Based on extensive research in several international contexts, this volume provides a nuanced assessment of the historical evolution of private security and its fluid, contested and mutually constitutive relationship with state agencies, public policing and the criminal justice system. This book provides an overview of the history of private security provision in its multiple forms including detective agencies, insurance companies, moral campaigners, employers' associations, paramilitary organizations, self-protection and vigilantism. It also explores the historical evolution of private policing and security provision in a diverse set of temporal, national and international contexts and compares the interactions between public and private security bodies, structures, strategies and practices in different countries, cultures and settings. In doing so, the volume fills the existing gaps in historical knowledge about the emergence of private and public security organizations and provides a more robust understanding of changes in the division of responsibility for security provision, law enforcement and punishment between public and private institutions. This wide-ranging volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of history, criminology, sociology, political science, international relations, security studies, surveillance studies, policing, criminal justice and law.

CHRISTIAN STUDIES / MYSTICISM "In this rich and lucid translation, Jean-Yves Leloup unlocks mysteries of the enigmatic bridal chamber found in the Gospel of Philip and sheds new light on their associations with Jewish esoteric tradition." --Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail "For scholars and seekers alike, every page of this book opens profound new dimensions in the teachings of Jesus." --Jacob Needleman, author of Lost Christianity and The American Soul The mainstream position of the Christian church on sexuality was perhaps best summed up by Pope Innocent III (1160-1216) when he stated that "the sexual act is so shameful that it is intrinsically evil." Another Christian theologian maintained that "the Holy Ghost is absent from the room shared by a wedded couple." The apostle Philip, however, records in his gospel that Christ said precisely the opposite: The nuptial chamber is in fact the holy of holies. For Philip the Holy Trinity includes the feminine presence--God is the Father, the Holy Ghost is the Mother, and Jesus is the Son--and neither man nor woman alone is created in the image of God. It is only in their relationship with one another--the sacred embrace in which they share the divine breath--that they resemble God. The Gospel of Philip is best known for its portrayal of the physical relationship shared by Jesus and his most beloved disciple, Mary Magdalene. Because it ran counter to Church dogma, however, which condemned "the works of the flesh," Philip's gospel was suppressed and eventually lost until rediscovered at Nag Hammadi in 1947. Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the gospel from theCoptic and his analysis of this scripture are presented here for the first time in English. What emerges from this important source text is a restoration of the sacred initiatic union between the male and the female principles that was once at the heart of Christianity's sacred mystery. JEAN-YVES LELOUP, an Orthodox theologian and professor of theology, philosophy, and psychology, is the founder of the International College of Therapists. His other books include The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and a forthcoming translation and commentary on the Gospel of Thomas. He lives in France.

With all the projects tailored to suit babies and young children, this book is the perfect gift for expectant mothers or friends and family. Making these affordable gifts is possible for beginners and accomplished crafters alike following the step-by-step instructions, and will take only a little time and care. With the help of Made in France: Cross-Stitch and Embroidery for Babies, Toddlers and Children, readers can create clothes and accessories from scratch and breathe new life into pre-loved items.

While visiting her friend Ingrid in Koln, Yoko finds herself thrust in the middle of a mystery when a young Japanese woman is attacked in the cathedral, and whispers a few words before passing out - notably 'Rheingold', the German name of a Wagner opera. Having decided to investigate, Yoko finds signs that the victim had probably set an explosive charge somewhere, and discovers that 'Rheingold' is also the name of... a very special train!

Based on extensive research in several international contexts, this volume provides a nuanced assessment of the historical evolution of private security and its fluid, contested and mutually constitutive relationship with state agencies, public policing and the criminal justice system. This book provides an overview of the history of private security provision in its multiple forms including detective agencies, insurance companies, moral campaigners, employers' associations, paramilitary organizations, self-protection and vigilantism. It also explores the historical evolution of private policing and security provision in a diverse set of temporal, national and international contexts and compares the interactions between public and private security bodies, structures, strategies and practices in different countries, cultures and settings. In doing so, the volume fills the existing gaps in historical knowledge about the emergence of private and public security organizations and provides a more robust understanding of changes in the division of responsibility for security provision, law enforcement and punishment between public and private institutions. This wide-ranging volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of history, criminology, sociology, political science, international relations, security studies, surveillance studies, policing, criminal justice and law.

During a new visit to Vinea, Yoko returns to the Archangels' underwater city, drawn there by a mysterious probe and its damaged robot pilot, Myna. The latter is soon repaired, and immediately informs Yoko that the High Council of Vinea has decided to destroy the wandering space city of Kifa, as it threatens to crash into the planet. But Kifa is where Myna and her robotic people were exiled long ago. Yoko and her friend decide to help them...

Yoko, Vic and Pol are in Switzerland, testing a new civilian jet plane. At the end of their contract, they suddenly find out that they've unknowingly been preparing a mission for Japanese Intelligence. During World War Two, the Imperial Army had tested a colossal cannon, that was later thought destroyed - but massive calibre shells have now been delivered to an arms trafficker in a small Asian country. It's up to Yoko to locate the terrible weapon...

