The use of lasers for various applications in materials processing has grown rapidly in recent years. Lasers are by nature particularly well suited to automation, but to ensure repeatability and reliability, the engineers employing them must not simply rely on numerical analysis software. They must have a firm grasp on the physical principles involved.

Mathematics of Thermal Modelling: An Introduction to the Theory of Laser Material Processing introduces the mathematics needed to formulate and exploit the physical principles important to modelling various aspects of laser material processing. The author shows how to gain insight by constructing and analyzing simple models. He demonstrates how to extract qualitative information from the models, how the underlying principles can be extended to more complex modelling, and how these principles can be applied to processes such as laser welding, surface treatment, drilling, and cutting.

Written at a level accessible to graduate students, this book shows that simple mathematical investigation-- based primarily on analytical methods backed by relatively simple numerical methods--can greatly illuminate the processes being studied. Regardless of the stage of your career development, if you are confronting the modelling of thermal process in this field for the first time, Mathematics of Thermal Modelling will build the foundation you need.

Dane Cook and Stacy Keach return as the voices of lovable aeroplanes Dusty and Skipper in this sequel to the 2013 Disney animation 'Planes'. When world-famous air racer Dusty gets told his engine is damaged and that he may never race again he refuses to let go and launches head first into the world of aerial firefighting. Joining the ranks of veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger (Ed Harris), Dusty begins his training to become a real hero. The voice cast also includes Jerry Stiller, Steve Schirripa and Erik Estrada.

Crop circles are the finest, most beautiful and original art forms of modem times, and they are totally mysterious. Behind the crop circle phenomenon is an evident purpose. Some intelligence, human, alien or spiritual, is in the process of communication. It is exposing us to a course of re-education, beginning with the symbols of sacred knowledge and wisdom. The most striking evidence for this view is the amazing formation that appeared at Crooked Soley in Wiltshire on the 27th August 2002. Clearly expressed in its design are certain numerical symbols that are known esoterically as the 'Keys to Creation'. They are also keys to that universal science associated with the Holy Grail. From time to time it is revealed again, and when that happens, culture and the human spirit are renewed and life on earth is restored to its natural state as a reflection of paradise.

Historical Dictionary of Romantic Music, Second Edition covers the persons, ideas, practices, and works that made up the worlds of Western music during the long 19th century (ca. 1780-1918). It’s the first book to recognize that Romantic music was very nearly a global phenomenon, it includes more women, more Black musicians and other musicians of color, and more exponents of musical Romanticism from Central and South America as well as Central and Eastern Europe than any other single-volume study of Romantic music – thus challenging the conventional hegemony of musical Romanticisms by men and by Western European nations. It includes entries on topics including anti-Semitism, sexism, and racism that were pervasive and defining to the worlds of musical Romanticism but are rarely addressed in general studies of that subject. It includes Romantic musicians who were not primarily composers, as well as topics such as the Haitian Revolution, spirituals, and ragtime that were more important for music in the long 19th century than is generally acknowledged. The result is an expansive, inclusive, diverse and more richly textured portrayal of “Romantic music� than is elsewhere available. Historical Dictionary of Romantic Music, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 600 cross-referenced entries on traditions, famous pieces, persons, places, technical terms, and institutions of Romantic music. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about romantic music.

If you've ever wanted to know more about the power of 'P', the hypnotic rhythm of anapestic tetrameter, or how to change the mood of a verb, then look no further. If you've ever needed to catch a red herring, wield a zeugma, deepen your pathos or improve your character, then this is the book for you. The TRIVIUM consists of the three liberal arts pertaining to language, Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. These ancient disciplines have been studied for over two thousand years as a way of refining a speaker and their speech. With extra sections on Euphonics, Poetic Meter and Form, Ethics, and Proverbs, this unique compendium contains a wealth of rare information.

Acclaimed author and Archdruid John Michael Greer provides an in-depth beginner s guide to Druidry a modern tradition of nature spirituality with ancient roots in Celtic traditions. Although we know little about the ancient Druids, their reputation for wisdom and harmony with nature lives on. Today, Druidry is a vibrant, diverse movement with groups and practitioners on every continent but Antarctica. Spiritual rather than religious more an attitude than an ideology it can be embraced by people from different faiths and backgrounds. Archdruid John Michael Greer explores the history and basics of Druidry; how to perform Druidic rituals, meditation, and divination; elements of the lifestyle; and advice for placing less of a burden on the Earth. Includes a simple self-initiation ritual for starting on the Druid path, as well as exercises to help you tap into the elements and learn to pay attention to the natural world.

