From the author of Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive is a visionary study of the mysterious downfall of past civilizations. Now in a revised edition with a new afterword, Jared Diamond's Collapse uncovers the secret behind why some societies flourish, while others founder - and what this means for our future. What happened to the people who made the forlorn long-abandoned statues of Easter Island? What happened to the architects of the crumbling Maya pyramids? Will we go the same way, our skyscrapers one day standing derelict and overgrown like the temples at Angkor Wat? Bringing together new evidence from a startling range of sources and piecing together the myriad influences, from climate to culture, that make societies self-destruct, Jared Diamond's Collapse also shows how - unlike our ancestors - we can benefit from our knowledge of the past and learn to be survivors. 'A grand sweep from a master storyteller of the human race' - Daily Mail 'Riveting, superb, terrifying' - Observer 'Gripping ... the book fulfils its huge ambition, and Diamond is the only man who could have written it' - Economis 'This book shines like all Diamond's work' - Sunday Times
When Abraham Lincoln addressed the crowd at the new national cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, he intended his speech to be his most eloquent statement on the inextricable link between equality and democracy. However, unwilling to commit to equality at that time, the nation stood ill-prepared to accept the full message of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. In the ensuing century, groups wishing to advance a particular position hijacked Lincoln’s words for their own ends, highlighting the specific parts of the speech that echoed their stance while ignoring the rest. Only as the nation slowly moved toward equality did those invoking Lincoln’s speech come closer to recovering his true purpose. In this incisive work, Jared Peatman seeks to understand Lincoln’s intentions at Gettysburg and how his words were received, invoked, and interpreted over time, providing a timely and insightful analysis of one of America’s most legendary orations. After reviewing the events leading up to November 19, 1863, Peatman examines immediate responses to the ceremony in New York, Gettysburg itself, Confederate Richmond, and London, showing how parochial concerns and political affiliations shaped initial coverage of the day and led to the censoring of Lincoln’s words in some locales. He then traces how, over time, proponents of certain ideals invoked the particular parts of the address that suited their message, from reunification early in the twentieth century to American democracy and patriotism during the world wars and, finally, to Lincoln’s full intended message of equality during the Civil War centennial commemorations and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Peatman also explores foreign invocations of the Gettysburg Address and its influence on both the Chinese constitution of 1912 and the current French constitution. An epilogue highlights recent and even current applications of the Gettysburg Address and hints at ways the speech might be used in the future. By tracing the evolution of Lincoln’s brief words at a cemetery dedication into a revered document essential to American national identity, this revealing work provides fresh insight into the enduring legacy of Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address on American history and culture.
It was November 1806. The explorers had gone without food for one day, then two. Their leader, not yet thirty, drove on, determined to ascend the great mountain. Waist deep in snow, he reluctantly turned back. But Zebulon Pike had not been defeated. His name remained on the unclimbed peak-and new adventures lay ahead of him and his republic. In Citizen Explorer, historian Jared Orsi provides the first modern biography of this soldier and explorer, who rivaled contemporaries Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Born in 1779, Pike joined the army and served in frontier posts in the Ohio River valley before embarking on a series of astonishing expeditions. He sought the headwaters of the Mississippi and later the sources of the Arkansas and Red Rivers, which led him to Pike's Peak and capture by Spanish forces. Along the way, he met Aaron Burr and General James Wilkinson; Auguste and Pierre Couteau, patriarchs of St. Louis's most powerful fur-trading family, who sought to make themselves indispensible to Jefferson's administration; as well as British fur-traders, Native Americans, and officers of the Spanish empire, all of whom resisted the expansion of the United States. Through Pike's life, Orsi examines how American nationalism thinned as it stretched west, from the Jeffersonian idealism on the Atlantic to a practical, materialist sensibility on the frontier. Surveying and gathering data, Pike sought to incorporate these distant territories into the republic, to overlay the west with the American map grid; yet he became increasingly dependent for survival on people who had no attachment to the nation he served. He eventually died in that service, in a victorious battle in the War of 1812. Written from an environmental perspective, rich in cultural and political context, Citizen Explorer is a state-of-the-art biography of a remarkable man.
