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Curious Science of Bodily Fluids: Discover What's Floating Around Inside of You!
by Åsmund EikenesFascinating details on everyday fluids!In The Curious Science of Bodily Fluids, readers meet, among others, a brain researcher, a urologist and a chef. They share stories and personal experiences, which together with the latest from the world of research offer startling, new knowledge about body fluids. Some of the revelations include: The water in the brain washes away rubbish while you sleep. The mucus in the cervix helps healthy sperm to reach the egg. Tiny drops of snot can float in the air for a full ten minutes after a strong sneeze. The blood of young people may contain a source of eternal life.And many more!The perfect gift for those interested in popular science!
The Meaning of Israel: Anti-Zionism and Philo-Zionism in the Postwar Left (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
by Åsmund Borgen GjerdeWhy did social democrats in the 1940s and 1950s idealise Zionism and Israel? And why did ‘the New Left’ of the 1960s denounce Israel as an apartheid state and a ‘bridgehead of imperialism’? The Meaning of Israel: Anti-Zionism and Philo-Zionism in the Postwar Left, a case study of Norway, offers new and intriguing answers to both questions. Previous national case studies of left ideas about Israel have tended to explain with reference to national peculiarities of the country in question (e.g. guilt over the Holocaust in the case of Germany). This book, by contrast, considers its findings about Norway in the context of what we know from other national case studies and uses this approach to suggest explanations that may be valid across national boundaries.The Meaning of Israel argues that left ideas about Zionism and Israel have been inextricably intertwined with ideas about civilisation. Post-war social democrats used ideas about Zionism and Israel to assuage their anxiety about the future of civilisation and to reaffirm the viability of this very concept. The anti-Zionism of the New Left, on the other hand, grew out of a broader rejection of ideas of civilisation. The book will appeal to academics and general readers interested in the history of the Left, Israel, and anti-semitism.
Nordic Latin Manuscript Fragments: The Destruction and Reconstruction of Medieval Books
by Åslaug Ommundsen Tuomas HeikkiläMuch of what is known about the past often rests upon the chance survival of objects and texts. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the fragments of medieval manuscripts re-used as bookbindings in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Such fragments provide a tantalizing, yet often problematic glimpse into the manuscript culture of the Middle Ages. Exploring the opportunities and difficulties such documents provide, this volume concentrates on the c. 50,000 fragments of medieval Latin manuscripts stored in archives across the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. This large collection of fragments (mostly from liturgical works) provides rich evidence about European Latin book culture, both in general and in specific relation to the far north of Europe, one of the last areas of Europe to be converted to Christianity. <P><P>As the essays in this volume reveal, individual and groups of fragments can play a key role in increasing and advancing knowledge about the acquisition and production of medieval books, and in helping to distinguish locally made books from imported ones. Taking an imaginative approach to the source material, the volume goes beyond a strictly medieval context to integrate early modern perspectives that help illuminate the pattern of survival and loss of Latin manuscripts through post-Reformation practices concerning reuse of parchment. In so doing it demonstrates how the use of what might at first appear to be unpromising source material can offer unexpected and rewarding insights into diverse areas of European history and the history of the medieval book.
Gestalt Therapy Practice: Theory and Experiential Learning (Gestalt Therapy Book Series)
by Gro Skottun Åshild KrügerThis essential new book gives the reader an introduction to the fundamental concepts of gestalt therapy in a stimulating and accessible style. It supports the study and practice of gestalt therapy for clinicians of all backgrounds, reflecting a practice-based pedagogy that emphasises experiential learning. The content in this book builds on the curriculum taught at the Norwegian Gestalt Institute University College (NGI). The material is divided into four main sections. In the first section, the theoretical basis for gestalt therapy is presented with references to gestalt psychology, field theory, phenomenology, and existential philosophy. In the later parts, central theoretical terms and practical models are discussed, such as the paradoxical theory of change, creative adjustment, self, contact, contact forms, awareness, polarities, and process models. Clinical examples illustrate the therapy form’s emphasis on the relational meeting between therapist and client. Detailed description of gestalt therapy theory from the time of the gestalt psychologists to today, with abundant examples from clinical practice, distinguishes this book from other texts. It will be of great value to therapists, coaches, and students of gestalt therapy.
