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The Truth About Triangles
by Michael LealiA heartfelt contemporary middle grade novel perfect for fans of Front Desk, following Luca Salvatore, a young gay Italian American trying to save his family’s pizza restaurant and a life that feels like it’s falling apart after he learns that his parents may be separating and his first crush and best friend might be into each other.Twelve-year-old Luca Salvatore is always running interference: in arguments between his younger twin siblings, in his parents’ troubled marriage, and between Will, the cute new boy in town, and Luca’s best friend, June, who just can’t seem to get along.When the host of his favorite culinary TV show announces an open call for submissions for its final season, Luca is sure getting his family's failing pizzeria on the show will save it and bring his falling-apart family together. Surprisingly, securing a spot is easier than kneading dough—but when the plan to fix everything comes out burned, Luca is left scrambling to figure out just the right recipe to bring his family and his friends back together.From Lambda Literary finalist Michael Leali, The Truth About Triangles is full of heart, perfect for readers of Lisa Jenn Bigelow, Kelly Yang, and Maulik Pancholy.
The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard: A Novel
by Michael Callahan“I was completely captivated by Michael Callahan’s The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a history mystery you won’t be able to put down, with strong female characters and plenty of secrets. Plus, it takes you behind the scenes in vintage Hollywood and Martha’s Vineyard. A perfect beach read!”—Lisa Scottoline, #1 bestselling author of Loyalty and The Truth About the DevlinsA tantalizing novel of two women bound by blood but divided by a long-buried secret, and the island that holds the key to the fateful summer that changed everything forever.In 1959, Hollywood ingenue Mercy Welles seems to have the world at her feet. Far removed from her Nebraska roots, she has crafted herself into a glamorous Oscar-nominated actress engaged to an up-and-coming director…Until she shockingly vanishes without a trace, just as her career is taking off.Almost sixty years later, Kit O’Neill, a junior television producer in Manhattan, is packing up her recently deceased grandmother’s attic, only to discover a long-lost box of souvenirs that reveal that the grandmother who raised her and her sister was, in fact, the mysterious Mercy Welles.Putting her investigative skills to use, Kit is determined to solve the riddle of her grandmother’s missing life, and the trail eventually leads to Martha’s Vineyard.Mercy retreats to the island nursing a broken heart, only to be drawn to the roguish Ren Sewards, who is not just the simple oysterman he appears to be but a scion of one of the island’s wealthy founding families. With her attraction to Ren quickly growing, Mercy soon finds herself entangled in the intrigues of the tightly knit community and the secrets of the Sewards.Alternating between Mercy and Kit’s timelines, including excerpts from letters Mercy wrote the summer she disappeared, The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard unfurls into a heart-stopping story of love, betrayal, and even murder.
Emerging Trends in Social Policy from the South: Challenges and Innovations in Emerging Economies
by Ilcheong Yi, Alexandra Kaasch and Kelly StetterDrawing on international case studies from emerging economies and developing countries including South Africa, India, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Indonesia, China and Russia, this book examines the rise, nature and effectiveness of recent developments in social policy in the Global South. By analysing these new emerging trends, the book aims to understand how they can contribute to meaningful change and whether they could offer alternative solutions to the social, economic and environmental policy challenges facing low-income countries within a contemporary global context. It pays particular attention to reforms and innovations relating to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the move away from a welfare state, towards a ‘welfare multitude’, in which new actors, such as civil society organisations, play an increasingly important role in social policy.
Inside Thatcher’s Monetarism Experiment: The Promise, the Failure, the Legacy
by Tim LankesterIn 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s new government was faced with rampant double-digit inflation, rising unemployment and flatlining economic growth. In response, Mrs Thatcher pursued an economic policy which rejected the old orthodoxies and was promoted by only a minority of economists: a policy based on the doctrine of monetarism. This deeply damaging experiment in economic policy making promised much but completely failed to deliver. Tim Lankester was the private secretary for economic affairs to Mrs Thatcher during the early years of her government. His insider’s account explains her attitudes and decisions and those of the other main players. Offering fascinating insights into one of the most unsuccessful episodes of British economic history, he also relates its long-lasting impact and influence on society and the economy to this day, including present-day responses to tackling inflation.
