Search results for ""process""

With digital content published across more channels than ever before, how can you make yours easy to find, use, and share? Is your content ready for the next wave of content platforms and devices? In Designing Connected Content, Mike Atherton and Carrie Hane share an end-to-end process for building a structured content framework. They show you how to research and model your subject area based on a shared understanding of the important concepts, and how to plan and design interfaces for mobile, desktop, voice, and beyond. You will learn to reuse and remix your valuable content assets to meet the needs of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. Discover a design method that starts with content, not pixels. Master the interplay of content strategy, content design, and content management as you bring your product team closer together and encourage them to think content first. Learn how to Model your content and its underlying subject domain Design digital products that scale without getting messy Bring a cross-functional team together to create content that can be efficiently managed and effectively delivered Create a framework for tackling content overload, a multitude of devices, constantly changing design trends, and siloed content creation

Read more less

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.Write Powerful SQL Statements and PL/SQL ProgramsLearn how to access Oracle databases through SQL statements and construct PL/SQL programs. Oracle Database 12c SQL offers complete coverage of the latest database features and techniques. Find out how to write SQL statements to retrieve and modify database information, use SQL*Plus and SQL Developer, work with database objects, write PL/SQL programs, use performance optimization techniques, incorporate XML, and more. This Oracle Press guide contains everything you need to know to master SQL. Use SQL statements to access an Oracle database Work with SQL*Plus and SQL Developer Write PL/SQL programs Create tables, sequences, indexes, views, and triggers Design advanced queries containing complex calculations Create database objects to handle abstract data Use date, time stamp, and time interval data types Establish user roles and privileges Handle multimedia files using large objects Tune SQL statements to make them execute faster Generate, process, and store XML data Master the very latest Oracle Database 12c features Code examples in the book are available for download.

Read more less

In Mastering Market Analytics, Robert Kozielski presents various measurement systems and marketing metrics, along with common mistakes made by organizations and managers in the process of measuring business activities, and illustrates how to avoid these mistakes. The new turbulent business environment has resulted in the decrease in effectiveness and efficiency of marketing activities, resulting in 50% of campaigns in social media remaining unnoticed by the public in 2016 alone. Response rates on emailing campaigns have dropped, one dollar invested in TV advertising generates only .32 cents of return, which all leaves the question of whether these activities are still effective in the contemporary world. What does effective marketing actually mean and which areas can be measured while assessing organizational effectiveness? Do sales and marketing benefit only the company or do they also generate value for customers? With over twenty years of experience in world markets, Kozielski takes lessons and case studies from Eastern Europe to delve into 76 indicators, divided into four groups: sales, distribution, marketing communication, and ecommerce and social media, exploring from both the strategic and operational points of view. Linking applicable descriptions of the metrics with systems of measurement for these marketing activities and results, Kozielski’s work is of interest to marketing scholars and MBA students.

Read more less

This collection of interviews is a diamond, remarkable in the way that it assembles so many of the major strains of Glissant’s thought, and stunning in the expansive erudition at work in the composition of that thought. Two structuring experiences inform the writer’s reflections on language and poetic engagement. On the one hand, there is the acculturation of his French intellectual ancestry, begun in the Martinican colonial system and continued in his mature student years in Paris, with the achievement of a Doctorate at the Sorbonne in 1980. On the other, there is his genetic heritage as an Antillean, nurtured in the Creole language of a people whose nearly forgotten history he will take pains to redeem. A lifelong interrogation of these two vital experiences of language are crucial to Glissant’s concept of Relation, viewed as a transformative and vital process intrinsic to the project of poetics. Relation reverberates throughout Glissant’s consideration of the many topics broached in this volume: medieval Europe and the creation of nation-states, the evolution of the epic and its global iterations, decolonization, creolization, landscapes and cultures, political engagement vs. the task of the writer, globality, questions of identity and Being. Absolutely the best introduction to Glissant’s thought.

Read more less

Most Westerners believe that a daily physical exercise program helps slow the aging process. Yet those whose bodies appear most physically fit on the outside often enjoy only the same life span as the average nonathletic person. It is the internal organs and glands that nourish every function of the body, and it is the bone marrow that nourishes and rejuvenates the organs and glands through the production of blood. By focusing only on the muscles without cultivating the internal organs, bones, and blood, the Western fitness regimen can ultimately exhaust the internal system. In Bone Marrow Nei KungMaster Mantak Chia reveals the ancient mental and physical Taoist techniques used to “regrow” bone marrow, strengthen the bones, and rejuvenate the organs and glands. An advanced practice of Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Bone Marrow Nei Kung was developed as a way to attain the “steel body” coveted in the fields of Chinese medicine and martial arts. This method of absorbing energy into the bones revives the bone marrow and reverses the effects of aging through the techniques of bone breathing, bone compression, and sexual energy massage, which stimulates the hormonal production that helps prevent osteoporosis. Also included is extensive information on chi weight lifting and the practice of “hitting” to detoxify the body.

Read more less

Honorable Mention in the Foreword Indie Awards 2016 For many design students, the expectation is that they will one day reach the top of the ladder within a design studio or corporation and become an art director. But what does this mean and how does a design student get there? What does an art director do? How is it different from being a designer? How does one lead and inspire a team, work with freelance designers, illustrators and photographers? Inside Art Direction answers all these questions for design students and professionals alike. Through interviews with 18 art directors working in a range of different industries from books and magazines to music and film to web and app design, students learn about how they got to where they are, what the art director's job really entails, and receive advice about the future of art direction. In the 28 case studies, illustrators, art directors and editors discuss specific assignments that they worked on, how they came up with ideas and the process of getting to the final result. With practical, hands-on advice, tips and art direction assignments that students can try out, Inside Art Direction provides insights about this fascinating field.

Read more less

Trusted guidance on meeting Ms. or Mr. Right With new and updated content, Dating For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes all the information you'll need for navigating the contemporary, social media driven dating scene where women and men Google potential dates beforehand, Tweet after, and even meet on Facebook. You'll find all you need to use these social media sites and take advantage of the ever-expanding ways to socialize, flirt, and date in the 21st century. With dating advice for singletons in all stages of life (including baby boomers), you'll get the confidence to date someone who is significantly older or younger, someone who has been previously married, or someone with children. Author Dr. Joy Browne, America's favorite psychologist, demystifies the whole dating process, from getting a date, plotting the place, and having a great time (or dealing with duds) to moving beyond a first date toward a budding relationship. Confidence boosters to help meet, date, and start a relationship with Mr. or Ms. Right Safe tips and advice on using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to meet new people The latest tips about dealing with money matters and dating diversity If you're looking for a fun Saturday night date or a happily-ever-after mate, Dating For Dummies is the guide for you!

