The Great War caused high casualties and despair for the rulers of this land and their people. Warfare mainly brought on over religious and racial differences, territorial disputes, and simply for power. Peace has finally prevailed over bloodshed and carnage, albeit a fragile truce. A few rulers still seek to gain an edge to ignite war once again, to seek domination.Far to the south lies Port Gillian, a haven for those seeking to avoid the horrors of war. Known for the splendors of life, there is also the seedy side where criminals often run amok. The minor crime lords pay homage to Lord Zantos who has a criminal empire not far away. Serving him are two assassins who begin to question their loyalty toward the dark master. Jaskar, a half-elf, seeks redemption for past sins. He is arguably the deadliest assassin alive and wields two longswords in battle with deadly precision. Illiad, a master of disguise, is also highly skilled in the arts of killing. His belittling of those in his profession that have authority may lead to his demise one day. The deadly assassin soon realizes this first hand.A castle farther north is ruled by Lord Balor, revered by his people who worship Asavar, the god of death. The lord no longer follows the strict interpretations of the god, much to the chagrin of Bishop Arsul and many of his clergy. Lady Mhyre, the lord's beloved young and beautiful daughter, secretly receives tutelage by her servant to be the guardian of this land. The servant's true identity is unknown even to her pupil.Considered folklore by most, vampires have reemerged from the Land of the Damned to plague the living once again, feasting on flesh and blood of mortals. Cunning as they are deadly, the vampires attack from the cover of night, leaving few survivors in their wake.Lord Balor sends a band of warriors to destroy the vampires. Sir Norwin - the leader and a noble knight, Auric - the knight's stout apprentice, Velacen - a soldier as courageous as any knight, Father Dorsey - a respected priest, and other brave warriors hunt those that prey upon their people. Taking the battle to the Land of the Damned, the heart of darkness where the sun never shines and the living should never dare venture. Waiting for them is no mere vampire. This one is sentient.

What major long-term factors will shape the European Community post-1992? Who are the central actors, how will they exert influence on Europe's future, and what are their expectations and intentions?In seeking to answer these questions, The European Challenges Post-1992 offers a multidisciplinary, qualitative approach, throwing new light on the aspirations and preoccupations aroused by the promise of the Community. Centring on socio-political and cultural concerns and their interplay with economic phenomena, this important book combines expert opinion from 12 large European research institutes - each of which provides an analysis of the major factors shaping the future of their own country - with the views of leading industrialists and business leaders. The editors bring together these different views and interpretations to offer a comprehensive assessment of the Community's future. The European Challenge Post-1992 includes contributions by the former Commissaire du Plan (Brussels), the Institute of International Economics and Management (Copenhagen), Commissariat General du Plan (Paris), Kiel Institute of World Economics (Kiel), Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research (Athens), Economic and Social Research Institute (Dublin), Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali (Rome), Institut Universitaire International (Luxembourg), Scientific Council for Government Policy (The Hague), Instituto de Prospectiva (Lisbon), Fundacion Empresa Publica (Madrid), McKinsey & Co. and the Policy Studies Institute (London). The product of a major research project, this distinguished book is an invaluable reference point for all those concerned with the future of the European Community.

A unique resource that synthesizes existing primary and secondary sources to provide a fascinating introduction to the development and dissemination of science within history's great empires, as well as the complex interaction between imperialism and scientific progress over two centuries. Imperialism and Science is a scholarly yet accessible chronicle of the impact of imperialism on science over the past 200 years, from the effect of Catholicism on scientific progress in Latin America to the importance of U.S. government funding of scientific research to America's preeminent place in the world. Spanning two centuries of scientific advance throughout the age of empire, Imperialism and Science sheds new light on the spread of scientific thought throughout the former colonial world. Science made enormous advances during this period, often being associated with anti-Imperialist struggle or, as in the case of the science brought to 19th-century China and India by the British, with Western cultural hegemony. Packed with portraits of key scientists, their discoveries, and their achievements, bringing to life the contribution of scientists from even the most far-flung corners of empire Includes a detailed chronology, bibliography, and a glossary of key scientific terms of the era, helping to make the history of science accessible to the general reader

Broadband technology is ushering the telecom industry through a unique period of change with profound business implications for suppliers and users. This single source describes the four major broadband technologies that are shaping telecommunications networks: frame relay; optical fiber (including SONET); distributed queue dual bus (DQDB); and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM).