Student Migration and Development: A Case Study of a German Scholarship Program
by Sascha Krannich Uwe HungerHow do international students and alumni contribute to development in their countries of origin? Is the development effect greatest when students return to their countries of origin directly after completing their studies and become involved locally there, or can they also support the development of their country of origin if they remain abroad after their studies and contribute their knowledge and capital to the development process of their country of origin via transnational networks? Specifically, this question is examined in this publication using the example of the scholarship and alumni work of the Catholic Academic Alien Service (KAAD) in five countries of different developing regions: Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Colombia and Palestine.
Rethinking Science Education in Latin-America: Diversity and Equity for Latin American Students in Science Education (Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education #59)
by Ainoa Marzabal Cristian MerinoThis edited volume presents an integrated vision around the processes of science teaching and learning in Latin American schools. Existing scientific literacy findings varies greatly between students, influenced by gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, as well as location. This book provides systematic and cohesive insights, grounded in the existing literature, to move towards equitable science education.It critically analysis existing literature, from the field to guide future research. It discusses various research projects developed in Latin America as examples for researchers and educators. It provides guidelines to improve science teaching and learning processes at school level. By bringing together the main contributions of the region to this project, it allows findings to be accessible to non-Spanish speaking readers.This book provides contextualized insight into the main topics in the field, rethinking science education in Latin-America and identifyingreform efforts. It is of interest to teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and policy makers.
Stupid as a Fish?: The Surprising Intelligence Under Water
by Horst BleckmannCompared to mammals, fish are often underestimated and dismissed as less complex organisms. To refute this hasty conclusion, Horst Bleckmann presents to you the highly developed cognitive abilities of fish.Did you know, for example, that fish are the largest group of all vertebrates, with about 30,000 species, and that they colonize all aquatic habitats? For this immense feat, they have evolved a variety of highly specialized sensory systems and behaviors. According to recent research, fish also possess not only extremely sophisticated sensory organs, but also highly developed central nervous systems that are similar in basic structure to the brains of mammals.Immerse yourself in a fascinating world and learn all about the different sensory systems of fish. A concluding chapter additionally covers the global threat to fish from water pollution, cross-building in flowing waters, and the fishing industry.
Science of Valuations: Natural Structures, Technological Infrastructures, Cultural Superstructures (Green Energy and Technology)
by Salvatore Giuffrida Maria Rosa Trovato Paolo Rosato Enrico Fattinnanzi Alessandra Oppio Simona ChiodoThis volume collects the best papers presented at the 2019 Conference SIEV (Italian Society of Appraisal and Valuation) on the Science of Evaluation foundations, actuality, and prospects. The book consists of twenty-six papers and is organized into four parts: the first one collects reflections on the nature of the value judgement, on the truth of the evaluative statement, and on the authenticity its contents, the values; the next three present operational experiences in the three fields of natural, urban and cultural heritage where the knowledge of the value of the human space, supports decisions and policies, highlighting feature concerning: value and valuations in the dialectic between earth and the city; the value bearers between heuristic and normatively; the role of valuation for the complementarity of rules and creativity. The book is being published in the midst of the new radical transformations of the equilibrium between social system and environment generated by the serious and unexpected crises of the third decade of this century. Reflections on the reality that fills evaluative statement with truth – the reality of values – is more topical than ever in a historic phase in which the role of democracies and the destiny of civil coexistence is called into question, claiming the order of unamendable values like truth, justice and beauty. The book brings together experiences that focus on the “intentional evaluative consciousness” as a condition for the responsibility of the subject - individual and collective - concerning the saliences and urgencies most significantly contributing to the formation of orderly communities.
Rank 2 Amalgams and Fusion Systems (Lecture Notes in Mathematics #2343)
by Martin van BeekThis monograph provides a comprehensive treatment of the classification of small fusion systems, that is, fusion systems with few essential subgroups. It demonstrates a broad range of techniques from local group theory and fusion systems, several of which can be applied in more general settings. Addressing research problems that have not been treated in the past, it is the first text to explicitly use the amalgam method in this context. Fusion systems offer an enticing way to unify various p-local methods employed in group theory, representation theory and homotopy theory; but as abstract constructions they are still somewhat mysterious. This book paves the way to a broad and systematic study of these categories by applying the amalgam method, thus modernizing a methodology widely used to understand the local structure of finite groups. With this comes an introduction to several vital techniques in local group theory, a generous survey of the structure and modular representation theory of some important families of finite groups, and a demonstration of the value of combinatorial methods in finite group theory and fusion systems. Primarily aimed at researchers active in fusion systems and group amalgams, the book will also be of interest to anyone working with finite groups and their modular representations, group actions on trees, or classifying spaces. The inclusion of preliminary chapters outlining the theoretical prerequisites make it ideal for a short lecture course or as a reading group text for early career researchers and graduate students.