India's Human Security: Lost Debates, Forgotten People, Intractable Challenges (Routledge Studies in South Asian Politics)
by Åshild Kolås Jason MiklianIndia's explosive economic growth and emerging power status make it a key country of interest for policymakers, researchers and scholars within South Asia and around the world. But while many of India's threats and conflicts are strategized and discussed extensively within the confines of security studies, strategic studies and conventional international relations perspectives, many less visible challenges are set to impact significantly on India's potential for economic growth as well as the human security and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Indian citizens. Drawing on extensive research within India, this book looks at some of the ‘hidden risks’ that India faces, exploring how a broadened scope of what constitutes ‘risk’ itself holds value for Indian security studies practitioners and policymakers. It highlights several human security risks facing India, including the inability of the world’s largest democracy to deal effectively with widespread poverty and health issues, resource depletion and environmental mismanagement, pervasive corruption and institutionalized crime, communal violence, a protracted Maoist insurgency, and deadlocked peace processes in the Northeast among others. The book extracts common themes from these seemingly disparate problems, discussing what underlying failures allow them to persist and why policymakers heavily securitize some political issues while ignoring others. Providing an understanding of how several lesser-studied risks can pose potential or actual threats to Indian society and its ‘emerging power’ growth narrative, this book is a useful contribution to South Asian Studies, International Security Studies and Global Politics.
Reclaiming the Forest: The Ewenki Reindeer Herders of Aoluguya
by Åshild Kolås Yuanyuan XieThe reindeer herders of Aoluguya, China, are a group of former hunters who today see themselves as “keepers of reindeer” as they engage in ethnic tourism and exchange experiences with their Ewenki neighbors in Russian Siberia. Though to some their future seems problematic, this book focuses on the present, challenging the pessimistic outlook, reviewing current issues, and describing the efforts of the Ewenki to reclaim their forest lifestyle and develop new forest livelihoods. Both academic and literary contributions balance the volume written by authors who are either indigenous to the region or have carried out fieldwork among the Aoluguya Ewenki since the late 1990s.
Sovereignty Revisited: The Basque Case (Routledge Studies in Radical History and Politics)
by Åshild Kolås Pedro Ibarra GüellThis book explores the new debates on Basque sovereignty and statehood that have emerged in the post-violence Basque political scenario. It deciphers how sovereignty is understood or imagined by a revitalized civil society after the unilateral cessation of operations by ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom). The contributors to this book investigate the new political field developing in the nexus between conventional party politics, established socio-cultural and linguistic organizations, creative civil society initiatives, and innovative activism. This book is for graduate students, scholars and professionals in political science, social anthropology, European studies, political philosophy, transnational studies, sociology, political geography, and global studies. It will also be of interest to academic specialists in Basque studies, specialists working on sovereignty, nationalism and globalization, and professionals in governance, international relations, foreign affairs, European politics and diplomacy.
Women, Peace and Security in Myanmar: Between Feminism and Ethnopolitics
by Åshild KolåsThis book describes women’s efforts as agents for change in Myanmar and examines the potential of the peace process as an opportunity for women’s empowerment. Following decades of political turbulence, the volume describes the contributions of women in Myanmar in the midst of a difficult peace process and reflects on the significance of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in this context. The book examines how women have mobilized for peace, while also addressing women’s participation in the conflict, and investigates the perspectives and aims of women’s organizations and the challenges and aspirations of women activists in Myanmar’s ethnic areas. Contributions in the volume discuss and critically assess the argument that war and peacebuilding add momentum to the transformation of gender roles. By presenting new knowledge on women’s disempowerment and empowerment in conflict, and their participation in peacebuilding, this book adds important insights into the debate on gender and political change in societies affected by conflict. This book will be of interest to students of peace and conflict studies, gender studies and security studies in general.
