, and family stories in an American narrative of hope and disappointment, language and education, employment and social standing, prejudice and pain, communal values and personal dreams.

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One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Astronomy, in particular, is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines. With the participation of thousands of undergraduate students, Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. Heavenly Errors provides access to all of them and explores many, including: * Black holes suck in everything around them. * The Sun shines by burning gas. * Comets have tails trailing behind them. * The Moon alone causes tides. * Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is the hottest planet. In the course of correcting these errors, he explains that some occur through the prevalence of pseudosciences such as astrology and UFO-logy and some enter the public conscience through the "bad astronomy" of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science-fiction movies. Perhaps most important, Professor Comins presents the reader with the methods for identifying and replacing incorrect ideas-tools with which to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves...and to think more like scientists.

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For generations, fans and critics have characterized classic American radio drama as a "theater of the mind". This book examines that characterization by recasting the radio play as an aesthetic object within its unique historical context. In "Theater of the Mind", Neil Verma applies an array of critical methods to more than six thousand recordings to produce a vivid new account of radio drama from the Depression to the Cold War. In this sweeping exploration of dramatic conventions, Verma investigates legendary dramas by the likes of Norman Corwin, Lucille Fletcher, and Wyllis Cooper on key programs ranging from The Columbia Workshop, The Mercury Theatre on the Air, and Cavalcade of America to Lights Out!, Suspense, and Dragnet to reveal how these programs promoted and evolved a series of models of the imagination. With close readings of individual sound effects and charts of broad trends among formats, Verma not only gives us a new account of the most flourishing form of genre fiction in the mid-twentieth century but also presents a powerful case for the central place of the aesthetics of sound in the history of modern experience.

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This carefully researched study of America's greatest showman, huckster, and impresario is both an inclusive analysis of the historical and cultural forces that were the conditions of P. T. Barnum's success, and, as befits its subject, a richly entertaining presentation of the outrageous man and his exploits.

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Neil Harris's scholarship of the past twenty-five years has helped to open up the study of American cultural history. This long-awaited collection gathers some of his rich and varied writings. Harris takes us from John Philip Sousa to Superman, with stops along the way to explore art museums and world fairs, shopping malls and hotel lobbies, urban design and utopian novels, among other artifacts of American cultures. The essays fall into three general sections: the first treats the history of cultural institutions, highlighting the role of museums; the second section focuses on some literary, artistic, and entrepreneurial responses to the new mass culture; and the final group of essays explores the social history of art and architecture. Throughout Harris's diverse writings certain themes recur—the redefining of boundaries between high art and popular culture, the relationship between public taste and technological change, and the very notion of what constitutes a shared social experience. Harris's pioneering work has broadened the field of cultural history and encouraged whole new areas of inquiry. Cultural Excursions will be useful for those in American and culture studies, as well as for the general reader trying to make sense of the culture in which we live.

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What is the opposite of freedom? In Freedom as Marronage, Neil Roberts answers this question with definitive force: slavery. From there he unveils powerful new insights on the human condition as it has been understood between these poles. Crucial to his investigation is the concept of marronage - a form of slave escape that was an important aspect of Caribbean and Latin American slave systems. Examining this overlooked phenomenon - one of action from slavery and toward freedom - he deepens our understanding of freedom itself and the origin of our political ideals. Roberts examines the liminal and transitional space of slave escape in order to develop a theory of freedom as marronage, which contends that freedom is fundamentally located within this space-that it is a form of perpetual flight. He engages a stunning variety of writers, including Hannah Arendt, W. E. B. Du Bois, Angela Davis, Frederick Douglass, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the Rastafari, among others, to develop a compelling lens through which to interpret the quandaries of slavery, freedom, and politics that still confront us today. The result is a sophisticated, interdisciplinary work that unsettles the ways we think about freedom by always casting it in the light of its critical opposite.

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Hidden somewhere, in nearly every major city in the world, is an underground seduction lair. And in these lairs, men trade the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to charm women. This is not fiction. These men really exist. They live together in houses known as Projects. And Neil Strauss, the bestselling author, spent two years living among them, using the pseudonym Style to protect his real-life identity. The result is one of the most explosive and controversial books of the year -- guaranteed to change the lives of men and transform the way women understand the opposite sex forever. On his journey from AFC (average frustrated chump) to PUA (pick-up artist) to PUG (pick-up guru), Strauss not only shares scores of original seduction techniques but also has unforgettable encounters with the likes of Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Heidi Fleiss, and Courtney Love. And then things really start to get strange -- and passions lead to betrayals lead

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An essential book for the 21st-century citizen who seeks a lively guided tour of the ancient Greek Olympics What was it like to attend the Olympics in 388 B.C.? Would the experience resemble Olympic festivals as we celebrate them today? This remarkable book transports us back to the heyday of the city-state and classical Greek civilization. It invites us to enter this distant, alien, but still familiar culture and discover what the Greeks did and didn't do during five thrilling days in August 2,400 years ago.In the Olympic Stadium there were no stands, no shade—and no women allowed. Visitors sat on a grassy bank in the searing heat of midsummer to watch naked athletes compete in footraces, the pentathlon, horse and chariot races, and three combat sports—wrestling, boxing, and pankration, everyone's favorite competition, with virtually no rules and considerable blood and pain. This colorfully illustrated volume offers a complete tour of the Olympic site exactly as athletes and spectators found it. The book evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of the crowded encampment; introduces the various attendees (from champions and charlatans to aristocrats and prostitutes); and explains the numerous exotic religious rituals. Uniquely detailed and precise, this guide offers readers an unparalleled opportunity to travel in time, back to the excitement of ancient Olympia.

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