Read more less

An honest assessment for how to determine your individual relationship with charitable giving in today's world From world-renowned philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies comes a comprehensive guide on how to be a canny, street-smart, effective philanthropist, regardless of your income level. It is also a perfect companion for nonprofit program and development executives who would like to introduce donors to their work and their organizations. Despite their critical importance to philanthropy, donors have few resources for solid information about making their gifts-deciding what type of gift to give, how to structure it, the tax implications, what level of follow-up and transparency they should ask for and expect, and countless other complexities. This book fills that vacuum and helps you gain a special understanding of philanthropy as a business undertaking as well as a deeply personal, reflective process. Drawing on decades of experience, the authors offer a fresh, enlivening approach to the nonprofit enterprise that, too often, is undervalued and thought of as the province of the burnt-out and the overwhelmed. Along with its many candid insights and memorable anecdotes, The Art of Giving also offers instruction on how to create a business plan for giving that works for you.

Read more less

Homeschooling the Child with Autism This practical, highly accessible guide answers parents' and professionals' questions about teaching children with autism spectrum disorders at home. The book helps parents decide whether to homeschool and guides them through the process of beginning and maintaining an effective homeschool program. All the essential questions are addressed, such as: How do you know if homeschooling is right for you and your child? Which homeschool program is best for the child's learning style and needs? How should a family get started? What is the best way to address social, behavioral, and organizational skills when teaching a child with ASD? When should you transition back to a traditional public school setting? The book also contains tips and suggestions from real-life parents who have successfully homeschooled their children with ASD and includes lists of helpful resources for homeschoolers. Praise for Homeschooling the Child with Autism "Practical advice and a wealth of resources.…This book provides a beacon of hope to families struggling with educational options for their child." —SALLY OZONOFF, PH.D., endowed professor, University of California, Davis, M.I.N.D. Institute "A must-read for parents and teachers who need guidance and encouragement while teaching children with ASD." —CATHY STENZEL, mother of a son with autism

Read more less

Public spending accounts for a significant share of national GDP and is perceived as a critically important way for overcoming periods of economic and social crisis, but is often criticised as inefficient and ineffective, giving raise to calls for new processes of reform. Because most public resources are raised through taxation from citizens and businesses, accountability and assurance are key in the democratic process, and auditing attempts to fulfil this public interest role. This in turn leaves public sector auditing under increasing public scrutiny and political pressure. Through a comparative analysis of the development of auditing practices in governments across the globe, Auditing Practices in Local Governments: An International Comparison provides a contemporary overview of public sector auditing practices at both local and state level. By focusing on countries which have experienced differing implementation processes, and which are characterised by different administrative and political cultures, the authors provide a comparative analysis of countries across the globe, including major European states, China, Australia, and New Zealand. Written by scholars and practitioners in the fields of public sector auditing, this first volume of Emerald Studies in Public Service Accounting and Accountability provides readers both researchers and practitioners with a thorough overview of international public sector auditing practice.

Read more less

The South African literature of iimbongi, the oral poets of the amaXhosa people, has long shaped understandings of landscape and history and offered a forum for grappling with change. Of Land, Bones, and Money examines the shifting role of these poets in South African society and the ways in which they have helped inform responses to segregation, apartheid, the injustices of extractive capitalism, and contemporary politics in South Africa.Emily McGiffin first discusses the history of the amaXhosa people and the environment of their homelands before moving on to the arrival of the British, who began a relentless campaign annexing land and resources in the region. Drawing on scholarship in the fields of human geography, political ecology, and postcolonial ecocriticism, she considers isiXhosa poetry in translation within its cultural, historical, and environmental contexts, investigating how these poems struggle with the arrival and expansion of the exploitation of natural resources in South Africa and the entrenchment of profoundly racist politics that the process entailed. In contemporary South Africa, iimbongi remain a respected source of knowledge and cultural identity. Their ongoing practice of producing complex, spiritually rich literature continues to have a profound social effect, contributing directly to the healing and well-being of their audiences, to political transformation, and to environmental justice.

Read more less

Conversation Management is an ethical, effective, and long-standing approach to investigative interviewing that is applicable to any investigative context, whether criminal or civil, based on a commitment to respect for the individual and the principles of successful communication. In the third edition of this highly successful book, the authors have reviewed both the evidence base supporting the approach and the presentation of the content. The result is a significant rewrite of the previous edition with new chapters, new information, and new tools to maximize disclosure by interviewees, now also supported by references and footnotes throughout the text. The text includes explanations of how conversation works and how a working relationship is created; the realities of influencing, persuasion, and negotiation; the process of telling and listening; how people remember and forget offence-related experience; how to assist their remembrance of offence-related detail; and how to ask the right question at the right time in the right way and specific chapters covering interviews with victims, witness and suspects as well as more diverse situations. Investigative Interviewing: The Conversation Management Approach is the definitive textbook for anyone seeking an in depth understanding of investigative interviewing as a subject and Conversation Management as a proven approach.

Read more less

To understand and profit from Total Quality Management, companies must pay particular attention to the first word in the phrase-total. The spectacular rewards enjoyed by top companies like 3M, FedEx, and Ben & Jerry's were earned through a total commitment to achieving superior quality and customer satisfaction across all company functions and processes. Total Quality Management, Second Edition gives you a completely up-to-date look at how 51 of the world's most successful companies put the total into TQM. Each of these companies, including 13 new additions and 23 Baldrige Award winners, is cited as a benchmark performer in a particular business function. Their examples help you set your sights on specific goals and learn a variety of ways to go about achieving each goal. Each chapter features the best practices of one manufacturing company, one service company, and one small business. Following the examples set by these overachievers, you'll discover how to: * Lead the transition from traditional management to management by quality * Identify customer needs and use that knowledge to drive the organization * Integrate strategic quality and business planning into a single strategic process * Communicate customer and company requirements throughout your organization * Recognize and reward employee efforts and promote improved quality * Establish uniform measurement systems and manage by fact, not fiction * Borrow shamelessly from industry leaders to encourage breakthrough thinking * Build strengths and eliminate weaknesses through an annual assessment process. Fully updated-the book that puts the total into. Total Quality Management. In this book, the former chairman of the Baldrige Award panel of judges teams up once again with a leading quality consultant to bring you a Baldrige-based TQM model that covers every aspect of your business. Built from the best practices of 51 companies (including 23 Baldrige Award winners) whose star performances have made them benchmark corporations, this book brings you: * Best practices and TQM applications from small businesses, huge corporations, and everything in between * TQM practices from retail stores, service companies, manufacturers, and more * Hundreds of real-world examples, tested processes, and innovative techniques * Proven ways to boost profits, inspire workers, and delight customers. Praise for the First Edition "Alive . . . vivid, entertaining, successful. . . . Even the most inexperienced can understand and implement TQM using this book."-Charles A. Aubrey Vice President, Juran Institute. "If you read only one book about quality management, read this one . . . the definitive management handbook of the decade."-Lynn A. Moline Former Executive Director, Minnesota Council for Quality. "A great book about a better way to run a company."-Bob G. Gower President and CEO, Lyondell Petrochemical Co. "Packed with strategies that can be implemented in any organization . . . must reading for those interested in proven quality strategies."-Ellen Gaucher Senior Associate Director, University of Michigan Medical Center "Get it. This book is jammed full of practical case studies from a management and profitability perspective."-C. Jackson Grayson Jr. Chairman, American Productivity and Quality Center. Supplemented with an updated list of resources and a contact list for all profiled companies, Total Quality Management, Second Edition shows you how to lead your organization straight to the cutting edge of quality and keep it there.