This study turned the tables on a conventional understanding of the four instruments of national power (diplomacy, information, military and economic measures/D.I.M.E.) to see how potential adversaries could use these against the national security interests of Canada and the United States. Moreover, this particular work focuses on qualitative research regarding cyber threats that have continually beleaguered these nations by malevolent actors mostly over the last five years. This study also affords consideration to how nefarious individuals, non-state actors, or nation states can implement the instruments of national power through the application of a new model named the York Intelligence Red Team Model-Cyber (YIRTM-C) using sources guided by the Federal Qualitative Secondary Data Case Study Triangulation Model to arrive at results.

Focusing on the body as a visual and discursive platform across public space, we study marginalization as a sociocultural practice and hegemonic schema. Whereas mass incarceration and law enforcement readily feature in discussions of institutionalized racism, we differently highlight understudied sites of normalization and exclusion. Our combined effort centers upon physical contexts (skeletons, pageant stages, gentrifying neighborhoods), discursive spaces (medical textbooks, legal battles, dance pedagogy, vampire narratives) and philosophical arenas (morality, genocide, physician-assisted suicide, cryonic preservation, transfeminism) to deconstruct seemingly intrinsic connections between body and behavior, Whiteness and normativity.

Controversies in Media Ethics offers students, instructors and professionals multiple perspectives on media ethics issues presenting vast "gray areas" and few, if any, easy answers. This third edition includes a wide range of subjects, and demonstrates a willingness to tackle the problems raised by new technologies, new media, new politics and new economics. The core of the text is formed by 14 chapters, each of which deals with a particular problem or likelihood of ethical dilemma, presented as different points of view on the topic in question, as argued by two or more contributing authors. The 15th chapter is a collection of "mini-chapters," allowing students to discern first-hand how to deal with ethical problems. Contributing authors John A. Armstrong, Peter J. Gade, Julianne H. Newton, Kim Sheehan, and Jane B. Singer provide additional voices and perspectives on various topics under discussion. This edition has been thoroughly updated to provide: discussions of issues reflecting the breadth and depth of the media spectrum numerous real-world examples broad discussion of confidentiality and other timely topics A Companion Website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415963329) supplies resources for both students and instructors. You can also join the Controversies community on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CME3rd Developed for use in media ethics courses, Controversies in Media Ethics provides up-to-date discussions and analysis of ethical situations across a variety of media, including issues dealing with the Internet and new media. It provides a unique consideration of ethical concerns, and serves as provocative reading for all media students.

This book examines the relationship between critical realism and Marxism. The authors argue that critical realism and Marxism have much to gain from each other. This is the first book to address the controversial debates between critical realism and Marxism, and it does so from a wide range if disciplines. The authors argue that whilst one book cannot answer all the questions about the relationship between critical realism and Marxism, this book does provide some significant answers. In doing so, Critical Realism and Marxism reveals a potentially fruitful relationship; deepens our understanding of the social world and makes an important contribution towards eliminating the barbarism that accompanies contemporary capitalism.

An investigation into the underpinnings and superstructures of the Pagan world view Pagan religions have tended to be more concerned with practice that with theory and in a system that has no dogma - no legislated doctrine - that is as it should be. Yet as the movement grows and matures, it is inevitable that we will begin to think in a more abstract way about our models and systems. John Michael Greer has provided a primer on the kinds of ideas and themes that must be included in any discussion of the theology and philosophy of Neo-pagan religions.  Much of the book takes shape in a dialogue with existing ideas in theology, philosophy, and comparative religion. It looks to find a middle ground between too much and too little reference to the work of other scholars to find a comprehensible yet intellectually rigorous middle ground. It aims to be part of a conversation, that stretches out over the centuries.  Voices of polytheist spirituality have had little place in that conversation for many years, but much of value has been said in their absence. The rebirth of polytheism as a living religious tradition in the Western world will inevitably force a reassessment of much of that heritage, and pose challenges to some of its most cherished assumptions.  Yet reassessment is not necessarily rejection, and the traditions of modern polytheism are deeply enough indebted to legacies from the past that an attentive ear to earlier phases of the conversation is not out of place.

