The world of Gaia is in turmoil. Humans, goblins, and dwarves try to live their lives as best they can under the rule of the sovereigns—the strange and powerful race whose empire stretches to all corners of the known world—but order and stability seem to be fading. The quality of life has lessened, the strength and control of the Sovereign Empire has weakened, and a large movement of rebels, though many would call them terrorists, known as the Lost Seekers, are causing waves throughout the lands. Nowhere are these changes felt more than the Isles, a small human province of islands, where sixteen-year-old Carver lives with his family and best friend, Helena, in the remote village of Verrel. During a routine trip to the provincial capital of Caswen, Carver and Helena suddenly find themselves in the middle of a violent conflict between the powers of the world, and soon after find themselves being hunted for reasons they do not understand. Now pulled into events they never dreamed of experiencing, Carver and Helena, along with some close companions, are forced to fight for their lives during a journey of hardships. Monstrous beasts, hostile factions, and even nature itself plague their quest to find safety and seek answers, and nothing is gained without a struggle. However, their continued survival may be out of their control as the powers of the world vie for dominance against one another . . . by any means necessary.
Film moves audiences like no other medium; both documentaries and feature films are especially remarkable for their ability to influence viewers. Best-selling author James Brady remarked that he joined the Marines to fight in Korea after seeing a John Wayne film, demonstrating how a motion picture can change the course of a human life—in this case, launching the career of a major historian and novelist. In Why We Fought: America's Wars in Film and History, editors Peter C. Rollins and John E. O'Connor explore the complexities of war films, describing the ways in which such productions interpret history and illuminate American values, politics, and culture. This comprehensive volume covers representations of war in film from the American Revolution in the 18th century to today's global War on Terror. The contributors examine iconic battle films such as The Big Parade (1925), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), From Here to Eternity (1953), and Platoon (1986), considering them as historical artifacts. The authors explain how film shapes our cultural understanding of military conflicts, analyzing how war is depicted on television programs, through news media outlets, and in fictional and factual texts. With several essays examining the events of September 11, 2001, and their aftermath, the book has a timely relevance concerning the country's current military conflicts. Jeff Chown examines controversial documentary films about the Iraq War, while Stacy Takacs considers Jessica Lynch and American gender issues in a post-9/11 world, and James Kendrick explores the political messages and aesthetic implications of United 93. From filmmakers who reshaped our understanding of the history of the Alamo, to Ken Burns's popular series on the Civil War, to the uses of film and media in understanding the Vietnam conflict, Why We Fought offers a balanced outlook— one of the book's editors was a combat officer in the United States Marines, the other an antiwar activist—on the conflicts that have become touchstones of American history. As Air Force veteran and film scholar Robert Fyne notes in the foreword, American war films mirror a nation's past and offer tangible evidence of the ways millions of Americans have become devoted, as was General MacArthur, to "Duty, honor, and country." Why We Fought chronicles how, for more than half a century, war films have shaped our nation's consciousness.
Praise for the Previous Novels of Varley O’Connor “Thoroughly researched and lively.” —Vogue “Elegantly wrought, hardheaded, and tenderhearted.” —Michael Chabon “Honesty and compassion inform every page, and there are passages so musical and full of grace they read like hymns. Reading groups should rejoice.” —Sigrid Nunez “[O’Connor] captures the dangerous intersection between private life and the forces of history . . . and gives the reader that rare pleasure of inhabiting another family life that feels at once entirely familiar and new.” —Susan Richards Shreve Twelve-year-old Sarah Jacob was the most famous of the Victorian fasting girls, who claimed to miraculously survive without food, serving as flashpoints between struggling religious, scientific, and political factions. In this novel based on Sarah’s life and premature death from what may be the first documented case of anorexia, an American journalist, recovering from her husband’s death in the Civil War, leaves her home and children behind to travel to Wales, where she investigates Sarah’s bizarre case by becoming the young girl’s friend and confidante. Unable to prevent the girl’s tragic decline while doctors, nurses, and a local priest keep watch, she documents the curious family dynamic, the trial that convicted Sarah’s parents, and an era’s hysterical need to both believe and destroy Sarah’s seemingly miraculous power. Intense, dark, and utterly compelling, The Welsh Fasting Girl delves into the complexities of a true story to understand how a culture’s anxieties led to the murder of a child. Varley O’Connor is the author of five novels, including The Welsh Fasting Girl, The Master’s Muse, and The Cure. She lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Exercise Psychology, Second Edition, addresses the psychological and biological consequences of exercise and physical activity and their subsequent effects on mood and mental health. Like the first edition, the text includes the latest scholarship by leading experts in the field of exercise adoption and adherence. This edition also incorporates research on lifestyle physical activity to reflect this growing area of study over recent years. In contrast to other exercise psychology textbooks grounded in social psychology, Exercise Psychology, Second Edition, presents a psychobiolocal approach