Search results for ""push""

By the beginning of May 1942, five months after the Pearl Harbor attack, the US Navy was ready to challenge the Japanese moves in the South Pacific. When the Japanese sent troops to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the Americans sent the carriers Lexington and Yorktown to counter the move, setting the stage for the Battle of the Coral Sea.In Scratch One Flattop: The First Carrier Air Campaign and the Battle of the Coral Sea, historian Robert C. Stern analyzes the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first major fleet engagement where the warships were never in sight of each other. Unlike the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Coral Sea has received remarkably little study. Stern covers not only the action of the ships and their air groups but also describes the impact of this pivotal engagement. His analysis looks at the short-term impact as well as the long-term implications, including the installation of inert gas fuel-system purging on all American aircraft carriers and the push to integrate sensor systems with fighter direction to better protect against enemy aircraft. The essential text on the first carrier air campaign, Scratch One Flattop is a landmark study on an overlooked battle in the first months of the United States' engagement in World War II.

Read more less

Winner of British Psychological Society Best Book Prize (Popular Science) 2023 Nature’s Top 10 Books of 2023 A Financial Times Book of the Year 2023 A Waterstones Book of the Year for Politics 2023 One of the world’s top experts on fighting misinformation reveals the psychology behind its power – and how we can protect ourselves. From fake news to conspiracy theories, from pandemics to politics, misinformation may be the defining problem of our era. Like a virus, misinformation infects our minds – altering our beliefs and replicating at astonishing rates. Once the virus takes hold, our primary strategies of fact-checking and debunking are an insufficient cure. In Foolproof Sander van der Linden describes how to inoculate yourself and others against the spread of misinformation, discern fact from fiction and push back against methods of mass persuasion. Everyone is susceptible to fake news. There are polarising narratives in society, conspiracy theories are rife, fake experts dole out misleading advice and accuracy is often lost in favour of sensationalist headlines. So how and why does misinformation spread if we’re all aware of its existence? And, more importantly, what can we do about it? Sander van der Linden takes us through the psychology of conspiratorial thinking and equips us with the eleven antigens needed to help stop the spread of misinformation once and for all.

Read more less

Charter schools continue to grow in influence, as does the push for inclusive education for students with disabilities. What is the value and impact of these schools, especially on the marginalized populations they often serve? Relying on the fields of DisCrit, and Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education, this book answers these questions by focusing on the topics of neoliberalism and inclusive education. Mac focuses on the history of the school choice and privatization movement in the United States with special consideration given to how ideologies such as disaster capitalism and neoliberalism shaped and influenced the movement, as well as how successful (or not) these privatization efforts have been overall as a social justice endeavor for marginalized students. The author also recounts the history of education for students with disabilities, highlighting historical inequities of schooling for students with disabilities in the United States. Drawing from an ethnographic case study of an independent, urban charter school, the school’s vision and reality of day-to-day life for students with disabilities at this school are explored. The author investigates the school’s inclusion program in the broader neoliberal landscape of free market competition in the educational marketplace and argues that as a result of inclusive education and neoliberal reforms being virtually incompatible, the pervasive neoliberal environment presents the biggest hurdle to successful inclusive education.

Read more less

THE WORKSCAPE HAS CHANGED. HAVE YOU? The workscape has changed—one of the most dramatic transformations of the past few years. Think about it. For so many people just starting their careers, working virtually is all they know. For everyone else who has had the remote option, work is no longer synonymous with a physical location. In this push-pull world, that means navigating and negotiating between the flexibility and opportunity you want—and the commitment and performance that organizations need. In other words, you need to take control. Whether you're focused on getting your next job or you are striving to get ahead where you are, this is the book to guide your career path. In the first section, you'll understand how you're wired—your A.C.T. (being authentic, making a connection, and giving others a taste of you who are you), tapping your right brain, and learning as the secret to sustainable success. In the second section, you'll figure out how to get the job—and get ahead, from targeting your next opportunity to nailing the interview. And in the third section, you'll master working with others—from the 4 Career Knockout Punches, to getting along with your boss and workers, navigating culture, and communicating and connecting. In Take Control, you'll discover how you can have the career you've always wanted.

Read more less

From the author of ALTAR OF EDEN and MAP OF BONES comes another fantastic mystery adventure, this time set deep in the Amazon jungle.Out of the inhospitable Amazon rainforest a man stumbles into a missionary village. Soon the CIA operative and former Special Forces soldier, his eyes wide with terror, is dead. The photograph of Agent Clark's corpse in the Brazilian morgue shows two intact upper limbs, yet Agent Clark had only one arm, the other lost to a sniper's bullet. Nathan Rand's father led a scientific mission into the rainforest and never returned - the same expedition that took Clark into the jungle. Now Nate is to follow the elder Rand's trail, along with a team of scientists and experienced US Rangers. For somewhere in the dark, impenetrable depths of Earth's most dangerous region lie mysteries that must be solved...whatever the cost. As Nate Rand and his party push on into the jungle, they are haunted by a truth: that they are not alone. But each step brings the team closer to an ancient, unspoken terror that even the native people dread. As madness, fear and horrific death descend upon the second cursed expedition, those still living must confront a power beyond human imagining - one that can for ever alter the world beyond the dark, lethal confines of the Amazon rainforest for better...and for worse.

Read more less

'Rich, intricate worldbuilding meets swoonworthy romance. . . Phédre and Joscelin’s story is the beating heart of every romantasy to follow' - Olivie BlakeThe triumphant conclusion to this trilogy, Kushiel’s Avatar by Jacqueline Carey is a sumptuous fantasy of defiance and redemption – perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout.Desire. Duty. Death.Phèdre has lain with princes and pirate kings, battled a wicked temptress, and saved two nations. But Joscelin has remained her loyal swordsman throughout. Chosen to experience pain and pleasure as one, Phèdre’s nature is tortuous to them both. Yet Joscelin has never forsaken his vow: to protect and serve, even if her plans push his pledge to its limit.For Phèdre can’t abandon her friend, Hyacinthe, who bargained with gods to spare her life. She’s long sought the key to free him from eternal servitude – even if this means her death. This now takes Phèdre and Joscelin to a distant court where madness reigns and souls are used as currency. But they’ll also find a power so mighty that none dare speak its name . . .‘Effortlessly rich . . . with a huge cast of well-defined characters’ - Publishers Weekly‘An emotionally charged tale seasoned with explicit scenes of love and sacrifice’ - Romantic Times‘A savoury feast for mind and heart’ - Booklist starred reviewStart the journey with Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey.