The things that people in the modern Western world consider "occult/' secret, forbidden, or irrational-amulets and talismans, omens and divinations, spells and charms, spirits good and evil-are part of everyday life in many parts of the world, and have been for generations. In this fascinating book, occult scholar and practitioner John Michael Greer shines light on 100 of the dramatic incidents, arcane knowledge, and colorful historical figures from occult traditions over two and a half millennia-from the earliest alchemists of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Greece; to pagan rituals; the Philosopher's Stone; Kabbala; the first tarot; the Knights Templar; to the Nazi Thule Party; fortunetelling trials; and the birth of modern witchcraft, or Wicca. Each entry illustrated with a stunning image or intriguing item of ephemera.

The phenomenon of commitment is a cornerstone of human social life. Commitments make individuals' behavior predictable, thereby facilitating the planning and coordination of joint actions involving multiple agents. Moreover, commitments make people willing to rely upon each other, and thereby contribute to sustaining characteristically human social institutions such as jobs, money, government and marriage. However, it is not well understood how people identify and assess the level of their own and others' commitments. The Philosophy and Psychology of Commitment explores and explains the philosophical and cognitive intricacies of commitment. John Michael considers how commitments motivate us and their often implicit and tacit nature. To flesh out the philosophical framework of his argument he draws on experimental work with young children, adults and human-robot interaction within the context of joint action, considering the role of the emotions and whether very young children are sensitive to commitment. Providing an important account of the nature and operation of commitment, this book is essential reading for those working in philosophy of psychology, cognitive science, experimental philosophy, and social and developmental psychology. It will also be of interest to those working in emerging fields such as human-robot interaction and behavioural economics.

New in paperback, How the World Is Made explores how ancient peoples who grasped the timeless principles of sacred geometry were able to create flourishing societies. Galileo described the universe as a large book written in the language of mathematics, which can only be read by those with knowledge of its characters - triangles, circles and other geometrical figures. More than 300 colour illustrations reveal the secret code within these geometrical figures and how they express the spiritual meanings in the key numbers of 1 through 12. He identifies the various regular shapes and shows their constructions; their natural symbolism; their meetings, matings and ways of breeding; and their functions within the universal order. In the process, Michell helps us see the world in a new light. Disparate shapes and their corresponding numbers are woven together, resolving themselves into an all-inclusive world image - that 'pattern in the heavens', as Socrates called it, 'which anyone can find and establish within themselves.' 'A delightful book: clear, witty, beautiful and illuminating. It is well worth buying for yourself - and for your friends' - The Spectator 'Utterly gorgeous ... 288 full-colour pages of wisdom and wonder on thick, art-quality paper that should survive many years of use. A thing to be cherished, a work of art, it is also a beautifully illustrated geometry primer with philosophical commentary ... the text is Michell's finest prose - cool, succinct and rational' - Fortean Times 'Instructive and illustrative ... John Michell has stamped this book with the freshness and originality that are his hallmark. It is a worthy bequest of an extraordinary mind ... a source of inspiration for seekers in the arts, mathematics and the Mysteries' - Temenos Academy Review 'A real treasure! ... it will delight anyone associated with sacred cosmology or sacred landscape' - Gatekeeper Magazine

Here is a complete guide to the lost art of geomancy - one of the major divination systems that are part of the Western magical tradition.Geomancy is simple, quick, and direct - anyone can get answers to any question in a matter of moments by learning how to read the patterns revealed by the 16 symbolic figures formed of single and double points. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, geomancy was used by everyone from popes to peasants because it provided practical, useful results.Often mistaken for feng shui or ley lines, or hidden within poorly explained tables and charts, geomancy has become something of a lost art - until now. Earth Divination, Earth Magic provides a fascinating look into the history, theory, and practice of geomancy, including a thorough set of instructions for both casting and interpreting a chart for yourself, or a friend.

Cripples ain't supposed to be happy" sings Anita Hollander, balancing on her single leg and grinning broadly. This moment-from her multi-award-winning one-woman show, Still Standing-captures the essence of this theatre anthology. Hollander and nineteen other playwright-performers craftily subvert and smash stereotypes about how those within the disability community should look, think, and behave. Utilizing the often-conflicting tools of Critical Disability Studies and Medical Humanities, these plays and their accompanying essays approach disability as a vast, intersectional demographic, which ties individuals together less by whatever impairment, difference, or non-normative condition they experience, and more by their daily need to navigate a world that wasn't built for them. From race, gender, and sexuality to education, dating, and pandemics, these plays reveal there is no aspect of human life that does not, in some way, intersect with disability.