that examines the inner workings of the body and their effects on behavior. From this unique perspective, readers will learn the biological foundations of exercise psychology within the broader contexts of cognitive, social, and environmental influences. By exploring the biological mechanisms associated with individuals’ behavior, Exercise Psychology, Second Edition, challenges students and researchers to critically examine less-explored methods for positive behavior change. To reflect the continued growth of information in exercise psychology since the first edition was published, the second edition of Exercise Psychology offers the following new features: • Three new chapters on exercise and cognitive function, energy and fatigue, and pain • Thoroughly revised chapters on the correlates of exercise, neuroscience, stress, depression, and sleep • An image bank featuring figures and tables from the text that can be used for course discussion and presentation Authors Buckworth and Dishman, along with newly added authors O'Connor and Tomporowski, bring subject area expertise to the book and provide an in-depth examination of the relationships between exercise and psychological constructs. The findings on both classic and cutting-edge topics are clearly and cohesively presented with the help of relevant quotes, sidebars, suggested readings, and a glossary to guide students through their studies. Exercise Psychology, Second Edition, provides an in-depth examination of the psychological antecedents and consequences of physical activity, helping readers understand the mental health benefits of exercise as well as the factors involved in exercise adoption and adherence. Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of Exercise Psychology balances the biological foundations of the brain and behavior with theory and knowledge derived from behavioristic, cognitive, and social approaches.
Volume 3 of the official history of Australian peacekeeping, humanitarian and post-cold war operations explores Australia's involvement in six overseas missions following the end of the Gulf War: Cambodia (1991–99); Western Sahara (1991–94); the former Yugoslavia (1992–2004); Iraq (1991); Maritime Interception Force operations (1991–99); and the contribution to the inspection of weapons of mass destruction facilities in Iraq (1991–99). These missions reflected the increasing complexity of peacekeeping, as it overlapped with enforcement of sanctions, weapons inspections, humanitarian aid, election monitoring and peace enforcement. Granted full access to all relevant Australian Government records, David Horner and John Connor provide readers with a comprehensive and authoritative account of Australia's peacekeeping operations in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Sinisteria Begins describes in detail the slow development, over the course of several years, of a large and complex sculptural installation located on the grounds of the Charles E. Burchfield Nature and Art Center in West Seneca, New York. Comprised of hundreds of dead, painted tree branches, the work covers and engulfs a hollow, fourteen-foot-tall metal sculpture. This unique and inviting artificial environment exists in harmony with its natural surroundings, while at the same time referencing invasive species, emotional trauma and even string theory.
Las Vegas in 1960 was a gas, according to Frank Sinatra. Even the visitor knew something deliciously sinister was not only constantly lurking in Las Vegas' dark underbelly, but some nefarious deed could be taking place at that very moment. Tales of Old Las Vegas describes some of the mystery and excitement the town held for visitor and native alike. Some of the characters are famous people you may have heard of. Others are the little known but colorful people of the streets of Las Vegas who enjoyed the good life in their own way. The Las Vegas atmosphere in the 50s and 60s was particularly heady and magical. It was the era of the Rat Pack and Ocean's Eleven. Dean Martin was dealing "21" at the Sands for fun and driving the pit bosses crazy. Frank Sinatra was getting into fist fights with hotel managers and driving his dentist crazy. Those were the days when $5 for the show room captain could get you a seat close to the stage for almost any show, except Frank and Dean's show. A $500 bill couldn't buy a seat at those performances. Those who lived in the city were smug in the knowledge that it was an insider's playground, a familiar turf that was fun to know and move around in. Tales of Old Las Vegas brings us into the lives of the adventurers who lived in that magical era. It shows how they were affected by a free rolling city and the violent people who made and enforced the rules. .
Applied Theatre: Research is the first book to consolidate thinking about applied theatre as research through a thorough investigation of ATAR as a research methodology. It will be an indispensable resource for teachers and researchers in the area. The first section of the book details the history of the relationship between applied theatre and research, especially in the area of evaluation and impact assessment, and offering an examination of the literature surrounding applied theatre and research. The book then explores how applied theatre as research (ATAR) works as a democratic and pro-social adjunct to community based research and explains its complex relationship to arts informed inquiry, Indigenous research methods and other research epistemologies. The book provides a rationale for this approach focusing on its capacity for reciprocity within communities. The second part of the book provides a series of international case studies of effective practice which detail some of the key approaches in the method and based on work conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the South Pacific. The case studies provide a range of cultural contexts for the playing out of various forms of ATAR, and a concluding chapter considers the tensions and the possibilities inherent in ATAR. This is a groundbreaking book for all researchers who are working with communities who require a method that moves beyond current research practice.