Read more less

Design for the elderly is at the forefront of architectural topics today. Yet, while much has been written about the design of indoor spaces, little work has been done on planning outdoor spaces to accommodate the needs of the elderly. Site Planning and Design for the Elderly specifically addresses this issue, drawing from a large body of original research, current knowledge, and theory to provide the background knowledge and specific information necessary for informed decision making throughout the site planning and design process. More than just a reference on accessibility standards, this volume offers key insights into the needs and concerns of older people in the built environment and presents guidelines and alternatives for responsive site planning and design. Organized in a clear step-by-step format for easy reference, issues and specific guidelines are provided for each stage of the planning and design process within the context of housing for older people. Moreover, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, developers and students will find the topics covered applicable to other settings where older people ore a part of the user profile, such as downtown renewal, hospital, and park planning projects. Numerous illustrations and case studies highlight major points throughout the text. The first sections of this volume provide valuable background information on housing options available to seniors and outline design implications of the social and physiological changes associated with advancing age. Critical design and management issues are discussed, objectives are outlined, and implementation strategies are developed, including methods for promoting wayfinding, enhancing personalization, and maximizing opportunities for social interaction. The body of this volume provides specific guidelines for each stage of development. Site planning areas addressed include site selection, the layout of housing units (including relationships between facilities offering different levels of care), recreational amenities, and circulation systems. Detailed guidelines for the location, spatial configuration, detailing, and amenities of major site components and recreational facilities are also provided. Entryways, parking, patios, rooftop developments, and gardening centers are among the specific areas covered. A brief outline of the major issues affecting use of each site component is particularly useful for making decisions regarding facility provision and for prioritizing development alternatives. Critical detailing and amenity specifications are pinpointed and thoroughly described. Paving materials, signage, lighting, site furniture, and pedestrian street crossings are among those elements examined. A concise overview in tabular form of the major guidelines presented throughout closes this practical volume. It is possible to design a site that will not only enhance the lives of elderly residents, but will be cost-effective and highly marketable as well. Site Planning and Design for the Elderly provides practical solutions to the problems of exterior design for one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population today.

Read more less

"Luca Albertini and Pauline Barrieu are to be congratulated on this volume. Written in a period where structured projects in finance are having a difficult time, it is worthwhile to return to the cradle of securitisation: insurance. Spread out over three parts (life, non- life, and tax and regulatory issues) the 26 chapters, written mainly by practitioners, give an excellent overview of this challenging field of modern insurance. Methodology and examples nicely go hand in hand. The overall slant being towards actual analyses of concrete products. No doubt this book will become a milestone going forward for actuarial students, researchers, regulators and practitioners alike."—Paul Embrechts, Professor of Mathematics and Director of RiskLab, ETH Zurich The convergence of insurance with the capital markets has opened up an alternative channel for insurers to transfer risk, raise capital and optimize their regulatory reserves as well as offering institutions a source of relatively liquid investment with limited correlation with other exposures. One of the financial instruments allowing for the cession of insurance-related risks to the capital markets is Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS). This book provides hands-on information essential for market participants, drawing on the insights and expertise of an impressive team of international market players, representing the various aspects and perspectives of this growing sector. The book presents the state of the art in Insurance-Linked Securitization, by exploring the various roles for the different parties involved in the transactions, the motivation for the transaction sponsors, the potential inherent pitfalls, the latest developments and transaction structures and the key challenges faced by the market. The book is organized into parts, each covering a specific topic or sector of the market. After a general overview of the ILS market, the Insurance-Linked Securitization process is studied in detail. A distinction is made between non-life and life securitization, due to the specificities of each sector. The process and all the actors involved are identified and considered in a comprehensive and systematic way. The concepts are first looked at in a general way, before the analysis of relevant case studies where the ILS technology is applied. Particular focus is given to: the key stages in both non-life and life securitizations, including the general features of the transactions, the cedant's perspectives, the legal issues, the rating methodologies, the choice of an appropriate trigger and the risk modeling, the particular challenges related to longevity securitization, the investor's perspective and the question of the management of a portfolio of ILS, the general issues related to insurance-linked securitization, such as accounting and tax issues, regulatory issues and solvency capital requirements. The book is accompanied by a website www.wiley.com/go/albertini_barrieu_ILS which will feature updates and additions to the various contributions to follow market developments.

Read more less

3D surface representation has long been a source of information describing surface character and facilitating an understanding of system dynamics from micro-scale (e.g. sand transport) to macro-scale (e.g. drainage channel network evolution). Data collection has been achieved through field mapping techniques and the use of remotely sensed data. Advances in this latter field have been considerable in recent years with new rapid-acquisition methods being developed centered around laser based technology. The advent of airborne and field based laser scanning instruments has allowed researchers to collect high density accurate data sets and these are revealing a wealth of new information and generating important new ideas concerning terrain characterisation and landform dynamics. The proposed book collates a series of invited peer revieved papers presented at the a conference on geoinformatics and LIDAR to be held at the National Centre for Geocomputation based in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Current constraints in field survey and DEM construction are reviewed together with technical and applied issues around the new technology. The utility of the data in process modelling is also covered. The book will be of great value to researchers in the field of geomorphology, geostatistics, remote sensing and GIS and will prove extremely useful to students and practitioners concerned with terrain analysis. The proposed work will: Highlight major technological breakthrough in 3D data collection. Feature examples of application across a wide range of environmental areas. Critically evaluate the role of laser based techniques in the environment. Detail theory and application of laser techniques in the natural environment.

Read more less

Feel great and perform at your best in the boardroom, weight room, bedroom, and beyond with this indispensable health and wellness guide: Your New Prime debunks current thinking about men's health and shows how every man can continue to operate at his peak at any age. Getting older may be inevitable, but in Your New Prime, serial entrepreneur and men's health expert Craig Cooper shows men that they don't have to accept the "natural" aging process. Based on the latest scientific research and Cooper's personal experience warding off diabetes, preventing cancer, and naturally increasing his own testosterone, Your New Prime is a comprehensive guide to the questions every man has as he ages. Tailored specifically for the "New Primers," men forty years old and up, the book covers a wide range of vital topics-from improving sexual health and the impact of decreasing testosterone to proper nutrition, preventing memory loss, surviving the "mid-life crisis," and achieving peak physical fitness. Your New Prime provides an indispensable 30-day program designed to help you lose weight, boost energy, and transform eating habits. Divided into easy-to-navigate sections, the book also contains essential information about how to influence "epigenetic" traits and reverse the effects of aging, while quizzes, audits, charts, tables, and callouts help readers determine and address their specific personal needs. Practical, honest, and vitally informative, Your New Prime details a lifelong strategy for maximum health-and will help any man perform his best, no matter what his age.

