The rapidly increasing human pressure on the biosphere is pushing biodiversity into the sixth mass extinction event in the history of life on Earth. The organisms being exterminated are integral working parts of our planet's life support system, and their loss is permanent. Like climate change, this irreversible loss has potentially devastating consequences for humanity. As we come to recognise the many ways in which we depend on nature, this can pave the way for a new ethic that acknowledges the importance of co-existence between humans and other species. Biological Extinction features chapters contributed by leading thinkers in diverse fields of knowledge and practice, including biology, economics, geology, archaeology, demography, architecture and intermediate technology. Drawing on examples from various socio-ecological systems, the book offers new perspectives on the urgent issue of biological extinction, proposing novel solutions to the problems that we face.
Against the backdrop of a threadbare post-war state and a global marine ecology in treacherous decline, Jennifer Diggins offers a dynamic account of post-war Sierra Leone, through the examination of a precarious frontier economy and those who depend on it. The book traces how understandings of intimacy, interdependence, and exploitation have been shaped through a history of indentured labour, violence, and gendered migration; and how these relationships are being renegotiated once more in a context of deepening economic uncertainty. At its core, this is about the material substance of human relationships. One can go a long way towards mapping the town's shifting networks of friendship, love, and obligation simply by watching the vast daily traffic in gifts of fish exchanging hands on the wharf. However, these mundane social and economic strategies are often inflected through a cultural dynamic of 'secrecy', and a shared sense of the unseen forces understood to inhabit the material worl
Supranational governance is being challenged by politicians and citizens around the EU as over-centralized and undemocratic. This book is premised on the idea that polycentric governance, developed by Vincent and Elinor Ostrom, is a fruitful place to start for addressing this challenge. Assessing the presence of, and potential for, polycentric governance within the EU means approaching established principles and practices from a new perspective. While the debate on these issues is rich, longstanding and interdisciplinary, it has proven difficult to sidestep the 'renationalisation/federalisation' dichotomy. The aim of this volume is not to reject the EU's institutional structure but provide a different benchmark for the assessment of its functioning. Polycentric theory highlights the importance of multilevel horizontal relationships within the EU - between states, but also between many sub-state actors, all the way down to individuals. This helps us answer the question: how do we achiev
Advanced information technology infrastructure is increasingly being employed in the Earth sciences to provide researchers with efficient access to massive central databases and to integrate diversely formatted information from a variety of sources. These geoinformatics initiatives enable manipulation, modeling and visualization of data in a consistent way, and are helping to develop integrated Earth models at various scales, and from the near surface to the deep interior. This book uses a series of case studies to demonstrate computer and database use across the geosciences. Chapters are thematically grouped into sections that cover data collection and management; modeling and community computational codes; visualization and data representation; knowledge management and data integration; and web services and scientific workflows. Geoinformatics is a fascinating and accessible introduction to this emerging field for readers across the solid Earth sciences and an invaluable reference fo
Be prepared for your future role in a service-oriented agency. This textbook provides practical guidance on program evaluation while avoiding replicating other course material. Drawing on over 40 years of subject knowledge, Allen Rubin describes outcome designs that are feasible for service-oriented agencies and that match the degree of certainty needed by key users of outcome evaluations. The utility and easy calculation of within-group effect sizes are outlined, which enhance the value of evaluations that lack control groups. Instructions are also given on how to write and disseminate an evaluation report in a way maximizes its chances of being used. Conducting focus group interviews and capitalising on the value of non-probabilitysamples will become second nature after following the effective and pragmatic advice mapped out chapter-by-chapter.