The London Underground Electric Train tells the story of the development of electric traction on the London Underground system. It combines technical knowledge, historical context and practical experiences, and covers the history of underground lines since the opening of the first deep-level underground rail system in the world in 1890: the City & South London Railway. The evolution of train design, including power, lighting, heating and design of the Underground cars is also covered along with the development of operational, engineering and safety devices on trains. Highly illustrated with period and new photography and technical diagrams, this book is a reference work for electric traction and underground rail enthusiasts.
OSCEs for Intensive Care Medicine is a comprehensive revision resource for doctors preparing to take the Fellowship of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FFICM) and the European Diploma in Intensive Care Medicine (EDIC). Written by a team of practicing intensive care consultants with extensive experience running a successful FFCIM course, this book features over 100 practice questions organised into eight mock OSCE exams and is mapped to both the FFCIM and CoBaTrICE curricula. Reflecting the real exams, they are divided into stations on professionalism, data, resuscitation, and equipment, each of which are accompanied by further reading to ensure high-quality self-assessment. With hints and tips throughout to help candidates avoid common mistakes and misconceptions, this book is essential reading for any doctor preparing for the FFCIM or EDIC OSCE exams.
B's magical adventures will cast a S-P-E-L-L on middle-grade readers in this funny, fast-paced series!B's favorite band, the Black Cats, is coming to town, and B and her best friend George have tickets to the show! Meanwhile, the two friends meet a mysterious new girl at school. Trina is shy and secretive ... could she be a witch, just like B? And maybe even ... a S-T-A-R?
This election update edition of the number one book in American government continues to provide the most current and engaging introduction available for the course without chapters dedicated to policy. Written with the belief that knowledge of the development of American government is integral to fully understand our current political system, American Government: Continuity and Change offers a strong historical perspective that highlights the evolution of government and engages students with examples relevant to their lives today.
Winner of the National Book Award The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime--Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find. O'Connor published her first story, "The Geranium," in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, "Judgement Day"--sent to her publisher shortly before her death—is a brilliantly rewritten and transfigured version of "The Geranium." Taken together, these stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century. Also included is an introduction by O'Connor's longtime editor and friend, Robert Giroux.
Irish saga literature represents the largest collection of vernacular narrative in existence from the early Middle Ages, using the tools of Christian literacy to retell myths and legends about the pagan past. This unique corpus remains marginal to standard histories of Western literature: its tales are widely read, but their literary artistry remains a puzzle to many even within Celtic studies. This book, the first to offer a systematic literary analysis of any single native Irish tale, aims to show how one particularly celebrated saga 'works' as a story: the Middle Irish tale Togail Bruidne Da Derga (The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel), which James Carney called 'the finest saga of the early period'. This epic tale tells how the legendary king Conaire was raised by a shadowy Otherworld to the kingship of Tara and, after a fatal error of judgement, was hounded by spectres to an untimely death at Da Derga's Hostel at the hands of his own foster-brothers. By turns lyrical and laconic, and rich in native mythological imagery, the story is told with a dramatic intensity worthy of Greek tragedy, and the intricate symmetry of its narrative procedure recalls the visual patterning of illuminated manuscripts such as The Book of Kells. This book invites the reader to enjoy and understand this literary masterpiece, explaining its narrative artistry within its native, classical and biblical literary contexts. Against a historical backdrop of shifting ideologies of Christian kingship, it interprets the saga's possible significance for contemporary audiences as a questioning exploration of the challenges and paradoxes of kingship.
Includes detailed listings of all major Shakespeare plays on stage and screen, this book covers performances in North America since 1991. It uniquely explores each plays' performance history, as well as including reviews and useful information about staging. An engaging reference guide for academics and students alike.
Irish single pot still whiskey has a romantic mystique for many whiskey critics because of its tragic history as the ‘lost sister’ of single malt scotch. Ireland’s history and politics resulted in the near-annihilation of the national drink and there’s an almost eerie beauty to the ‘silent’ distilleries that still dot the Irish countryside. These distilleries inform the aesthetic of the title and, indeed, there is visual poetry in the barrels, pot stills and photogenic amber spirits that convey the Irish whiskey world. Although Irish whiskey is currently the fastest-growing global spirits category and Irish ‘pure pot still’ has long been a favourite drink among whiskey critics and connoisseurs, the existing literature is still surprisingly sparse. This book illustrates the production, history, and appreciation of Irish pot still whiskey and will introduce casual drinkers to the richness of these whiskeys as well as being a collectors’ item for established whiskey connoisseurs.