Read more less

Resort by the state to measures of exclusion and expulsion from the territory of the UK and/or from British citizenship have multiplied over the past decade, following the so-called ‘War on Terror’, increased globalisation, and the growing politicisation of national policies concerning immigration and citizenship. This book, which focuses on the law and practice governing deportation, removal and exclusion from the UK, the denial of British citizenship, and deprivation of that citizenship, represents the first attempt by practitioners to provide a cohesive assessment of UK law and practice in these areas. The undertaking is a vital one because, whilst these areas of law and practice have long existed as the hard edge of immigration and nationality laws, in recent years the use of some powers in this area has greatly increased and such powers have arguably expanded beyond secondary existence as mere mechanisms of enforcement. The body of law, practice and policy created by this process is one which justifies treatment as a primary concern for public lawyers. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the law in these areas and its background. This involves a consideration of interlocking international and regional rights instruments, EU law and the domestic regime. It is a clear and comprehensive everyday guide for practitioners and offers an invaluable insight into likely developments in this dynamic area of public law. ‘...deserves to be on the bookshelves of all those who seek to practise within this carefully defined area of immigration and nationality law.’ From the Foreword by Lord Hope of Craighead KT

Read more less

The Economics of Experiences, the Arts and Entertainment serves as a welcome and unique introduction to various economic aspects of the production and consumption of art and entertainment products. The book begins with analyses and discussion of neoclassical production and utility functions, with a focus on art and entertainment as instances of experience goods or services. The authors then go on to present alternative Austrian and institutional approaches which focus on the role of creative entrepreneurs in the market process. Aesthetic and psychological theories are also discussed with a focus on their impact on producers' and consumers' decisions, as well as historical examples of creative centres, such as Renaissance Florence and Post World War II New York.One important conclusion reached in the book is that there is no economically meaningful way to distinguish art from entertainment, if such a distinction is to be based on the inherent qualities of products. Instead, an analysis of the activities of interest groups, politicians and other gatekeepers to the world of the arts serves to illuminate how a designation as art serves to abolish market prices and suppress competition, in contrast to the much less distorted market for entertainment products.David and Ake E. Andersson's path-breaking book will appeal to scholars and researchers at all levels of academe involved in economics, public sector economics and those with a special interest in art and/or entertainment. Public and private sector managers, planners and administrators in various art and entertainment industries will also find much to engage them within this book.

Read more less

Today, developers are increasingly adopting Clojure as a web-development platform. See for yourself what makes Clojure so desirable, as you create a series of web apps of growing complexity, exploring the full process of web development using a modern functional language. This fully updated third edition reveals the changes in the rapidly evolving Clojure ecosystem and provides a practical, complete walkthrough of the Clojure web-stack. Stop developing web apps with yesterday's tools. Today, developers are increasingly adopting Clojure as a web-development platform. See for yourself what makes Clojure so desirable, as you work hands-on with Clojure and build a series of web apps of increasing size and scope, culminating in a professional grade web app using all the techniques you've learned along the way. This fully updated third edition will get you up to speed on the changes in the rapidly evolving Clojure ecosystem - the many new libraries, tools, and best practices. Build a fully featured SPA app with re-frame, a popular front-end framework for ClojureScript supporting a functional style MVC approach for managing the UI state in Single-Page Application-style applications. Gain expertise in the popular Ring/Compojure stack using the Luminus framework. Learn how Clojure works with databases and speeds development of RESTful services. See why ClojureScript is rapidly becoming a popular front-end platform, and use ClojureScript with the popular re-frame library to build single-page applications. Whether you're already familiar with Clojure or completely new to the language, you'll be able to write web applications with Clojure at a professional level.

Read more less

Tracks the genesis and evolution of Twain's reputation as a writer, revealing how and why the writer has been "under fire" since the advent of his career. Threatened by a rival editor brandishing a double-barreled shotgun, young Samuel Clemens had his first taste of literary criticism. Clemens began his long writing career penning satirical articles for his brother's newspaper in Hannibal, Missouri. His humor delighted everyone except his targets, and it would not be the last time his writing provoked threats of "dissection, tomahawking, libel, and getting his head shot off." Clemens adopted the name Mark Twain while living in the Nevada Territory, where his caustic comedy led to angry confrontations, a challenge to a duel, and a subsequent flight. Nursing his wounded ego in California, Twain vowed to develop a reputation that would"stand fire" and in the process became the classic American writer. Mark Twain under Fire tracks the genesis and evolution of Twain's reputation as a writer: his reception as a humorist, his "return fire" on genteel critics, and the development of academic criticism. As a history of Twain criticism, the book draws on English and foreign-language scholarship. Fulton discusses the forces and ideas that have influenced criticism, revealinghow and why Mark Twain has been "under fire" from the advent of his career to the present day, when his masterpiece Huckleberry Finn remains one of America's most frequently banned books. Joe B. Fulton is Professor of English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has published four previous books on Mark Twain.

Read more less

An illustrated, essential guide to engaging children and youth in the process of urban design From a history of children’s rights to case studies discussing international initiatives that aim to create child-friendly cities, Placemaking with Children and Youth offers comprehensive guidance in how to engage children and youth in the planning and design of local environments. It explains the importance of children’s active participation in their societies and presents ways to bring all generations together to plan cities with a high quality of life for people of all ages. Not only does it delineate best practices in establishing programs and partnerships, it also provides principles for working ethically with children, youth, and families, paying particular attention to the inclusion of marginalized populations. Drawing on case studies from around the world—in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States—Placemaking with Children and Youth showcases children’s global participation in community design and illustrates how a variety of methods can be combined in initiatives to achieve meaningful change. The book features more than 200 visuals and detailed, thoughtful guidelines for facilitating a multiplicity of participatory processes that include drawing, photography, interviews, surveys, discussion groups, role playing, mapping, murals, model making, city tours, and much more. Whether seeking information on individual methods and project planning, interpreting and analyzing results, or establishing and evaluating a sustained program, readers can find practical ideas and inspiration from six continents to connect learning to the realities of students’ lives and to create better cities for all ages.

Read more less

A revisionist account of African masquerade carnivals in transnational context that offers readers a unique perspective on the connecting threads between African cultural trends and African American cultural artifacts In recent decades, there has been an explosion of scholarly interest in African-styled traditions and the influence of these traditions upon the African diaspora. In this important new analysis, author Raphael Njoku explores the transnational connections between masquerade narratives and memory over the past four centuries to show how enslaved Africans became culture carriers of inherited African traditions. In doing so, he questions the scholarly predisposition toward ethnicization of African cultural artifacts in the Americas. As Njoku's research shows, the practices reenacted by the Igbo and Bight of Biafra modelers in the Americas were not exact replicas of the African prototypes. Cultural modeling is dynamic, and the inheritors of West African traditions often adapted their customs to their circumstances--altering and transforming the meaning and purpose of the customs they initially represented. With the Bantu migrations serving as a catalyst for ethnic mixing and change prior to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, African-themed cultural activities in the New World became dilutions of practices from several ethnic African and European nations. African cultures were already experiencing changes through Bantuization; in this well-researched and engagingly written scholarly work, the author explores the extension of this process beyond the African continent. This book is openly available in digital formats thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Read more less

The principles of lean manufacturing – increasing efficiency, reducing waste, lowering costs and improving control – may be applied to any industry. However, the food industry is unique, and creates unique demands. The political, social and economic importance of food is unrivalled by any other form of produce, as is the scrutiny to which the manufacture of food is subjected. For the food industry, lean manufacturing is not simply a cost-saving strategy, but is directly linked to issues of sustainability, the environment, ethics and public accountability. Handbook of Lean Manufacturing in the Food Industry is a major new source of information and ideas for those working in food manufacturing. Offering a fresh and modern perspective on best practice, it points the way to fewer breakdowns, reduced quality faults, improved teamwork and increased profits. With a focus on operations management and new process development, the book is accessible and easy to read, and is complemented by a wealth of practical examples drawn from industry. The author’s conversational style and questioning approach will be invaluable to food manufacturers who are seeking solutions to fundamental issues. The book is directed at those who are working in food manufacturing or the wider food industry, particularly factory operations managers and training teams who are looking for resources to help with lean manufacturing implementations. Others in the supply chain, from producers to retailers, will also find it invaluable. The book is a clear and timely introduction for students and lecturers in food science and technology who want to access the reality of lean manufacturing as well as the theory.

