International politics has become ever more volatile in the last decade,increasing the risk of large-scale military violence. Yet the precise charac-ter of future wars will depend on a range of factors that relate to adversaries,allies, technology, geographical scope, and multiple domains of warfighting.Few would question that land forces will also be important in the foreseeablefuture. Recent …
What is the experience of truth and reconciliation? What is the purpose of a truth commission? What lessons can be learned from established truth and reconciliation processes? Flowers in the Wall explores the experience of truth and reconciliation Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific, with and without a formal truth commission. Although much has been written about the operational phases of …
Top 10 Beijing will lead you straight to the best attractions this rewarding and vibrant city has to offer. There are dozens of Top 10 lists, including the Top 10 restaurants, Top 10 liveliest bars and clubs, the Top 10 places to stay in Beijing — and even a Top 10 list of things to avoid. Whether you want to explore the Forbidden City, visit Tian'an Men Square, rickshaw around the back lane…
The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverishe…
Turkey occupies a strategic position in today's world: the only predominantly Muslim nation to be a member of NATO and an ally of Israel, it straddles both Europe and Asia. Turkey is the link between Islam and Western democracy, between Europe and the Middle East. In this concise introduction, Andrew Finkel, who has spent twenty years in Turkey writing about the country for publications such as…
For thirty years Sudan has been a country in crisis, wracked by near-constant warfare between the north and the south. But on July 9, 2011, South Sudan became an independent nation. As Sudan once again finds itself the focus of international attention, former special envoy to Sudan and director of USAID Andrew Natsios provides a timely introduction to the country at this pivotal moment in its h…
No country in Asia in recent years has undergone so massive a political shift in so short a time as Myanmar. Until recently, the former British colony had one of the most secretive, corrupt, and repressive regimes on the planet, a country where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was held in continual house arrest and human rights were denied to nearly all. Yet events in Myanmar since t…
On the first day of Christmas day, my true love gave to me A partridge in a pear tree.
Statistics is interesting and useful because it provides strategies and tools for using data to gain insight into real problems. As the continuing revolution in computing automates most of the tiresome details, an emphasis on statistical concepts and on insight from data becomes both more practical for students and teachers and more important for users who must supply what is not automated. No …
The control of food additives has been much discussed in a newspapers and other parts of the media and yet, rather surprisingly, there have been few scientific books about additives. There have been detailed reports of the work of expert committees such as the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and informative and commentaries on individual and legislative controls, notably those …
The inextricability of the connection between the Roman limes and the lands it ran through is easily observed and perfectly illustrated in Bulgaria. For a considerable distance it follows the Danube; both a major natural obstacle and at the same time a convenient communication route, it was easily defendable and facilitated control of trade routes.
The present work is based on a little-known booklet, published by the Rev. Dr John Hunt (born Bridgend, Perth, 1827, died Otford, Kent, 1907).1 The original copy that I have used is in the possession of the Norris Museum, St Ives, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire) and contains manuscript annotations by Mrs Eliza Hunt,2 the first wife of the author…
Yet we cannot foreclose the extent to which some thinkers and theorists, especially looking back over the long arc of TV reception, have raised concerns about the medium’s deleterious potential: its apparent agency in human dissipation and degeneracy. While Raymond Williams offered a critical materialist approach equipped with a searing interest in how serious criticism of …
Mr. Wang died of cancer at the Nanjing Municipal Hospital of Chinese Medicine during the wee hours of the morning on December 14, 2014. He was eighty-four years old and had been at the hospital for almost two weeks. Before coming to the hospital, he saw a series of doctors about pain in his legs and hips, but checked into the hospital when the pain increased. About five days before his death, a…
This chapter sets out the aims of this book and explains themethods and approaches applied in its production. It alsoaspires to be a guide, offering readers instructions as to howbest to use the book. We therefore strongly encourage allreaders to read this chapter carefully, so as to gain a clearerunderstanding of all the different aspects analysed in thisbook. This chapter also provides essent…
Doctoral education has become a key element of the higher education landscape everywhere. With the spread of higher education massification and the rise of the global knowledge economy that began in the late twentieth century and continues today, doctoral education has expanded tremendously. There have been significant changes in doctoral education worldwide in the twent…
In view of the mercurial nature of one half of the dual-fold topic of this analysis, perhaps it would hold both me, as the author, and you, as the reader, jointly in good stead to open with an attempt at a definition. What is sincerity? Sincerity is a noun. Among other things, it refers to the absence of pretense, deceit, and/or hypocrisy. Its synonyms include the followi…
By the end of the first millennium CE, a vast portion of Central Eurasia was con-trolled by nomadic powers: the Sinicized Khitans (907–1125), who were later replaced by the Jurchens (1115–1234) and the Tanguts (1038–1227) in North and Northwest China; and the Turko-Islamic dynasties such as the Qarakhanids (840–1212), the Ghaznavids (977–1163) and the Saljuqs (1037–1194, and 1077–…
e migration of the Normans across Europe is a well-known and much written about subject. Originating in the principality of Normandy that took its name from the ‘men of the north’ who came from Scandinavia to settle on the French coast from the ninth century onwards, the Normans then established themselves during the eleventh century in two main areas some , mil…
In May 1951, Francisco Franco attended an international social security congressin Madrid. In the audience were experts and officials from across Spain, LatinAmerica, and western Europe, including ministers from various foreign govern-ments and representatives from international bodies such as the InternationalLabour Organization (ILO). Addressing the conference, Franco told delegates thattwo f…