Read more less

This book is about developing 'inner game' skills of mindful awareness, heart attunement, embodiment, and resilience in order to play your best 'outer' game and lead within your company with courage and brilliance. Its practices teach us how to grow inner capacities that will push us to new heights and cope when things are roughest. Hauck, a leadership consultant, frequent presenter, and business school instructor at Stanford and Berkeley, interviewed a number of top 'conscious business' leaders for this book and highlights the inner tools they use for success. It is clear that the boldest and most innovator leaders honor and value qualities like presence, tolerance, compassion, and resilience, so that they can bring wisdom, grace, and courage into the workplace and the world. This is what Hauck calls stepping in and stepping up, and it is precisely the kind of leadership the world needs now. Through the practices offered in this book, Hauck shows leaders how to align their deepest values with their everyday work style and work goals and support this alignment in the people and teams they lead. In addition to the interviews conducted for this book, the author writes about her own original research on resilience, well-being, and authenticity in corporate culture as well as the work of others in this field.

Read more less

Revving engines, smoking tires, and high speeds. Car racing enthusiasts and race drivers alike know the thrill of competition, the push to perform better, and the agony-and dangers-of bad decisions. But driving faster and better involves more than just high horsepower and tightly tuned engines. Physicist and amateur racer Chuck Edmondson thoroughly discusses the physics underlying car racing and explains just what's going on during any race, why, and how a driver can improve control and ultimately win. The world of motorsports is rich with excitement and competition-and physics. Edmondson applies common mathematical theories to real-world racing situations to reveal the secrets behind successful fast driving. He explains such key concepts as how to tune your car and why it matters, how to calculate 0 to 60 mph times and quarter-mile times and why they are important, and where, when, why, and how to use kinematics in road racing. He wraps it up with insight into the impact and benefit of green technologies in racing. In each case, Edmondson's in-depth explanations and worked equations link the physics principles to qualitative racing advice. From selecting shifting points to load transfer in car control and beyond, Fast Car Physics is the ideal source to consult before buckling up and cinching down the belts on your racing harness.

Read more less

Showcasing page after page of breathtaking photos and life-changing inspiration from champion surfer and Christian role model Bethany Hamilton, Be Unstoppable is a beautiful gift of encouragement for any young adult to boldly follow your passions, live in faith, and be unstoppable as well.After losing her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark and returning to the competitive surfing waters a month later, New York Times bestselling author and champion surfer Bethany Hamilton is the heroine in one of the biggest comeback stories of our era.In Be Unstoppable, Bethany shares how faith, love, and passion have been the fuel to push her beyond all expectations. Alongside her insights are spectacular, full-color photos of Bethany the world-class surfer in action, capturing both her mastery of her sport as well as the beauty and raw power of the ocean.Whether in school, sports, faith, or friendships, the tenacity, courage, and wisdom that pops from these pages will help you find the unstoppable in your own life.Be bold. Be inspired. Be unstoppable.Be Unstoppable: Features the inspirational words of sought-after public speaker, champion surfer, and spiritual icon Bethany Hamilton Includes more than 60 breathtaking photos from the making of her new documentary, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable Captures Bethany's sense of wonder and adventure throughout every page Is a full-color, giftable photo book with a decorated cover

Read more less

Shiver-inducing science not for the faint of heart.No one studies fear quite like Margee Kerr. A sociologist who moonlights at one of America's scariest and most popular haunted houses, she has seen grown men laugh, cry, and push their loved ones aside as they run away in terror. And she's kept careful notes on what triggers these responses and why.Fear is a universal human experience, but do we really understand it? If we're so terrified of monsters and serial killers, why do we flock to the theatres to see them? Why do people avoid thinking about death, but jump out of planes and swim with sharks? For Kerr, there was only one way to find out.In this eye-opening, adventurous book, she takes us on a tour of the world's scariest experiences: into an abandoned prison long after dark, hanging by a cord from the highest tower in the Western hemisphere, and deep into Japan's mysterious suicide forest." She even goes on a ghost hunt with a group of paranormal adventurers. Along the way, Kerr shows us the surprising science from the newest studies of fear,what it means, how it works, and what it can do for us. Full of entertaining science and the thrills of a good ghost story, this book will make you think, laugh,and scream.

Read more less

2023 Virginia Literary Awards Finalist Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist Deeply phenomenological and ecological, Laura Bylenok’s poems in Living Room imagine the lived reality of other organisms and kinds of life, including animals, plants, bacteria, buildings, and rocks. They explore the permeability of human and nonhuman experience, intelligence, language, and subjectivity. In particular, the poems consider so-called model organisms—nonhuman species studied to understand specific and often human biological processes, diseases, and phenomena—as well as an experience of self and world that cannot be objectively quantified. The impulse of these poems is to slow down, to see and feel, and to listen closely. Language becomes solid, palpable as fruit. Long lines propel breath and push past the lung’s capacity. Life at a cellular level, synthesis and symbiosis, is revealed through forests, fairy tales, and vines that grow over abandoned houses and hospital rooms. A living room is considered as a room that is lived in and also a room that is alive. Cells are living rooms. A self is a room that shares walls with others. Interconnection and interplay are thematic, and the network of poems becomes a linguistic rendering of a heterogeneous and nonhierarchical ecosystem, using the language of biology, genetics, and neurochemistry alongside fairy tale and dream to explore the interior spaces of grief, motherhood, mortality, and self.

Read more less

Imagining Seattle dives into some of the most pressing and compelling aspects of contemporary urban governance in the United States. Serin D. Houston uses a case study of Seattle to shed light on how ideas about environmentalism, privilege, oppression, and economic growth have become entwined in contemporary discourse and practice in American cities. Seattle has, by all accounts, been hugely successful in cultivating amenities that attract a creative class. But policies aimed at burnishing Seattle’s liberal reputation often unfold in ways that further disadvantage communities of color and the poor, complicating the city’s claims to progressive politics. Through ethnographic methods and a geographic perspective, Houston explores a range of recent initiatives in Seattle, including the designation of a new cultural district near downtown, the push to charge for disposable shopping bags, and the advent of training about institutional racism for municipal workers. Looking not just at what these policies say but at how they work in practice, she finds that opportunities for social justice, sustainability, and creativity are all constrained by the prevalence of market-oriented thinking and the classism and racism that seep into the architecture of many programs and policies. Houston urges us to consider how values influence actions within urban governance and emphasizes the necessity of developing effective conditions for sustainability, creativity, and social justice in this era of increasing urbanization.