Women, Peace and Security in Nepal: From Civil War to Post-Conflict Reconstruction
by Åshild KolåsThis book sheds new light on the important but diverse roles of women in the civil war in Nepal (1996-2006), and the post-conflict reconstruction period (2006-2016). Engaging critically with the women, peace and security literature, Women, Peace and Security in Nepal questions the potential of peace processes to become a window of opportunity for women’s empowerment, while insisting on the vital importance of a gender perspective in the study of conflict, security and peace. After the signing of the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord, Nepal experienced a huge leap in women’s political representation in the subsequent Constituent Assembly, often portrayed as a landmark victory for women’s empowerment in the context of South Asia. Nepali women’s mobilization played a key role in this success story, though similar mobilization has failed to produce the same outcomes elsewhere in South Asia. How does Nepal differ from the other cases? Presenting studies of war-time and post-conflict Nepal through a gender lens, this book critically assesses the argument that war and peacebuilding can add momentum to the transformation of gender roles. Contributing new knowledge on women’s disempowerment and empowerment in conflict and peacebuilding, the book also offers insights for contemporary debate on gender and political change in conflict-affected societies. This book will be of great interest to students of peace and conflict studies, gender security, South Asia and international relations in general, as well as policy-makers and NGOs.
Women’s Empowerment in India: From Rights to Agency
by Åshild Kolås Eileen Connolly Anjoo UpadhyayaThe volume brings together readings describing a range of less-traversed aspects and transferences of women’s rights and struggles in India and develops a comprehensive understanding of the interface between women’s activism and politics.The book documents and discusses diverse ways in which Indian women have struggled for empowerment, political voice and representation, and rallied against injustice and discrimination. Against the backdrop of women’s assertion of rights and negotiations for empowerment, the chapters in this volume explore diverse facets of collective agency, and emanations of women’s politico-legal struggles against stereotypes of gender and class in post-independence India. While the donor-driven international community has been eager to celebrate the successes of its global normative agenda-setting and ‘best practices’ approach, this book - based primarily on field research by the contributors - showcases authentic local ownership and women’s own agency, taking seriously the need to understand the cultural context and pay attention to intersectionality. It presents various examples of women’s activism for change, reflecting on the quotidian struggles and dynamic assertions of voice and political power, within and outside of formal political institutions. The book is a contribution to the debate about agency and ownership as key aspects of empowerment, highlighting women who defy dominant narratives.It will be an essential read for students and academics of political science, gender studies, sociology and social sciences, and cultural studies. It will also be of interest to readers interested in the history of women’s movements and their participation in national and local politics in India.
Exploring Challenging Picturebooks in Education: International Perspectives on Language and Literature Learning (Routledge Research in Education)
by Åse Marie Ommundsen; Gunnar Haaland; Bettina Kümmerling-MeibauerWhat should children and students read? This volume explores challenging picturebooks as learning materials in early childhood education, primary and secondary school, and even universities. It addresses a wide range of thematic, cognitive, and aesthetic challenges and educational affordances of picturebooks in various languages and from different countries. Written by leading and emerging scholars in the field of picturebook studies and literacy research, the book discusses the impact of challenging picturebooks in a comprehensive manner and combines theoretical considerations, picturebook analyses, and empirical studies with children and students. It introduces stimulating picturebooks from all continents and how they are used or may be used in educational settings and contexts. The chapters touch on subjects like reading promotion, second-language acquisition, art education, interdisciplinary learning, empathy development, minority issues, and intercultural competence. Moreover, they consider relevant aspects of the educational environments, such as the inclusion of picturebooks in the curriculum, the significance of school libraries, and the impact of publishers. Exploring Challenging Picturebooks in Education sheds new light on the multiple dimensions relevant to investigating the impact of picturebooks on learning processes and the development of multimodal literacy competencies. It thus makes a significant contribution to the growing area of picturebook research and will be key reading for educators, researchers, and post-graduate students in the field of literacy studies, children’s literature, and education research.