This book is about enforcing privacy and data protection. It demonstrates different approaches - regulatory, legal and technological - to enforcing privacy. If regulators do not enforce laws or regulations or codes or do not have the resources, political support or wherewithal to enforce them, they effectively eviscerate and make meaningless such laws or regulations or codes, no matter how laudable or well-intentioned. In some cases, however, the mere existence of such laws or regulations, combined with a credible threat to invoke them, is sufficient for regulatory purposes. But the threat has to be credible. As some of the authors in this book make clear - it is a theme that runs throughout this book - "carrots" and "soft law" need to be backed up by "sticks" and "hard law". The authors of this book view privacy enforcement as an activity that goes beyond regulatory enforcement, however. In some sense, enforcing privacy is a task that befalls to all of us. Privacy advocates and members of the public can play an important role in combatting the continuing intrusions upon privacy by governments, intelligence agencies and big companies. Contributors to this book - including regulators, privacy advocates, academics, SMEs, a Member of the European Parliament, lawyers and a technology researcher - share their views in the one and only book on Enforcing Privacy.

Copy the following link for free access to the first chapter of this title: http://www.springerlink.com/content/j23468h304310755/fulltext.pdf This book is a warning. It aims to warn policy-makers, industry, academia, civil society organisations, the media and the public about the threats and vulnerabilities facing our privacy, identity, trust, security and inclusion in the rapidly approaching world of ambient intelligence (AmI). In the near future, every manufactured product - our clothes, money, appliances, the paint on our walls, the carpets on our floors, our cars, everything - will be embedded with intelligence, networks of tiny sensors and actuators, which some have termed "smart dust". The AmI world is not far off. We already have surveillance systems, biometrics, personal communicators, machine learning and more. AmI will provide personalised services - and know more about us - on a scale dwarfing anything hitherto available. In the AmI vision, ubiquitous computing, communications and interfaces converge and adapt to the user. AmI promises greater user-friendliness in an environment capable of recognising and responding to the presence of different individuals in a seamless, unobtrusive and often invisible way. While most stakeholders paint the promise of AmI in sunny colours, there is a dark side to AmI. This book aims to illustrate the threats and vulnerabilities by means of four "dark scenarios". The authors set out a structured methodology for analysing the four scenarios, and then identify safeguards to counter the foreseen threats and vulnerabilities. They make recommendations to policy-makers and other stakeholders about what they can do to maximise the benefits from ambient intelligence and minimise the negative consequences.

The New Class Society introduces students to the sociology of class structure and inequalities as it asks whether or not the American dream has faded. The fourth edition of this powerful book demonstrates how and why class inequalities in the United States have been widened, hardened, and become more entrenched than ever. The fourth edition has been extensively revised and reorganized throughout, including a new introduction that offers an overview of key themes and shorter chapters that cover a wider range of topics. New material for the fourth edition includes a discussion of "The Great Recession" and its ongoing impact, the demise of the middle class, rising costs of college and increasing student debt, the role of electronic media in shaping people's perceptions of class, and more.

This book contributes to the growing scholarly interest in the history of disability by investigating the emergence of 'idiot' asylums in Victorian England. Using the National Asylum for Idiots, Earlswood, as a case-study, David Wright investigates the social history of institutionalization and reveals the diversity of the 'insane' population and the complexities of institutional committal in Victorian England. He contends that institutional confinement of mentally disabled and mentally ill individuals in the nineteenth century cannot be understood independently of a detailed analysis of familial and community patterns of care.