Read more less

In lucid narrative prose, Sean Kicummah Teuton studies the stirring literature of “Red Power,” an era of Native American organizing that began in 1969 and expanded into the 1970s. Teuton challenges the claim that Red Power thinking relied on romantic longings for a pure Indigenous past and culture. He shows instead that the movement engaged historical memory and oral tradition to produce more enabling knowledge of American Indian lives and possibilities. Looking to the era’s moments and literature, he develops an alternative, “tribal realist” critical perspective to allow for more nuanced analyses of Native writing. In this approach, “knowledge” is not the unattainable product of disinterested observation. Rather it is the achievement of communally mediated, self-reflexive work openly engaged with the world, and as such it is revisable. For this tribal realist position, Teuton enlarges the concepts of Indigenous identity and tribal experience as intertwined sources of insight into a shared world.While engaging a wide spectrum of Native American writing, Teuton focuses on three of the most canonized and, he contends, most misread novels of the era—N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn (1968), James Welch’s Winter in the Blood (1974), and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony (1977). Through his readings, he demonstrates the utility of tribal realism as an interpretive framework to explain social transformations in Indian Country during the Red Power era and today. Such transformations, Teuton maintains, were forged through a process of political awakening that grew from Indians’ rethought experience with tribal lands and oral traditions, the body and imprisonment, in literature and in life.

Read more less

When confronted with a persistent foreign policy problem that threatens U.S. interests, and that cannot be adequately addressed through economic or political pressure, American policymakers and opinion formers have increasingly resorted to recommending the use of limited military force: that is, enough force to attempt to resolve the problem while minimizing U.S. military deaths, local civilian casualties, and collateral damage. These recommendations have ranged from the bizarre—such as a Predator missile strike to kill Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, or the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez—to the unwise—the preemptive bombing of North Korean ballistic missile sites—to the demonstrably practical—air raids into Bosnia and Somalia, and drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan. However, even though they have been a regular feature of America's uses of military force through four successive administrations, the efficacy of these "Discrete Military Operations" (DMOs) remains largely unanalyzed, leaving unanswered the important question of whether or not they have succeeded in achieving their intended military and political objectives. In response, Micah Zenko examines the thirty-six DMOs undertaken by the US over the past 20 years, in order to discern why they were used, if they achieved their objectives, and what determined their success or failure. In the process, he both evaluates U.S. policy choices and recommends ways in which limited military force can be better used in the future. The insights and recommendations made by Zenko will be increasingly relevant to making decisions and predictions about the development of American grand strategy and future military policy.

Read more less

The catastrophic economic, social and political crisis of our time calls for a new and original critique of political economy - a rethinking of Marx's project in the very different conditions of twenty-first century capitalism. Stiegler argues that today the proletarian must be reconceptualized as the economic agent whose knowledge and memory are confiscated by machines. This new sense of the term ‘proletarian' is best understood by reference to Plato's critique of exteriorized memory. By bringing together Plato and Marx, Stiegler can show how a generalized proletarianization now encompasses not only the muscular system, as Marx saw it, but also the nervous system of the so-called creative workers in the information industries. The proletarians of the former are deprived of their practical know-how, whereas the latter are shorn of their theoretical practice, and both suffer from a confiscation of the very possibility of a genuine art of living. But the mechanisms at work in this new and accentuated form of proletarianization are the very mechanisms that may spur a reversal of the process. Such a reversal would imply a crucial distinction between one's life work, originating in otium (leisure devoted to the techniques of the self), and the job, consisting in a negotium (the negotiation and calculation, increasingly restricted to short-term expectations), leading to the necessity of a new conception of economic value. This short text offers an excellent introduction to Stiegler's work while at the same time representing a political call to arms in the face of a deepening economic and social crisis.

Read more less

Gene Therapy Technologies, Applications and Regulations From Laboratory to Clinic Edited by Anthony Meager Division of Immunobiology, The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, UK The development of gene-based technologies has been rapid over the past decade and has consequently resulted in a surge of interest in human gene therapy, the deliberate transfer of genes to somatic cells to cure or alleviate disease symptoms. Hundreds of clinical protocols involving variously designed vectors for efficient gene transfer have been developed. However, the use of such complex 'gene medicines' containing potentially heritable genes has raised numerous concerns regarding quality, efficacy and safety. Encompassing recent developments in the field and addressing current concerns this book: * surveys many of the current technologies for preparing vectors for use in gene therapy protocols * reviews the application of gene-mediated therapies to a range of medical conditions * considers the regulatory aspects of gene therapy including product quality and safety requirements * appraises the transfer of technologies from laboratory to clinic with regard to the attendant requirements and facilities for: * good laboratory practice (GLP) conditions in the R&D laboratory * large-scale production methods and good manufacturing practice (GMP) * current in-process and final product testing Written by international experts knowledgeable about many aspects of human somatic gene therapy, this book will be an essential guide for those embarking on gene therapy technologies relevant to specifications of production and testing of products (and procedures) required to meet existing regulations, including quality, efficacy and safety considerations.

Read more less

There are many different analytical techniques used to identify and quantify a wide range of substances in complex matrices such as the atmosphere, factory air, water, plants, soils, foods and industrial and pharmaceutical products. It is therefore of critical importance for researchers in many fields in both industry and academia to be familiar with the most suitable methods for their own applications, and to know how to get the best results when using these methods. Analytical Chemistry of Complex Matrices systematically discusses the key elements of the analytical process, from definition of the problem through sampling and separation, to calculation of the analytical result and ultimately the solution to the problem. Subsequent chapters are arranged by analyte type (such as inorganic, organometallic and organic analytes) rather than by analytical technique, and present selected analytical problems involving a broad range of analytes and matrices. A wide range of techniques is covered, from classical techniques such as gravimetry and titrimetry to state-of-the-art instrumental techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Worked calculations are included throughout and careful attention is paid to the underlying chemistry of each analytical method. Analytical Chemistry of Complex Matrices will be of great interest to all research students and practising scientists whose work involves qualitative and quantitative analyses of complex matrices. Its highly practical approach, combined with the broad range of analytes, matrices and techniques considered, will make it an invaluable source of information to all such workers in both industry and academia.

