J. Michael Wilson (1916-1999), Soldier, Medical Doctor, Priest and Academic, may be best known for his often ground-breaking professional achievement, from working with lepers in Ghana to his seminal work in Pastoral Studies. For all his successful accomplishments, however, he thought accolades, titles and qualifications were no more than vain baubles for obituary columns. Becoming a fully human being was, he believed, best manifested in community, through art, poetry, prayer and revelling in the wonders of Nature. Here, finally, is your chance to share a merry dance through his creative life and works...

The remarkable account of a 73-year-old man's epic walk around England and the thoughts that surface during those lonely hours of long-distance walking. Memories from another age are rekindled: The war years: a father killed: a mother's grief: evacuation : an unusual and impovished childhood. A parallel journey is interwoven within the diary pages of a book that portrays an England largely untrodden by modern lives. From the remoteness of the Northern Pennines to the unique geological features of the Jurassic Coast - from the grandeur of the Lake District to the panoramic views of the South West Coast Path - or from the dramatic coastline of Northumberland to the tranquillity of a canal tow path; it becomes fascinating terrain as David leads you along delightful coastal paths and charming villages, depicting daily events in his captivating, easy-going style.

Shows how Britain and its empire was not a strong centralised imperial state and that it was only through manifold activities taking place in different colonial centres with varied colonial arrangements that the surge in piracy in this period was contained and reduced. This book charts the surge and decline in piracy in the early eighteenth century (the so-called "Golden Age" of piracy), exploring the ways in which pirates encountered, obstructed, and antagonised the diverse participants of the British empire in the Caribbean, North America, Africa, and the Indian Ocean. The book's primary focus is on how anti-piracy campaigns were constructed as a result of the negotiations, conflicts, and individual undertakings of different imperial actors operating in the commercial and imperial hub of London; maritime communities throughout the British Atlantic; trading outposts in West Africa and India; and marginal and contested zones such as the Bahamas, Madagascar, and the Bay Islands. It argues that Britain and its empire was not a strong centralised imperial state; that the British imperial administration and the Royal Navy did not have the resources to mount a state-led, empire-wide war against piracy following the sharp increase in piratical attacks after 1716; and that it was only through manifold activities taking place in different colonial centres with varied colonial arrangements, economic strengths, and access to resources for maritime defence - which was often shaped by competing and contradictory interests - that Atlantic piracy was gradually discouraged, although not eradicated, by the mid-1720s.

'Hugely insightful and thought provoking . . . I read it from cover to cover in one go' - Emilia Fox 'With characteristic brilliance and admirable sensitivity, Wilson illuminates the complex causes of their often horrific crimes' - Professor Simon Winlow, Vice President of the British Society of Criminology Professor David Wilson has spent his professional life working with violent men - especially men who have committed murder. Aged twenty-nine he became, at that time, the UK's youngest ever prison Governor in charge of a jail and his career since then has seen him sat across a table with all sorts of killers: sometimes in a tense interview; sometimes sharing a cup of tea (or something a little stronger); sometimes looking them in the eye to tell them that they are a psychopath. Some of these men became David's friends; others would still love to kill him. My Life with Murderers tells the story of David's journey from idealistic prison governor to expert criminologist and professor. With experience unlike any other, David's story is a fascinating and compelling study of human nature.

Attempts to understand serial murder tend to focus on individual cases rather than the social context in which they occur. In contrast, this book sets the case of nineteenth-century serial killer Mary Ann Cotton in its full social context. Drawing from historical records of Cotton's court appearances, it shows how institutions such as the family, economy, and religion shaped the environment she inhabited.

What is the current state of local government in Britain and where is it going? Edited by two leading experts and with an all-star cast of contributors, British Local Government into the 21st Century brings together a set of specially-commissioned and tightly-edited chapters to provide a comprehensive assessment of the issues and challenges facing local authorities as they search for a new role in a new century.

Handbook of Biomedical Image Analysis: Segmentation Models (Volume I) is dedicated to the segmentation of complex shapes from the field of imaging sciences using different mathematical techniques. This volume is aimed at researchers and educators in imaging sciences, radiological imaging, clinical and diagnostic imaging, physicists covering different medical imaging modalities, as well as researchers in biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, algorithmic development, computer vision, signal processing, computer graphics and multimedia in general, both in academia and industry . Key Features: - Principles of intra-vascular ultrasound (IVUS) - Principles of positron emission tomography (PET) - Physical principles of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). - Basic and advanced level set methods - Shape for shading method for medical image analysis - Wavelet transforms and other multi-scale analysis functions - Three dimensional deformable surfaces - Level Set application for CT lungs, brain MRI and MRA volume segmentation - Segmentation of incomplete tomographic medical data sets - Subjective level sets for missing boundaries for segmentation

This book examines the conflict surrounding the latest redevelopment frontier in Chicago: the city's South Side blues clubs and blocks. Like Chicago, cities such as Cleveland, St. Louis, Boston, Washington D.C., Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia are experiencing a new redevelopment machine: one of tyrannizing and fear. Its actors are adroit at working via the creation of fear to "terror-redevelop" in these historically neglected neighborhoods. The book also discusses the powerful race and class-based politics in Chicago's blues clubs that resist such change. A "leisure as resistance" framework represents the latest innovative form of opposition to the transformation of these historic sites.

Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York State. At the age of 33 he was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and placed in an underground slave pen. Northup was transported by ship to New Orleans where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next 12 years working as a carpenter, driver, and cotton picker. This narrative reveals how Northup survived the harsh conditions of slavery, including smallpox, lashings, and an attempted hanging. Solomon Northup was among a select few who were freed from slavery. His account describes the daily life of slaves in Louisiana, their diet and living conditions, the relationship between master and slave, and how slave catchers used to recapture runaways. Northup's first person account published in 1853, was a dramatic story in the national debate over slavery that took place in the nine years leading up to the start of the American Civil War.

This fourth volume in the Academy of International Business Series examines three main areas of internationalization: the internationalization process; competitive advantage in an international context; and international business in emerging markets. The cohesive theme threading through the chapters comprises the twin objectives of assessing the current state-of-the-art research into international business phenomena and looking forward to emerging research themes for the new milennium.

During its 13 years of office, Labour's modernization agenda transformed the world of UK local government. Amidst a starkly altered political and economic climate the coalition government formed in 2010 pledged to implement equally radical changes to the system. Taking account of the coalition's programme for government and its first round of spending cuts, the completely revised and updated fifth edition of this popular and established text is timed to take full advantage of this historic juncture. David Wilson and Chris Game provide readers with systematic coverage of the UK's local government. The book examines its defining features, its history, changing structure, operations, functions, financing, and its relations with central government. The fifth edition gives additional emphasis to local government in the devolved regions of the UK, and provides more extensive analysis of centre-local government relations. The authors deliver a thorough critique of Labour's third term in office. Looking ahead, the book anticipates the future of local government under the coalition government. Two themes look likely to dominate policy making: decentralization and cuts to public spending. With its clear, accessible, non-technical style and popular illustrations, Local Government in the United Kingdom will be essential reading for students, practitioners, and anyone with an interest in local politics.