Book Review: 5 Stars Courageous... We have an erroneous vision of what an addict looks like. The person sitting next to you in church could be an addict. It could be your doctor, lawyer, postal worker, or the little old lady that lives next door. Incomprehensible Demoralization drew me in and held me captive. Jared Combs describes the life of an addict and pharmacist. His marriage was deteriorating, but the pills were more important. Through the Lord, his Church, the support of his family and AA, he has become a recovering addict. Combs seizes every opportunity to help others. Share his witness. Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com
Art Deco—the term conjures up jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels, glassware by Laique, furniture by Ruhlmann—is best exemplified in the work shown at the exhibition that gave the style its name: the Exposition Internationale des Art Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925. The exquisite craftsmanship and artistry of the objects displayed spoke to a sophisticated modernity yet were rooted in past traditions. Although it quickly spread to other countries, Art Deco found its most coherent expression in France, where a rich cultural heritage was embraced as the impetus for creating something new. the style drew on inspirations as diverse as fashion, avant-garde trends in the fine arts—such as Cubism and Fauvism—and a taste for the exotic, all of which converged in exceptionally luxurious and innovative objects. While the practice of Art Deco ended with the Second World War, interest in it has not only endured to the present day but has grown steadily. Based on the Metropolitan Museum's renowned collection French Art Deco presents more than eighty masterpieces by forty-two designers. Examples include Süe et Mare's furniture from the 1925 Exposition; Dufy's Cubist-inspired textiles; Dunand's lacquered bedroom suite; Dupas's monumental glass wall panels from the SS Normandie; and Fouquet's spectacular dress ornament in the shape of a Chinese mask. Jared Goss's engaging text includes a discussion of each object together with a biography of the designer who created it and is enlivened by generous quotations from writings of the period. The extensive introduction provides historical context and explores the origins and aesthetic of Art Deco. With its rich text and sumptuous photographs, this is not only one of the rare books on French Art Deco in English, but an object d'art in its own right.
This work is a linguistic description of an obsolescent dialect of Neo-Aramaic. The dialect was originally spoken by Jews residing in the village of Amәdya (a.k.a Amadiya) in modern-day northern Iraq. No native speakers of this dialect remain in situ. They, along with the other Jewish communities of the Kurdish region, had all left by 1951. The majority went to Israel, where their numbers have dwindled. The dialect has not been passed on to the next generation, whose native tongue is Modern Israeli Hebrew. There remain but a handful of competent native speakers, whose speech has often been corrupted to varying degrees by exposure to Hebrew and other closely-related Neo-Aramaic dialects.
Did you know that there are more than 175 kinds of chickens? A female chicken can lay more than 300 eggs in a year. Learn more about these fascinating farm animals in Chickens, a Farm Animals book. This is an AV2 media enhanced book. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. This book comes alive with video, audio, weblinks, slide shows, activities, hands-on experiments, and much more.
For nearly half a century Jared Carter has been quietly mapping the American heartland. Line by line, his poetry has shown us the landscape, sounded the voices, conjured the music, and tested the silence of the ever-changing and yet ever-constant Midwest that figures so prominently in the American story. And yet what we find in Carter’s poetry is endlessly new. Here, in poems selected from his first five books, is the summer-long buzz of the cicada and the crack of the cue ball, the young rebel on his big Harley, and the YMCA secretary who backstrokes her way across the indoor pool. Here, too, are thirty new poems in fixed form that illustrate Carter’s continued quest for a poetry of “universal interest.” Taken together, these selections are, truly, poetry in the American grain.