Lectures on Geometry (UNITEXT #158)
by Lucian Bădescu Ettore CarlettiThis is an introductory textbook on geometry (affine, Euclidean and projective) suitable for any undergraduate or first-year graduate course in mathematics and physics. In particular, several parts of the first ten chapters can be used in a course of linear algebra, affine and Euclidean geometry by students of some branches of engineering and computer science. Chapter 11 may be useful as an elementary introduction to algebraic geometry for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics. Chapters 12 and 13 may be a part of a course on non-Euclidean geometry for mathematics students. Chapter 13 may be of some interest for students of theoretical physics (Galilean and Einstein’s general relativity). It provides full proofs and includes many examples and exercises. The covered topics include vector spaces and quadratic forms, affine and projective spaces over an arbitrary field; Euclidean spaces; some synthetic affine, Euclidean and projective geometry; affine and projective hyperquadrics with coefficients in an arbitrary field of characteristic different from 2; Bézout’s theorem for curves of P^2 (K), where K is a fixed algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic; and Cayley-Klein geometries.
How Energy Considerations Have Shaped Our Fundamental Modern Theories of Physics: Theory and Key Historical Moments
by E. B. ManoukianAt long last, with sufficient technical details, emphasizing key historical moments, a book that develops all of fundamental modern theoretical physics from energy considerations in a compact form. Starting with a few electron-volts of atoms in the quantum world at low energies extending up to quantum gravity and beyond to the birth of the Universe, readers will experience the entire spectrum of fundamental modern theoretical physics, with one theory leading to another in an integrated unified manner. Energy considerations lead to the development of special and general relativity, quantum field theory, renormalization theory, modern quantum electrodynamics, electro-weak theory, the standard model of particle physics, grand unified theories, string theory, the current standard model of inflationary big bang theory, and even to the birth of the Higgs field, and in developments of quantum gravity. Unfortunately, due to strong specialization within theirfields, students and many practicing physicists are exposed only to parts of the beautiful story of modern fundamental physics. Here the entire story is told! This is a must-read book for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, instructors and professionals who are interested in all aspects of fundamental modern theoretical physics and key historical moments in its development.
Digital Marketing Technologies
by Hashem Aghazadeh Mozhde KhoshnevisThis book argues that digital marketing should benefit from emerging technologies to result in sustainable competitive values for businesses in both the digital and physical worlds. It not only explores digital marketing fundamentals, analysis, strategy, practices, and implementation but also explains the applications and relationships of marketing technologies (martechs) with digital marketing; as well as offers several real cases of practicing marketing technologies. It carefully describes how modern businesses offer their value propositions both digitally and physically applying emerging technologies specifically marketing technologies (martechs) and how consumers are using these new technologies particularly artificial intelligence (ChatGPT/ OpenAI). It investigates why consumers are so intrigued and interested in digital relationships, interaction, and shopping experiences. It critically examines and argues that digital marketing has become popular among businesses as they areattempting to serve their customers better by taking advantage of using digital marketing technologies (marketchs).
Corruption and Illegality in Asian Investment Arbitration (Asia in Transition #22)
by Nobumichi Teramura Luke Nottage Bruno JetinThis open access book explores Asian approaches towards investment arbitration—a transnational procedure to resolve disputes between a foreign investor and a host state—setting it in the wider political economy and within domestic law contexts. It considers the extent to which significant states in Asia are, or could become, “rule makers” rather than “rule takers” regarding corruption and serious illegality in investor-state arbitration. Corruption and illegality in international investment are widely condemned in any society, but there remains a lack of consensus on the consequences, especially in investment arbitration. A core issue addressed is whether a foreign investor violating a host state’s law should be awarded protection of its investment, as per its contract with the host state and/or the applicable investment or trade agreement between the home state and the host state. Some suggest such protection would be unnecessary as the investor committed a crime in the host state, while others attempt to establish an equilibrium between the investor and the host state. Others claim to protect investment, invoking the sanctity of promises made. The book starts with a deep dive into economic and legal issues in corruption and investment arbitration and then explores the situation and issues in major countries in the region in detail. It is a useful reference point for lawyers, economists, investors, and government officials who are seeking comprehensive and up-to-date information on anti-bribery rules in Asian investment treaties. It is of particular interest to students and researchers in economics, finance, and law, who are undertaking new research relating to the multifaceted impacts of corruption.