Read more less

Forms, checklists, and step-by-step instructions for choosing and implementing an ESOP Financial officers need to know how to compare an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) with other comparable plans and how to effectively present an ESOP proposal to corporate executives. ESOP Workbook: The Ultimate Instrument in Succession Planning is designed to help the corporate owner, financial officer, CPA, and attorney determine if an ESOP is appropriate for meeting a company's objectives and, if so, how to successfully implement a suitable ESOP. The Workbook's step-by-step use of forms and checklists shows the financial officer how to judge the feasibility of installing an ESOP versus other qualified or nonqualified plans or approaches. Divided into three sections-- Decision Stage, Valuation and Financing Stage, and Transaction Stage-- the Workbook answers such questions as: * How to decide upon your objectives * How to value your company * How to determine the feasibility of an ESOP * How to obtain financing * What to do about your present plan * How to invest the proceeds * How to do the accounting * How to communicate the ESOP to employees Once a suitable plan is chosen, the Workbook then guides readers through the entire implementation process. The Workbook also contains useful information for financial advisors and life insurance agents who need to know about ESOPs for their business. Valuable as a supplement to ESOP: The Ultimate Instrument in Succession Planning or as an independent resource, the ESOP Workbook is a one-stop practical guide for CPAs, attorneys, CFOs, and owners of private and public companies.

Read more less

A step-by-step, integrated approach for successful, FDA-approved combination drug products Using a proven integrated approach to combination drug development, this book guides you step by step through all the preclinical, clinical, and manufacturing stages. Written from an FDA regulatory perspective, the book not only enables you to bring a successful combination drug product to market, it also sets forth the most efficient and effective path to FDA approval. The book begins with an introductory chapter presenting definitions and basic regulatory principles of combination products. Next, it reviews manufacturing and controls, preclinical testing models, pharmacology, clinical testing, regulatory submissions, FDA reviews, and approvals. Among the key topics examined are: * The pharmacology, safety pharmacology, and toxicology supporting human clinical trials of combination products * Approaches to clinical trial protocol design and execution * Chemical, physicochemical, and analytical aspects of manufacturing controls and validation that lead to stable components for combination products * Key sponsor/FDA meetings and negotiations essential for approval and commercialization Case studies involving such actual combination products as Mylotarg, Herceptin, and HercepTest help you better understand how to implement the author's practical guidelines. References at the end of each chapter enable you to find more information on any stage of the development, manufacturing and approval processes. This book is ideal for researchers, regulators, academics, project managers, and executives involved in the complex process of combination product development. Not only does itoffer a comprehensive guide to the technical aspects of the field, it also integrates all ofthese technical aspects into a unified, effective approach to help ensure a successful, approved product.

Read more less

Sustainability has come to the fore in the cosmetics and personal care industry. Rising ethical consumerism and the need for resource efficiency are making cosmetic companies – small, independent firms to global giants – take steps towards sustainable development. Sustainability: How the Cosmetics Industry is Greening Up discusses the growing importance of sustainability in the cosmetics industry, highlighting the various ways organisations can address the economic, environmental and social aspects. How can the cosmetics industry make a difference in terms of ingredients, formulations, packaging, CSR, operations, and green marketing? Topics covered include: Environmental and social impacts of cosmetic products Ethical sourcing and biodiversity Renewable energy and waste management Green formulations and ingredients Green marketing issues and consumer behaviour Green standards, certification schemes and indices in the cosmetics industry Industry experts share their experiences on how they are tackling the challenges of sustainability: from raw material procurements, manufacturing, business processes, to distribution and marketing to consumers. The book concludes with some future growth projections; what are some of the shortcomings in sustainability in the cosmetics industry and what can we expect to see in the future? Sustainability: How the Cosmetics Industry is Greening Up discusses business and technical issues in all areas of sustainable product development, from sourcing ingredients, to formulation, manufacture and packaging. Covering a diverse range of subjects, this book appeals to professionals in many key sectors of the cosmetics and personal care industry; cosmetic chemists, formulation scientists, R&D directors, policy makers, business and marketing executives. It is also of relevance to academic researchers working in cosmetic chemistry and sustainable process development.

Read more less

Transforming Nursing Practice is a series tailor made for pre-registration student nurses. Each book in the series is: · Affordable · Mapped to the NMC Standards and Essential Skills Clusters · Full of active learning features · Focused on applying theory to practice ‘A fantastic little book for helping nursing students and qualified nurses to understand what a successful portfolio should look like.’ Dr Gabrielle Thorpe, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia This book is a simple, quick and easy to use guide to building a professional portfolio for nursing students. Students are required by the NMC to keep an ongoing record of achievement, to demonstrate their competence at each stage of their programme. The portfolio is an essential part of the assessment of practice to demonstrate nursing competence. This book gives a step-by-step and practical explanation of how to compile a professional portfolio to succeed in these assessments. It can be used throughout nursing programmes and into your nursing career as a tool to help with interviews, appraisals and the NMC revalidation process. Key features - Excerpts from other students′ portfolios show what makes a good portfolio - Step-by step activities guide you through building your own portfolio - Linked to the latest NMC Standards and ESCs for pre-registration nursing education About the Author Suzanne Reed is an experienced General Manager with many years working at strategic and operational levels in the NHS and Independent Sector. She is currently a freelance writer and a voluntary carer in the community.

Read more less

The rights and responsibilities of the individual are at the centre of today's armed conflicts in a way that they have never been before. This process of 'individualization', which challenges the primacy of the sovereign state, is driven by normative developments related to human rights that have elevated human-centric conceptions of security and created a new class of international crimes, as well as by technological and strategic developments that can both empower individuals as military actors and enable either the targeting or protection of particular individuals. The Individualization of War examines the status of individuals in contemporary armed conflict in three main capacities: as subject to violence but deserving of protection; as liable to harm because of their responsibility for attacks on others; and as agents who can be held accountable for the perpetration of crimes. This book presents a novel conceptualization of the phenomenon of individualization, including how it is both practiced and contested. It then convenes a set of leading thinkers from the fields of moral philosophy, international law, and international relations to further our understanding of not only how individualization is manifest in armed conflict - in theory and in practice - but also how it generates tensions and challenges for today's scholars and practitioners. The collective research on which the book is based integrates the currently segregated scholarship on individualization in different academic disciplines, thereby illuminating the important links between law, morality, and politics that constitute the day-to-day reality for national militaries, international organizations, and humanitarian actors

Read more less

Michel Chion is well known in contemporary film studies for his innovative investigations into aspects of cinema that scholars have traditionally overlooked. Following his work on sound in film in Audio-Vision and Film, a Sound Art, Words on Screen is Chion's survey of everything the seventh art gives us to read on screen. He analyzes titles, credits, and intertitles, but also less obvious forms of writing that appear on screen, from the tear-stained letter in a character's hand to reversed writing seen in mirrors. Through this examination, Chion delves into the multitude of roles that words on screen play: how they can generate narrative, be torn up or consumed but still remain in the viewer's consciousness, take on symbolic dimensions, and bear every possible relation to cinematic space. With his characteristic originality, Chion performs a poetic inventory of the possibilities of written text in the film image. Taking examples from hundreds of films spanning years and genres, from the silents to the present, he probes the ways that words on screen are used and their implications for film analysis and theory. In the process, he opens up and unearths the specific poetry of visual text in film. Exhaustively researched and illustrated with hundreds of examples, Words on Screen is a stunning demonstration of a creative scholar's ability to achieve a radically new understanding of cinema.