Read more less

New York City’s elite women who turned a feminist cause into a fashionable revolution In the early twentieth century over two hundred of New York's most glamorous socialites joined the suffrage movement. Their names—Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Whitney and the like—carried enormous public value. These women were the media darlings of their day because of the extravagance of their costume balls and the opulence of the French couture clothes, and they leveraged their social celebrity for political power, turning women's right to vote into a fashionable cause. Although they were dismissed by critics as bored socialites “trying on suffrage as they might the latest couture designs from Paris,” these gilded suffragists were at the epicenter of the great reforms known collectively as the Progressive Era. From championing education for women, to pursuing careers, and advocating for the end of marriage, these women were engaged with the swirl of change that swept through the streets of New York City. Johanna Neuman restores these women to their rightful place in the story of women’s suffrage. Understanding the need for popular approval for any social change, these socialites used their wealth, power, social connections and style to excite mainstream interest and to diffuse resistance to the cause. In the end, as Neuman says, when change was in the air, these women helped push women’s suffrage over the finish line.

Read more less

How LGBTQ community life in a small Midwestern city differs from that in larger cities with established gayborhoods River City is a small, Midwestern, postindustrial city surrounded by green hills and farmland with a population of just over 50,000. Most River City residents are white, working-class Catholics, a demographic associated with conservative sexual politics. Yet LGBTQ residents of River City describe it as a progressive, welcoming, and safe space, with active LGBTQ youth groups and regular drag shows that test the capacity of bars. In this compelling examination of LGBTQ communities in seemingly “unfriendly” places, Queering the Midwest highlights the ambivalence of LGBTQ lives in the rural Midwest, where LGBTQ organizations and events occur occasionally but are generally not grounded in long-standing LGBTQ institutions. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, Clare Forstie offers the story of a community that does not fit neatly into a narrative of progress or decline. Rather, this book reveals the contradictions of River City’s LGBTQ community, where people feel both safe and unnoticed, have a sense of belonging and persistent marginalization, and have friendships that do and don’t matter. These “ambivalent communities” in small Midwestern cities challenge the ways we think about LGBTQ communities and relationships and push us to embrace the contradictions, failures, and possibilities of LGBTQ communities across the American Midwest.

Read more less

Following the Inchon landings and the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter, UN forces crossed the North Korean border on 9 October and moved on the capital Pyongyang. Many in America believed the war would be over by Christmas, but some Washington diplomatic, military, and intelligence experts continued to raise dire warnings that the People’s Republic of China might intervene. Nevertheless, General MacArthur decided to push on to the Chinese/North Korean border, the Yalu River. On 25 October, Communist Chinese Forces unexpectedly attacked Republic of Korea forces near Unsan. Then, on 25 November, the day after MacArthur announced a ‘final offensive to end the war’, the Chinese 13th Army Group struck in mass against the Eighth Army in the north-west corner of North Korea, overrunning the US 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions. The Chinese attacks quickly shattered Truman’s dream of a unified Korea. American, UN, and ROK forces could not hold a successful defensive line against the combined CCF and NKPA attacks. At the Chosin Reservoir, US Marine Corps and Army units retreated south whilst MacArthur’s forces withdrew from Pyongyang and X Corps later pulled out of Hungnam. Using expert research, bird’s-eye views, and full-colour maps, this study tells the fascinating history of the critical Yalu campaign, including the famous retreat past the 38th Parallel.

Read more less

Populations of visible ethnic minorities have steadily increased over the past few decades in immigrant-receptive societies. While a complex calculus of push and pull factors has motivated this increase, one of the main impetuses for this migration has been the search for employment, better wages and a higher standard of living. It is therefore not surprising that the educational attainments of the first generation and beyond have achieved convergence with, or exceeded the non-ethnic minority cohort. These outcomes may suggest a greater propensity for visible ethnic minorities to attain labour market success and to fully integrate within the community. However, the narrative derived from statistical analysis, interviews and participant observation suggest an uneasiness boldly to claim this as the most convincing conclusion at this juncture. The Ethnic Penalty argues that a penalty has impeded the occupational success of ethnic minorities during the job search, hiring and promotion process. As a result, ethnic minorities have a lower income, higher unemployment and a general failure to convert their high educational attainments into comparable occupational outcomes. In this context, the book examines whether explanatory factors such as discrimination, an individual's social network, a firm's working culture, and a community's social trust are major contributing reasons behind this apparent penalty, whilst also making suggestions for improving the integration, education delivery, and labour market outcomes of visible ethnic minorities.

Read more less

The U.S. government has essentially two choices when dealing with adversarial states: isolate them or engage them. Isolate or Engage systematically examines the challenges to and opportunities for U.S. diplomatic relations with nine intensely adversarial states—China, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, U.S.S.R./Russia, Syria, Venezuela, and Vietnam: states where the situation is short of conventional war and where the U.S. maintains limited or no formal diplomatic relations with the government. In such circumstances, "public diplomacy"—the means by which the U.S. engages with citizens in other countries so they will push their own governments to adopt less hostile and more favorable views of U.S. foreign policies—becomes extremely important for shaping the context within which the adversarial government makes important decisions affecting U.S. national security interests. At a time when the norm of not talking to the enemy is a matter of public debate, the book examines the role of both traditional and public diplomacy with adversarial states and reviews the costs and benefits of U.S. diplomatic engagement with the publics of these countries. It concludes that while public diplomacy is not a panacea for easing conflict in interstate relations, it is one of many productive channels that a government can use in order to stay informed about the status of its relations with an adversarial state, and to seek to improve those relations.

Read more less

Heralding a push for higher education to adopt a more global perspective, the term "globalizing knowledge" is today a popular catchphrase among academics and their circles. The complications and consequences of this desire for greater worldliness, however, are rarely considered critically. In this groundbreaking cultural-political sociology of knowledge and change, Michael D. Kennedy rearticulates questions, approaches, and case studies to clarify intellectuals' and institutions' responsibilities in a world defined by transformation and crisis. Globalizing Knowledge introduces the stakes of globalizing knowledge before examining how intellectuals and their institutions and networks shape and are shaped by globalization and world-historical events from 2001 through the uprisings of 2011–13. But Kennedy is not only concerned with elaborating how wisdom is maintained and transmitted, he also asks how we can recognize both interconnectedness and inequalities, and possibilities for more knowledgeable change within and beyond academic circles. Subsequent chapters are devoted to issues of public engagement, the importance of recognizing difference and the local's implication in the global, and the specific ways in which knowledge, images, and symbols are shared globally. Kennedy considers numerous case studies, from historical happenings in Poland, Kosova, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, to today's energy crisis, Pussy Riot, the Occupy Movement, and beyond, to illuminate how knowledge functions and might be used to affect good in the world.