IT Infrastructure: Security and Resilience Solutions
by Ralf Süß Yannik SüßEmbark on a comprehensive journey into the intricate world of IT infrastructure, with an in-depth look into the transformational role of secure, private data centers in today's digital era. This exploration uncovers the multi-faceted domains of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, examining the primary components of modern IT infrastructure—compute, storage, backup, and beyond. As technology continues to surge forward, cyber threats evolve in tandem, prompting a dire need for reinforced data center security and resilience.This book provides readers with a holistic, layered understanding of IT operations in our interconnected age. You will dive deep into the heart of technological advancements, appreciating the symbiotic relationship between evolving hardware capabilities and the progressive nature of cloud services. You will understand the intricacies of data center design, management, and the strategic role they play amid the growing reliance on both private and public clouds. Asindustries pivot towards a more digital-first approach, this book serves as a guiding star, illuminating the pathways, challenges, and opportunities of the vast IT infrastructure landscape.What You Will LearnTrace the rich history and evolution of data centers over the last 60 yearsGet comprehensive insights into cloud services architecture, from IaaS to SaaSGain in-depth knowledge of data center facilities, infrastructure, and securityKnow best practices in storage provisioning, administration, and cost managementDevelop strategies and tools for ensuring data center security and resilienceUnderstand the multi-faceted world of IT support service in modern digital environmentsWho This Book Is ForIT professionals: from system administrators and network architects to IT managers and data center overseers, plus students and tech enthusiasts seeking deep insights into IT infrastructure
From Wall Street to the White House and Back: The Scaramucci Guide to Unbreakable Resilience
by Anthony ScaramucciLearn from the successes, the fights, and the failures of businessman and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.Have you just been fired? Did that job you were hoping to get not pan out? Did you recently end up embarrassing yourself in a major way in front of people you really wanted to impress? Not to worry. There&’s a way out of whatever you&’re going through, and Anthony Scaramucci—or &“The Mooch,&” as he&’s known to his friends—is the perfect person to point you in the right direction. Whatever you&’re going through, he&’s been through it already. Probably twice. And he&’s learned a whole lot of lessons along the way. In From Wall Street to the White House and Back, the Mooch sets down twenty-five of these lessons. Along the way, he tells wild tales from his time working in finance, politics, and a few strange places in between. Readers will spend time in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, visit the Bahamas with the disgraced crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried, and encounter pearls of wisdom from a few other unlikely sources in the world of business, national politics, and publishing. If you&’re interested in Eminem, Leo Tolstoy, Sigmund Freud, or Tony Robbins—all of whom are mentioned at least once in these pages—and you want to learn from the mistakes of one of the all-time great mistake-makers of our age, jump in.
Basil & Dahlia: A Tragical Tale of Sinister Sweetness
by Joy McCulloughTwo orphan siblings with truly terrible luck battle an evil celebrity chef in this uproarious illustrated middle grade romp with the dark humor of A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Beast and the Bethany.It&’s hard to imagine things could get worse after one&’s parents die in a greenhouse explosion. But that is precisely what happens to Basil and his younger sister, Dahlia. They escape from the social worker who wants to split them up to different foster homes by jumping off a moving train, only to find themselves wounded (Dahlia) and bedraggled (Basil) and without a soul to care for them. What&’s more, they&’re lost in the wilds of New York City. Famished and alone, they wander into Cravings, the delectable bakery owned by Laurel Fox, disgraced celebrity chef with a soft spot for poor, hungry orphans. When she offers them luxurious accommodations and all the éclairs they can eat, Basil and Dahlia dare to hope their luck has changed at last. But the savvy reader will know it can&’t be as simple as all that! Laurel Fox is out for redemption, and she&’ll do anything to get the sinister secret ingredient she requires.
The Main Character: A Novel
by Jaclyn GoldisA bestselling thriller author arranges a luxury train trip that is not what it appears to be in this electrifying modern homage to Agatha Christie from the author of the &“tense and twisty&” (Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author) The Chateau.Reclusive, mysterious author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to crafting her big bestselling thrillers: she hires real people and conducts intensive interviews, then fictionalizes them. Her latest main character, Rory, is thrilled when Ginevra presents her with an extravagant bonus—a lavish trip along Italy&’s Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express. But when Rory boards the train, she&’s stunned to discover that her brother, her best friend, and even her ex-fiancé are passengers, as well. All invited by Ginevra, all hiding secrets. With each stop, from Cinque Terre to Rome to Positano, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra has masterminded the ultimate real life twisty plot with Rory as her main character. And as Ginevra&’s deceptions mount, and the lies and machinations of Rory&’s travel companions pile up, Rory begins to fear that her trip will culminate like one of Ginevra&’s books: with a murder or two. In the opulent compartments of the iconic train, Rory must untangle the shocking reasons why Ginevra wanted them all aboard—and to what deadly end. Another stylish and compulsively readable mystery from Jaclyn Goldis, this is the perfect read for fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Paula Hawkins.
