Europe’s Uncertain Path is an introduction to Europe’s turbulent history from 1814 to 1914. It presents a clear narrative of the major political events, set against the backdrop of social, economic, and cultural change. An introduction to Europe’s turbulent history from 1814 to 1914 Provides students with a solid grounding in the main political events and social changes of the period Explains the causes and outcomes of major events: the effect of the emergence of mass politics; the evolution of political ideologies; and the link between foreign and domestic policy Offers balanced coverage of Eastern, Western, and Central Europe Illustrations, maps, and figures enhance student understanding
In this provocative walking meditation, writer and former park ranger William Tweed takes us to California’s spectacular High Sierra to discover a new vision for our national parks as they approach their 100th anniversary. Tweed, who worked among the Sierra Nevada’s big peaks and big trees for more than thirty years, has now hiked more than 200 miles along California’s John Muir Trail in a personal search for answers: How do we address the climate change we are seeing even now—in melting glaciers in Glacier National Park, changing rainy seasons on Mt Rainer, and more fire in the West’s iconic parks. Should we intervene where we can to preserve biodiversity? Should the parks merely become ecosystem museums that exhibit famous landscapes and species? Asking how we can make these magnificent parks relevant for the next generation, Tweed, through his journey, ultimately shows why we must do just that.
In this case study of the politics of transition in Eastern Europe, Rudolf Martin Rizman provides a careful, detailed sociological explanation and narrative on the emergence of independent statehood and democracy in Slovenia, a small state whose experience is of interest to policy makers, scholars, and serious students of Eastern Europe. In his focus on the transition from an authoritarian to a democratic regime, Rizman analyzes social processes and political issues in the context of the Third Wave of democratization, identifying “zones of certainty and uncertainty.” Challenging many generally accepted ideas about small states and their transitions to democracy, this book places Slovenia’s pattern of democratization in the wider regional context of eastern and central European post-communist transitions. Rizman shows, for example, that a country’s size is merely one factor out of many, and while Slovenes considered the influence of larger states, their choices were not particularly circumscribed by them. Opening with a discussion of the relevant theoretical environment in sociology and political science, Rizman illuminates the complex processes of democratic transition and consolidation. From there, the book analyzes the internal and external processes and factors relevant for Slovenia’s successful trajectory from existence as an ethnically defined sub-nation to an internationally recognized nation-state. After careful consideration of religious, political, military, intellectual, and other socio-political stakeholders in the region, including the somewhat disturbing evidence of the salience of a new “radical Right”, Rizman concludes that Slovenia is irreversibly set on the course of democratization, with indications of having reached the early stages of consolidation.
Because he chose to take part in the revolution on Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan Kenobi is no longer a Jedi. But as the revolution continues and he can no longer tell his friends from his enemies, he grows to regret his choice.
This first book focuses on uncertain graph and network optimization. It covers three different main contents: uncertain graph, uncertain programming and uncertain network optimization. It also presents applications of uncertain network optimization in a lot of real problems such as transportation problems, dispatching medical supplies problems and location problems. The book is suitable for researchers, engineers, teachers and students in the field of mathematics, information science, computer science, decision science, management science and engineering, artificial intelligence, industrial engineering, economics and operations research.
Probabilistic and combinatorial techniques are often used for solving advanced problems. This book describes different probabilistic modeling methods and their applications in various areas, such as artificial intelligence, offshore platforms, social networks, and others. It aims to educate how modern probabilistic and combinatorial models may be created to formalize uncertainties; to train how new probabilistic models can be generated for the systems of complex structures; to describe the correct use of the presented models for rational control in systems creation and operation; and to demonstrate analytical possibilities and practical effects for solving different system problems on each life cycle stage.
Advances in hardware technology have lead to an ability to collect data with the use of a variety of sensor technologies. In particular sensor notes have become cheaper and more efficient, and have even been integrated into day-to-day devices of use, such as mobile phones. This has lead to a much larger scale of applicability and mining of sensor data sets. The human-centric aspect of sensor data has created tremendous opportunities in integrating social aspects of sensor data collection into the mining process. Managing and Mining Sensor Data is a contributed volume by prominent leaders in this field, targeting advanced-level students in computer science as a secondary text book or reference. Practitioners and researchers working in this field will also find this book useful.
Applications, 2nd Edition focuses on moving object management, from the location management perspective to determining how constantly changing locations affect the traditional database and data mining technology. The book specifically describes the topics of moving objects modeling and location tracking, indexing and querying, clustering, location uncertainty, traffic-aware navigation and privacy issues, as well as the application to intelligent transportation systems. Through the book, the readers will be made familiar with the cutting-edge technologies in moving object management that can be effectively applied in LBS and transportation contexts. The second edition of this book significantly expands the coverage of the latest research on location privacy, traffic-aware navigation and uncertainty. The book has also been reorganized, with nearly all chapters rewritten, and several new chapters have been added to address the latest topics on moving objects management. Xiaofeng Meng is a professor at the School of Information, Renmin University of China; Zhiming Ding is a professor at the Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS); Jiajie Xu is an assistant professor at the ISCAS.
Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chodron offers short, stand-alone readings designed to help readers cultivate compassion and awareness amid the challenges of daily living.
• Examines topics that evoke widespread misunderstanding, including the real history of secret societies, the wisdom of the Satanic, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, out-of-body experience, and the contemporary war on witches • Looks at the influence of the founding lights of modern occultism, including mystic Neville Goddard, occult scholar Manly P. Hall, and surrealist filmmaker David Lynch, and debunks famous pseudo-skeptics such as the Amazing Randi • Explores magickal practices, including Anarchic Magick, mind metaphysics, the Law of Attraction, and Ouija boards, and upends hallowed spiritual concepts like forgiveness All of us today dwell in uncertain places--realities in which thoughts make things happen, ESP is provable by the scientific methods once used to debunk it, UFOs are mainstream, and magick no longer requires rite and ritual but is as near as your own mind. Today’s leading voice of esotericism and the occult, Mitch Horowitz explores topics that evoke widespread misunderstanding, including the real history of secret societies, the wisdom of the Satanic, the relevance of Gnosticism, and the slender but authentic connection between today’s spiritual culture and antiquity, including in areas of Hermeticism, deity worship, out-of-body experience, and magick. He demonstrates the occult roots of wide-ranging facets of modern culture, including politics, abstract art, mind-body healing, self-help, and breakthrough scientific fields such as quantum physics and neuroplasticity. He looks at the influence of the founding lights of modern occultism, including mystic Neville Goddard, occult scholar Manly P. Hall, and surrealist filmmaker David Lynch, and provides a magnificent take-down of famous debunkers and pseudo-skeptics such as the Amazing Randi. He explores magickal practices, including Anarchic Magick, mind metaphysics, the Law of Attraction, and the history of Ouija boards and questions time-honored spiritual values like forgiveness. Mitch also examines the contemporary war on witches around the world and what it is like to be blacklisted. Offering a thought-provoking investigation of the spiritual, the occult, the magickal, and the extra-physical, Mitch lays the groundwork for readers to continue their own journeys into these esoteric streams of consciousness.
