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The Secrets Of Nostradamus: The Medieval Code of the Master Revealed in the Age of Computer Science
by David OvasonWalker argues that previous translations have got it wrong, because they have failed to realise that Nostradamus was writing in an esoteric language called the 'green language'. Where previous translations have seemed to stretch a point to make a quotation fit an historical event, Walker reveals the prophet's true prophecies regarding the American and French revolutions, the Franco-Prussian, First, Second, and Third world wars, earthquakes, floods, the Anitchrist and the end of the world. Properly seen, Walker argues, Nostradamus is the greatest Western prophet to commit his prophecies to writing since the Old Testament.
Smart Grids as Cyber Physical Systems, 2 Volume Set
by O.V. Gnana Swathika K. Karthikeyan Sanjeevikumar PadmanabanSmart Grids as Cyber Physical Systems, a new two-volume set from Wiley-Scrivener, provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental security of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, offering clarity on specific operating and security issues that may arise that deteriorate the overall operation and efficiency of smart grid systems. It also provides techniques to monitor and protect systems, as well as aids for designing a threat-free system. This title discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) may be extensively deployed in the prediction of energy generation, electric grid-related line loss prediction, load forecasting, and for predicting equipment failure prevention. It also discusses power generation systems, building service systems, and explores advances in machine learning, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms, and hybrid mechanisms. Additionally, we will explore research contribution of experts in CPS infrastructure systems, incorporating sustainability by embedding computing and communication in day-to-day smart grid applications. This book will be of immense use to practitioners in industries focusing on adaptive configuration and optimization in smart grid systems. Through case studies, it offers a rigorous introduction to the theoretical foundations, techniques, and practical solutions CPS offers. Building CPS with effective communication, control, intelligence, and security is discussed from societal and research perspectives and a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and achieve progress in CPS is provided by highlighting applications, advances, and research challenges. This book offers a comprehensive look at ICS cyber threats, attacks, metrics, risk, situational awareness, intrusion detection, and security testing, providing a valuable reference set for current system owners who wish to configure and operate their ICSs securely.
A Bit of Me: From Basildon to Broadway, and back
by Denise Van OutenDenise Van Outen, original 90s 'ladette', West End star and primetime TV favourite, reveals for the first time the true story of grit and graft beneath the famous Essex sparkle.In this refreshingly candid memoir, Denise speaks openly and sensitively about her rollercoaster career, her struggles in a past high-profile relationship and the betrayal she suffered at the hands of those once closest to her, with the hope that in doing so, she can help empower others to avoid and overcome any similar difficulties they may face.Denise shot to fame on The Big Breakfast in her early twenties. After a decade grafting through theatre jobs and children's TV shows, she was finally living the dream. However her life soon turned into a nightmare off-screen and behind the headlines as her heart was broken in a very public relationship, whilst her every move was printed in the tabloids thanks to her phone being tapped. After receiving a panning by the critics for her late night TV show aimed at the post-pub crowd, she then auditioned for and accepted an offer to play Roxie Hart in Chicago, which turned out to be a life-changing experience. The role took her to Broadway, where she caught the eye of one Andrew Lloyd Webber, eventually landing a judging role on Any Dream Will Do, which saw her rise back to primetime and the career that she loves, where she has stayed and flourished. Now, in her first memoir, Denise tells her story with disarming candour, unafraid to reveal vulnerabilities beneath the cheerful exterior. Tackling difficult subjects of corrosive self-doubt, betrayal, invasions of privacy and professional struggles, interjected with the familiar humour that we all know and love, A Bit of Me is personal, at times raw, often mischievous and always compelling. Denise has lived the life, learned the lessons, and Basildon to Broadway and back is a hell of a journey.