Americans spend $34 billion dollars annually on alternative medical therapies and products. Not only are we seeking out natural remedies for ourselves—increasingly, we're also looking for ways to cut down on the amount of medication given to our children. In 100 Natural Remedies for Your Child, pediatric naturopath Dr. Jared Skowron shows parents how to prevent and treat their children's illnesses, from common ailments such as upset stomach, headaches, and minor infections to more serious problems like food allergies, diabetes, and asthma. While there is a time and place for conventional medicine, natural solutions, especially diet can be effective strategies for treating many of our children's' ailments. 100 Natural Remedies for Your Child includes: • FOODS THAT HEAL: Dietary change is the core lifestyle modification in naturopathic medical practice. Dr. Skowron shows parents the power of nutrition and reveals how foods can help prevent and treat disease. • TOXIC DETOX: From pesticides to plastics, natural medicine offers safe and proven methods for removing environmental toxins from our children's bodies. • SUPPLEMENTATION: Parents will learn which supplements are helpful for alleviating symptoms or preventing illness and what dosages are safe and effective. • ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES: Instead of heading to the drugstore for an over-the-counter remedy when their child is ill, parents will learn how to use homeopathic remedies that save money and heal their child naturally.
This book addresses the need for maturational growth in undergraduate and entry-level graduate students as a foundation for professional and civic development. It presents an engaged learning curriculum for higher education, Know Your Self, which strengthens psychological resilience and interpersonal community-building skills through person-centered growth in five dimensions of self: bio-behavioral, cognitive-sociocultural, social-emotional, existential-spiritual, and resilient worldview formation. This growth promotes well-being and a positive campus culture, preparing students to build cultures of health, social justice, and peace in the social systems where they will work and live. This project emerged from Kass’ professional work in humanistic psychology with Dr. Carl Rogers. Case studies and statistical data illustrate the formation of health-promoting, pro-social behaviors, culturally-inclusive community building, and secure existential attachment. This book will help faculty and student life professionals address the urgent need in young adults for person-centered psychospiritual maturation.
We walked down the steps of the church into the cold December air laughing. Then, I suddenly saw a boy of about fourteen in a cap running past the church, shouting, "The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor! The Japs bombed Pearl Harbor!" For a moment in time, Dad and Mom froze, and my hair stood on end. I didn't even know where Pearl Harbor was located. I only knew it must be somewhere in the United States. The story of my own family has intrigued me ever since I was a little boy. For years, I have sat and listened to my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, besides many aunts, uncles, and other relatives, to hear bits and pieces of our story. Life is made up of stories. It is how we understand the world around us. We need to understand our own lives and choices in light of a historical context. We need to have the ability to identify where we align with and don't align with values and ways of life from the past. In so doing, our lives will feel more grounded. People today talk about how they feel a disconnect between themselves in the twenty-first century and the untouchable past. But the past really holds a lot of the key to the future. The right, proven ways from the past are ours for the taking if we would but take the time to learn about them. And that is what this book is all about. Yes, it will take time to complete. But I don't want it to seem like a homework assignment. Enjoy! Think about it as a stepping stone to your own historical discoveries! May Music Comes in Springtime inspire you as you continue this "odyssey" called life.
A collection of short stories spanning the best of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Included within are tales such as Price of Survival where a monarch is forced to bargain with the darkness in order to save his people, Last Contact wherein the lead ship of a colonization effort discovers the planet they selected is already inhabited, and Vengeance, Inc. whose management specializes in helping the recently departed obtain revenge on those who killed them.
The Life of Jesus Like You've Never Imagined Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" It's a question that still needs an answer today. With deft, insightful, and humorous strokes, award-winning biographer Jared Brock weaves archaeology, philosophy, history, and theology to create a portrait of Jesus we've never seen before. This is a groundbreaking biography about the historical Jesus we don't usually think about: The child refugee. The "carpenter" who most likely worked with stone. The adult who walked at least 21,525 miles in His lifetime and yet never tasted tomatoes or potatoes. The itinerant rabbi whose real name wasn't Jesus. The political revolutionary whose brutal murder was secretly masterminded by a power-hungry mafia family. More than a fascinating biography, A God Named Josh seeks to illuminate Jesus of Nazareth from new perspectives, grounded in history, that will surprise Christians and atheists alike. "The same wonderful story, the same incredible Savior, the same good news... but written with such clarity that everything you thought you knew about Jesus will seem new and exciting."--STEVE BROWN, founder of Key Life and author of Laughter and Lament "Prepare yourself: Jesus is about to become thrillingly, subversively, dangerously, gloriously interesting again."--MARK BUCHANAN, author of God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul
Advances in Sociology Research" presents original research results on the leading edge of sociology. Each chapter has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial advances across a broad spectrum. This volume focuses on ageing, abortion and leadership.
