The desk is a place of work and of action, but it also serves as a place to exhibit personal things and preferences. Thus it always characterizes in two ways a material and symbolic unity. The desk is not only very informative in itself, but also must always be studied and understood in the context of its cultural, gender-specific, and field-related surroundings. The focus of this study is a comparative analysis of the use of desks. Desks in insurance companies, banks, administrative authorities, call centers, and design studios in twelve countries on all continents were studied. This publication presents the results in the form of extensive visual material, empirical analyses, and critical essays. The study was carried out by the Köln International School of Design (KISD) in collaboration with universities in Hong Kong; New York; Seoul; Taipei; Curitiba, Brazil; Pune, India; Auckland; Milan; and Fukuoka, Japan.
50 immortals, chosen by the emperor lead humanity in an endless war against hordes of ginant insects. Their immortality, conferred on them by the emperror can be taken away if they lose a challange to be part of the circle of 50. Jant, the emperor's drug-addicted messanger, the only man who can fly, tells the story of mankinds savage fight for survival in a uniquely imagined, beautiful fantasy world.
"Seth Rogoff's The Castle is a novel that engages with Franz Kafka's novel of the same title, which famously ends mid-sentence. Built on a foundation of lost documents, erased texts, invented histories, boxed manuscripts, stolen sources, and translations with no originals, Rogoff writes an inverse reenactment of the original creative act-the bringing forth of chaos from form, in which the renowned translator Sy Kirschbaum travels out of the valley to the heart of the castle in a narrative that is at once a physical, psychological, literary, and metaphysical journey into Kafka's abandoned world"--
Retired Detective Anthony Lorenzo’s life is about to take on a change after getting a late night long distance phone call. His ex-girlfriend Brenda needs his help. Someone has stolen a stack of fake Florida driver’s licenses and a journal describing a drug and porno operation, naming names and places. Now Brenda is on the run. She is a witness to her best friend’s murder. Still haunted by his past relationship with Brenda, Lorenzo takes his first-ever plane ride, from Worcester, Massachusetts to Palm Beach, Florida. First thing, he investigates the Castle Club, a private dance club for the rich. It’s where the murder takes place. Lorenzo gets caught up in a web of deceit, an unexpected steamy romantic affair that he doesn’t want to stop, and a planned blackmail scheme. He suspects a Palm Beach to Worcester drug distribution connection. Searching for more clues, he accidently uncovers a secret society’s meeting place, a club within a club, where world-changing events are hatched. Now the head of security at the Castle Club is looking for him, Brenda, and others. He wants his journal and will do anything to get it back. The Everglades, a body dumping ground, claims more victims as the mystery unravels. Choices need to be made: Does Lorenzo show his dark side and go to a place he’s never been, a place outside the law? What if he doesn’t? And will he and Brenda repair their long lost relationship?
This is the story of one boy’s journey from an ordinary childhood in a European middle-class family into an alien world of terror and persecution where fear and violence reigned. Millions had to perish before Germany was defeated and the Continent could return to sanity. The Nazis' rise to power had transformed occupied Europe into a hostile environment where life for Jews had become a living hell. Suddenly, old relationships had been swept aside as neighbours and friends had suddenly become enemies and would-be persecutors. Survival now depended on learning new skills and sharpening newly acquired instincts. The margin between freedom and incarceration was often minute. Under such a brutally repressive regime life became dependent on quick thinking and adjustment to every new situation. Living on the razor’s edge those instincts soon become second nature, and with it new, hitherto unsuspected abilities to cope. With familiarity and increasing self-confidence it was inevitable that some bravado could also creep in. How else could such escapades as earning money in the epicenter of the Nazi war machine – a German Army HQ in occupied Budapest be explained? . Also described are the realities of life under continuous bombardment, from the air and by artillery, in a city laid waste and under siege where one was continually in danger, hungry and cold. To alleviate that hunger it became necessary to find food from unusual sources such as cutting flesh from army horses killed in the shelling and drinking melted snow. Everything had its uses and was recycled: even shoe polish could be used as a substitute for candles for lighting up a dark cellar in a ruined city where electricity, gas and water supplies as well as all the amenities of modern life were but a distant memory. The siege of Budapest ended with liberation by the Red Army and the realization of the terrible cost in human terms – especially that of Jews – of the Nazi regime. Starting a new life in England and a return to normalcy, concentrating on integration and education; preparing for a worthwhile career in a free and happy environment bring the story full circle. It shows that trauma need not necessarily be injurious but can also have a positive effect that leads to a greater appreciation of life and acts as a stimulant for achievement. Service in the British army, immigration to Israel and serving in the Israeli army as well as creating a family and a career conclude the narrative. Originally this memoir was intended for my children, but as it took shape I felt it could be of interest to the general reader who may wish to look at this cataclysmic era as seen through the eyes of a child.