Copyright is territorial, but the same cannot be said of the internet, whose borderless nature has changed the way we consume copyright-protected material. Nevertheless, territorial segmentation of online content remains a reality in the 28 member states of the European Union. Licensing and access practices do not reflect this digital reality, in which end-users demand ubiquitous access to content. For this reason, the territorial nature of copyright and traditional business models based on national exploitation prevent the completion of the Digital Single Market. Sebastian Felix Schwemer provides a unique analysis of the dynamic licensing and access arrangements for audiovisual works and music and shows how they are being addressed by sector regulation and competition law in the Digital Single Market. His analysis, which includes case law of the Court of Justice, the Commission's competition proceedings, and various legislative tools, reveals the overlapping nature of legislative and
Dramatherapy is increasingly being used in schools and educational establishments as a way of supporting young people’s emotional needs. This book examines the space between drama education and Dramat
Less of an orientation and more a way of understanding the challenges of being human, existential therapy draws on rich and diverse philosophical traditions and ways of viewing the world. Traditionall
Improve your mental health by finding joy, gratitude and happiness in everyday things.We have so many good things in our lives and yet much of the time we fail to notice them. But taking the time to think about the small, everyday things that bring us joy and make us thankful can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing. What better way to boost your mood than to spend time listing all the good things around you? Where are the places that you feel most at peace? What music brings you joy? Who are the people who have made a positive difference in your life? What challenges have you overcome and helped grow your resilience?In this beautifully illustrated book, over 75 lists guide you on the path to a happier life, including quick lists to help create mindful moments throughout your day and action prompts to further your positivity journey. Choose a list at random or work through them one by one. Whenever you’re in need of a boost, you can come back and add new things or remind yourself
Fire at her fingertips. Watch the world burn.When Monroe Benson was born with the power to summon fire from her fingertips, her family knew she had to stay hidden. But when Queen Viera calls for the Culling, an age-old tradition in Erydia where the goddess-touched girls fight to the death in order to claim the crown, Monroe can no longer hide. She’s whisked away from her home, from her mother, from everything she’s ever known to fight to the death alongside nine other girls with various powers―for a throne she does not want.Duty is his destiny. There’s no way out.As the son of the queen and the next king, Cohen can’t question tradition. Not even when he’s being mysteriously poisoned. Not even when his sister goes missing and no one seems to care. The Culling makes his life’s choices for him―who will become his wife, who will rule by his side. And even when rebellion rises around him, Cohen can’t rise with it, even if he’s desperate to.Together they’ll stand. Together they’ll fall.But M
Your dog was a strong candidate, but this one didn't roll on a dead squirrel. Maybe next month. This 300 piece Apartment Puzzle by Brass Monkey features a vintage painting of a Golden Retriever being, well, the bestest ever. So why is it called an Apartment Puzzle? Good question. While you don't technically have to live in an apartment to complete it, it just happens to be the perfect size for a small table. It's kind of like the Tinder of the puzzling world...non-committal, but still pretty challenging.• 300 (small) piece rectangular puzzle.• Features a vintage Golden Retriever painting by someone way more talented than us.• Completed puzzle measures 12" wide by 15" tall.• Box measures 7.1" wide by 8.5" tall (and 1.5" thick btw).• Minimal puzzle dust. Your human dust is your problem, though.
The bestselling author and recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize, Cass R. Sunstein, explores how more information can make us happy or miserable, and why we sometimes avoid it--but sometimes seek it out.How much information is too much? Do we need to know how many calories are in the giant vat of popcorn that we bought on our way into the movie theater? Do we want to know if we are genetically predisposed to a certain disease? Can we do anything useful with next week's weather forecast for Paris if we are not in Paris? In Too Much Information, Cass Sunstein examines the effects of information on our lives. Policymakers emphasize “the right to know,” but Sunstein takes a different perspective, arguing that the focus should be on human well-being and what information contributes to it. Government should require companies, employers, hospitals, and others to disclose information not because of a general “right to know” but when the information in question would significantly improve people'
How do you love the people in your life who are hard to love?We’re never going to be able to prevent people from saying or doing things that hurt our feelings. We will always have opportunities to get offended. But if we do things God’s way, we can choose to save ourselves a lot of misery and hardship. This doesn’t mean we allow people to abuse us. No, there is a time for confronting people and dealing with situations. However, the Bible commands us to love our enemies and forgive those who have wronged us, even when it feels impossible.Everything the Lord asks us to do in the Bible is ultimately for our good. In fact, when we choose to love our enemies and forgive those who have hurt us, we are actually helping ourselves more than anyone else. Because whatever the Lord commands us to do, He is going to give us the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish it―and that includes loving and being good to difficult people! God’s love flowing through us is strong enough to melt even the hardes
We would have painted your dog, but it wouldn't stay still long enough. This 300 piece Apartment Puzzle by Brass Monkey features a vintage painting of an English Foxhound being, well, the bestest ever. So why is it called an Apartment Puzzle? Good question. While you don't technically have to live in an apartment to complete it, it just happens to be the perfect size for a small table. It's kind of like the Tinder of the puzzling world...non-committal, but still pretty challenging.• 300 (small) piece rectangular puzzle.• Features a vintage English Foxhound painting by someone way more talented than us.• Completed puzzle measures 12" wide by 15" tall.• Box measures 7.1" wide by 8.5" tall (and 1.5" thick btw).• Minimal puzzle dust. Your human dust is your problem, though.