Read more less

Rollerball, the Canadian-born director and producer Norman Jewison’s 1975 vision of a future dominated by anonymous corporations and their executive elite, in which all individual effort and aggressive emotions are subsumed into a horrifically violent global sport, remains critically overlooked. What little has been written deals mainly with its place within the renaissance of Anglo-American science fiction cinema in the 1970s, or focuses on the elaborately shot, still visceral to watch, game sequences, so realistic they briefly gave rise to speculation Rollerball may become an actual sport.Drawing on numerous sources, including little examined documents in the archive of the film’s screenwriter William Harrison, Andrew Nette examines the many dimensions of Rollerball’s making and reception: the way it simultaneously exhibits the aesthetics and narrative tropes of mainstream action and art-house cinema; the elaborate and painstaking process of world creation undertaken by Jewison and Harrison; and the cultural forces and debates that influenced them, including the increasing corporate power and growing violence in Western society in late 1960s and early 1970s. Nette shows how a film that was derided by many critics for its violence works as a sophisticated and disturbing portrayal of a dystopian future that anticipates numerous contemporary concerns, including "fake news" and declining literary and historical memory. The book includes an interview with Jewison on Rollerball’s influences, making, and reception.

Read more less

For nearly ten years - indeed more if we include his period of influence under Mandela's presidency - Thabo Mbeki bestrode South Africa's political stage. Despite attempts by some in the new ANC leadership to airbrush out his role, there can be little doubt that Mbeki was a seminal figure in South Africa's new democracy, one who left a huge mark in many fields, perhaps most controversially in state and party management, economic policy, public health intervention, foreign affairs and race relations. If we wish to understand the character and fate of post-1994 South Africa, we must therefore ask: What kind of political system, economy and society has the former President bequeathed to the government of Jacob Zuma and to the citizens of South Africa generally? This Question is addressed head-on here by a diverse range of analysts, commentators and participants in the political process. Amongst the specific questions they seek to answer: What is Mbeki's legacy for patterns of inclusion and exclusion based on race, class and gender? How, if at all, did his presidency reshape relations within the state, between the state and the ruling party and between the state and society? How did he reposition South Africa on the continent and in the world? This book will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand the current political landscape in South Africa, and Mbeki's role in shaping it.

Read more less

Since the Conservative government's reform of the law and policy relating to accommodation for Travelling People (Gypsies and Travellers) in 1992, there have been no changes to the legislation, despite a major review of housing law and policy commenced by the current Labour government in 2000. A primary motive given for the 1992 legal reforms was financial: that the cost to the public purse of providing sites for Travelling People was unjustifiably high. Yet no study was ever done into the costs of not providing sites. In addition to exploration of the financial costs experienced by local authorities in the UK, both as landowners and as providers of public services, the book also examines the financial, human and social costs suffered by private landowners, police services and Travelling People themselves. The book places these costs in context both by exploring the process of change to law and policy in this field in 1992, and the issues now raised by the 'Best Value' regime and other new obligations placed on public bodies by human rights and race relations laws. The book will be invaluable reading for practitioners and policy makers in housing, planning, equality issues, education, welfare and policing at local and national levels. It will also be of interest to social policy and social work academics and students, and to Travelling People themselves.

Read more less

How have the main institutions and decision-making processes of the EU responded to the arrival of new member states? This book assesses the actual state of the EU institutions in the years after the 2004 enlargement, examining each of the main institutional actors as well as trends in legislative output, implementing measures and non-legislative approaches. The contributors outline the key changes as well as patterns of continuity in the institutional politics of the EU.The analysis finds that breakdown has been avoided by a combination of assimilation of the new member states and adaptation of the system, without any fundamental transformation of the institutions. Nonetheless, they conclude that it is not just 'business as usual'. The streamlining and formalization of procedures, together with increased informal practices, has implications for transparency and accountability. Widening has not prevented deepening of European integration, but it has deepened normative concerns about the democratic legitimacy of that process which will remain very much on the agenda of the enlarged EU.This nuanced approach to the complexities of studying institutional politics and change contains important new and original data. As such it will be invaluable for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of EU politics and administrative science, as well as researchers, practitioners and journalists working in the fields of European studies more widely.

Read more less

Edition and translation of Anglo-Saxon text, shedding light on Sunday observance and other issues. Few issues have had as far-reaching consequences as the development of the Christian holy day, Sunday. Every seven days, from the early middle ages, the Christian world has engaged in some kind of change in behaviour, ranging fromparticipation in a simple worship service to the cessation of every activity which could conceivably be construed as work. An important text associated with this process is the so-called Sunday Letter, fabricated as a letter from Christ which dropped out of heaven. In spite of its obviously spurious nature, it was widely read and copied, and translated into nearly every vernacular language. In particular, several, apparently independent, translations were made into Old English. Here, the six surviving Old English copies of the Sunday Letter are edited together for the first time. The Old English texts are accompanied by facing translations, with commentary and glossary, while the introduction examines the development of Sunday observance in the early middle ages and sets the texts in their historical, legal and theological contexts. The many Latin versions of the Sunday Letter arealso delineated, including a newly discovered and edited source for two of the Old English texts. DOROTHY HAINES gained her PhD from the University of Toronto, where she is currently an instructor of Old English.

Read more less

Tourism microentrepreneurship is defined as the process of launching a new, or adding value to an existing, enterprise with no more than five employees, providing tourism experiences, food, lodging or transportation, with the aim to support the owner’s livelihood and desired lifestyle. Volume 12 of Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice provides an overview of emerging scholarship and best practices on the development and integration of tourism microentrepreneurship in destination stewardship. Tourists have been breaking out of staged tourism enclaves for many decades, but only recently have information technologies empowered: a) tourists with information about destinations and supply, and b) entrepreneurial hosts with marketplaces. Tourism microentrepreneurs’ business activity is often informal and fluid, therefore, they have only recently become a visible and increasingly influential stakeholder group. As a result, they are not yet well studied, and practitioners struggle to support and integrate them into destination stewardship. Nevertheless, emerging evidence suggests that fuelling tourism microentrepreneurship and its integration in destination systems can generate added benefits to the host populations while making the destination more competitive and unique. Conversely, there is evidence that when left unbridled, tourism microentrepreneurship can erode the local character of neighborhoods and hurt the image of an entire destination. Tourism Microentrepreneurship shares scholarship and best practices to educate practitioners and to encourage more research on the development of microentrepreneurship and its impact on destination communities.

Read more less

Asia is at a geopolitical crossroads. After China launched its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Japan and the United States responded with the November 2017 promulgation of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy. Perhaps not surprisingly, these two initiatives share some common features, and two of these - their ambiguity and their competitiveness - seem to be crucial in the foreign policy evaluation process. Competition leads to ambiguity, which makes reactions, and responses in foreign policy more and more difficult. Middle-Power Responses to China’s BRI and America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy addresses that gap. Starting from the insight that neither the BRI nor the FOIP exists in isolation, and drawing on the knowledge that when either China or the United States sneezes, it is often the less powerful geopolitical players that catch the worst colds, the chapters gathered herein examine how the US-China geopolitical competition affects nations as diverse as Taiwan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the member states of ASEAN. These insights are provided by an international, multidisciplinary group of leading experts that include military flag officers, academic researchers, current and former government officials, and retired diplomats, all of whom contribute to a well-rounded, multifaceted view of the transformation that is currently taking place in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific.