What major long-term factors will shape the European Community post-1992? Who are the central actors, how will they exert influence on Europe's future, and what are their expectations and intentions?In seeking to answer these questions, The European Challenges Post-1992 offers a multidisciplinary, qualitative approach, throwing new light on the aspirations and preoccupations aroused by the promise of the Community. Centring on socio-political and cultural concerns and their interplay with economic phenomena, this important book combines expert opinion from 12 large European research institutes - each of which provides an analysis of the major factors shaping the future of their own country - with the views of leading industrialists and business leaders. The editors bring together these different views and interpretations to offer a comprehensive assessment of the Community's future. The European Challenge Post-1992 includes contributions by the former Commissaire du Plan (Brussels), the Institute of International Economics and Management (Copenhagen), Commissariat General du Plan (Paris), Kiel Institute of World Economics (Kiel), Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research (Athens), Economic and Social Research Institute (Dublin), Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali (Rome), Institut Universitaire International (Luxembourg), Scientific Council for Government Policy (The Hague), Instituto de Prospectiva (Lisbon), Fundacion Empresa Publica (Madrid), McKinsey & Co. and the Policy Studies Institute (London). The product of a major research project, this distinguished book is an invaluable reference point for all those concerned with the future of the European Community.

After a tragic accident the Wrights find a new beginning moving from the city with all its conveniences to a forty acre farm on the banks of Holiday Creek. Told from the perspective of their nine-year-old son David, the Wrights meet the neighboring Jones family. Dick Wright is a rising star in the Fort Dodge public school system. Old Jim Jones introduces himself as "a flunky who works for United States Gypsum." The two families send their children to Holliday Creek School two miles away. The one-room school thrives under the leadership of Miss Jordison, the teacher you always wished you had. "Each One Teach One" is her process as recalled by the author, David Wright, himself a published educator. Vivid family contrasts are woven into this narrative that shows America in the Truman Era witnessing the advent of electricity, the telephone, and the Baby Boom generation. This book depicts Progressive Republicans confronting forces of social change, Big Government, and Reaction. Underlying this story are the ideals of personal liberty and the challenges of living close to nature.

Solar power has come of age. Not only has it become one of the key alternatives to fossil fuels, it can now be deployed in a way that makes a viable business with a financial profit. This book shows industry professionals and students how to do just that. Solarnomics describes the economics of building and operating a solar power plant today and provides a window into a future in which several technologies collaborate, and in which all participants in the electricity grid become smarter at scheduling both the supply and demand for electric power to give humanity a future that is sustainable, both environmentally and economically. The book shows how to estimate costs and revenues, how to tweak the design of a project to improve profitability, how to calculate return on investment, how to assess and deal with risk, how to raise capital, how to combine solar with batteries to make a hybrid microgrid, and how to be prepared for future developments in the evolving smart electricity grid. Solarnomics will enable professionals in the solar industry to assess the potential profitability of a proposed solar project, and it will enable students to add an extra dimension to their understanding of sustainability.

Already excerpted in the New Yorker, Black Cloud Rising is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to an extraordinary moment when enslaved men and women were shedding their bonds and embracing freedomBy fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild--a one-armed, impassioned Abolitionist--set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat. From this little-known historical episode comes Black Cloud Rising, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers--men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild's mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day. With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, Black Cloud Rising offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.

This book will help students and researchers to clarify a complex concept that is often over simplified in media and cultural studies, the sociology of culture and cultural policy. It updates established theoretical and methodological debates in the study of taste and provides an original perspective on a distinct and rich research field.

From Idiocy to Mental Deficiency is the first book devoted to the social history of people with learning disabilities in Britain. Approaches to learning disabilities have changed dramatically in recent years. The implementation of 'Care in the Community', the campaign for disabled rights and the debate over the education of children with special needs have combined to make this one of the most controversial areas in social policy today. The nine original research essays collected here cover the social history of learning disability from the Middle Ages through the establishment of the National Health Service. They will not only contribute to a neglected field of social and medical history but also illuminate and inform current debates. The information presented here will have a profound impact on how professionals in mental health, psychiatric nursing, social work and disabled rights understand learning disability and society's responses to it over the course of history.

