Regions That Work provides a history and critique of community-development corporations, a statistical analysis of the poverty-growth relationship in seventy-four metro areas, a detailed study of three regions that have produced superior equity outcomes, and a provocative call for new policies and new politics."A remarkable and timely book. ... Must reading." William Julius Wilson
South Cambridgeshire has some of the richest arable land in England and has been cultivated for millennia. By the turn of the nineteenth century industrialisation and massive population growth had resulted in an enormous increase in the demand for food, which in turn led to enclosure. But this desire to plough every available piece of land resulted in the destruction of many valuable and distinctive habitats that had existed for centuries. The Ecology of Enclosure breaks new ground in comparing the effect of Parliamentary Enclosure with the findings of the enthusiastic 'Botanisers' from Cambridge; this reveals not only the effect of enclosure on the ecology of the land but also on the people whose link with the land was broken. The first section presents a study of social and agricultural life before enclosure, describing geology and climate; the fold-course open field system of farming and the strict stinting rules which governed how land could be used for grazing and stock movement; and the crop rotation systems employed. The second part describes the process of enclosure, including opposition to it; the changes that occurred to the landscape and within village communities as work in industry gradually replaced rural occupations; the effects of fencing on movement; and of the loss of common land to the plough. The third section is an analysis of the new study of Botany which the University of Cambridge was enjoying in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries based on their own records and a review of some of the specific effects on the flora and fauna of the area.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to work with the spirit of the plants and achieve profound personal change, wellbeing, and insights into the interconnectedness with the natural world? This diary records the author’s developing relationship with Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) and a small team of plant allies over the course of a year from July 2023 to July 2024 to achieve these changes. The daily entries record what it was like to work with the plants, their lessons, and reflections on them. It shows how they helped to bring about transformational change. Key themes include becoming grounded; achieving balance; developing boundaries; remembering ourselves and our personal power; our inter-connectedness with nature and everything in the universe; remembering our past lives within ourselves.
Newly initiated wizardess Aura Lockhaven has a strange power within her that enables her to perform miracles. The path of the enchantress offers her hope to harness that power before it kills her. To discover more, she visits the Valley of the Mystic Moon, the home of the Order of Enchanters. The Order is not so enchanting, however. A monster wants Aura's soul. A vengeful ghost wants her head. A renegade lawman wants both. A mad noblewoman believes Aura is the fulfillment of a prophecy. Finally, there is something about her mother's maiden name that attracts the wrong kind of attention. Aura may not survive walking a Path of Stones.