Unsafe Attachments
by Caroline OultonUnsafe Attachments explores the relationships of a loosely interlinked group of Londoners. Caught off guard at key points, they face moments of sudden temptation in their busy, established lives, as well as increasingly difficult choices. Dinah, harried and pregnant, is haunted by images of death on her way to Heathrow. Abi, a senior civil servant, embarks upon an affair with a Nigerian journalist as her teenage daughter 'kind of shags' her teacher. Alex, increasingly keen to settle down, numbly accompanies his ex-girlfriend to an abortion clinic. A glance at a party turns into a fumbling grope and then a guilty hangover for Roger, whose live-in girlfriend is smugly satisfied that her life is on course. Lonely café-owner Carey spots his married shrink passionately kissing another woman in a park while Tina's desperate wish for a child jeopardises everything that is important to her. Relationships are acutely observed - the delights and tensions of living together, cheating on one another and trying to make lasting connections in this vast modern city. Love - real or imaginary - causes hearts to crack and lives to crumble but there is also hope, and sometimes there are second chances.
Healing Passion
by Sylvie OuelletteJudith is an inexperienced young nurse, fresh out of college, when she is hired to work at the exclusive Dorchester Clinic, specialising in cosmetic care for its very wealthy clients. It isn't long before she realises the staff are regularly engaging in recreational pursuits of a decidedly lewd nature, with each other and their patients.From the nursing supervisor, the strange and commanding Mrs. Cox, to the clinic's well-toned gym instructor, Judith becomes enthralled by her new colleagues and the things they get up to. Learning to mix medical care with the special treatment that's on offer, she's only too willing to practice her new skills on the seductive Doctor Edouard.
Jasmine Blossoms
by Sylvie OuelletteWhen Joanna is sent away on business to Japan, she anticipates nothing unusual. However, the timing couldn't be worse: she senses that someone at work is scheming behind her back and she cannot afford to be away from her office for fear of being upstaged. On a personal level, she's just beginning to get somewhere with Harry, a young and attractive solicitor she's been pursuing for some time.As soon as she arrives in Tokyo, her sensuality is put to the test. Enigmatic messages followed by singular encounters with strangers who seem to know her every desire. She is constantly aroused, but never entirely sated. As she gradually gives in to the magic of Japan - its people and its ways - she learns that she is becoming involved in a case of mistaken identity, erotic intrigue and mysterious seduction.
The King's Girl
by Sylvie OuelletteIn the early 1600s, France has established a bustling new colony in North America. New trade, exploration and agriculture attract many rugged men in search of adventure and fortune. French women are being sent to the new colony and a generous dowry is promised by the King to settlers looking for a wife.Laure is one such young woman. Until recently she has been under the care of the decadent Monsieur and Madame Lampron, who have taught her a lot in the way of indecent but delightful behaviour. Now she is in the new country and is expected to behave as a young Catholic girl should. But Laure's lusty disposition is destined to get the upper hand and it's only a matter of time before she's off on a mission of seduction and adventure.By the author of Healing Passion.
Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Education They Need
by William G. OuchiIntroducing a bold, persuasive new argument into the national debate over education, Dr. William Ouchi describes a revolutionary approach to creating successful public schools. This program has produced significant, lasting improvements in the school districts where it has already been implemented. Drawing on the results of a landmark study of 223 schools in six cities, a project that Ouchi supervised and that was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Making Schools Work shows that a school's educational performance may be most directly affected by how the school is managed. Ouchi's 2001-2002 study examined innovative school systems in Edmonton (Canada), Seattle, and Houston, and compared them with the three largest traditional school systems: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Researchers discovered that the schools that consistently performed best also had the most decentralized management systems, in which autonomous principals -- not administrators in a central office -- controlled school budgets and personnel hiring policies. They were fully responsible and fully accountable for the performance of their schools. With greater freedom and flexibility to shape their educational programs, hire specialists as needed, and generally determine the direction of their school, the best principals will act as entrepreneurs, says Ouchi. Those who do poorly are placed under the supervision of successful principals, who assume responsibility for the failing schools. An essential component of this management approach is the Weighted Student Formula, a budgetary tool whereby every student is evaluated and assessed a certain dollar value in educational services (a non-English-speaking or autistic student, or one from a low-income family, for example, would receive a higher dollar value than a middle-class student with no special needs). Families have the freedom to choose among public schools, and when schools must compete for students, good schools flourish while those that do poorly literally go out of business. Such accountability has long worked for religious and independent schools, where parents pay a premium for educational performance. Making Schools Work shows how the same approach can be adapted to public schools. The book also provides guidelines for parents on how to evaluate a school and make sure their child is getting the best education possible. Revolutionary yet practical, Making Schools Work shows that positive educational reform is within reach and, indeed, already happening in schools across the country.
