The real stories behind the scenery of America's national parks For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world Fortunately, Andrea survived it. In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others' extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation's crown jewels--Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smokies, Denali. In these iconic landscapes, where nature and humanity constantly collide, scenery can be as cruel as it is redemptive.

What elements of contemporary American life contribute to the United States having the greatest number and highest share of public mass shootings around the globe? The editors and contributors to All-American Massacre seek to answer this question by exploring how masculinity, racism, politics, media, fame, education, gun culture, and mental health influence the causes of mass shootings in the United States. With a specific focus on exploring how American culture, institutions, and social structures influence the circumstances, frequency, and severity of mass shootings in the United States, All-American Massacre advances emerging theoretical perspectives and forges fresh approaches, new research questions, and innovative data and conclusions. Bringing together pioneering scholars, this groundbreaking compilation of research and analysis identifies the social roots of this insidious threat and prompts new reflections on how we can stop the seemingly endless cycle of horror and death.All-American Massacre helps clarify the unique nature and salience of mass shootings in American life. Contributors: Melanie Brazzell, Tristan Bridges, Ryan Broll, F. Chris Curran, Sarah E. Daly, Salvatore D'Angelo, James Densley, Tom Diaz, Scott Duxbury, Ben Fisher, Betsy Friauf, Emma E. Fridel, Celene Fuller, Daniel Gascon, Patrick Gauding, Brooke Miller Gialopsos, Simon Gottschalk, Don Haider-Markel, Stephanie Howells, Cheryl Lero Jonson, Mark R. Joslyn, Jessie Klein, Aaron Kupchik, Alison Marganski, Melissa M. Moon, Kristen J. Neville, Jaimee Nix, Daniel Okamura, Patrick Parnaby, Jillian Peterson, Michael Phillips, Paul Reeping, Jason R. Silva, William A. Stadler, Lindsay Steenberg, Tara Leigh Tober, Jillian J. Turanovic, Abigail Vegter, Stanislav Vysotsky, Lacey Wallace and the editors

The purpose of this book is to present an overview of the latest research, policy, practitioner, academic and international thinking on water security-an issue that, like water governance a few years ago, has developed much policy awareness and momentum with a wide range of stakeholders. As a concept it is open to multiple interpretations, and the authors here set out the various approaches to the topic from different perspectives. Key themes addressed include: Water security as a foreign policy issue The interconnected variables of water, food, and human security Dimensions other than military and international relations concerns around water security Water security theory and methods, tools and audits. The book is loosely based on a masters level degree plus a short professional course on water security both given at the University of East Anglia, delivered by international authorities on their subjects. It should serve as an introductory textbook as well as be of value to professionals, NGOs, and policy-makers.

The efficient use of natural resources is key to a sustainable economy, and yet the complexities of the physical aspects of resource efficiency are poorly understood. In this challenging book, the author proposes a major advance in our understanding of this topic by analysing resource efficiency and efficiency gains from the perspective of common pool resources, applying this idea particularly to water resources and its use in irrigated agriculture. The author proposes a novel concept of "the paracommons", through which the savings of increased resource efficiency can be viewed. In effect he asks; "who gets the gain of an efficiency gain?" By reusing, economising and avoiding losses, wastes and wastages, freed up resources are available for further use by four 'destinations'; the same user, parties directly connected to that user, the wider economy or returned to the common pool. The paracommons is thus a commons of - and competition for - resources salvaged by changes to the efficiency of natural resource systems. The idea can be applied to a range of resources such as water, energy, forests and high-seas fisheries. Five issues are explored: the complexity of resource use efficiency; the uncertainty of efficiency interventions and outcomes; destinations of freed up losses, wastes and wastages; implications for resource conservation; and the interconnectedness of users and systems brought about by efficiency changes. The book shows how these ideas put efficiency on a par with other dimensions of resource governance and sustainability such as equity, justice, resilience and access.