Public interest in modern art continues to grow, as witnessed by the spectacular success of the Tate Modern in London and the Bilbao Guggenheim. Modern Art: A Very Short Introduction engages general readers, offering them not only information and ideas about modern art, but also explaining its contemporary relevance and history. The book focuses on interrogating the idea of "modern" art by aski…
The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes, cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents - Bush and Obama - drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, …
Discover DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Vietnam and Angkor Wat. • Detailed itineraries and "don't-miss" destination highlights at a glance. • Illustrated cutaway 3-D drawings of important sights. • Floor plans and guided visitor information for major museums. • Guided walking tours, local drink and dining specialties to try, things to do, and places to eat, drink, and sho…
From beautiful palaces such as Seville's Real Alcázar and the magical Alhambra in Granada, splendid religious edifices such as the Mezquita in Córdoba, Seville Cathedral and La Giralda, to the historic coastal cities of Málaga and Cádiz, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Seville & Andalucía will show you all of the top sights in this especially colorful part of Spain. Learn about Hispano-Moorish…
Visit and explore Las Vegas, a.k.a. Sin City, and walk along the strip, gamble in the casinos, eat amazing food, or stop by a show in the entertainment capital of the world. From top restaurants, bars, and clubs to standout scenic sites and walks, our insider tips are sure to make your trip outstanding. Whether you're looking for unique and interesting shops and markets, or seeking the best ve…
Eyewitness Medieval Life is a compelling introduction to the people and culture of the Middle Ages. Superb color photographs of artifacts, costumes, furniture, and buildings bring daily life in Medieval Europe vividly to life. Explore the magnificent tournaments of the royal court, the bustling streets of a developing town, how the feudal system worked, and much more. Find out how monks deco…
Civil engineering has made an inestimable contribution to modern life, providing the crucial expertise behind our vast transportation systems and the wide array of built structures where we work, study, and play. In this Very Short Introduction, engineer David Muir Wood turns a spotlight on a field that we often take for granted. He sheds light on the nature and importance of civil engineering …
The avant-garde movements of Dada and Surrealism continue to have a huge influence on cultural practice, especially in contemporary art, with its obsession with sexuality, fetishism, and shock tactics. In this new treatment of the subject, Hopkins focuses on the many debates surrounding these movements: the Marquis de Sade's Surrealist deification, issues of quality (How good is Dali?), the ide…
Dinosaurs are fascinating creatures and their popularity seems never ending, fueled by films such as Jurassic Park and documentaries such as Walking with Dinosaurs. Yet dinosaurs (or more precisely non-avian dinosaurs) last trod the Earth 65 million years ago. All we know of them today are their fossilized bones, the tracks and traces that they left behind and, in very rare instances, some of t…
Lie detection, offender profiling, jury selection, insanity in the law, predicting the risk of re-offending , the minds of serial killers, and many other topics that fill news and fiction are all aspects of the rapidly developing area of scientific psychology broadly known as Forensic Psychology. This fascinating Very Short Introduction discusses all the aspects of psychology that are relevant …
Homer, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy; Curie, Darwin, Einstein, Galileo, and Newton. What do these world-famous artists and scientists have in common?- apart from the fact that their achievements predate our own time by a century or more. Most of us would probably answer: all ten possessed something we call genius, which in each instance permanently changed the way that hum…
This Very Short Introduction answers four basic questions: what is Geography, how do geographers work, why is Geography important, and where is the discipline of Geography heading? Geography has always been important, though it has had only a short history as an academic discipline and is much misunderstood. Modern Geography has come a long way from its historical roots in exploring foreign lan…
How have the Jews survived? For millennia, they have defied odds by overcoming the travails of exile, persecution, and recurring plans for their annihilation. Many have attempted to explain this singular success as a result of divine intervention. In this engaging book, David N. Myers charts the long journey of the Jews through history. At the same time, it points to two unlikely-and decidedly …
This highly original and sophisticated look at architecture helps us to understand the cultural significance of the buildings that surround us. It avoids the traditional style-spotting approach and instead gives us an idea of what it is about buildings that moves us, and what it is that makes them important artistically and culturally. The book begins by looking at how architecture acquires mea…
It was the summer of 1843, and in Tai County the okra flowers had just bloomed. Lu Yitian’s aunt, Madame Zhou, enjoyed making medi-cal concoctions and people came from all around seeking her treat-ment. There was a man who had been severely scalded, so that his body was covered in festering sores, and no one had been able to affect a cure. He came to beg for …
Nowadays high performance computing (HPC) clusters are not only deployed in largeresearch centers, but also widely adopted by industries such as chip design and man-ufacture, life sciences, etc. This trend brings more diverse workload patterns to HPCclusters compared with the traditional scientific applications. As those clusters normallyconsists of thousands of nodes, it is common to use resou…
Eunsun Kim was born in North Korea, one of the most secretive and oppressive countries in the modern world. As a child Eunsun loved her country...despite her school field trips to public executions, daily self-criticism sessions, and the increasing gnaw of hunger as the country-wide famine escalated. By the time she was eleven years old, Eunsun's father and grandparents had died of starvatio…
The magnificent 10th-12th century Hindu temples of Khajuraho — with their soaring towers and engaging sculptures — represent the pinnacle of the North Indian temple style. Still infused with their historical magic, they are yours to discover.