Low-Power Wide Area Network for Large Scale Internet of Things: Architectures, Communication Protocols and Recent Trends (Prospects in Networking and Communications – P-NetCom)
by Mariyam Ouaissa Mariya Ouaissa Inam Ullah Khan Zakaria Boulouard Junaid RashidThis book presents a comprehensive exploration of LPWANs, delving into their fundamental concepts, underlying technologies, and the multifaceted challenges they tackle. This book recognizes that LPWANs don't operate in isolation; they are intimately intertwined with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies, which play a pivotal role in optimizing LPWAN performance and capabilities. The book is a collection of original contributions regarding air interface, transmission technologies and novel network architectures, such as network slicing, cloud/fog/edge computing, ad hoc networks and software-defined network. Also, this book provides a guide for researchers of IoT applications to choose suitable LPWAN technologies and describe the design aspects, network architectures, security issues and challenges.Features: Explains machine learning algorithms onto low-power wide area network sensors for compressed communications. Illustrates wireless-based Internet of Things networks using low-power wide area networks technology for quality air. Presents cognitive Internet of Things networks using wireless communication, and low-power wide area network technologies for Ad Hoc networks. Discusses a comprehensive study of low-power wide area networks for flying Ad Hoc networks. Showcases the study of energy efficient techniques aided by low-power wide area network technologies for the Internet of Things networks. The text is aimed at senior undergraduate, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, computer engineering, and information technology.
Keats and Scepticism (Routledge Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature)
by Li OuKeats and Scepticism explores Keats’s affinity with the philosophical tradition of scepticism and reads Keats’s poetry anew in the light of this affinity. It suggests Keats’s links with the origin of scepticism in ancient Greece as recorded in Sextus Empiricus’s Outlines of Scepticism. It also discusses Keats’s connections with Montaigne, the most important Renaissance inheritor of Pyrrhonian scepticism; Voltaire, the Enlightenment philosophe whose sceptical ideas made an indelible impact on Keats; and Hume, the most thoroughgoing sceptic after antiquity. Other than Keats’s affinitive ideas with these sceptical thinkers, this book is particularly interested in Keats’s experiments with the peculiar language, forms, modes, and genres of poetry to convey the non-dogmatic philosophy. In this light, it re-reads Isabella, ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’, the 1819 odes, the two Hyperions, King Stephen, and Lamia, all of which reveal Keats’s self-reflexive and radical sceptical poetics in challenging poetic dogmas and conventions. This book is for Keats lovers, students, teachers, scholars, or non-academic readers who are interested in Romanticism, nineteenth-century studies, or poetry and philosophy in general. This original, accessible interdisciplinary study aims to offer the reader a fresh perspective to read Keats and appreciate the quintessential Keatsian poetics.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 (The Best American Series)
by Otto Penzler, Louise Penny#1 New York Times best-selling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, Louise Penny brings her &“nerve and skill—as well as heart&” (Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post) to selecting the best short mystery and crime fiction of the year. Writing short stories takes &“Skill. Discipline. Knowledge of the form while not being formulaic,&” contends Louise Penny in her introduction. &“In a short story there is nowhere to hide. Each must be original, fresh, inspired.&” Originality is just what&’s in store for readers of the twenty clever, creative selections in The Best American Mystery Stories 2018. There&’s no hiding from a Nigerian confidence game, a drug made of dinosaur bones, a bombing at an oil company, a reluctant gunfighter in the Old West, and the many other scams, dangers, and thrills lurking in its suspenseful pages. The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 includes T. C. Boyle, James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Charlaine Harris, Andrew Klavan, Martin Limón, Joyce Carol Oates, and others.