Solar power has come of age. Not only has it become one of the key alternatives to fossil fuels, it can now be deployed in a way that makes a viable business with a financial profit. This book shows industry professionals and students how to do just that. Solarnomics describes the economics of building and operating a solar power plant today and provides a window into a future in which several technologies collaborate, and in which all participants in the electricity grid become smarter at scheduling both the supply and demand for electric power to give humanity a future that is sustainable, both environmentally and economically. The book shows how to estimate costs and revenues, how to tweak the design of a project to improve profitability, how to calculate return on investment, how to assess and deal with risk, how to raise capital, how to combine solar with batteries to make a hybrid microgrid, and how to be prepared for future developments in the evolving smart electricity grid. Solarnomics will enable professionals in the solar industry to assess the potential profitability of a proposed solar project, and it will enable students to add an extra dimension to their understanding of sustainability.

With annual gross sales surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars each of the last two years, the digital games industry may one day challenge theatrical-release movies as the highest-grossing entertainment media in the world. In their examination of the tremendous cultural influence of digital games, Daniel Reardon and David Wright analyze three companies that have shaped the industry: Bethesda, located in Rockville, Maryland, USA; BioWare in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and CD Projekt Red in Warsaw, Poland. Each company has used social media and technical content in the games to promote players' belief that players control the companies' game narratives. The result has been at times explosive, as empowered players often attempted to co-op the creative processes of games through discussion board forum demands, fund-raising campaigns to persuade companies to change or add game content, and modifications ("modding") of the games through fan-created downloads. The result has changed the way we understand the interactive nature of digital games and the power of fan culture to shape those games.

This book demonstrates the many different modelling techniques used in the creation of realistic historical buildings and convincing imaginary or fantasy structures. Aimed at the railway and diorama modeller, it includes photographs of existing structures, detailed illustrations and plans, followed by step-by-step photographs of the various stages in their creation; practical tips and constructive advice are provided alongside. Special emphasis has been placed on the use of scrap and low-cost materials. It gives guidance on modelling imaginary buildings and structures, with an example project presented from start to finish and also a complete fantasy-based model railway diorama, from concept and design through to the completed layout is covered. The author has written this book to inspire the modeller to try something innovative, and to attract new entrants to this creative hobby. Drawing on his own experience, he shares practical guidance to help the reader to produce models they will be proud of.

This book consists of 13 papers developed by participants in the ICME 13 Topic Study Group 40 on Classroom Assessment. The individual papers discuss various aspects of classroom assessment, focusing particularly on formative assessment as assessment for learning, and are grouped into four main sections: Examples of Classroom Assessment in Action, Technology as a Tool for Classroom Assessment, Statistical Models for Formative Assessment, and Engaging Teachers in Formative Assessment. The book opens with a brief discussion of the use of formative assessment as a critical component of the teaching-learning process and concludes with an overview of lessons learned and ideas for future research. It is of interest to classroom teachers, university teacher educators, professional development providers and school supervisors.

Social Ecology and Education addresses "ecological understanding" as a transformative educational issue: a learning response to emerging insights into social-ecological relationships and the future of life on our planet. In the face of the existential threats posed by climate change, loss of biodiversity, pandemids and the associated ecological and social challenges; there is a need to extend our responses beyond scientific inquiry and technological initiatives. This book seeks to move the dialogue towards a deeper and broader understanding of the complexities of the issues involved. To achieve this, the book discusses issues rarely addressed through programs in "Education for Sustainability" and "Environmental Education," such as student defined knowledge systems, deep engagement with the implications of indigenous understandings, climate change as symptomatic of broad epistemological problems, social disengagement and differentiated barriers to meaningful change. This work is enriched by its focus on the learning and the learning systems that have led to our current predicament. This book seeks to initiate considerations of this kind, to invigorate education for sustainable, equitable, healthy and meaningful futures. As such, this book will be of great interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students in a range of education and environmental courses.