Series Information:
Garland Encyclopedias in the History of Science

The efficient use of natural resources is key to a sustainable economy, and yet the complexities of the physical aspects of resource efficiency are poorly understood. In this challenging book, the author proposes a major advance in our understanding of this topic by analysing resource efficiency and efficiency gains from the perspective of common pool resources, applying this idea particularly to water resources and its use in irrigated agriculture. The author proposes a novel concept of "the paracommons", through which the savings of increased resource efficiency can be viewed. In effect he asks; "who gets the gain of an efficiency gain?" By reusing, economising and avoiding losses, wastes and wastages, freed up resources are available for further use by four 'destinations'; the same user, parties directly connected to that user, the wider economy or returned to the common pool. The paracommons is thus a commons of - and competition for - resources salvaged by changes to the efficiency of natural resource systems. The idea can be applied to a range of resources such as water, energy, forests and high-seas fisheries. Five issues are explored: the complexity of resource use efficiency; the uncertainty of efficiency interventions and outcomes; destinations of freed up losses, wastes and wastages; implications for resource conservation; and the interconnectedness of users and systems brought about by efficiency changes. The book shows how these ideas put efficiency on a par with other dimensions of resource governance and sustainability such as equity, justice, resilience and access.

What elements of contemporary American life contribute to the United States having the greatest number and highest share of public mass shootings around the globe? The editors and contributors to All-American Massacre seek to answer this question by exploring how masculinity, racism, politics, media, fame, education, gun culture, and mental health influence the causes of mass shootings in the United States. With a specific focus on exploring how American culture, institutions, and social structures influence the circumstances, frequency, and severity of mass shootings in the United States, All-American Massacre advances emerging theoretical perspectives and forges fresh approaches, new research questions, and innovative data and conclusions. Bringing together pioneering scholars, this groundbreaking compilation of research and analysis identifies the social roots of this insidious threat and prompts new reflections on how we can stop the seemingly endless cycle of horror and death.All-American Massacre helps clarify the unique nature and salience of mass shootings in American life. Contributors: Melanie Brazzell, Tristan Bridges, Ryan Broll, F. Chris Curran, Sarah E. Daly, Salvatore D'Angelo, James Densley, Tom Diaz, Scott Duxbury, Ben Fisher, Betsy Friauf, Emma E. Fridel, Celene Fuller, Daniel Gascon, Patrick Gauding, Brooke Miller Gialopsos, Simon Gottschalk, Don Haider-Markel, Stephanie Howells, Cheryl Lero Jonson, Mark R. Joslyn, Jessie Klein, Aaron Kupchik, Alison Marganski, Melissa M. Moon, Kristen J. Neville, Jaimee Nix, Daniel Okamura, Patrick Parnaby, Jillian Peterson, Michael Phillips, Paul Reeping, Jason R. Silva, William A. Stadler, Lindsay Steenberg, Tara Leigh Tober, Jillian J. Turanovic, Abigail Vegter, Stanislav Vysotsky, Lacey Wallace and the editors

Methodological discussion has largely been neglected in human rights research, with legal scholars in particular tending to address research methods and methodological reflection implicitly rather than explicitly. This book advances thinking on human rights methodology, offering instruction and guidance on the methodological approaches to human rights research. Seeking to bridge the methodological deficit often compounded by the interdisciplinary nature of human rights research, contributions by leading scholars in a range of evolving fields, provide an up-to-date assessment of human rights methods. The various chapters apply these methods to different substantive areas including discrimination, the right to food, the right to water, public health and gender. This book gives a comprehensive treatment of disciplinary approaches, discusses methodological options and provides advice on how best to conduct human rights research in the crossroads of different academic disciplines. Accessible and engaging, this book will be of keen interest to students and scholars working in human rights research, both those approaching it from a legal standpoint and those of other social science disciplines. Both practical and timely, the book will also lend itself to human rights practitioners and policy-makers. Contributors: B.A. Andreassen, H. Bondevik, I. Bostad, R. Burke, A.-L. Chane, S. Engle Merry, L. Ferguson, A. Hellum, S.L.B. Jensen, D. Kacinski, M. Langford, T.M. Martin, S. McInerney-Lankford, D. Petrova, H.-O. Sano, M. Satterthwaite, M. Scehinin, A. Scharma, K. Shields, G. Ulrich, S. Walker