This work is a linguistic description of an obsolescent dialect of Neo-Aramaic. The dialect was originally spoken by Jews residing in the village of Am?dya (a.k.a Amadiya) in modern-day northern Iraq. Included are edited transcriptions and translations of a selection of texts recorded in the dialect on a variety of topics and in a variety of genres, including folk-tales and oral history.
Andrew Lang, critical writer and collector of fairy tales, had gathered one of the most impressive collections of stories into a series of twelve fairy books. With tales spanning many cultures and countries, Andrew Lang's Fairy Books exhibited some of the strangest yet most mesmerizing tales chronicled throughout the 19th century. This collection highlights some of the more obscure or lesser known fairy tales gathered by Andrew Lang. Once again feel the visceral and enchanting magic invoked by Cinderella or Hansel and Gretel with these stories that have only entered the fringes of the public eye. Together, these twenty-eight fairy tales selected from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books represent the rich and secret depths of the archetypical spirit forged by the oral tradition.
With a history now stretching back four decades, Pacific festivals of Aotearoa assert a multicultural identity of New Zealand and situate the country squarely within a sea of islands. In this volume, Jared Mackley-Crump gives a provocative look at the changing demographics and cultural landscape of a place frequently viewed through a bicultural lens, Pākehā and Māori. Taking the post–World War II migrations of Pacific peoples to New Zealand as its starting point, the story begins in 1972 with the inaugural Polynesian Festival, an event that was primarily designed as a Māori festival, now known as Te Matatini, the largest Māori performing arts event in the world. Two major moments of festivalization are considered: the birth of Polyfest in 1976 and the inaugural Pasifika Festival of 1993. Both began in Auckland, the home of the largest Pacific communities in New Zealand, and both have spawned a series of events that follow the models they successfully established. While Polyfests focus primarily on the transmission of performance traditions from culture bearers to the young, largely New Zealand–born generations, Pasifika festivals are highly public community events, in which diverse displays of material culture are offered up for consumption by both cultural tourists and Pacific communities alike. Both models have experienced a significant period of growth since 1993, and here, the author presents a thought-provoking and wide-ranging analysis to explain the phenomenon that has been called a “Pacific renaissance.” Written from an ethnomusicological perspective, The Pacific Festivals of Aotearoa New Zealand incorporates lively first-person observations as well as interviews with festival organizers, performers, and other important historical figures. The second half of the book delves into the festival space, uncovering new meanings about the function and role of music performance and public festivity. The author skillfully challenges accounts that label festivals as inauthentic recreations of culture for tourist audiences and gives both observers and participants an uplifting new approach to understand these events as meaningful and symbolic extensions of the ways diasporic Pacific communities operate in New Zealand.
A timely and fascinating exploration of the collapse of prehistoric Norse society in Greenland—excerpted from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jared Diamond’s Collapse This excerpt from the New York Times–bestselling book Collapse takes a timely and fascinating look at prehistoric Norse Greenland—the closest approximation of a controlled experiment in collapse in history. One island, two unique societies (Norse and Inuit). Only one of these societies would succeed—the other would fail. But how? With his trademark accessibility and comprehensiveness, Diamond documents how environmental damage, climate change, loss of friendly contacts and the rise of hostile ones, and the unique political, economic, and social settings of prehistoric Greenland combine to demonstrate exactly why and how societies choose to fail or succeed. Jared Diamond's latest book, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, is available from Viking.
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