In October 1936, the British Resident Frederick Chapman, or “Freddie” as he was known by his close associates, received an invitation to a game of soccer from a team calling themselves Lhasa United. The British Diplomatic Mission in Lhasa, unable to resist such a summons, hastily cobbled together a team of four British officials, four of their Sikkimese clerks, and a few of their …
The point, line, plane and solid objects represent the first three dimensions, but a kind of reversal of space is involved in the ascent to a fourth dimension. Steiner leads us to the brink of this new perspective—as nearly as it can be done with words, diagrams, analogies, and examples of many kinds. In doing so, he continues his lifelong project of demonstrating that our objective, everyday…
Java is home to two of the most impressive temples in all of southeast Asia: Buddhist Borobudur and Hindu Prambanan. Borobudur (built 760-830) rises gradually in a series of majestic tiers, a testament to its stupa-mound inspiration; while Prambanan (built 850-856) soars vertically, drawing on south Indian temple prototypes. Both inspire with their innovative architectural designs, world-class …
Bagan, the ancient Buddhist capital in central Myanmar (Burma) that thrived from 850-1300, is one of the most magnificent and inspiring sites in Southeast Asia. It is yours to uncover.
The temples of Thailand — overflowing with golden Buddhas, soaring spires and glistening surfaces of infinite complexity — stir the spirit, inviting contemplation and wonder. This Approach Guide reveals the country’s best art and architecture from its three great historical capitals: Sukhothai (1238-1368), Ayutthaya (1350-1767), and Bangkok (1782-present). It is yours to discover.
A fantastic collection of royal tombs sits solemnly along the banks of the Perfume river, upstream of Hue to the southwest. They were built by the Nguyen dynasty — which ruled over a unified Vietnam from 1802-1945 — to maintain their legacy for ages to come. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, the tombs inspire with their perfectly-integrated natural surroundings, captivating dragon…
With insightful profiles for 23 of Angkor's top temples and nearly 200 high-resolution images, this is the definitive travel guide to Angkor, Cambodia's premier World Heritage destination. Angkor — the capital of the Khmer empire that thrived for 500 years from 802-1327 — is one of the most magnificent sites in Southeast Asia. The ancient city’s temples inspire with their innovative ar…
Histories of migration to the United States are also a history of American photogra-phy. Yet, the relationship between these histories are rarely discussed in surveys of the history of photography in America. Neither are immigrants’ uses and circula-tion of photographs discussed in the historiographies of the European immigration to the United States.1 However, US migration history and the hi…
David Allen reads an all-new edition of his popular self-help classic for managing work-life balance in the 21st century - now updated for the new challenges facing individuals and organizations in today's rapidly changing world. Since it was first published more than 15 years ago, David Allen's Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era and the ulti…
In the municipal election of 1968, the Liverpool Conservatives won 62 per cent of the vote and 78 per cent of the seats on Liverpool City Council. Moreover, they had run Liverpool’s municipal government for 86 of the previous 100 years. In 1972 they lost control of the council. In 1983 they lost their last two MPs, and in 1998 they lost their final counci…
To tease out the evolution of institutions, organisations and transport requires a broad search of historical accounts written both in English and in Japanese. Published in English, there is scholarship rich in details of ancient and modern aspects of Japan, its politics and economy. Computer search engines and the website Academia allow access to data bases th…
When discussing being stuck in a "win-win vs. win-lose" debate, most negotiation books focus on face-to-face tactics. Yet, table tactics are only the "first dimension" of David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius' pathbreaking 3-D Negotiation (TM) approach, developed from their decades of doing deals and analyzing great dealmakers. Moves in their "second dimension"?deal design?systematically unlock ec…