Keywords for Children's Literature, Second Edition (Keywords #9)
by Michael Joseph Beverly Lyon Clark Michelle Martin Peter Hunt Karen Sánchez-Eppler Colleen Glenney Boggs Elizabeth Marshall Clémentine Beauvais Lynne Vallone Philip Nel Lissa Paul Robin Bernstein Evelyn Arizpe Katharine Capshaw Vanessa Joosen Patricia Crain Kerry Mallan Kenneth Kidd Kimberley Reynolds Mavis Reimer Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair Clare Bradford JonArno Lawson Nicole Markotić Ute Dettmar Karen Coats Louise Joy Naomi Hamer Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer Jacqueline Reid-Walsh Joseph T. Thomas Jr. Hugh Crago Debra Dudek Claudia Nelson Derritt Mason Zoe Jaques Charles Hatfield Anna Stemmann Sandra L. Beckett Kelly Hager Mike Cadden Boel Westin Lydia Kokkola Marah Gubar Victoria Ford Smith Nina Christensen Sarah Park Dahlen Eric L. Tribunella Richard Flynn B. j. McDaniel Ebony Elizabeth Marshall Elisabeth Lies Wesseling Deirdre Baker Karin E. Westman Peter Hollindale Michael Heyman Kevin Shortsleeve William Moebius Stine Liv Johansen Cathryn M. Mercier Åse Marie Ommundsen Emer O’SullivanIntroduces key terms, global concepts, debates, and histories for Children's Literature in an updated editionOver the past decade, there has been a proliferation of exciting new work across many areas of children’s literature and culture. Mapping this vibrant scholarship, the Second Edition of Keywords for Children’s Literature presents original essays on essential terms and concepts in the field. Covering ideas from “Aesthetics” to “Voice,” an impressive multidisciplinary cast of scholars explores and expands on the vocabulary central to the study of children’s literature.The second edition of this Keywords volume goes beyond disciplinary and national boundaries. Across fifty-nine print essays and nineteen online essays, it includes contributors from twelve countries and an international advisory board from over a dozen more. The fully revised and updated selection of critical writing—more than half of the essays are new to this edition—reflects an intentionally multinational perspective, taking into account non-English traditions and what childhood looks like in an age of globalization. All authors trace their keyword’s uses and meanings: from translation to poetry, taboo to diversity, and trauma to nostalgia, the book’s scope, clarity, and interdisciplinary play between concepts make this new edition of Keywords for Children’s Literature essential reading for scholars and students alike.
The Connectivity of Innovation in the Construction Industry (Spon Research)
by Malena Ingemansson Havenvid Åse Linné Lena E. Bygballe Chris HartyThe construction industry is currently experiencing accelerating developments concerning societal demands along with project complexity, internationalization and digitalization. In an attempt to grasp the consequences of these demands on productivity and innovation, this edited book addresses how innovation is likely to take place with a more long-term perspective on the construction sector. While existing literature focuses on organizational discontinuity and fragmentation as the main reasons for the apparent lack of innovation in the industry, this book highlights the connectivity of construction actors, resources and activities as fundamental for understanding how innovation takes place.Through 15 empirically grounded chapters, the book shows how innovation is part of construction processes on various levels, including project, firm and industry, and that these innovation processes are characterized by organizational and technological connectivity over time. Written by European business management scholars, the chapters cover empirical cases and examples from both a multi-organizational and a multi-international perspective in terms of covering the viewpoints of different industry actors and the contexts of several different European countries including: Sweden, Norway, the UK, Italy, France, Hungary and Poland. By illustrating how connectivity is part of innovation processes in the creation of single-product innovations, of various innovations within and across projects, as well as a fundamental aspect of the processes in which innovations cross nations, the book provides a new angle on how to understand construction innovation and where the industry might (or needs to) be heading next. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in construction management, project management, engineering management, innovation studies, business and management studies.