Read more less

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins's poignant middle grade novel in verse about coming to terms with indelible truths of family and belonging--now in paperback!For the most part, Hannah's life is just how she wants it. She has two supportive parents, she's popular at school, and she's been killing it at gymnastics. But when her cousin Cal moves in with her family, everything changes. Cal tells half-truths and tall tales, pranks Hannah constantly, and seems to be the reason her parents are fighting more and more. Nothing is how it used to be. She knows that Cal went through a lot after his mom died and she is trying to be patient, but most days Hannah just wishes Cal never moved in.For his part, Cal is trying his hardest to fit in, but not everyone is as appreciative of his unique sense of humor and storytelling gifts as he is. Humor and stories might be his defense mechanism, but if Cal doesn't let his walls down soon, he might push away the very people who are trying their best to love him.Told in verse from the alternating perspectives of Hannah and Cal, this is a story of two cousins who are more alike than they realize and the family they both want to save.

Read more less

Freedom of information is a principle commonly associated with the United States’ First Amendment traditions or digital-era technology boosters. Barriers Down reveals its unexpected origins in political, economic, and cultural battles over analog media in the mid-twentieth century. Diana Lemberg traces how the United States shaped media around the world after 1945 under the banner of the “free flow of information,” showing how the push for global media access acted as a vehicle for American power.Barriers Down considers debates over civil liberties and censorship in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and elsewhere alongside Americans’ efforts to circumvent foreign regulatory systems in the quest to expand markets and bring their ideas to new publics. Lemberg shows how in the decades following the Second World War American free-flow policies reshaped the world’s information landscape, though not always as intended. Through burgeoning information diplomacy and development aid, Washington diffused new media ranging from television and satellite broadcasting to global English. But these actions also spurred overseas actors to articulate alternative understandings of information freedom and of how information flows might be regulated. Bridging the historiographies of the United States in the world, human rights, decolonization and development, and media and technology, Barriers Down excavates the analog roots of digital-age debates over the politics and ethics of transnational information flows.

Read more less

In almost every human society some people get more and others get less. Why is inequity the rule in these societies? In The Origins of Unfairness, philosopher Cailin O'Connor firstly considers how groups are divided into social categories, like gender, race, and religion, to address this question. She uses the formal frameworks of game theory and evolutionary game theory to explore the cultural evolution of the conventions which piggyback on these seemingly irrelevant social categories. These frameworks elucidate a variety of topics from the innateness of gender differences, to collaboration in academia, to household bargaining, to minority disadvantage, to homophily. They help to show how inequity can emerge from simple processes of cultural change in groups with gender and racial categories, and under a wide array of situations. The process of learning conventions of coordination and resource division is such that some groups will tend to get more and others less. O'Connor offers solutions to such problems of coordination and resource division and also shows why we need to think of inequity as part of an ever evolving process. Surprisingly minimal conditions are needed to robustly produce phenomena related to inequity and, once inequity emerges in these models, it takes very little for it to persist indefinitely. Thus, those concerned with social justice must remain vigilant against the dynamic forces that push towards inequity.

Read more less

FT BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH'A comprehensive, concise, and practical guide that will enable anyone, in any situation, to develop their strategic thinking' Tiffani Bova, Chief Growth Evangelist, Salesforce, WSJ bestselling author, Growth IQ'A must read for everyone who ever deals with complex important challenges. There are many take-away gems here that will help you push through the knotty centre of hard-to-resolve problems. Highly recommended!', Richard Rumelt, author of Good Strategy, Bad StrategyBeing strategic is a critical skill. It enables you to solve problems on a day-to-day basis while also keeping an eye on the long term, anticipating opportunities and mitigating threats along the way. Fred Pelard has been teaching strategic thinking to executives at all levels at leading companies around the world for almost 20 years. How to Be Strategic is his accessible and thorough guide to strategic thinking in any situation. It contains 12 smartly illustrated, workable methodologies from leading experts like Eric Ries, Chan Kim, and Barbara Minto, and will help you find your own path to the right solution every time.'A wonderful and inspirational look into wide-ranging frameworks and theories to spark new thinking and strategy' Tom Goodwin, author of Digital Darwinism and Head of Futures and Insight at Publicis Groupe'Practical and comprehensive' Roeland Assenberg, Director, Strategy and Banking, Monitor Deloitte Netherlands

Read more less

In April 1966, thousands of artists, musicians, performers and writers from across Africa and its diaspora gathered in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to take part in the First World Festival of Negro Arts (Premier Festival Mondial des arts nègres). The international forum provided by the Dakar Festival showcased a wide array of arts and was attended by such celebrated luminaries as Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, Aimé Césaire, André Malraux and Wole Soyinka. Described by Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, as ‘the elaboration of a new humanism which this time will include all of humanity on the whole of our planet earth’, the festival constituted a highly symbolic moment in the era of decolonization and the push for civil rights for black people in the United States. In essence, the festival sought to perform an emerging Pan-African culture, that is, to give concrete cultural expression to the ties that would bind the newly liberated African ‘homeland’ to black people in the diaspora. This volume is the first sustained attempt to provide not only an overview of the festival itself but also of its multiple legacies, which will help us better to understand the ‘festivalization’ of Africa that has occurred in recent decades with most African countries now hosting a number of festivals as part of a national tourism and cultural development strategy.

Read more less

In order to have a great place, one must create architecture that embodies the best traditions of design through proportion, material selection, and architecture style. Classical details combined with clean lines and artful form brings the art in architecture, merging tradition with contemporary design concepts. Proportion, scale, and composition are key concepts in architectural design. Through massing studies and mathematical calculations, including the Golden Ratio, the architecture and decorative details seen in this highly illustrated book seamlessly join discipline and functionality with artistry. Rigorous studies and detailed, full-colour conceptual sketches and rich photographic detail bring each project to life, capturing the overall essence of the design. In the pages of this impressive volume, the second in a superb series, you will see project examples of classical Chinese architecture translated into the 21st century. Projects range from residential spaces to palace gates and entries; from boutique resorts and hotels to business and convention centres; from public to commercial enterprises. The arrival of digital age in architecture not long ago gave the architects and designers the tools to push the envelope in designs much further every time - whether it's traditional, modern, or contemporary. The harmony of proportion and composition, axial symmetry, and unique details illustrated in many of the featured projects achieve a virtue of scale, historic durability, and integrated artistry. Text in English and Chinese.