Activist: Portraits of Courage
by KK OttesenA speech on the radio. A high school literature class. A promise made to a mother.Activism begins in small ways and in unexpected places. In this inspiring book, over forty activists from Billie Jean King to Senator Bernie Sanders and Grover Norquist to Al Sharpton recount the experiences that sparked their journeys and share the beliefs that keep them going. These are citizens who met challenge with action. Their visions for peace, equality, and justice have reshaped American society—from voting to reproductive rights, and from the environment to the economy.• Brings together multiple generations from different (sometimes opposite perspectives)• Features KK Ottesen's luminous photographs revealing passion, purpose and optimism• Powerful narratives that collective remind us that anyone can take the future into their own handsFans of 1960Now, Martha Rosler: Irrespective, and Charles White: A Retrospective will love this book. This book is perfect for:• Activists, old and new• Politically engaged readers • Photography fans• Millennials
Statesman of Europe: A Life of Sir Edward Grey
by T. G. Otte'The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time.' The words of Sir Edward Grey, looking out from the windows of the Foreign Office at the end of August 1914, are amongst the most famous in European history, and encapsulate the impending end of the nineteenth-century world.The man who spoke them was Britain's longest-ever serving Foreign Secretary (in a single span of office) and one of the great figures of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. Statesman of Europe describes the three decades before the First World War through the prism of his biography, which is based almost entirely on archival sources and presents a detailed account of the main domestic and international events, and of the main personalities of the era. In particular, it presents a fresh understanding of the approach to war in the years and months before its outbreak, and Grey's role in the unfolding of events.Yet Grey's life was not all public affairs, momentous as those were. He disliked being in London, much preferring country life at Fallodon, his family estate in Northumberland, and displayed none of the ambition of his contemporaries (or successors). He attended assiduously to his duties as director of the Great North Eastern Railway, one of the transformative enterprises in industry and communications of the period, and wanted to spend as much time as he could fishing. Apart from his memoirs, the only book he wrote was called The Charm of Birds. This hinterland gave quality to his judgements, and made his character attractive to his contemporaries.This important book is the definitive biography of one of the pivotal figures in European diplomacy, and a magnificent portrait of an age.
Brian Cowen: The Path to Power
by Jason O'TooleMeet Ireland's new Taoiseach, Brian CowenDespite a high profile at the centre of Irish political life for more than twenty years, relatively little is known about our new leader. Just who is Brian Cowen?The story begins in the village of Clara, Co. Offaly, where family, local life and the GAA were formative influences. The sudden and unexpected death of his father, Ber Cowen, Fianna Fáil TD for Laois Offaly, thrust a twenty-four year-old Cowen into the heart of Irish politics. After an eight-year apprenticeship on the back benches, Cowen was appointed to his first ministerial position by Albert Reynolds and later went on to hold the senior cabinet positions of Health, Foreign Affairs and Finance. By the time of Bertie Ahern's resignation, Cowen's standing in the party was such that his election to the leadership of Fianna Fáil seemed inevitable. On 7 May 2008, Brian Cowen became Ireland's eleventh Taoiseach. Here, for the first time, is a portrait of Brian Cowen which follows his remarkable life story, tracing the road to power from early childhood right up to his eventful early months in the office of An Taoiseach.
Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York's Bravest
by Ginger Adams OtisIn 1919, when Wesley Williams became a New York City firefighter, he stepped into a world that was 100% white and predominantly Irish. As far as this city knew, black men in the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) tended horses.Nearly a century later, many things in the FDNY had changed—but not the scarcity of blacks. New York had about 300 black firefighters—roughly 3 percent of the 11,000 New York firefighters in a city of two million African Americans. That made the FDNY a true aberration compared to all the other uniformed departments, like the NYPD. Decades earlier, women and blacks had sued over its hiring practices and won. But the FDNY never took permanent steps to eradicate the inequities, which led to a courtroom show-down between New York City's billionaire Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, and a determined group of black activist firefighters. It was not until 2014 that the city settled the $98 million lawsuit.At the center of this book are stories of courage—about firefighters risking their lives in the line of duty but also risking their livelihood by battling an unjust system. Among them: FDNY Captain Paul Washington, a second generation black firefighter, who spent his multi-decade career fighting to get minorities on the job. He faced an insular culture made up of relatives who never saw their own inclusion as favoritism.Based on author Ginger Adams Otis' years of on the ground reporting, Firefight is an exciting blend of the high-octane energy of firefighting and critical Civil Rights history.
Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived And Will Never Die
by OtherEver since his creation, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled readers. Our perception of him and his faithful companion, Dr Watson, has been shaped by a long line of film, TV and theatre adaptations. This richly illustrated book, compiled by Alex Werner, Head of History Collections at the Museum of London, is an essential guide to the great fictional detective and his world. Using the museum's unrivalled collections of photographs, paintings and original artefacts, it illuminates the capital city that inspired the Sherlock Holmes stories, in particular its fogs, Hansom cabs, criminal underworld, famous landmarks and streets. Accompanying the landmark exhibition at the Museum of London, the first since 1951, this book explores how Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes has transcended literature and continues to attract audiences to this day. Authoritatively written by leading experts, headed by Sir David Cannadine, this thought-provoking companion sheds new light on the famous sleuth and reveals the truth behind the fiction, over 125 years after the first Sherlock Holmes story was written.
From the World of Minor Threats: The Alternates
by Patton Oswalt Tim Seeley Jordan BlumSpinning out of the world of the hit Minor Threats superhero series created by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Scott Hepburn comes a new tale of costumed underdogs—featuring a support group for superheroes, struggling to reclaim their mediocre lives after tasting their true potential.Mary the Multi-Monster! The Tripper! Crab Louie! Kid Curious! Persona! These offbeat b-list superheroes, formerly known as The Alternates, seemingly sacrificed themselves to stop an invasion from another dimension. Instead they were transported to a mirror reality where they lived complex lives in a more four-dimensional existence—expanding both their powers and consciousness.Five years later they've returned to Twilight City, struggling to reacclimate to their old lives in a traditional two-dimensional superhero world—in withdrawal from the vivid ones they left behind. When elements from this alternate reality turn up as a dangerous new street drug, some of the heroes band together to destroy it, while others succumb to its temptation.Illustrated by Tess Fowler (Rat Queens) and Christopher Mitten (Hellboy, 30 Days of Night) and featuring pinups by Fabio Moon, Tony Fleecs, Ryan Browne, Martin Simmonds, and more!Collects The Alternates #1–#4.
Sonia: My Story
by Sonia O'SullivanSonia O'Sullivan is one of the greatest sporting figures Ireland has ever produced. In a career which saw her competing at the highest international levels for over a decade, she turned in world-class times in events ranging from the 1,500 metres to the marathon, capped by World Championship gold in the 5,000 metres in 1995 and Olympic silver in the same event in 2000. But her performances on the track are only part of the story of this passionate, sometimes fragile, and always compelling athlete.Now, Sonia tells the full story of her life for the first time - from her childhood in Cobh, Co. Cork, through her early successes on the track, to the highs of 1995 and 2000 and the low of the 1996 Olympics. Whether in triumph or in tears, Sonia has always been a uniquely fascinating - and mysterious - figure. This frank autobiography takes us behind the scenes of international athletics and behind the mask of a brilliant, vulnerable sportswoman.'As a story of dedication and perseverance finally rewarded, it's inspirational' Sunday Business Post'A cocktail of thrills, spills, heartache, near-things, personal tumult, and devastation. This is a book written from the heart' Irish Catholic'The candid nature of the book alone makes it a must-read for any Irish sports buff' Belfast News Letter
My Dad Is Ten Years Old
by Mark O'SullivanHis name is Jimmy. They told us not to call him Dad any more. It might freak him out.The accident changed everything. Once, my Dad was the perfect father. We were the perfect family. Now he's got the mind of a ten-year-old.From one crazy day to the next, we lose a little more of the man we knew and loved. And then a shocking discovery about his past makes us question everything . . .