Working with Spirituality in Family Systemic Practice: Including Clients' Spiritual Life in Therapeutic Work (Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy)
by Per Jensen Åse HolmbergSpirituality has offered people across cultures and continents a source of comfort and meaning for millennia and is closely connected to the human body through our emotions, our behaviour and our relationships. The concept today is considered broader than religion and can encompass our innate need for love, hope, values and direction in life. While spiritual belief can foster recovery and resilience in times of crisis, spiritual distress can also contribute to physical, emotional and relational problems. Despite its relevance, most family therapists are not trained to incorporate spiritual and religions issues in therapy. Based on the author’s extensive research on this topic, this book offers an overview of current theory as well as practical elements designed to help practitioners develop their spiritual literacy in their work with clients.
Universities as Agencies: Reputation and Professionalization (Public Sector Organizations)
by Tom Christensen Francisco O. Ramirez Åse GornitzkaThis book discusses how modern universities increasingly use reputation management in relation to internal and external challenges. Universities are increasingly characterized by social embeddedness, relating to many external stakeholders and international markets of students, researchers and research projects. This implies global pressure to standardize, formalize and rationalize their internal organization. The book uses data from China, Norway and US to show how reputation symbols are used and balanced, based on their web pages. Further, it uses extensive data from US universities to show how their internal organization structure is developing over time, related to three types of units/positions - development, diversity and legal offices and roles.
European Legal Cultures in Transition
by Grødeland, Åse B. and Miller, William L. Åse B. Grødeland William L. MillerAre national legal cultures in Europe converging or diverging as a result of the pressures of European legal integration? Åse B. Grødeland and William L. Miller address this question by exploring the attitudes and perceptions of the general public and law professionals in five European countries: England, Norway, Bulgaria, Poland and the Ukraine. Presenting new findings, they challenge the established view that ordinary citizens and people working professionally with the law have different legal cultures. Their research in fact reveals that the attitudes of citizens in Eastern and Western Europe towards 'law-in-principle' are remarkably similar, whereas perceptions of 'law-in-practice' differ by country and often correlate with GDP per capita and country ranking in rule of law indices. Grødeland and Miller's innovative methodological approach will appeal to both experts and non-experts with an interest in legal culture, European integration, or European elite and public opinion.
If You’re a Classical Liberal, How Come You’re Also an Egalitarian?: A Theory of Rule Egalitarianism (Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism)
by Åsbjørn MelkevikClassical liberalism has wrongly been regarded as an ideology that rejects the welfare state. In this book, Åsbjørn Melkevik corrects this common reading of the classical liberal tradition by introducing a theory of “rule egalitarianism”. Not only is classical liberalism compatible with social justice, but it can also help us understand why some egalitarian endeavours are an essential feature of a market society. If a necessary link exists between the classical liberal tradition and the moral and institutional dimensions of the rule of law, then this tradition is bound to uphold a substantial form of social justice. Coherence requires that classical liberals like Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman adopt an authentic egalitarian program. They should ameliorate poverty and limit inequality not merely out of prudence or collective self-interest, but for the natural justice of ongoing social cooperation as well as for the impartiality of market institutions.
Challenging Legal Core Values: Consent-Based Rape Legislation In Practice
by Åsa Wettergren Moa Bladini Sara UhnooAvailable open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. This book presents the first ethnographic study into a new consent-based rape law in Sweden and shows how the implementation of this legislation challenges outdated legal frameworks and requires a shift in legal practice. Focusing on the Swedish context, it provides insights that are globally applicable, offering lessons for other countries where consent-based rape laws are in place. By examining the limitations of the conventional legal enactment of autonomy, rationality and objectivity, the authors argue for an evolved approach to ensure fairness and effectiveness. Integrating feminist legal theory with the sociology of emotions, the book reveals how emotional and contextual factors shape legal reasoning. Aiming to make legal processes for sexual violence more transparent, predictable and democratic worldwide, this is an urgent call for enhanced professional training in emotional reflexivity and empathy.