Travelling to Hong Kong to visit the Chinese branch of her family, Yoko is attacked by a massive, lizard-like creature. She finds a string of scientific clues and evidence, but as the pragmatic electronics engineer's investigation progresses, the trail leads her to a mysterious little girl-and a sense of wonder that will change her life forever.

CHRISTIAN STUDIES / GNOSTICISM"Among all the astonishing documents unearthed in 1945 near the desert village of Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas has made the greatest impact on our understanding of Christianity. . . . The words in this text have the power to touch an unknown part of ourselves that brings with it an undeniable recognition of truth and hope."Jacob Needleman, author of "Lost Christianity and The American Soul""In this remarkable book, scholar-mystic Jean-Yves Leloup invites us to meditate on the 'eternal jewel, ' the revelation of Jesus, and on the reign of God spread all around us, within and without. May these logia of Jesus translated from the Gospel of Thomas fall on good soil and yield a bountiful harvest of peace, justice, and enlightenment."Margaret Starbird, author of "The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail"One of the cache of codices and manuscripts discovered in Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas, unlike the canonical gospels, does not contain a narrative recording Christ's life and prophecies. Instead, it is a collection of his teachings in 114 logia, or sayings, that were gathered by Judas Didymus Thomas, whom some claim was Jesus' closest disciple. No sooner was this gospel uncovered from the sands of Upper Egypt than scholars and theologians began to bury it anew in a host of conflicting interpretations and polemics. While some say it is a hodgepodge from the canonical gospels, for others it is the source text from which all the gospel writers drew their material and inspiration.In this new translation of the Gospel of Thomas, Jean-Yves Leloup shows that the Jesus recorded by the "infinitely skeptical and infinitely believing"Thomas has much in common with gnostics of nondualistic schools. Like them, Jesus preaches the coming of a new man, the genesis of the man of knowledge. In this gospel, Jesus describes a journey from limited to unlimited consciousness. The Jesus of Thomas invites us to drink deeply from the well of knowledge that lies within, not so that we may become good Christians, but so that we may attain the self-knowledge that will make each of us, too, a Christ.JEAN-YVES LELOUP is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. His other books include the bestselling "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" and "The Gospel of Philip." He lives in France.

On one of the moons of their stellar system, the Vineans have detected a mysterious light source that only appears every five years. Its point of origin matches the location of an ancient depot where every dangerous industrial, chemical and radioactive waste ever produced on Vinea was once stockpiled. Having no idea what the light could be, but worried of the destructive potential present on Ixo, Khany puts together an expedition - and brings along her favourite Human consultants...

Yoko, Vic and Pol are back on Vinea after a two-month journey in hibernation. They've barely had time to wake up that the Vineans are already presenting them with disquieting news: plants of extravinean origin have been found in a remote part of the planet, as well as obvious signs of equally alien intelligent life - colossal in size. An expedition is sent to look for these titans...

Yoko is off on an intergalactic journey this time! One night, on an isolated moor, Yoko, Vic and Pol are eagerly waiting for their friend Khany. When she arrives, she whisks them away on a shuttle and takes them not to one of the Vineans' underground facilities, but to a station near Saturn. And that's only the first leg of their journey! They're soon invited to travel much, much further: the Vineans have decided to return to their planet, to see if it survived the cataclysm that drove them into exile.

During a glider flight training course, Yoko makes a landing near an important telecommunication centre, and there meets a mysterious English Lord. A fortuitous encounter that will propel the young woman and her friends into an incredible adventure - her combined skills as a pilot and an electronic engineer make her the ideal candidate for an insane project: land a glider clandestinely inside a crater at the border of China, Russia and Afghanistan.

Yoko returns to the alien world underneath our own. A strange accident at an offshore platform in the Caribbean draws Yoko, Vic and Pol into a new encounter with the Vineans - aliens who have lived underground for thousands of years without the world's knowledge. But Vinean politics are changing; some factions now believe it would be best to return to the surface, share it with the humans...while others are bent on taking it over by force. The young Japanese will have to fight to protect peace.

While driving on a road in Scotland, Yoko barely manages to miss a girl who is absolutely hysterical and being followed by a pack of dogs... The girl, Cecilia, is an orphan who lives in a genuine Scottish castle. Yoko and her friends soon realize that oddities surround the girl. A mysterious castle, ghosts... A whiff of the supernatural floats around the young Scotswoman... Will she be the victim of an odious conspiracy? Intelligent, courageous and pretty, Yoko Tsuno is an electronics engineer. This specialization draws her and her friends Pol and Vic into adventures that cross the line between fantasy and science fiction.