Poor: Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief
by Katriona O'SullivanThe No. 1 BestsellerBiography of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award, Irish Book Awards 2023'One of the best [books] I have read about the complexities of poverty . . . one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet' GuardianLike young girls everywhere Katriona O’Sullivan grew up bright, enthusiastic, curious. But she was also surrounded by abject poverty and chaos, and after she became pregnant and homeless at 15, what followed was five years of barely surviving. Yet today Katriona is an award-winning academic whose work explores barriers to education for girls like her.What set Katriona on this unexpected path were the mentors and supporters who truly saw her. The teachers who showed her how to wash in the school toilets or turned up at her door to convince her to sit at least one GCSE. The community worker who encouraged her to apply for training schemes. The friend who introduced Katriona to Trinity College’s access program while she was a cleaner. Simple acts that would help her turn her life around.Told with warmth, clarity and compassion – compassion for her parents, for her younger self, for others – Poor is both an astonishing personal testimony and an impassioned plea for the future of our children. ‘Powerful – Katriona is a legend’ Barry Keoghan‘Raw, passionate and resolutely honest – I’ll never forget it’ Annie Mac'Full of insight . . . so important' Fi Glover, Times Radio 'I read poor in one sitting I found it so compelling . . . moving, uplifting, brave, heroic' Nuala McGovern, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio Four'Moving, funny, brave and original - just like the author . . . absolutely incredible' Roísín Ingle, Irish Times Women's Podcast‘One of the books of the year’ Patrick Kielty, Late Late Show, RTÉ One'One of the most important books I have ever read … a beautiful telling of determination despite the odds' Lynn Ruane, Irish Times 'Fearless, funny and searingly honest' Adil Ray OBE'Raw and remarkable' Irish Independent 'A book of empowerment and hope' Patricia Scanlan ‘Remarkable . . . a vivid retelling of Katriona flourishing, despite her beginnings’ BBC News West Midlands
Eddie O'Sullivan: The Autobiography
by Eddie O'SullivanHear the story of the rise of one of Irish rugby's great outsiders and, ultimately, his crushing fall.As the longest-serving national coach in Irish rugby history, Eddie O'Sullivan produced a team that rose to third in the world rankings and laid down the standards for the team to fulfil its Grand Slam potential. Added to the three Triple Crowns he won in his six-year reign and the Corkman ought to enjoy legendary status in his homeland.Yet, few figures in Irish sport divide opinion quite like O'Sullivan. Ireland's abject performance at the '07 World Cup in France prompted extraordinary levels of criticism and precipitated O'Sullivan's fall.Here O'Sullivan talks candidly of the spectacular unravelling of confidence within probably the best Irish team in history; of the bizarre rumour mill that followed the Irish team through that World Cup; and takes us behind the scenes of a story that tossed an entire nation into mourning.From his relationships with his successor as Irish coach, Declan Kidney, and indeed his predecessor, Warren Gatland, to his early struggle for recognition in the Irish game when the absence of a traditional rugby background militated against him, O'Sullivan pulls no punches in this revelatory story about far more than rugby.