Read more less

Across an ever-changing political landscape, and in the midst of Brexit developments, this edited collection draws our attention to women's participation in transformative democratic processes, and captures how UK women were made 'other' in the political environment created by Brexit. Chronicling the work of diverse feminist activists connected to women’s equality organisations, grassroots networks and migrant communities who between them strove to further intersectional equality, and ensure women’s voices were heard across the UK during the Brexit campaign, the first section of this book highlights the impact of populist discourses on subjective identities and their place in public and political life. Through reflective conversation, autobiographical writing and poetic pieces, the authors transform their experiences of being 'othered', showcasing instead a new found community and collective agency across intersections of identity. In the second section, researchers and activists analyse how the socio-economic, political and legal changes unleashed by Brexit are undermining women's equality in the UK. Considering how to defend feminist concerns when facing populist political leadership, the authors make the case for constitutional reform which will enable direct female participation in the democratic process. Looking ahead to the post Brexit landscape, and the unknowable future let loose by Covid-19, the contributors offer us a glimpse of the world they are striving to create.

Read more less

This comprehensive and accessible textbook introduces the basic concepts of transport policy and decision-making to students of transport policy, transport planning, urban transport, transport evaluation and public policy.It presents the foundations and rationale of transport policy, incorporating a review of the policy formulation process and models of decision-making appropriate to public sector policy-makers. Topics covered include:- The basics of transport planning and traffic theory deemed necessary to understand policy implications of issues including congestion, safety and parking.- Potential solutions to problems such as road user charges, travel demand management, voluntary travel behavior change, transport system management and public transport investment.- Prescriptions for technological change.- Discussion of the need for an integrated land transport policy along with a case study to illustrate how this might be developed for a typical metropolitan area.Contents: 1. Introduction 2. History of Transport with Policy Implications 3. Policy Needs and Policy Processes 4. Economic and Sustainability Foundations 5. Traffic Theory and Transport Planning Foundations 6. Social Exclusion 7. Tackling the Externalities - Environment 8. Tackling the Externalities - Health and Safety 9. Tackling the Externalities - Congestion 10. Tackling the Externalities - Fuels and Technology 11. Agglomeration and Other Wider Economic Benefits 12. Road User Charges 13. Potential Solutions - Public Transport Investment and Technology 14. Potential Solutions - TSM, TDM, VTBC, etc 15. Goods Movement 16. An Integrated Land Use/Transport Policy

Read more less

Systemic Functional Linguistics is unique among linguistic theories in treating the concept of system as the central organising principle of language (and also of other semiotic systems, including context), most theories being focussed on syntagmatic structure. This book introduces the notion of system as the foundation of the systemic functional architecture of language, relating the general notion of system in systems thinking (holistic approaches) to the principle that language is organised as a system of systems (the polysystemic principle) and, by another step, to the technical sense of system in SFL as the basic category of paradigmatic patterning – i.e. the organisation of language as a resource for making meaning. The concept of system is then used to explore the emergence of complexity in language (within different semogenetic timeframes), to show how it is manifested in the organisation of all subsystems of language (the fractal principle), to illustrate the system at work in the development of language descriptions and in the process of text analysis, to reveal the power of the system in different areas of application, e.g. in computational modelling, in educational analysis and curriculum development, in multilingual and multimodal studies. Finally, challenges are identified e.g. in the relationship between the paradigmatic axis and the syntagmatic one, in the representation of logical iteration and interpersonal continua; and current and new opportunities are suggested.

Read more less

Nautilus Award Silver Medal Winner, Ecology & Environment In search of a new story for our place on earth Being Salmon, Being Human examines Western culture’s tragic alienation from nature by focusing on the relationship between people and salmon—weaving together key narratives about the Norwegian salmon industry as well as wild salmon in indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Mueller uses this lens to articulate a comprehensive critique of human exceptionalism, directly challenging the four-hundred-year-old notion that other animals are nothing but complicated machines without rich inner lives and that Earth is a passive backdrop to human experience. Being fully human, he argues, means experiencing the intersection of our horizon of understanding with that of other animals. Salmon are the test case for this. Mueller experiments, in evocative narrative passages, with imagining the world as a salmon might see it, and considering how this enriches our understanding of humanity in the process. Being Salmon, Being Human is both a philosophical and a narrative work, rewarding readers with insightful interpretations of major philosophers—Descartes, Heidegger, Abram, and many more—and reflections on the human–Earth relationship. It stands alongside Abram’s Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal, as well as Andreas Weber’s The Biology of Wonder and Matter and Desire—heralding a new “Copernican revolution” in the fields of biology, ecology, and philosophy.

Read more less

Good Judgment, based upon the author's experience as a lawyer, law professor, and judge, explores the role of the judge and the art of judging. Engaging with the American, English, and Commonwealth literature on the role of the judge in the common law tradition, Good Judgment addresses the following questions: What exactly do judges do? What is properly within their role and what falls outside? How do judges approach their decision-making task? In an attempt to explain and reconcile two fundamental features of judging, namely judicial choice and judicial discipline, this book explores the nature and extent of judicial choice in the common law legal tradition and the structural features of that tradition that control and constrain that element of choice. As Sharpe explains, the law does not always provide clear answers, and judges are often left with difficult choices to make, but the power of judicial choice is disciplined and constrained and judges are not free to decide cases according to their own personal sense of justice. Although Good Judgment is accessibly written to appeal to the non-specialist reader with an interest in the judicial process, it also tackles fundamental issues about the nature of law and the role of the judge and will be of particular interest to lawyers, judges, law students, and legal academics.

Read more less

**Finalist, PROSE Award in Clinical Medicine** A rich examination of the history of trans medicine and current day practice Surfacing in the mid-twentieth century, yet shrouded in social stigma, transgender medicine is now a rapidly growing medical field. In Trans Medicine, stef shuster makes an important intervention in how we understand the development of this field and how it is being used to “treat” gender identity today. Drawing on interviews with medical providers as well as ethnographic and archival research, shuster examines how health professionals approach patients who seek gender-affirming care. From genital reconstructions to hormone injections, the practice of trans medicine charts new medical ground, compelling medical professionals to plan treatments without widescale clinical trials to back them up. Relying on cultural norms and gut instincts to inform their treatment plans, shuster shows how medical providers’ lack of clinical experience and scientific research undermines their ability to interact with patients, craft treatment plans, and make medical decisions. This situation defies how providers are trained to work with patients and creates uncertainty. As providers navigate the developing knowledge surrounding the medical care of trans folk, Trans Medicine offers a rare opportunity to understand how providers make decisions while facing challenges to their expertise and, in the process, have acquired authority not only over clinical outcomes, but over gender itself.

Read more less