Emotionalizing Organizations and Organizing Emotions
by Barbara Sieben Åsa WettergrenDelivers a strong contribution to the field of research on emotions in organizations offering original pieces of research. Uniting scholars from organization and management research and sociology, it conveys trans-disciplinary insights into the multidimensional 'nature' of emotion and its appearance in organizational structures and processes.
Professional Emotions in Court: A Sociological Perspective
by Åsa Wettergren Stina Bergman BlixProfessional Emotions in Court examines the paramount role of emotions in the legal professions and in the functioning of the democratic judicial system. Based on extensive interview and observation data in Sweden, the authors highlight the silenced background emotions and the tacitly habituated emotion management in the daily work at courts and prosecution offices. Following participants ‘backstage’ – whether at the office or at lunch – in order to observe preparations for and reflections on the performance in court itself, this book sheds light on the emotionality of courtroom interactions, such as professional collaboration, negotiations, and challenges, with the analysis of micro-interactions being situated in the broader structural regime of the legal system – the emotive-cognitive judicial frame – throughout. A demonstration of the false dichotomy between emotion and reason that lies behind the assumption of a judicial system that operates rationally and without emotion, Professional Emotions in Court reveals how this assumption shapes professionals’ perceptions and performance of their work, but hampers emotional reflexivity, and questions whether the judicial system might gain in legitimacy if the role of emotional processes were recognized and reflected upon.
Cold Climate HVAC 2018: Sustainable Buildings in Cold Climates (Springer Proceedings in Energy)
by Dennis Johansson Hans Bagge Åsa WahlströmThis volume presents the proceedings of the 9th Cold Climate HVAC conference, which was held in Kiruna, Sweden in 2018. The conference highlighted key technologies and processes that allow scientists, designers, engineers, manufacturers and other decision makers in cold climate regions to achieve good indoor environmental quality (IEQ) with a minimum use of energy and other resources. The conference addressed various technical, economic and social aspects of buildings and HVAC systems in new and renovated buildings. This proceedings volume gathers peer-reviewed papers by a diverse and international range of authors and showcases perspectives and practices in cold climate building design from around the globe. The following major aspects, which include both fundamental and theoretical research as well as applications and case studies, are covered: (1) Energy and power efficiency and low-energy buildings; (2) Renovating buildings; (3) Efficient HVAC components; (4) Heat pumps and geothermal systems; (5) Municipal and city energy systems; (6) Construction management; (7) Buildings in operation; (8) Building simulation; (9) Reference data; (10) Transdisciplinary connections and social aspects; (11) Indoor environments and health; (12) Moisture safety and water damage; (13) Codes, regulations, standards and policies; and (14) Other aspects of buildings in cold climates.
Political Behaviour in Contemporary Finland: Studies of Voting and Campaigning in a Candidate-Oriented Political System (ISSN)
by Kim Strandberg Åsa Von SchoultzThis book presents a comprehensive overview of Finnish electoral democracy, expertly detailing both its typical representation of a stable European party democracy and its particularities such as a personalized electoral system, a fragmented party system with tradition of grand government coalitions and its sensitive geopolitical location.Using the Finnish National Election Study as a basis, it analyses how voters act and react in an electoral democracy characterized by a high degree of competition between and within parties, yet a democracy in which the possibility for voters to hold governments accountable for their actions is weak, leading to interesting tensions within the system and influences on how voters relate to and engage in politics. This book not only describes these patterns but also provides the reader with thorough explanations and interpretations from a team of expert contributors.This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of Finnish politics, Nordic/Scandinavian politics and studies, political behaviour, electoral studies, public opinion and more broadly to comparative politics and democracy.