The purpose of this book is to present an overview of the latest research, policy, practitioner, academic and international thinking on water security-an issue that, like water governance a few years ago, has developed much policy awareness and momentum with a wide range of stakeholders. As a concept it is open to multiple interpretations, and the authors here set out the various approaches to the topic from different perspectives.

Key themes addressed include:

• Water security as a foreign policy issue
• The interconnected variables of water, food, and human security
• Dimensions other than military and international relations concerns around water security
• Water security theory and methods, tools and audits.

The book is loosely based on a masters level degree plus a short professional course on water security both given at the University of East Anglia, delivered by international authorities on their subjects. It should serve as an introductory textbook as well as be of value to professionals, NGOs, and policy-makers.

In the end, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. When was the last time your own life left you breathless with wonder? "Thresholds and Passages" is both an awakening and an invitation to experience the kind of life Jesus came to offer. Discover the pathways that direct you toward purpose, balance, and authenticity; toward reflection, play, and celebration; toward mutual relationships with other women. Whether you are married or single, an employee, a stay-at-home mom, or an executive, you are first of all a woman created in God's image. God invites you to walk to the edge of your life as you've known it, and to cross a threshold into fully authentic womanhood. It is the same place where Moses stood as he listened to the voice from the blazing bush: "Take off your shoes, Moses. This is holy ground." Honest and deeply personal, "Thresholds and Passages" offers a series of portals that lead you to the possibility of living an outrageous life-the kind of life that will leave you astonished. Each threshold, passageway, or corridor takes you deeper into the heart of God, who not only delights in you but also desires to answer your ache for something more. This is your chance to find the life you were meant to live.

Ronald D. Lankford has written the definitive history of this iconic and much-loved Christmas character. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was the creation of Robert May, a staff copywriter who wrote the original poem as a Montgomery Ward Christmas giveaway in 1939. More than 2.4 million copies were printed and given away that holiday season. Thus the legend began. Johnny Marks adapted the poem into what would become the Gene Autry hit "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which instantly became-and still remains-one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The legend of Rudolph soared even higher with the Rankin/Bass stop-motion television special in 1964, which has gone on to inspire a cottage industry of toys and decorative items. In this festive and informed look at the most famous reindeer of all, Lankford discusses all of Rudolph's iterations, including comic books, sequels, advertising tie-ins, movies, and much more. Lankford has produced the first complete history of Rudolph that both celebrates and explains the undying popularity of Rudolph and his friends. The result is both a glowing tribute and a rigorously researched biography that will appeal to fans and lovers of classic American holiday culture.

The prehistoric native peoples of the Mississippi River Valley and other areas of the Eastern Woodlands of the United States shared a complex set of symbols and motifs that constituted one of the greatest artistic traditions of the pre-Columbian Americas. Traditionally known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, these artifacts of copper, shell, stone, clay, and wood were the subject of the groundbreaking 2007 book Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms: Interpretations of Mississippian Iconography, which presented a major reconstruction of the rituals, cosmology, ideology, and political structures of the Mississippian peoples. Visualizing the Sacred advances the study of Mississippian iconography by delving into the regional variations within what is now known as the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere (MIIS). Bringing archaeological, ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and iconographic perspectives to the analysis of Mississippian art, contributors from several disciplines discuss variations in symbols and motifs among major sites and regions across a wide span of time and also consider what visual symbols reveal about elite status in diverse political environments. These findings represent the first formal identification of style regions within the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere and call for a new understanding of the MIIS as a network of localized, yet interrelated religious systems that experienced both continuity and change over time.