Fiscal Crisis of the State refers to the tendency of government expenditures to outpace revenues in the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but its relevance to other countries of the period and also in today's global economy is evident. When government expenditure constitutes a larger and larger share of total economy theorists who ignore the impact of the state budget do so at their own (and capitalism's) peril. This volume examines how changes in tax rates and tax structure used to regulate private economic activity. O'Connor theorizes that particular expenditures and programs and the budget as a whole can be understood only in terms of power relationships within the private economy. O'Connor's analysis includes an anatomy of American state capitalism, political power and budgetary control in the United States, social capital expenditures, social expenses of production, financing the budget, and the scope and limits of reform. He shows that the simultaneous growth of monopoly power and the state itself generate an increasingly severe social crisis. State monopolies indirectly determine the state budget by generating needs that the state must satisfy. The state administration organizes production as a result of a series of political decisions. Over time, there is a tendency for what O'Connor calls the social expenses of production to rise, and the state is increasingly compelled to socialize these expenses. The state has three ways to finance increased budgetary outlays: create state enterprises that produce social expenditures; issue debt and borrowing against further tax revenues; raise tax rates and introduce new taxes. None of these mechanisms are satisfactory. Neither the development of state enterprise nor the growth of state debt liberates the state from fiscal concerns. Similarly, tax finance is a form of economic exploitation and thus a problem for class analysis. O'Connor contends that the fiscal crisis of the capitalist state is the inev
Eleven-year-old Sibby Henry liked her old life. Now she's living in a new town with her nan and pops, and is mad at her dad for messing everything up. On her first day of school, she sees a dope skateboard park. But she can’t use it because her precious board is gone forever. To make things worse, Freddie, a super skater and a super jerk, dominates the park. Sibby tries to stay cool, but when Freddie gets in the face of Sibby’s friend Charlie Parker Drysdale, things get too hot for chill. Never one to back down, Sibby accepts when Freddie challenges her to a skateboarding competition. She won’t let anything stop her from proving herself.
Progressive-era "poverty warriors" cast poverty in America as a problem of unemployment, low wages, labor exploitation, and political disfranchisement. In the 1990s, policy specialists made "dependency" the issue and crafted incentives to get people off welfare. Poverty Knowledge gives the first comprehensive historical account of the thinking behind these very different views of "the poverty problem," in a century-spanning inquiry into the politics, institutions, ideologies, and social science that shaped poverty research and policy. Alice O'Connor chronicles a transformation in the study of poverty, from a reform-minded inquiry into the political economy of industrial capitalism to a detached, highly technical analysis of the demographic and behavioral characteristics of the poor. Along the way, she uncovers the origins of several controversial concepts, including the "culture of poverty" and the "underclass." She shows how such notions emerged not only from trends within the social sciences, but from the central preoccupations of twentieth-century American liberalism: economic growth, the Cold War against communism, the changing fortunes of the welfare state, and the enduring racial divide. The book details important changes in the politics and organization as well as the substance of poverty knowledge. Tracing the genesis of a still-thriving poverty research industry from its roots in the War on Poverty, it demonstrates how research agendas were subsequently influenced by an emerging obsession with welfare reform. Over the course of the twentieth century, O'Connor shows, the study of poverty became more about altering individual behavior and less about addressing structural inequality. The consequences of this steady narrowing of focus came to the fore in the 1990s, when the nation's leading poverty experts helped to end "welfare as we know it." O'Connor shows just how far they had traveled from their field's original aims.
This is a story of a young black boy with an unmistakable Irish surname, who takes you on a journey of the first half of his life, living and growing up in a totally white middle-class neighbourhood. When he starts school, he finds he is still the only black face; this doesn't change throughout all of his school years. The story passes from early years to teenage years, and into young adult life. The story begins with his earliest childhood memory as a three-year-old. Then it goes on to describe why his dad is his first hero, for whom this book was written. Still in short trousers, he goes on a trip overseas and talks of the place his parents call 'home', a thousand miles away from the place where he was born in Dulwich, London, England. The black boy is determined to have fun. He is preoccupied, like any other boy approaching teenage years, with music, cars, and girls. This is all that is important and his priority. That same boy is now reaching manhood, he is still having fun, but has strengthened those teenage priorities of music, cars, and girls. He is a young man, working for a living now and paying his own way. His philosophy has not changed: more music, faster cars, and older women.
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