The Secret of the Bloodred Key (The Stolen Dreams Adventures #2)
by David FarrThis dazzling sequel to the phenomenal The Book of Stolen Dreams that Publishers Weekly compared to the work of Kelly Barnhill and Lemony Snicket sees Rachel shouldering her new responsibility as key keeper when a girl goes missing.After defeating the tyrant Malstain, Rachel and Robert are the heroes of Krasnia…but all is not how it should be. Robert is swept away with his new friends, leaving Rachel alone to take care of their ailing father, who&’s lost without their beloved mother. Rachel has also become the keeper of the hidden blood red key that opens the way into the Hinterland and is sworn to answer when it calls. So when a young girl, Elsa Spiegel, is illegally smuggled into the Hinterland, Rachel has no choice but to use her key to save her. But Elsa&’s fate is linked to Krasnia&’s, and Rachel&’s rescue mission turns into a battle to save her home as she knows it.
Better Left Unsent: A Novel
by Lia LouisSo many ways to torpedo your career and your love life… So little time. A woman accidentally reveals all her secrets in this witty and charming novel from the author of Eight Perfect Hours.Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again. But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One. As every truth, lie, and secret she&’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she&’s ever swept under the carpet. With her signature &“tender and heartwarming&” (Anstey Harris, author of When I First Held You) prose, Lia Louis presents another unforgettable and moving novel that is perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Emily Henry.
Sorcerers of Stone: Architects of the Three Ages
by Camille M. Sauvé• Explains the three distinct architectural styles found at the majority of sacred sites, representing three ancient world ages• Examines evidence of the two oldest architectural ages at sites in the Sacred Valley of Peru in depth, connecting them to other sites around the world• Explores the sophisticated science behind the construction of these stone sites, including modern research on acoustic levitation and ancient use of geopolymersAll around the world are mysterious ancient monoliths with strange features—perfectly carved terraces, massive steps, basins, and abstract forms with underground grottos and cave systems. Most archaeologists have a hard time explaining them and attribute their construction to the earliest known cultures in the area.Examining sacred sites in Peru and their counterparts around the world, researcher and journalist Camille M. Sauvé shows how these sites share specific architectural characteristics and reveal evidence of a very ancient culture that once existed worldwide. She examines the work of Peruvian researcher Alfredo Gamarra, who first described in detail the three distinct building styles and construction methods of these sites and how they represent three ancient world ages. She explains how Hanan Pacha ("heaven above") constructions, the oldest style, are universally revered as sacred by the civilizations that came after them. Weaving together a tapestry of what early humanity looked like, Sauvé examines the writings of famous clairvoyants like Rudolf Steiner, Madame Blavatsky, and Edgar Cayce who recorded the works of early man through the Akashic records.Besides the more esoteric questions about who could have built these wonders, Sauvé also examines the unique properties of the monoliths themselves and the sophisticated science behind the construction of these stone sites. She shows how they seem to be placed on earth power spots and how most of the rocks have significant piezoelectric properties from high quartz and silica content. Revealing that many sacred sites are much older than previously thought, Camille Sauvé shows that Peru may hold the secret to remembering our forgotten prehistory.
The North Wind
by Alexandria WarwickInspired by Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone, this lush and enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Scarlett St. Clair.Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it&’s Wren&’s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer. For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade&’s fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride. When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren&’s sister, Wren will do anything to save her—even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won&’t go down without a fight… The North Wind is a stand-alone, enemies-to-lovers slow-burn fantasy romance, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek mythology.
Catch Zoo Later: Field Trip Edition (The Very Worst Ever #3)
by Andy NonamusA very unlucky kid&’s suspiciously uneventful class trip to the zoo takes a turn for the unfortunate in the third book in The Very Worst Ever chapter book series!On a class field trip to the zoo, [REDACTED] can&’t help but feel a little worried. Not because of the razor-toothed tigers or gigantic, suspicious giraffes or even the way his friend Jake is eating way too many sweets, but because NOTHING IS GOING WRONG! The absence of his usual misfortune has him on edge, but when he walks into the reptile hideout, [REDACTED] quickly realizes this trip has been doomed from the gecko. With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Very Worst Ever chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.