Read more less

Titian is the artist who best illustrates the revolution and triumph of colour, and hence the very art of the 16th century and beyond. The work of Titian (c. 1490-1576) represents the point of arrival for a whole pictorial tradition: his early emphasis on colour developed into the art of a mature and then elderly painter seeking to explore night and darkness, to dim hues, and to push the use of liquid and dusky tones to the very limit. A prolific painter and the head of a well-organised workshop, Titian was at the same time capable of perfectly meeting new tastes. By renewing and setting the standard for the official images and aesthetics of the ruling class of his day, he became the first truly European artist, praised to high heaven by his admirers. Particularly revealing is Ludovico Dolce's panegyric: 'the greatness and the power of Michelangelo, the sweetness and beauty of Raphael and the very colours of Nature herself'. Highly sought after by collectors, disputed by royal courts and pontiffs, the master from Cadore created works that are now on display in museums across the world. This volume exceptionally brings together some of Titian's greatest masterpieces, including his large altarpieces, in such a way as to illustrate the whole span of his career.

Read more less

Uneducated Guesses challenges everything our policymakers thought they knew about education and education reform, from how to close the achievement gap in public schools to admission standards for top universities. In this explosive book, Howard Wainer uses statistical evidence to show why some of the most widely held beliefs in education today--and the policies that have resulted--are wrong. He shows why colleges that make the SAT optional for applicants end up with underperforming students and inflated national rankings, and why the push to substitute achievement tests for aptitude tests makes no sense. Wainer challenges the thinking behind the enormous rise of advanced placement courses in high schools, and demonstrates why assessing teachers based on how well their students perform on tests--a central pillar of recent education reforms--is woefully misguided. He explains why college rankings are often lacking in hard evidence, why essay questions on tests disadvantage women, why the most grievous errors in education testing are not made by testing organizations--and much more. No one concerned about seeing our children achieve their full potential can afford to ignore this book. With forceful storytelling, wry insight, and a wealth of real-world examples, Uneducated Guesses exposes today's educational policies to the light of empirical evidence, and offers solutions for fairer and more viable future policies.

Read more less

This is an open access book.Creativity is a difficult concept, how can it best be defined, understood, applied, and practiced? This book provides important answers to these questions. Technology can enable artists to be more creative. Scientific and artistic thinking give us two complementary tools to understand the complexity of the world, with science reducing subjective experience to essential principles and art intensifying and expanding our experiences. These examples also show how artists can push the boundaries of technology into exciting new realms that have not been explored before. The impact that art and art practice can have on culture, society, and social responsibility is explored in detail through examples and case studies. In addition, the book presents how artists are creating and reflecting cultural and societal resonance in their work. Can other disciplines help artists to be more creative? All are part of an interrelated wider society and enables artists to develop artwork fit for highly interfaced and conceptually broad contemporary contexts. This is illustrated with examples which show exciting and challenging results. Creativity in Art, Design and Technology is relevant for artists, designers, scientists and technologists. All can benefit in a major way from a greater understanding of creativity, and the ways in which mutual interaction and collaboration enables all areas to develop. The potential for the future is immense and this book signposts the way forward.

Read more less

Richard Osman meets MasterChef. In this cookery school, murder is on the menu...'Delicious fun!' Tess Gerritsen'Knife Skills for Beginners is a joy.' S. J. Bennett‘A deliciously dark slice of murder and mystery.’ Chris Whitaker'If Ruth Rendell had teamed up with Delia Smith they’d have produced something like this.’ J. M. Hall‘Dazzlingly sharp with a wit that sparkles off the page.' Jane CorryA recipe for disaster.When chef Paul Delamare takes a job teaching at an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the unthinkable happens: someone turns up dead...The school rests on a knife-edge.The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a blade, was first on the scene – and everyone knows it doesn’t take much to push a chef over the edge. To prove his innocence, he must find the killer. Could it be one of his students? Or the owner of the school – a woman with secrets and a murky past?It all boils down to murder.If Paul can’t solve the mystery fast – as well as teach his students how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce – he’ll be next to get the chop.

Read more less

In Nazi-occupied France, an American film star takes on the most dangerous role of her life in a gripping novel about loyalty and resistance, inspired by a true story, from the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Secret Stealers. Paris, 1939. Hollywood actress Drue Leyton, married to Frenchman Jacques Tartière, lives as an expatriate in love. But when her husband is dispatched to Brittany to work as a liaison for the British military, Drue finds herself alone with her housekeeper, adrift and heartsick in her adopted city. With her career and fame forty-five hundred miles away, Drue accepts an opportunity that will change her life forever. Befriended by seasoned wartime journalist Dorothy Thompson and urged on by political operative Jean Fraysse, Drue broadcasts radio programs to the United States. Her duty: shake America from its apathy and, as Nazis encroach and France is occupied, push for resistance and help from the US. As Drue and Jean fall under suspicion, Hitler sends his own message: when Drue’s adopted country is conquered, she will be executed. In a Paris that is no longer safe, Drue’s political passion is ignited. She’s prepared to risk anything to fight the enemy no matter how dangerous it gets—for her, for everyone she loves, and for everything she’s fighting for.

Read more less

“Mark Sullivan has done it again! The Last Green Valley is a compelling and inspiring story of heroism and courage in the dark days at the end of World War II.” —Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author From the author of the #1 bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky comes a new historical novel inspired by one family’s incredible story of daring, survival, and triumph. In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans? The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom. Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized.

Read more less

Fast bowler, six-hitter, popular hero, one of the lads, king of the jungle - Andrew Flintoff is all of those things.Second Innings, is his searingly honest yet uplifting autobiography, Flintoff reveals unseen, surprising sides to his career and personality.The restless need to push and challenge himself that led him to take up professional boxing. The complex and troubled relationship with discipline, alcohol and authority during his exhilarating cricket career. The search for an authentic voice as a player, free from the blandness and conformity of modern professionalism. Is Flintoff the last of his kind, in any sport?Through all his highs and lows, triumphs and reversals, this book reveals a central tension. There is 'Fred' - performer, extrovert, centre of attention. Then there is 'Andrew' - reflective, withdrawn and uncertain. Two people contained in one extraordinary life. And sometimes, inevitably, keeping the two in balance proves too much.We are taken backstage, seeing the mischief and adventure that has defined Andrew Flintoff's story. Above all, we observe the enduring power of fun, friendship and loyalty - the pillars of Flintoff's career. At ease with his faults as well as his gifts, Andrew Flintoff has sought one thing, even more than success: to be himself.If you enjoyed Do You Know What?, you'll enjoy this memoir of Freddie's sporting career.