Can You Hear Me Now?: Part One (Can You Hear Me Now? Ser. #1)
by Annie O'SullivanFirst published as only parts of her life, this book brings together the full life story of the woman known as Annie O'Sullivan. Horribly abused at the hand of her father, it is a collection of essays that graphically recount memories of her life as a confused child and young adult as she careened through life without compass, to ultimately, and against all odds, prosper. Culminating in the event that brought a degree of closure to her torture, O'Sullivan brings the reader on an intimate life journey through the eyes of this child&’s misunderstanding, will to persevere and desire to seek goodness despite her circumstances.Terrifying, infuriating and uplifting, this book touches not only survivors; but parents, childcare workers and teachers; reminding us of the true vulnerability of children and our collective responsibility to protect them.
Heart of Darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe (Princeton Science Library #148)
by Jeremiah P. Ostriker Simon MittonHumanity's ongoing quest to unlock the secrets of dark matter and dark energyHeart of Darkness describes the incredible saga of humankind's quest to unravel the deepest secrets of the universe. Over the past forty years, scientists have learned that two little-understood components—dark matter and dark energy—comprise most of the known cosmos, explain the growth of all cosmic structure, and hold the key to the universe's fate. The story of how evidence for the so-called "Lambda-Cold Dark Matter" model of cosmology has been gathered by generations of scientists throughout the world is told here by one of the pioneers of the field, Jeremiah Ostriker, and his coauthor Simon Mitton.From humankind's early attempts to comprehend Earth's place in the solar system, to astronomers' exploration of the Milky Way galaxy and the realm of the nebulae beyond, to the detection of the primordial fluctuations of energy from which all subsequent structure developed, this book explains the physics and the history of how the current model of our universe arose and has passed every test hurled at it by the skeptics. Throughout this rich story, an essential theme is emphasized: how three aspects of rational inquiry—the application of direct measurement and observation, the introduction of mathematical modeling, and the requirement that hypotheses should be testable and verifiable—guide scientific progress and underpin our modern cosmological paradigm.This monumental puzzle is far from complete, however, as scientists confront the mysteries of the ultimate causes of cosmic structure formation and the real nature and origin of dark matter and dark energy.
The Intruder: A Crime Novel
by Håkan ÖstlundhThe Intruder is an unusual story about betrayal and dark secrets. The Andersson family is being sent scary letters without a sender's name. Who could possibly want to harm them?Gotland policeman Fredrik Broman and his colleagues take the threats seriously, but cannot rule out the possibility that it is all a tasteless joke. When the threats escalate and the couple's daughter disappears, all doubts vanish. This is for real. And it is only the beginning.When the police pressure the husband, a complicated family history is revealed. What really made him return to the small island after his successful career as an international photographer? Is it really someone nearby that wants to harm the family, or does the threat come from elsewhere?Acclaimed crime novelist Håkan Östlundh combines high literary quality with high-end suspense.
Founding Grammars: How Early America's War Over Words Shaped Today's Language
by Rosemarie OstlerWho decided not to split infinitives? With whom should we take issue if in fact, we wish to boldly write what no grammarian hath writ before? In Founding Grammars, Rosemarie Ostler delves into the roots of our grammar obsession to answer these questions and many more. Standard grammar and accurate spelling are widely considered hallmarks of a good education, but their exact definitions are much more contentious - capable of inciting a full-blown grammar war at the splice of a comma, battles readily visible in the media and online in the comments of blogs and chat rooms. With an accessible and enthusiastic journalistic approach, Ostler considers these grammatical shibboleths, tracing current debates back to America's earliest days, an era when most families owned only two books - the Bible and a grammar primer. Along the way, she investigates colorful historical characters on both sides of the grammar debate in her efforts to unmask the origins of contemporary speech. Linguistic founding fathers like Noah Webster, Tory expatriate Lindley Murray, and post-Civil War literary critic Richard Grant White,all play a featured role in creating the rules we've come to use, and occasionally discard, throughout the years. Founding Grammars is for curious readers who want to know where grammar rules have come from, where they've been, and where they might go next.