On a seemingly ordinary Monday morning, an office secretary at Trusthouse, a reputable New Zealand Insurance firm, is astounded when she checks her answering machine. A blood-curdling, anonymous voice has left a message on the tape sometime over the weekend, informing her that her millionaire boss, Oscar Silver, has been kidnapped and is being held to ransom.

The information given is very curt.

The Insurance company president's life is now for sale...The price-tag is one million NZ dollars, and the time limit,24 hours

The voice was explicit- no police involvement or the old man prematurely meets his maker

The old man's life is now thrust irrevocably into the nervous hands of his naturally tight-fisted eldest son, Isaac. At his wits end, Silver's eldest son and Trusthouse second-in-command, is now asking himself some frightening questions: Just how serious are the unknown assailants? Just how far are they prepared to go? Can Trusthouse afford to pay up? Can they afford not to? And just exactly, how far is Isaac prepared to go to find out?

Is he willing to gamble, wager with his father's life or will he quickly cough up the dough?

'When, why, and how did language evolve?' 'Why do only humans have language?' This book looks at these and other questions about the origins and evolution of language. It does so via a rich diversity of perspectives, including social, cultural, archaeological, palaeoanthropological, musicological, anatomical, neurobiological, primatological, and linguistic. Among the subjects it considers are: how far sociality is a prerequisite for language; the evolutionary links between language and music; the relation between natural selection and niche construction; the origins of the lexicon; the role of social play in language development; the use of signs by great apes; the evolution of syntax; the evolutionary biology of language; the insights offered by Chomsky's biolinguistic approach to mind and language; the emergence of recursive language; the selectional advantages of the human vocal tract; and why women speak better than men.
The authors, drawn from all over the world, are prominent linguists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, archaeologists, primatologists, social anthropologists, and specialists in artificial intelligence. As well as explaining what is understood about the evolution of language, they look squarely at the formidable obstacles to knowing more - the absence of direct evidence, for example; the problems of using indirect evidence; the lack of a common conception of language; confusion about the operation of natural selection and other processes of change; the scope for misunderstanding in a multi-disciplinary field, and many more. Despite these difficulties, the authors in their stylish and readable contributions to this book are able to show just how much has been achieved in this most fruitful and fascinating area of research in the social, natural, and cognitive sciences.

This book offers an exciting new perspective on the origins of language. Language is conceptualized as a collective invention, on the model of writing or the wheel, and the book places social and cultural dynamics at the centre of its evolution: language emerged and further developed in human communities already suffused with meaning and communication, mimesis, ritual, song and dance, alloparenting, new divisions of labour and revolutionary changes in social relations. The book thus challenges assumptions about the causal relations between genes, capacities, social communication and innovation: the biological capacities are taken to evolve incrementally on the basis of cognitive plasticity, in a process that recruits previous adaptations and fine-tunes them to serve novel communicative ends. Topics include the ability brought about by language to tell lies, that must have confronted our ancestors with new problems of public trust; the dynamics of social-cognitive co-evolution; the role of gesture and mimesis in linguistic communication; studies of how monkeys and apes express their feelings or thoughts; play, laughter, dance, song, ritual and other social displays among extant hunter-gatherers; the social nature of language acquisition and innovation; normativity and the emergence of linguistic norms; the interaction of language and emotions; and novel perspectives on the time-frame for language evolution. The contributors are leading international scholars from linguistics, anthropology, palaeontology, primatology, psychology, evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, archaeology, and cognitive science.

This book discusses the history of thermal heat generators and focuses on the potential for these processes using micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) technology for this application. The main focus is on the capture of waste thermal energy for example from industrial processes, transport systems or the human body to generate useable electrical power. A wide range of technologies is discussed, including external combustion heat cycles at MEMS ( Brayton, Stirling and Rankine), Thermoacoustic, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), Multiferroics, Thermionics, Pyroelectric, Seebeck, Alkali Metal Thermal, Hydride Heat Engine, Johnson Thermo Electrochemical Converters, and the Johnson Electric Heat Pipe.

The Evolutionary Emergence of Language covers the origins and early evolution of language. Its main purpose is to synthesize current thinking on this topic, particularly from a standpoint in theoretical linguistics. It is suitable for students of human evolution, evolutionary psychology, linguistic anthropology and general linguistics. It is the outcome of a major international conference on the evolution of language and includes contributions from many of the best known figures in this field. Very few truly interdisciplinary volumes on this topic have previously been published.

Language has no counterpart in the animal world. Unique to Homo sapiens, it appears inseparable from human nature. But how, when and why did it emerge? The contributors to this volume - linguists, anthropologists, cognitive scientists, and others - adopt a modern Darwinian perspective which offers a bold synthesis of the human and natural sciences. As a feature of human social intelligence, language evolution is driven by biologically anomalous levels of social cooperation. Phonetic competence correspondingly reflects social pressures for vocal imitation, learning, and other forms of social transmission. Distinctively human social and cultural strategies gave rise to the complex syntactical structure of speech. This book, presenting language as a remarkable social adaptation, testifies to the growing influence of evolutionary thinking in contemporary linguistics. It will be welcomed by all those interested in human evolution, evolutionary psychology, linguistic anthropology, and general linguistics.

