SHADOW WARRIOR. The ancient Japanese art of death is practiced by a select few. Of those young men who are chosen to train in the way of the shadow warrior, most will fail. Those who pass these trials, the Ninja, become the silent assassins, lonely guardians, and unseen watchers of legend. But rarer still are those masters of the shadow craft, the Shiro – those whose fearsome abilities are matched only by their rigid code of honour. Men like Nicholas Linnear... THE MIKO. In ancient Japan they called them the Miko – the maidens of the shrine – women revered for their almost mystical powers who were rumoured to be the servants of the gods themselves. Traditionally the Miko were a force for good, but the woman stalking the shadow warrior Nicholas Linnear seems bent on murder and revenge...
Embark on a journey of the soul with this exquisite collection of illustrations, where the mystical world of the Japanese shrine maiden merges with the profound spirituality of her prayers. Each page unveils an elegantly depicted maiden, accompanied by her heartfelt words of prayer. These phrases resonate with the reader, evoking the often overlooked beauty and emotion in our everyday lives. The shrine maiden symbolizes harmony with nature, the changing seasons, and the flow of time. Her representations reflect introspection in silence, acceptance of change, and the hope of new beginnings, offering peace and inspiration to the reader. This collection invites you to explore the enigmatic realm of the shrine maiden, providing an opportunity to engage with your inner self. Through beautiful illustrations and memorable words of prayer, it takes you on a journey away from the mundane, deepening the dialogue with yourself.
Fiction. Native American Studies. MIKO KINGS: AN INDIAN BASEBALL STORY is an homage to the dusty roads and wind-blown diamonds of America's first moving picture about baseball, His Last Game. Just as Henri Day and his team, the Miko Kings, are poised to win the 1907 Twin Territories' Pennant against their archrivals, the Seventh Cavalrymen from Fort Sill, pitcher Hope Little Leader finds himself embroiled in a plot that will destroy him and the Indian team. Only the town's chimeric postal clerk, Ezol Day, understands the outcome of Hope's last game and how it will affect Indians and baseball for the next four generations. Set in Indian Territory that is about to become part of Oklahoma, MIKO KINGS tells of the turbulent days before statehood when white settlers and gamblers are swindling the Indians out of their land and what has already happened will change its course. "They're stories that travel now as captured light in someone else's telescope," Ezol Day will tell the woman who should have been her granddaughter. In MIKO KINGS, LeAnne Howe bends the pitch of time to return us to the roots of a national game.
Query and modify data effectively with the latest T-SQL features Master Transact-SQL's fundamentals, and write correct, robust code for querying and modifying data with modern Microsoft data technologies, including SQL Server 2022, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Managed Instance. Long-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP Itzik Ben-Gan explains key T-SQL concepts, helping you apply your knowledge with hands-on exercises. Ben-Gan first introduces T-SQL's theory and underlying logic, illuminating it as both a language and a way of thinking. Next, he walks through core topics, including logical query processing, single table queries, joins, subqueries, table expressions, set operators, data analysis, data modifications, temporal tables, and transactions and concurrency. Building on this foundation, you'll enhance your coding capabilities, from programmatic constructs to the powerful new SQL Graph. Throughout, Ben-Gan presents reusable T-SQL sample code that works in cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. Microsoft Data Platform MVP Itzik Ben-Gan helps you: Understand why T-SQL works as it does, so you can write better code Review relational theory elements and modern SQL Server architecture Create tables and defi ne data integrity Build single-table SELECT queries, multiple-table joins, and subqueries Utilize derived tables, Common Table Expressions, views, inline table-valued functions, and APPLY Make the most of UNION, INTERSECT, and EXCEPT set operators Perform data analysis with window functions, pivoting, grouping sets, and time series Insert, update, delete, and merge data Get started with system-versioned temporal tables Understand and apply transactions and concurrency, including concurrent user connections, locks, blocking, isolation levels, and more Use SQL Graph to model, create, modify, and query graph-based data Explore SQL Server programmable objects and programming capabilities Set up your environment, install sample databases, and fi nd even more help For IT Professionals and Consultants For T-SQL developers, DBAs, BI practitioners, data scientists, report writers, analysts, architects, and SQL Server power users For anyone else who needs to write queries or develop T-SQL code for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, or Azure SQL Managed Instance
Indispensable for the student or researcher studying women's history, this book draws upon a wide array of cultural settings and time periods in which women displayed agency by carrying out their daily economic, familial, artistic, and religious obligations. Since record keeping began, history has been written by a relatively few elite men. Insights into women's history are left to be gleaned by scholars who undertake careful readings of ancient literature, examine archaeological artifacts, and study popular culture, such as folktales, musical traditions, and art. For some historical periods and geographic regions, this is the only way to develop some sense of what daily life might have been like for women in a particular time and place. This reference explores the daily life of women across civilizations. The work is organized in sections on different civilizations from around the world, arranged chronologically. Within each society, the encyclopedia highlights the roles of women within five broad thematic categories: the arts, economics and work, family and community life, recreation and social customs, and religious life. Included are numerous sidebars containing additional information, document excerpts, images, and suggestions for further reading.
They wanted to give every girl a voice. They had no idea they'd make so much noise. 4 Girls is created from the very best thoughts, ideas and dreams of four girls. But when Miko has to take a step back from the magazine again, Paulina, Tally and Ivy decide to run a contest for one lucky student to have his or her work featured on the cover. Miko will help them judge the entries, along with a new faculty advisor who seems to want to steer the girls in a new direction. Can these four girls keep their one vision in sight, or is it time to strike out on their own?
Miko Fiori is a powerful and handsome Greek mercenary following in his fathers footsteps. Gifted with a muscular body that is impossible for women to ignore, Miko has certainly had his share of women. Yet lust and desire are all he has given of himself until the day a beautiful, green eyed vixen walked into his life and changed everything. Skye Avalon, daughter of a high-ranking Irish member of the IRA, can arouse passion in a man with just one look. But as of yet, she is as untouched as newly fallen snow. When she is captivated by Miko at a charity ball, her friend, Tess, discloses his secret profession and makes Skye swear not to tell anyone. But Skye is not the only one who was bewitched that day. As they become embroiled in a torrid romance, Miko and Skye must attempt to survive seemingly insurmountable odds as their passionate journey leads them from the beautiful, languid Greek Islands to the turbulent unrest in Ireland where mercenaries clash in a battle with the IRA, a confrontation fueled by mens lust for power and the need to settle an old score. Fiori Legend is a sizzling romance with a twist of wicked betrayal, danger and deceit, as a ruthless rogue mercenary finds unexpected love, but must battle Irelands powerful IRA to survive and keep it.
Japanese folk performing arts incorporate a body of entertainments that range from the ritual to the secular. They may be the ritual dances at Shinto shrines performed to summon and entertain deities; group dances to drive away disease-bearing spirits; or theatrical mime to portray the tenets of Buddhist teachings. These ritual entertainments can have histories of a thousand years or more and, with such histories, some have served as the inspiration for the urban entertainments of no, kabuki and bunraku puppetry. The flow of that inspiration, however, has not always been one way. Elements taken from these urban forms could also be used to enhance the appeal of ritual dance and drama. And, in time, these urban entertainments too came to be performed in rural or regional settings and today are similarly considered folk performing arts. Professor Terence Lancashire provides a valuable introductory guide to the major performance types as understood by Japanese scholars.