Back in Borneo, where she grew up, Yoko Tsuno visits some favorite temple ruins and sees a strange machine materialize nearby. Out climbs a young girl with a startling message: She is from the 39th century and has come on a mission to save humanity from destruction ... Intelligent, courageous and pretty, Yoko Tsuno is an electronics engineer. This specialization draws her and her friends Pol and Vic into adventures that cross the line between fantasy and science fiction. Yoko travels the globe through time and space, but no matter where her exploits take her, the young girl never forgets values such as loyalty, friendship and respect for life.

There is a volcano in Bali, the Agung, called The Morning of the WorldA" by the locals. And that's where Yoko meets up with her cousin Monya-who couldn't resist the temptation to use her time machine again. Her meddling with the past has caused a sacred dancer to be sentenced to death. To save the young woman and make things right, Yoko will have to travel back to 1350 AD and face the terrifying flying demons of the Agung...

Pretty, intelligent and combative, Yoko Tsuno is an electronics engineer who always remains faithful to her values: loyalty, friendship and respect for life. In this volume, a megalomaniac businessman has stolen the artificial typhoon created by Yoko's father and intends to use it as a military weapon. Hundreds of lives are in danger. Yoko and Aoki, her teacher, eventually manage to neutralise the typhoon, but Aoki has to sacrifice himself in the process.

Wood is an ideal building material for sustainable architecture. It grows back and absorbs large quantities of CO2. But where does it actually come from in each case, and how will we make forestry and wood processing fit for the future? In what ways are conventional notions of professions and qualifications in architecture, engineering, and construction tested by using wood as building material? French journalist Michele Leloup together with architect Francois Leclercq - a pioneer of timber construction in France - have for a long time explored the ecological, economic, industrial, and technical challenges of using timber for major structures and urban architecture. This book summarises their findings using examples from the French forestry and construction industry. It also takes a look at Austria and the innovative work by Hermann Kaufmann, an internationally revered leader in the further development of traditional timber architecture. In addition, the book features five projects by Leclercq Associes. Richly and attractively illustrated with new images by French architecture photographer Cyrille Weiner, The Wood That Makes Our Cities offers a concise survey of topical questions and findings in contemporary timber construction.

When Ingrid, Yoko's organist friend, invites her to a German castle, what are the chances it's merely for a concert? Among a collection of ancient instruments she is there to authenticate, Ingrid found a strange, technologically advanced device. It belonged to a physicist whose final work was, supposedly, a so-called 'death ray'. Trouble soon follows, and to prevent a mysterious gang from stealing the horrific technology, Yoko and her friends may have no choice but... to use it.

At more than 120 bpm, electronic music sets the tempo on dancefloors around the globe. Accompanying the exhibition Electronic: From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers, this book offers an insight into the visual culture of electronic music, and how technology, design, art and fashion have contributed to its power. With its roots in Detroit and Chicago in the early 1980s, electronic dance music was popularised across Europe through underground rave parties. Its impact on contemporary culture is still unfolding today. Containing interviews with early pioneers such as techno legend Jeff Mills, The Designers Republic’s Ian Anderson, and those pushing the political dimension of electronic music, such as ballroom dancer and DJ Kiddy Smile, Electronic bears witness to the shifting nature of the genre. Illustrated with over 300 images, some published here for the first time, Electronic features Jean-Michel Jarre’s virtual studio; work by pioneer Daphne Oram of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop; audiovisual performances by musicians like Bicep and the Chemical Brothers; fashion collections by Raf Simons and Charles Jeffrey of Loverboy; iconic photography by Jacob Khrist and Tina Paul; artwork by Christian Marclay; club graphics from Peter Saville and Mark Farrow; and iconic venues such as the Haçienda, Gatecrasher, Fabric, Berghain and the Warehouse Project. Reflecting the shifts in society over the past thirty years, electronic music has generated distinct visual languages as well as its own political and cultural ideals.

When a suspended animation pod with a child inside washes ashore on an isolated island of Vinea, Khany is dispatched to investigate - and takes Yoko along with her. The trail leads Khany to a strange tower that emerges from the water at regular intervals. But by the time Yoko follows suit, Khany has disappeared, the tower begins to sink again, and a mysterious, angel-faced Vinean is about to be shot by men who appeared from beneath the waves.

Wood is an ideal building material for sustainable architecture. It grows back and absorbs large quantities of CO2. But where does it actually come from in each case, and how will we make forestry and wood processing fit for the future? In what ways are conventional notions of professions and qualifications in architecture, engineering, and construction tested by using wood as building material? French journalist Michele Leloup together with architect Francois Leclercq-a pioneer of timber construction in France-have for a long time explored the ecological, economic, industrial, and technical challenges of using timber for major structures and urban architecture. This book summarises their findings using examples from the French forestry and construction industry. It also takes a look at Austria and the innovative work by Hermann Kaufmann, an internationally revered leader in the further development of traditional timber architecture. In addition, the book features five projects by Leclercq Associes. Richly and attractively illustrated with new images by French architecture photographer Cyrille Weiner, The Wood That Makes Our Cities offers a concise survey of topical questions and findings in contemporary timber construction. Text in French.