More Bitter Than Death
by Tara Chace Camilla Grebe Åsa TräffIn the chilling follow-up to Some Kind of Peace, Siri Bergman returns to investigate a brutal murder case centered in the dark world of domestic abuse.It's a rainy evening in a Stockholm suburb, and five-year-old Tilde is hiding under the kitchen table playing with her crayons, when a man enters and beats her mother to death in cold blood. Tilde can't quite see the murderer, but she's the only witness. Across town, psychologist Siri Bergman and her friend Aina are meeting with their old friend Vijay, who wants them to host a self-help group for victims of domestic abuse. Over the course of several evenings, five very different women share their stories of impossible love, violence, and humiliation. At the same time, Siri finds herself at a crossroads--she's carrying her boyfriend's child, but is still beset by doubts and fears. Swedish sisters Camilla Grebe and Åsa Träff weave all these threads together so that the search for healing and the ability to love again are soon transformed into a hunt for Tilde's mother's killer. Everyone is a suspect: the many men in the victim's life, her own son, even some of the women in the self-help group. Grebe and Träff combine the chills of first-rate crime novels with palpable emotion and personal experience (Träff is a real-life psychologist), as More Bitter Than Death builds to a shocking conclusion.
Some Kind of Peace: A Novel
by Camilla Grebe Åsa TräffIt seems so idyllic. But something is out of place. In the neatly raked gravel parking area is a dazzlingly clean black Jeep. The paint of the Jeep reflects a clematis with large pure white blossoms climbing up a knotted old apple tree. Someone is lying under the low trunk and crooked branches of the tree. A young woman, a girl. . . . Siri Bergman is a thirty-four-year-old psychologist who works in central Stockholm and lives alone in an isolated cottage out of the city. She has a troublesome secret in her past and has been trying to move on with her life. Terrified of the dark, she leaves all the lights on when she goes to bed—having a few glasses of wine each night to calm her nerves—but she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her through the blackened windows at night. When the lifeless body of Sara Matteus—a young patient of Siri’s with a history of drug addiction and sexual abuse—is found floating in the water near the cottage, Siri can no longer deny that someone is out there, watching her and waiting. When her beloved cat goes missing and she receives a photo of herself from a stalker, it becomes clear that Siri is next. Luckily, she can rely on Markus, the young policeman investigating Sara’s death; Vijay, an old friend and psychology professor; and Aina, her best friend. Together, they set about profiling Siri’s aspiring murderer, hoping to catch him before he kills again. But as their investigation unfolds, Siri’s past and present start to merge and disintegrate so that virtually everyone in her inner circle becomes a potential suspect. With the suspense building toward a dramatic conclusion as surprising as it is horrifying, Siri is forced to relive and reexamine her anguished past, and finally to achieve some kind of peace.
Local Drivers for Improvement Capacity
by Ulf Blossing Torgeir Nyen Åsa Söderström Anna Hagen TønderThis book presents systematically six types of schools, with different improvement capacities. Different schools have different capacities for school improvement, depending on the school infrastructure, norms and routines for the improvement process, improvement roles, and improvement history. The organisation of the improvement capacity is understood on the basis of sensemaking processes among teachers and school leaders. The book focuses on the challenges for each type of school in their improvement work, and which situations and circumstances they need to take into account. The school types are illustrated with detailed descriptions of six schools, coming from an evaluation of a Norwegian school development program. The book fills a need in school organisations to have concrete illustrations from similar schools of how teacher teams are organised, how leadership is exercised and processes are organised in their efforts of improving the organisation and building a complex and effective capacity. Schools' improvement capacity has become an important feature in school management and leadership as well as in research as western states have decentralised governance to the local level. The expectations on school leaders as well as on teachers are high when it comes to improve their schools to raise student outcome. Accounts of professional school cultures and professional learning communities often describe in an overall perspective the ideal school where such an improvement capacity is in work. However, accounts of the many ways of organising the capacity which perhaps are not all in all ideal or effective also contribute to the knowledge of the local school process.