In The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow, Chris Knight addresses portraiture with a unique approach to both light and shadow that allows you to improve and elevate your own portraiture. Without light, there is no photograph. As almost every photographer knows, the word "photograph" has its roots in two Greek words that, together, mean "drawing with light." But what is less commonly acknowleEAed and understood is the role that shadow plays in creating striking, expressive imagery, especially in portraiture. It is through deft, nuanced use of both light and shadow that you can move beyond shooting simply ordinary, competent headshots into the realm of creating dramatic portraiture that can so powerfully convey a subject's inner essence, communicate a personal narrative, and express your photographic vision. In The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow, Chris Knight addresses portraiture with a unique approach to both light and shadow that allows you to improve and elevate your own portraiture. He begins with the history of portraiture, from the early work of Egyptians and Greeks to the sublime treatment of light and subject by artists such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Chris then dives into a deep, hands-on exploration of light, shadow, and portraiture, offering numerous lessons and takeaways. He covers: - The qualities of light: hard, soft, and the spectrum in between - The relationships between light, subject, and background, and how to control them - Lighting patterns such as Paramount, Rembrandt, loop, and split - Lighting ratios and how they affect contrast in your image - Equipment: from big and small modifiers to grids, snoots, barn doors, flags, and gels - Multiple setups for portrait shoots, including those that utilize one, two, and three lights - How color contributes to drama and mood, eliciting an emotional response from the viewer - How to approach styling your portrait, from wardrobe to background - The post-processing workflow, including developing the RAW file, maximizing contrast, color grading, retouching, and doEAing and burning for heightened drama and effect - How all of these elements culminate to help you define your personal style and create your own narrative

This book is the first to focus on the African origins of human language. It explores the origins of language and culture 250,000-150,000 years ago when modern humans evolved in Africa. Scholars from around the world address the fossil, genetic, and archaeological evidence and critically examine the ways it has been interpreted. The book also considers parellel developments among Europe's Neanderthals and the contrasting outcomes for the two species. Following an extensive introduction contextualizing and linking the book's topics and approaches, fifteen chapters bring together many of the most significant recent findings and developments in modern human origins research. The fields represented by the authors include genetics, biology, behavioural ecology, linguistics, archaeology, cognitive science, and anthropology.

This is one of the first systematic attempts to bring language within the neo-Darwinian framework of modern evolutionary theory. Twenty-four coordinated essays by linguists, phoneticians, anthropologists, psychologists and cognitive scientists explore the origins of the complex structure of human language, emphasizing its social (as opposed to purely practical) bases, and showing the mechanisms by which this structure emerges, is maintained, and develops.

This book offers an exciting new perspective on the origins of language. Language is conceptualized as a collective invention, on the model of writing or the wheel, and the book places social and cultural dynamics at the centre of its evolution: language emerged and further developed in human communities already suffused with meaning and communication, mimesis, ritual, song and dance, alloparenting, new divisions of labour and revolutionary changes in social relations. The book thus challenges assumptions about the causal relations between genes, capacities, social communication and innovation: the biological capacities are taken to evolve incrementally on the basis of cognitive plasticity, in a process that recruits previous adaptations and fine-tunes them to serve novel communicative ends. Topics include the ability brought about by language to tell lies, that must have confronted our ancestors with new problems of public trust; the dynamics of social-cognitive co-evolution; the role of gesture and mimesis in linguistic communication; studies of how monkeys and apes express their feelings or thoughts; play, laughter, dance, song, ritual and other social displays among extant hunter-gatherers; the social nature of language acquisition and innovation; normativity and the emergence of linguistic norms; the interaction of language and emotions; and novel perspectives on the time-frame for language evolution. The contributors are leading international scholars from linguistics, anthropology, palaeontology, primatology, psychology, evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, archaeology, and cognitive science.

This book is the first to focus on the African origins of human language. It explores the origins of language and culture 250,000-150,000 years ago when modern humans evolved in Africa. Scholars from around the world address the fossil, genetic, and archaeological evidence and critically examine the ways it has been interpreted. The book also considers parellel developments among Europe's Neanderthals and the contrasting outcomes for the two species. Following an extensive introduction contextualizing and linking the book's topics and approaches, fifteen chapters bring together many of the most significant recent findings and developments in modern human origins research. The fields represented by the authors include genetics, biology, behavioural ecology, linguistics, archaeology, cognitive science, and anthropology.