Out of One, Many: Ancient Greek Ways of Thought and Culture
by Jennifer T. RobertsA sweeping new account of ancient Greek culture and its remarkable diversityCovering the whole of the ancient Greek experience from its beginnings late in the third millennium BCE to the Roman conquest in 30 BCE, Out of One, Many is an accessible and lively introduction to the Greeks and their ways of living and thinking. In this fresh and witty exploration of the thought, culture, society, and history of the Greeks, Jennifer Roberts traces not only the common values that united them across the seas and the centuries, but also the enormous diversity in their ideas and beliefs.Examining the huge importance to the Greeks of religion, mythology, the Homeric epics, tragic and comic drama, philosophy, and the city-state, the book offers shifting perspectives on an extraordinary and astonishingly creative people. Century after century, in one medium after another, the Greeks addressed big questions, many of which are still very much with us, from whether gods exist and what happens after we die to what political system is best and how we can know what is real. Yet for all their virtues, Greek men set themselves apart from women and foreigners and profited from the unpaid labor of enslaved workers, and the book also looks at the mixed legacy of the ancient Greeks today.The result is a rich, wide-ranging, and compelling history of a fascinating and profoundly influential culture in all its complexity—and the myriad ways, good and bad, it continues to shape us today.
Middle Tech: Software Work and the Culture of Good Enough (Princeton Studies in Culture and Technology #36)
by Paula BialskiWhy software isn&’t perfect, as seen through the stories of software developers at a run-of-the-mill tech companyContrary to much of the popular discourse, not all technology is seamless and awesome; some of it is simply &“good enough.&” In Middle Tech, Paula Bialski offers an ethnographic study of software developers at a non-flashy, non-start-up corporate tech company. Their stories reveal why software isn&’t perfect and how developers communicate, care, and compromise to make software work—or at least work until the next update. Exploring the culture of good enoughness at a technology firm she calls &“MiddleTech,&” Bialski shows how doing good-enough work is a collectively negotiated resistance to the organizational ideology found in corporate software settings.The truth, Bialski reminds us, is that technology breaks due to human-related issues: staff cutbacks cause media platforms to crash, in-car GPS systems cause catastrophic incidents, and chatbots can be weird. Developers must often labor to patch and repair legacy systems rather than dream up killer apps. Bialski presents a less sensationalist, more empirical portrait of technology work than the frequently told Silicon Valley narratives of disruption and innovation. She finds that software engineers at MiddleTech regard technology as an ephemeral object that only needs to be good enough to function until its next iteration. As a result, they don&’t feel much pressure to make it perfect. Through the deeply personal stories of people and their practices at MiddleTech, Bialski traces the ways that workers create and sustain a complex culture of good enoughness.
When the Bombs Stopped: The Legacy of War in Rural Cambodia (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics #206)
by Erin LinHow undetonated bombs from a war that ended more than fifty years ago still affect Cambodian farmers and their land Over the course of the Vietnam War, the United States dropped 500,000 tons of bombs over Cambodia—more than the combined weight of every man, woman, and child in the country. What began as a secret CIA infiltration of Laos eventually expanded into Cambodia and escalated into a nine-year war over the Ho Chi Minh trail fought primarily with bombs. Fifty years after the last sortie, residents of rural Cambodia are still coping with the unexploded ordnance that covers their land. In When the Bombs Stopped, Erin Lin investigates the consequences of the US bombing campaign across postconflict Cambodia.Drawing on interviews, original econometric analysis, and extensive fieldwork, Lin upends the usual scholarly perspective on the war and its aftermath, presenting the viewpoint of those who suffered the bombing rather than those who dropped the bombs. She shows that Cambodian farmers stay at a subsistence level because much of their land is too dangerous to cultivate—and yet, paradoxically, the same bombs that endanger and impoverish farming communities also protect them, deterring predatory elites from grabbing and commodifying their land. Lin argues that the half-century legacy of American bombs has sedimented the war into the layers of contemporary Cambodian society. Policies aimed at developing or modernizing Cambodia, whether economic liberalization or authoritarian consolidation, must be realized in an environment haunted by the violence of the past. As the stories Lin captures show, the bombing served as a critical juncture in these farming villages, marking the place in time where development stopped.