Read more less

DO YOU REMEMBER THE SUMMER THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING? 'A thrilling look at mothers and daughters, adolescence, sex, suburbia and secrets' NELL FRIZZELL 'Unsettling, challenging and utterly immersive' CLARE MACKINTOSH'A sultry, stifling debut exploring power, consent and womanhood' COSMOPOLITAN --- Rachel and her daughter have never had secrets. Until now.Lily is somewhere she shouldn't be. With someone she shouldn't be with.Mia misses her best friend. But she let her down.In the middle of a stifling heatwave, Rachel, Lily and Mia stand on the edge of irrevocable change. Soon, just one burning question will remain... how could they let things go this far? A provocative debut novel for fans of My Dark Vanessa, The Push by Ashley Audrain and Megan Nolan's Acts of Desperation. --- 'Barkworth is excruciatingly good' OBSERVER'I am addicted... dark and twisty with beautiful, poetic writing' EMMA GANNON 'Gripping and intensely atmospheric... you won't want to put this down' HEAT magazine's READ OF THE WEEK 'Stylish and sensual' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE 'Twists, turns and revelations in all the right places' EVENING STANDARD'A stunning new voice... I couldn't tear myself away' ERIN KELLY 'Sexy and provocative' LAURA JANE WILLIAMS 'Pulls you into its sweaty interior and keeps you gripped' RENEE KNIGHT 'Compulsive, sticky and full of gorgeous writing' KIRSTIN INNES 'Read next if you loved Three Women by Lisa Taddeo' WHISTLES newsletter

Read more less

When Her Friend Goes Missing, Every Minute Counts Darcy St. James returns to Alaska to join a journalist friend undercover on the trail of a big story. But when Darcy arrives, she finds her friend has disappeared. Troubled by the cruise ship's vague explanation, Darcy uses her cover as a travel reporter to investigate further. The last person Gage McKenna expects to see during his summer aboard a cruise ship leading adventure excursions is Darcy. And in typical Darcy fashion, she's digging up more trouble. He'd love to just forget her--but something won't let him. And he can't help but worry about her as they are heading into more remote regions of Alaska and eventually into foreign waters. Something sinister is going on, and the deeper they push, the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg. "The third book in Pettrey's Alaskan Courage series ratchets up the action and suspense. It's difficult to stop yourself from peeking ahead to the end, but the ride is worth the anxiety." --RT Book Reviews "Dani Pettrey has delivered another incredibly compelling adventure in Alaska. STRANDED is full of suspense, beautiful rugged wilderness and white-water rapids, and a heartfelt romance. I loved catching up with the McKenna family." - Dee Henderson, New York Times bestselling author

Read more less

'One of the best expressions of his unstoppable flow of comic invention' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .The post was an old thing, of course, but it was so old that it had magically become new again.Moist von Lipwig is a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put the ailing postal service of Ankh-Morpork – the Discworld’s city-state – back on its feet.It’s a tough decision.The post is a creaking old institution, overshadowed by new technology. But there are people who still believe in it, and Moist must become one of them if he's going to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers Friendly and Benevolent Society, an evil chairman . . . and a midnight killer.Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.Perhaps there's a shot at redemption in the mad world of the mail, waiting for a man who's prepared to push the envelope . . .____________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Going Postal is the first book in the Moist von Lipwig series.

Read more less

A new theory of market power politics that explains when and why states will delay cooperation or even fight wars in pursuit of this elusive goal. How are the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the Russian incursions into Ukraine and Georgia, and China's occupation of islands in the South China Sea related? All three of these important moments in modern history were driven by the motivation to capture market power. Whether it was oil for Iraq, natural gas for Russia, or rare earth elements for China, the goal isn't just the commodities themselves--it is the ability to determine their price on the global market. In Market Power Politics, Stephen Gent and Mark Crescenzi develop a new theory of market power politics that explains when and why states will delay cooperation or even fight wars in pursuit of this elusive goal. Empirically examining case studies from different regions of the world, they explore how competition between states over market power can create disruptions in the global political economy and potentially lead to territorial aggression and war. They also provide clear policy recommendations, urging international institutions to establish norms that reduce the potential for open conflict. Ultimately, Market Power Politics shows that nations' desire to increase their market power means that the push for territorial expansion will continue to shape the trajectory of world politics.

Read more less

Food isn't just food, it can be medicine! A plant-based, whole-food diet can help prevent chronic diseases, while also promoting a healthy weight. This isn't just a modern concept that's supported by today's science, but a knowledge that's deeply entrenched in our collective food history. Master Plants Cookbook , from the founder and chef for Naked Food© magazine, takes you on a fascinating journey of discovery that spans ancient civilizations, and links the wisdom of our ancestors with the magnificent power of foods we can still enjoy today. The plants and grains that these ancient cultures grew, ate, and thrived on remain the most powerful foods for our own optimum health. And by incorporating these 33 Master" plants into your diet,from avocados, lentils, and beets to sweet potatoes, blueberries, and chia,you can benefit from their detoxifying, immune-boosting, health-promoting powers. With more than 100 delectable and easy recipes including Himalayan Rice," Machu Picchu's Quinoa Cookies," and Incan Mango Pudding," Master Plants Cookbook draws on the best of ancient traditions to spark a new love for real, organic cuisine that packs a powerful healing punch. Whether you are already well on the road to a plant-based way of eating, or just need a little push, Master Plants will empower you to eat your way to your healthiest, most radiant self.

Read more less

This riveting debut from poet Faylita Hicks is a reclamation of power for black women and nonbinary people whose bodies have become the very weapons used against them. HoodWitch tells the story of a young person who discovers that they are “something that can & will survive / a whole century of hunt.” Through a series of poems based on childhood photographs, Hicks invokes the spirits of mothers and daughters, sex workers and widows, to conjure an alternative to their own early deaths and the deaths of those whom they have already lost. In this collection about resilience, Hicks speaks about giving her child up for adoption, mourning the death of her fiancé, and embracing the nonbinary femme body—persevering in the face of medical malpractice, domestic abuse, and police violence. The poems find people transformed, “remade out of smoke & iron” into cyborgs and wolves, machines and witches—beings capable of seeking justice in a world that refuses them the option. Exploring the intersections of Christianity, modern mysticism, and Afrofuturism in a sometimes urban, sometimes natural setting, Hicks finds a place where “everyone everywhere is hands in the air,” where “you know they gonna push & pull it together. / Just like they learned to.” It is a place of natural magick—where someone like Hicks can have more than one name: where they can be both dead and alive, both a mortal and a god.