'When, why, and how did language evolve?' 'Why do only humans have language?' This book looks at these and other questions about the origins and evolution of language. It does so via a rich diversity of perspectives, including social, cultural, archaeological, palaeoanthropological, musicological, anatomical, neurobiological, primatological, and linguistic. Among the subjects it considers are: how far sociality is a prerequisite for language; the evolutionary links between language and music; the relation between natural selection and niche construction; the origins of the lexicon; the role of social play in language development; the use of signs by great apes; the evolution of syntax; the evolutionary biology of language; the insights offered by Chomsky's biolinguistic approach to mind and language; the emergence of recursive language; the selectional advantages of the human vocal tract; and why women speak better than men.
The authors, drawn from all over the world, are prominent linguists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, archaeologists, primatologists, social anthropologists, and specialists in artificial intelligence. As well as explaining what is understood about the evolution of language, they look squarely at the formidable obstacles to knowing more - the absence of direct evidence, for example; the problems of using indirect evidence; the lack of a common conception of language; confusion about the operation of natural selection and other processes of change; the scope for misunderstanding in a multi-disciplinary field, and many more. Despite these difficulties, the authors in their stylish and readable contributions to this book are able to show just how much has been achieved in this most fruitful and fascinating area of research in the social, natural, and cognitive sciences.

When Scott Oak was a teenager, he ran away from home, vowing to never return. A wrench is thrown into his new found life when his childhood friend, Laura, passes away, forcing him into a never ending spiral of conspiracy and mystery.

On a seemingly ordinary Monday morning, an office secretary at Trusthouse, a reputable New Zealand Insurance firm, is astounded when she checks her answering machine. A blood-curdling, anonymous voice has left a message on the tape sometime over the weekend, informing her that her millionaire boss, Oscar Silver, has been kidnapped and is being held to ransom.

The information given is very curt.

The Insurance company president's life is now for sale...The price-tag is one million NZ dollars, and the time limit,24 hours

The voice was explicit- no police involvement or the old man prematurely meets his maker

The old man's life is now thrust irrevocably into the nervous hands of his naturally tight-fisted eldest son, Isaac. At his wits end, Silver's eldest son and Trusthouse second-in-command, is now asking himself some frightening questions: Just how serious are the unknown assailants? Just how far are they prepared to go? Can Trusthouse afford to pay up? Can they afford not to? And just exactly, how far is Isaac prepared to go to find out?

Is he willing to gamble, wager with his father's life or will he quickly cough up the dough?

On a wet summer evening in New Zealand, a 46-year-old History teacher who went out shopping for a magazine, made a split second decision to buy a lotto ticket. Little did he know that the consequences of the impetuous sudden purchase were about to change his life forever. He spent a measly 2 dollars and won 400 000. With the winnings, he decided to buy a Bedsit and complete the transition from teacher to Landlord. A step that was going to embark him on a journey that was about to change him forever.

Jeff Tozier was your everyday working man, caught up in your everyday mundane, largely uneventful life....Little did he know that one night a phonecall from his boss was going to change his life forever...A day worker moved to the night shift...this simple transition   would introduce him to a whole new world...the world of after dark and take him to people and places he never expected to go to...including the world beyond the grave...journey with him if you dare....                                                                    

This book contains a variety of poems embracing many aspects of human experience. Typically, the poems touch on the poet's sensitivity towards his God, the Christian God, the God of The Bible. They also attempt to capture some of his deeper feelings towards a variety of subjects common to us all. Subjects such as belief, faith or the lack of it, the appreciation of beauty in nature or creation, and the inward beauty which human beings sometimes reflect, are but a few such subjects the poet explores. These poems are the observations of a man who has tried to grasp the moment, so to speak, and to share it with you. The moment one believes, loves, forgives, dares to dream, is moved to laugh or cry, is challenged or changed, has his or her eyes opened to see or feel something he or she had hitherto not seen, heard or even thought of before. In short, these are the impressions of a man who likes to play with words. Enjoy them

PMOne sunday morning Gran woke Matt up early.Would you like to go to church with me? she enquired.Bored and looking for something new,Matt agreed.Little did he know it but he would meet a man at church that day who would change his life forever.Arriving early, he found a man hanging on a cross!As Matt looked at this man Jesus, Gran introduced him to a God who watched ,listened,loved,forgave, and wanted to know him personally, Matt began to realise some precious truths! Jesus loved him so much that he was willing to die for him!Matt discovered that God was strong, he could heal the sick and raise the dead! His voice could calm a storm! Gran introduced Matt to a God he wanted to know .A God he wanted to believe in with all his heart;walk with,talk to,listen to,love,get to know,be like and follow to heaven... .A God who promises eternal life to all those who follow him!!! Matt made his choice ,how about yo

One Halloween... on a cold dark night...Farmer Joe went to take his scarecrows to the barn to repair them. In a rush, he left behind the youngest scarecrow, who was sound asleep. At midnight little Skaggy awoke...to find his family gone! He set out on an adventure to find them. Join Skaggy as he searches through the dark, looking for his wonderful family. Wander through the pumpkin patch, into caves, even through a graveyard in the witching hour! Go into the haunted house if you dare! Skaggy meets all sorts of wonderful friends along the way...it could be a great night's adventure!

This original and ingenious book presents a new theory of the origins of human culture. Integrating perspectives of evolutionary biology and social anthropology within a Marxist framework, Chris Knight rejects the common assumption that human culture was a modified extension of primate behavior and argues instead that it was the product of an immense social, sexual, and political revolution initiated by women.