Concrete and Dust focuses on the performative nature of sexualized identity in Hollywood, the people that live in its underbelly and surrounding valleys, the sexual geographies of the place, and the ways in which sexual agency is mapped on the body and in consciousness. The cultural turn in ethnography has expanded the scope of ethnographic research methods, which now include innovative techniques that recognize and value sensuous scholarship (ethnographic works that incorporate visual, aural, and sensory texts). Hollywood has often been a focus in critical cultural theory; absent from the field is a holistic methodological perspective that collages visual image, arts-based ethnographic and autoethnographic narratives, experimental sound, poetry, and performative writing, in order to juxtapose the conflicting and complex performative nature of Hollywood, celebrity, glamour, and sexual agency.
Sustainable Concrete Made with Ashes and Dust from Different Sources: Materials, Properties and Applications focuses on individual materials, addressing material characterization, their role in the strength and durability of construction materials, and structural applications. Each chapter reflects the current state-of-the-art in terms of the effective and efficient use of the material. Types of ashes covered are Coal Fly Ash, Coal Bottom Ash, Bagasse Ash, MSW Ash, Red Mud, Waste Marble Dust, Sewage Sludge Ash, and Cement Kiln Dust. This book is useful for civil engineers in the design and development of sustainable concrete by utilizing such types of ashes and researchers involved in the design and formulation of new cementitious materials. - Focuses on different types of ashes derived from various sources for use in the development of sustainable concrete - Discusses the economic and environmental impacts, normative restrictions, and implementation in codes and standards related to the use of these by-products/wastes in concretes - Includes coverage of the impact of dust from construction and demolition wastes
The amount and variety of waste that humanity dumps in landfill sites is nothing short of a scandal, believes Rafat Siddique, of Deemed University in Patiala, India. Instead, we ought to be building new homes out of it! Siddique shows in this important book that many non-hazardous waste materials and by-products which are landfilled, can in fact be used in making concrete and similar construction materials.
Denes began her compilation of data for this major work in 1972. Using dust as a metaphor and a connecting thread to facts and phenomena, she studies the human mind, our ethical values, standards of living, and survival, presenting haunting images of dust particles from outer space, such as the death of a star, distant and large objects in the universe, as well as earthly dust, including human dust, hallucinogens, poisons, chemicals, and nuclear waste. Book of Dust is a glance at the history and the future of the universe, from its violent birth to the formation of stars, the silent demise of galaxies, and the death of matter. From cosmic dust to human dust, from molecules to intelligence, this work is a cross-section of existence.
The children were disappearing. And the worst thing about it? No one noticed A rainmaker brings rain to a drought-stricken town. The stranger amazes the townspeople with magic mirrors and bewitches the children with his beautiful butterfly. First, one child vanishes. Then another. And another. Only one young man sees through the lies and decides to act. You'll love this dark, mysterious young adult novel. Winner of the Governor General's Award. Get it now.
Concrete: We use it for our buildings, bridges, dams, and roads. We walk on it, drive on it, and many of us live and work within its walls. But very few of us know what it is. We take for granted this ubiquitous substance, which both literally and figuratively comprises much of modern civilization's constructed environment; yet the story of its creation and development features a cast of fascinating characters and remarkable historical episodes. Featuring a new epilogue on the Surfside condominium collapse and the current state of infrastructure in America, this book delves into this history, opening readers' eyes at every turn. In a lively narrative peppered with intriguing details, author Robert Courland describes how some of the most famous personalities of history became involved in the development and use of concrete-including King Herod the Great of Judea, the Roman emperor Hadrian, Thomas Edison (who once owned the largest concrete cement plant in the world), and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Courland points to recent archaeological evidence suggesting that the discovery of concrete directly led to the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of the earliest civilizations. Much later, the Romans reached extraordinarily high standards for concrete production, showcasing their achievement in iconic buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon. Amazingly, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the secrets of concrete manufacturing were lost for over a millennium. The author explains that when concrete was rediscovered in the late eighteenth century it was initially viewed as an interesting novelty or, at best, a specialized building material suitable only for a narrow range of applications. It was only toward the end of the nineteenth century that the use of concrete exploded. During this rapid expansion, industry lobbyists tried to disguise the fact that modern concrete had certain defects and critical shortcomings. It is now recognized that modern concrete, unlike its Roman predecessor, gradually disintegrates with age. Compounding this problem is another distressing fact: the manufacture of concrete cement is a major contributor to global warming. Concrete Planet is filled with incredible stories, fascinating characters, surprising facts, and an array of intriguing insights into the building material that forms the basis of the infrastructure on which we depend.
This book comprises select peer-reviewed proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Developments in Sustainable Infrastructure (ICRDSI) 2019. The topics span over all major disciplines of civil engineering with regard to sustainable development of infrastructure and innovation in construction materials, especially concrete. The book covers numerical and analytical studies on various topics such as composite and sandwiched structures, green building, groundwater modeling, rainwater harvesting, soil dynamics, seismic resistance and control of structures, waste management, structural health monitoring, and geo-environmental engineering. This book will be useful for students, researchers and professionals working in sustainable technologies in civil engineering.
How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.