Read more less

FROM USA TODAY AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ELEVATEWake up. Get inspired. Change the world. Repeat.Global business leader and national bestselling author, Robert Glazer, believes we all have a responsibility to each other: to give one another the inspiration and support we need to be our best. What started as a weekly note known as Friday Forward to his team of forty has turned into a global movement reaching over 200,000 leaders across sixty countries and continually forwarded to friends and family.In FRIDAY FORWARD, Robert shares fifty-two of his favorite stories with real life examples that will motivate you to grow and push you to be your best self. He encourages you to use this book as part of a positive and intentional Friday morning routine to get the weekend started on a forward-looking note that will carry you through the week. At once uplifting and deeply thought-provoking, these stories will challenge you to propel yourself outside your comfort zone to unlock your innate potential. By making small, intentional changes, you have the power to create lasting impact, not only in your own life, but also to inspire those around you to do the same. Today is the perfect day to start."Glazer's collection of inspiring, thought-provoking stories gives the motivation and mentorship you need to build a more fulfilling life and career."—Daniel H. Pink, Author of When and Drive

Read more less

Early childhood educators are facing a crucial inflection point in the profession. Research shows that children need movement and play and joy to learn to their fullest potential—yet the educational system pushes worksheets and takes away time outdoors, among many other harmful and developmentally inappropriate teaching practices. Educators everywhere are tired of witnessing unrealistic expectations and impossible attempts to accelerate child development, stripping children of authentic learning—and their giggles. They are disturbed by the inequities that exist in education and want to see every child provided with the good foundation a quality early education can supply. They are fed up with the nonsense depriving children of childhood, requiring them to teach in ways that they know aren't right!This book challenges and inspires early childhood professionals to advocate for change in the field while giving them the research underpinnings and tools they need to take real action. It dispels the fears associated with speaking up and banishes all doubts about the need to advocate bravely and widely, proving the need to change course and providing practical and actionable steps for speaking to decision makers and convincing them to pursue change. Spark a Revolution in Early Education busts four myths—earlier is better, children learn by sitting, digital devices are important to learning, and play time is not productive time—to push for "Rae's Revolution" and get educators everywhere to stand up for the children.

Read more less

Performance accountability has been the dominant trend in education policy reform since the 1970s. State and federal policies set standards for what students should learn; require students to take "high-stakes" tests to measure what they have learned; and then hold students, schools, and school districts accountable for their performance. The goal of these policies is to push public school districts to ensure that all students reach a common threshold of knowledge and skills. "High-Stakes Reform" analyzes the political processes and historical context that led to the enactment of state-level education accountability policies across the country. It also situates the education accountability movement in the broader context of public administration research, emphasizing the relationships among equity, accountability, and intergovernmental relations. The book then focuses on three in-depth case studies of policy development in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Kathryn McDermott zeroes in on the most controversial and politically charged forms of state performance accountability sanctions, including graduation tests, direct state intervention in or closing of schools, and state takeovers of school districts. Public debate casts performance accountability as either a cure for the problems of US public education or a destructive mistake. Kathryn McDermott expertly navigates both sides of the debate detailing why particular policies became popular, how the assumptions behind the policies influenced the forms they took, and what practitioners and scholars can learn from the successes and failures of education accountability policies.

Read more less

In 1898, the New York state legislature created Greater New York, a metropolis of three and a half million people, the second largest city in the world, and arguably the most diverse and complex urban environment in history. In this far-ranging study, Keith D. Revell shows how experts in engineering, law, architecture, public health, public finance, and planning learned to cope with the daunting challenges of collective living on this new scale. Engineers applied new technologies to build railroad tunnels under the Hudson River and construct aqueducts to quench the thirst of a city on the verge of water famine. Sanitarians attempted to clean up a harbor choked by millions of gallons of raw sewage. Economists experimented with new approaches to financing urban infrastructure. Architects and planners wrestled with the problems of skyscraper regulation and regional growth. These issues of city-building and institutional change involved more than the familiar push and pull of interest groups or battles between bosses, reformers, immigrants, and natives. Revell details the ways that technical values-distinctive civic culture of expertise-helped reshape ideas of community, generate new centers of public authority, and change the physical landscape of New York City. Building Gotham thus demonstrates how a group of ambitious professionals overcame the limits of traditional means of decision-making and developed the city-building practices that enabled New York to become America's first mega-city.

Read more less

Untapped Power provides extensive insight into why and how to advance diversity, equity and inclusion when promoting development, and addressing fragility and violent conflict. Urgent challenges relating to diversity and inclusion are universal. The global #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements as well as the push for LGBTQ+ rights are all emblematic of a growing interest in and focus on how to better embrace and capitalize on diversity. Yet these social movements exist alongside renewed efforts to constrain minority rights and stem immigration around the world. In Untapped Power, Carla Koppell has assembled a leading group of scholars, policy makers, researchers, and activists to provide a comprehensive overview for understanding and navigating these countervailing forces, so that we can build a more peaceful and inclusive world. This book synthesizes theory, research, and analysis to show why an enduring global commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential, and how to advance that agenda in practical terms. It considers major scholarly theories and analytical frameworks underlying the case for a focus on diversity and inclusion; analyzes diversity trends and movements for inclusion; outlines specific strategies and approaches for promoting inclusion throughout peacebuilding and development processes; and discusses priorities to advance the agenda through research, advocacy, financial investments, and programming. A guide to one of the most pressing issues in world politics, this book will be essential for anyone working in the fields of global development, conflict resolution, or peace building.

Read more less

In the United States, the “right to choose” an abortion is the law of the land. But what if a woman continues her pregnancy because she didn’t really have a choice? What if state laws, federal policies, stigma, and a host of other obstacles push that choice out of her reach? Based on candid, in-depth interviews with women who considered but did not obtain an abortion, No Real Choice punctures the myth that American women have full autonomy over their reproductive choices. Focusing on the experiences of a predominantly Black and low-income group of women, sociologist Katrina Kimport finds that structural, cultural, and experiential factors can make choosing abortion impossible–especially for those who experience racism and class discrimination. From these conversations, we see the obstacles to “choice” these women face, such as bans on public insurance coverage of abortion and rampant antiabortion claims that abortion is harmful. Kimport's interviews reveal that even as activists fight to preserve Roe v. Wade, class and racial disparities have already curtailed many women’s freedom of choice. No Real Choice analyzes both the structural obstacles to abortion and the cultural ideologies that try to persuade women not to choose abortion. Told with care and sensitivity, No Real Choice gives voice to women whose experiences are often overlooked in debates on abortion, illustrating how real reproductive choice is denied, for whom, and at what cost.

