Join an elemental genie on an adventure through the wilds of the Realms—the Mere-That-Was—as she braves unimaginable horrors to rescue her sister One hundred years ago, the Akanamere was ravaged by the Spellplague, drying the lake and leaving behind a nightmarish landscape of frozen waves and distorted creatures. Chief among them is The Choir, a strange entity whose song drives its listeners to carry out what they believe are the singer's orders. When a genasi woman—a human elemental genie—is kidnapped by these fanatics, it falls to her twin sister, Ghaelya, to bring her home. Aided by a troubled half-elf, a former military captain, and other foreign allies, Ghaelya braves the wilds of the Mere-That-Was, crossing plague-infested lands and dodging terrifying creatures, in her quest to save her and her sister from a gruesome fate.
The North Carolina Shore and Its Barrier Islands is the latest volume in the series, Living with the Shore. Replacing an earlier volume, this thoroughly new book provides a diverse guide to one of America's most popular shorelines. As is true for all books in the series, it is based on the premise that understanding the changing nature of beaches and barrier islands is essential if we are to preserve them for future generations. Evidence that the North Carolina shore is changing is never hard to find, but recently the devastation wrought by Hurricane Fran and the perilous situation of the historic lighthouse at Cape Hatteras have reminded all concerned of the fragility of this coast. Arguing for a policy of intelligent development, one in which residential and commercial structures meet rather than confront the changing nature of the shore, the authors have included practical information on hazards of many kinds--storms, tides, floods, erosion, island migration, and earthquakes. Diagrams and photographs clearly illustrate coastal processes and aid in understanding the impact of hurricanes and northeasters, wave and current dynamics, as well as pollution and other environmental destruction due to overdevelopment. A chapter on estuaries provides related information on the shores of back barrier areas that are growing in popularity for recreational residences. Risk maps focus on the natural hazards of each island and together with construction guidelines provide a basis for informed island management. Lastly, the dynamics of coastal politics and management are reviewed through an analysis of the controversies over the decision to move the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and a proposed effort to stabilize Oregon Inlet. From the natural and historic perspective of the opening chapters to the regional discussions of individual barrier islands, this book is both a primer on coastal processes for the first time visitor as well as a guide to hazard identification for property owners.
Annie and Doug Richie believe the recipe for a long, happy life together requires a willingness to take risks, a sense of humor, and a sense of anticipation that comes from discovering new places and meeting new people. After they took their first cruise to Mallorca, Spain, after fifteen years of marriage, they knew they were hooked! Now in their late eighties, the Richies have enjoyed several land tours and over one hundred cruises, and their courage and willingness to explore new territories is one of the many reasons they are still together. The Restless Richies explains how travel added excitement and romance to one couple’s sixty-nine years of marriage. And their new book encourages others to experience the joy that travel can bring!
A core principle of modern science holds that a scientific explanation must not attribute will or agency to natural phenomena. "The Restless Clock" examines the origins and history of this, in particular as it applies to the science of living things. This is also the story of a tradition of radicals--dissenters who embraced the opposite view, that agency is an essential and ineradicable part of nature. Beginning with the church and courtly automata of early modern Europe, Jessica Riskin guides us through our thinking about the extent to which animals might be understood as mere machines. We encounter fantastic robots and cyborgs as well as a cast of scientific and philosophical luminaries, including Descartes and Leibnitz, Lamarck and Darwin, whose ideas gain new relevance in Riskin's hands. The book ends with a riveting discussion of how the dialectic continues in genetics, epigenetics, and evolutionary biology, where work continues to naturalize different forms of agency. "The Restless Clock "reveals the deeply buried roots of current debates in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology.
