(re-printed in November 2007 with an impressive Names and Subjects index) The author's personal website ,which is devoted entirely to his book, is accesible at: www.theinformationstory.com. "A topical review of the book, by SIX OF ONE (the prisoner appreciation society), is given under Preview. Other reviews of the book as well as more background to the book, may be reached at the author's blog: aphilosophyofinformation.wordpress.com. A Philosophy of Information by Bernard Smith tells us how Information Technology (IT) is changing our lives and may be our species. It warns us of many of its dangers which we ignore at our peril. The book should be of interest to everyone using IT .Indeed because, for human beings, information is exactly the same thing as memory; the book should also be of interest to everyone concerned with human mind and memory. Our memory is the start of our consciousness and is at the heart of our existence. Like computer memory; our memory may be held in many places; not only in the brain where it is processed but in the body and beyond. The right and proper uses of our memory are examined, as are sometimes less laudable connections like dreaming. Minor aberrations of the mind such as compulsion and eccentricity are also considered, as is serious mental illness. Human memory is shown to be an important part of meditation, as well as a basis for Faith and similar disciplines. The role of memory in manifestations of the paranormal and in the “appearance” of ghosts is also examined. The effects of IT on global warming are discussed and are identified possibly as great a danger to the environment as are the world’s vast emissions of carbon.
Having served as a member of the Allied Forces' Occupation of Japan, Bernard Smith has produced a book about the time he spent in Japan in 1946 in the city of Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, both of which cities are located on the east coast of Japan alongside its beautiful Inland Sea. Except for his rather mystifying visit to Tokyo in the summer of 1946, his entire book is based almost entirely on his personal diary, and notes which he wrote while aboard his homeward bound ship at the end of his tour of duty at the end of that year, crucially when the events he describes were still very fresh in his mind. He writes about the utter devastation and despair under which people were living after the horrors of Hiroshima, about the Japanese peoples' response to the Allied Occupation, and the resilience and fortitude with which they faced up to their troubles. As opposed to formal and official documents, Bernard Smith writes about human suffering and the harsh conditions under which people were living. He tells us of his meetings with families, with whom he found relaxation from the gloom and with whom he became very friendly. He also describes how the people faithfully continued to follow their traditional Japanese customs and culture, the observance of which he believes sustained them and helped them begin their ultimate recovery.
What is Inflection? On a prosaic level, Inflection is the new student-run journal of architecture and the built environment from the Melbourne School of Design and published by AADR – Art Architecture Design Research. Inflection is a themed journal, to be published annually and features work from students, academics and practitioners. Crucially, Inflection is also a physical object – an artefact to be touched, handled and read in depth. At a time when our engagement with architectural ideas is increasingly digital and transient, Inflection offers a different, slower form of discourse and in doing so, hopes to facilitate and engage in conversations about the built environment both locally and internationally. In this issue, the word 'inflection' serves as our point of departure. The authors featured here enter into conversations on edge conditions, ambiguous boundaries and the role and nature of transitions. Individually, the pieces collected here stand as insightful variations on a theme. Taken together, they form something much richer: a constellation of ideas to be parsed, discussed, compared and expanded upon. INFLECTION is a space to gather and share ideas. INFLECTION is a home for provocative thought. INFLECTION asserts the value of the printed word. INFLECTION values the discursive voice of students, academics and professionals. Like all journals, all change starts somewhere. INFLECTION starts here: we leave the change to you. Features: Bernard Cache John Wardle Architects + NADAAA Peter Malatt of 6° Architects Alex Selenitsch RCR Architects
This title was first published in 2000: The relative performance of health authorities and general practitioners as commissioners of health care services is a crucial question in the current health care policy debate, but hitherto a poorly researched area. This work addresses that topic, and represents a systematic direct comparison of GPs and health authorities as purchasers of health care services. In doing this it centres upon two of the chief controversies about the NHS internal market: the equality of hospital waiting times for fund-holding patients, and the fairness of the budgets received by fund-holding practices for commissioning effective surgery. In discussing the policy implications of the research, the book then addresses what lessons should be learned from the internal market about equity and efficiency in the service now that the present Labour Government is reforming the NHS with the introduction of Primary Care Groups and Primary Care Trusts
Having served as a member of the Allied Forces Occupation of Japan, Bernard Smith has produced a book about the time he spent in Japan in 1946 in the city of Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, both of which cities are located on the east coast of Japan alongside its beautiful Inland Sea. Except for his rather mystifying visit to Tokyo in the summer of 1946, his entire book is based almost entirely on his personal diary, and notes which he wrote while aboard his homeward bound ship at the end of his tour of duty at the end of that year, crucially when the events he describes were still very fresh in his mind. He writes about the utter devastation and despair under which people were living after the horrors of Hiroshima, about the Japanese peoples response to the Allied Occupation, and the resilience and fortitude with which they faced up to their troubles. As opposed to formal and official documents, Bernard Smith writes about human suffering and the harsh conditions under which people were living. He tells us of his meetings with families, with whom he found relaxation from the gloom and with whom he became very friendly. He also describes how the people faithfully continued to follow their traditional Japanese customs and culture, the observance of which he believes sustained them and helped them begin their ultimate recovery.
Be a better researcher when studying drug abuse among minorities! Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Minority Populations: Advances and Issues brings you the voices of drug abuse researchers who discuss the most important concerns about conducting research in drug-taking minority populations. In this strategy-based book, you’ll find yourself beneficially involved in a discussion of many of the central methodological advances facing researchers today, specifically in the target area of minority communities and their drug-using societies. Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Minority Populations presents crucial recommendations and strategies that will lead you toward unprecedented effectiveness and efficiency when researching this subsection of the world’s drug users. In addition, find new ways to involve community members in the research process, and you’ll come to more fully understand the impact of cultural values, attitudes, and norms in the drug-taking patterns of minority persons. With this book, you will learn more about: the importance of advisory boards, gatekeepers, and indigenous workers in this type of research the crucial role of incentives in recruiting and retaining minority persons in drug abuse studies focus groups as tools to minimize selection bias of minority subjects how cultural values may affect research strategies how research teams can facilitate the collection of data within minority communities Researchers, college educators, and substance abuse practitioners will find that Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Minority Populations improves their efforts to produce more viable data in a much shorter time span.
As well as presenting a lively narrative of events, Bernard Porter explores a number of broad analytical themes, challenging more conventional and popular interpretations. He sees imperialism as a symptom not of Britain's strength in the world, but of her decline; and he argues that the empire itself both aggravated and obscured deep-seated malaise in the British economy.
In this description and analysis of the organization of the revolutionary movement in New York, Bernard Mason focuses upon the intricate political alignments which the cause of independence created. He finds that the revolutionaries, contrary to the long-standing thesis, formed a decisive majority, although their effectiveness was hampered by vacillation and by a protracted struggle for leadership. Despite the timidity of the Whig leaders, the polemicists gave vent to their militancy and public attitudes tended to lead rather than follow those of the politicians. Moreover, independence was only half of the great question. Intertwined with it was the nature of the state government itself. Mr. Mason clarifies the confusion and obscurity which surrounded the creation of the first state constitution, pointing out the many alternatives which were widely discussed. Mason rejects Becker's thesis of class conflict as being a significant factor in New York, although it did have a muted and diffused role in shaping the structure of the revolutionary organization. The very nature of the strife with the parent nation did, however, open the doors of power to the middle class farmers, who were learning political self-reliance and independence.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.