Read more less

Sport mega-events are more than just large-scale gatherings and celebrations of human athletic achievement; they are also arenas through which groups and individuals perform, reinforce, challenge and disrupt identities, power and status. Understanding that sport is widely recognised as a practice through which normative ideas of gender are both reinforced and challenged, this book explores how this is magnified in the context of sport mega-events with their associated global media attention, elite performance, and social and cultural relevance. As sport mega-events become ever more prominent in popular culture, and are used by governments as tools to stimulate national and regional development, critical analysis of the gendered aspects of mega-events is increasingly important. Featuring a range of mega-event case studies and conceptual discussions, Sport, Gender and Mega-Events shows the significance of mega-events to wider sporting practices, and considers how these highly mediatised global phenomena both reflect and help shape broader ideas about gender, sex and identity in and beyond sport. Demonstrating how mega-events represent an important context through which to explore questions related to sex, gender and identity, Dashper’s exquisitely collated chapters unpick mega-events as gendered entities and showcase how they both position athletes in relation to one of two binary sex positions – male or female – and also push the boundaries of what we see and accept as recognisably gendered male or female bodies and identities.

Read more less

From literary icon Joyce Carol Oates, author of Blonde, now a major motion picture, comes a brand new collection of haunting and, at times, darkly humorous mystery and suspense stories. These are tales of psyches pushed to their limits by the expectations of everyday life – from a woman who gets lost on her drive back to her plush suburban home and ends up breaking into a stranger's house, to a first-person account of a cloned 1940s magazine pinup girl being sold at auction and embodying America's ideals of beauty and womanhood. Taken as a whole, the collection forms a poignant tapestry of regular people searching for their place in a social hierarchy, often with devastating and disastrous results. Rendered with stylish, fresh writing from an author who continues to push the envelope, the stories deftly weave in and out of a stream-of-consciousness to reflect the ways we process traumatic experiences and impart that uncertainty and uneasiness to the reader. The stories comprising Night, Neon showcase Oates' mastery of the suspense story and her relentless use of the form to conduct unapologetically honest explorations of American identity. 'Embracing the twists and turns of everyday American life, the author's latest short story collection is playful, gripping and disturbing.' Guardian Reviews for Joyce Carol Oates: 'Oates chillingly depicts the darkness lurking within the everyday.' Sunday Express 'Both haunting and sublime.' Literary Review 'Splendidly chilling.' Financial Times 'Visceral, psychologically involving, and socially astute.' Booklist

Read more less

This book explores the interplay between regulation and emerging technologies in the context of synthetic biology, a developing field that promises great benefits, and has already yielded fuels and medicines made with designer micro-organisms. For all its promise, however, it also poses various risks. Investigating the distinctiveness of synthetic biology and the regulatory issues that arise, Alison McLennan questions whether synthetic biology can be regulated within existing structures or whether new mechanisms are needed. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, McLennan draws on diverse areas of law, the science of synthetic biology and the history and sociology of science. She concludes that synthetic biology presents novel regulatory challenges relating to environmental risk, biosafety, biosecurity and intellectual property. These challenges arise from the uniqueness of the science, the nature of its communities of scientists (including citizen scientists or 'biobunks') and the uncertainty surrounding possible hazards. Some scientists see intellectual property protection as a way to push innovation forward (bioentrepreneurs), while others openly share synthetic biology tools such as BioBricks. By understanding the range of regulatory challenges, the book make a case for enhanced regulation that protects us from synthetic biology's risks, whilst capturing its potential to improve our world. Regulation of Synthetic Biology will be essential reading for academics and students in the social sciences and law, as well as for scientists working in synthetic biology, and policymakers in innovation, science and the regulation of these fields.

Read more less

How homophobic backlash unexpectedly strengthened mobilization for LGBT political rights in post-communist Europe While LGBT activism has increased worldwide, there has been strong backlash against LGBT people in Eastern Europe. Although Russia is the most prominent anti-gay regime in the region, LGBT individuals in other post-communist countries also suffer from discriminatory laws and prejudiced social institutions. Combining an historical overview with interviews and case studies in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, Conor O’Dwyer analyzes the development and impact of LGBT movements in post-communist Eastern and Central Europe. O’Dwyer argues that backlash against LGBT individuals has had the paradoxical effect of encouraging stronger and more organized activism, significantly impacting the social movement landscape in the region. As these peripheral Eastern and Central European countries vie for inclusion or at least recognition in the increasingly LGBT-friendly European Union, activist groups and organizations have become even more emboldened to push for change. Using fieldwork in five countries and interviews with activists, organizers, and public officials, O’Dwyer explores the intricacies of these LGBT social movements and their structures, functions, and impact. The book provides a unique and engaging exploration of LGBT rights groups in Eastern and Central Europe and their ability to serve as models for future movements attempting to resist backlash. Thorough, theoretically grounded, and empirically sound, Coming Out of Communism is sure to be a significant work in the study of LGBT politics, European politics, and social movements.

Read more less

While many books are dedicated to individual aspects of nanofabrication, there is no single source that defines and explains the total vision of the field. Filling this gap, Nanofabrication Handbook presents a unique collection of new and the most important established approaches to nanofabrication. Contributors from leading research facilities and academic institutions around the world define subfields, offer practical instructions and examples, and pave the way for future research.Helping readers to select the proper fabricating technique for their experiments, the book provides a broad vision of the most critical problems and explains how to solve them. It includes basic definitions and introduces the main underlying concepts of nanofabrication. The book also discusses the major advantages and disadvantages of each approach and offers a wide variety of examples of cutting-edge applications.Each chapter focuses on a particular method or aspect of study. For every method, the contributors describe the underlying theoretical basis, resolution, patterns and substrates used, and applications. They show how applications at the nanoscale require a different process and understanding than those at the microscale. For each experiment, they elucidate key solutions to problems relating to materials, methods, and surface considerations.A complete resource for this rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field, this handbook provides practical information for planning the experiments of any project that employs nanofabrication techniques. It gives readers a foundation to enter the complex world of nanofabrication and inspires the scientific community at large to push the limits of nanometer resolution.

Read more less