He’s a Scotsman through and through with the kilt and loch-side manor to prove it Savannah Adelson spent years sacrificing her midwife career for what she thought was love. Now that she’s kicked her cheating ex to the curb, she’s transforming her long-forgotten dream into a thriving business. Amid her new patients, she manages to travel to Scotland to be a bridesmaid in her college friend’s wedding only to meet the cousin of the groom, a tall shot of whisky in a tartan glass. Rhys Mackinnon has grown restless and is eager to find his next role in life, whatever that may be. When he meets Savannah, he’s all too happy to make that role her personal tour guide. He ends up playing boyfriend too after her ex shows up unannounced. When the fictional relationship begins to feel real, Savannah’s torn between the fire she feels for Rhys and the passion she has for her career. No matter what she decides, someone will end up hurt, because what happens in the castle doesn’t always stay there.
Another installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno: When a young American woman turns up dead in the courtyard of an ancient castle, Bruno Courrèges initially assumes that she died of an overdose. But her doctor soon persuades him that things may not be so simple, setting Bruno on an investigation that will lead him from the Renaissance to the French Resistance and beyond. Claudia Muller had been studying with Monsieur de Bourdeille, a renowned art historian who became extraordinarily wealthy through the sale of paintings that may have been falsely attributed—or so Claudia suggested shortly before her death. In his younger days, Bourdeille had aided the Resistance and been arrested by a Vichy police officer whose own life story also becomes inexorably entangled with the case. Also in the mix is a young falconer who works at the Château des Milandes, the former home of fabled jazz singer Josephine Baker. Once again, it’s up to Bruno to make sure that justice is served—along with a generous helping of his signature Périgordian cuisine, of course.
Peter and Alexis had been friends in Scotland when they were children. They are now drawn back together when mysterious things start happening at the castle. The mystery ends with a surprise for them both.
To no one in particular, Peter began a soliloquy. "As a detective, the question I'm always asked is not why but how." Inspector Slade interrupted. "Not why you're a detective but how you're a detective." Yes, Pete Boone, Australia's worst private detective, is back with another adventure. This time he's on a classic train journey that can only go off the rails. Fresh from another sensationally successful season nationally on Aurora Community television, prepare to take a trip with some of your favourite characters, and some wacky new ones. For the young or the young at heart, it's worth the price of a one way ticket on the ultimate laugh track. All aboard!
Internationally renowned motivational teacher, spiritual instructor, and popular theologian Caroline Myss has created a transcendent work of unique insight and revelation in Entering the Castle. This exciting new teaching of contemporary mysticism is also a brilliant synthesis of the psychology of consciousness and of Eastern and Western mystical traditions. Myss provides a highly original inner path to self-knowledge -- which is also the road into a spiritual knowledge of God and your own soul -- as she reveals a necessary external path, one that takes you out into the world to serve God and others as a mystic without a monastery -- without having to retreat into total silence, self-denial, or isolation. As her main template for this extraordinary, modern spiritual journey, Myss uses the beloved, revered writings of The Interior Castle by Teresa of Ávila. Adapting Teresa's vision of the soul as a beautiful crystal castle with many floors, or mansions, and many rooms within those mansions, Myss guides us from room to room, helping us meet different aspects of our self, our soul, and our spirit -- preparing us for the ultimate encounter with God and our own divinity. Through intense practices and methods of spiritual inquiry adapted for contemporary life, she helps us to develop our personal powers of prayer, contemplation, and intuition and to ascend the seven levels of soul knowledge that build an ever stronger interior castle of our own -- a soul of strength and stamina. As in all her books, Myss also recounts stories of profoundly moving real-life experiences -- of her own, as well as of her students and of renowned spiritual figures -- that bring home the universal truth of her insights. Presiding over the entire book and journey are the great mystics, ancient and contemporary, of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism with their inspiring lives and discerning spirits. And over all, the benevolence, truth, and gentle and tough love of Teresa of Ávila shine through. Doubtless Myss's most deeply personal, revealing, compassionate, and transforming book yet, Entering the Castle is a comprehensive guidebook for the journey of your life -- a journey into the center of your soul. There, peace, God, and a fearless bliss wait for you to discover them...and claim them for your own.
