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Excerpt: Chapter 1. Father Ferapont. Alyosha was roused early, before daybreak. Father Zossima woke up feeling very weak, though he wanted to get out of bed and sit up in a chair. His mind was quite clear; his face looked very tired, yet bright and almost joyful. It wore an expression of gaiety, kindness and cordiality. ?Maybe I shall not live through the coming day,? he said to Alyosha. Then he desired to confess and take the sacrament at once. He always confessed to Father Paissy. After taking the communion, the service of extreme unction followed. The monks assembled and the cell was gradually filled up by the inmates of the hermitage. Meantime it was daylight. People began coming from the monastery. After the service was over the elder desired to kiss and take leave of everyone. As the cell was so small the earlier visitors withdrew to make room for others. Alyosha stood beside the elder, who was seated again in his arm-chair. He talked as much as he could. Though his voice was weak, it was fairly steady....

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Excerpt: The Republic by Plato.

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Preface: If a book by an author who must call herself a veteran should be taken up by readers of a younger generation, they are begged to consider the first few chapters as a sort of prologue, introduced for the sake of those of elder years, who were kind enough to be interested in the domestic politics of the Mohuns and the Underwoods....

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In this book for the first time we have ventured into the total analysis of migrant labourers in rural Tamil Nadu who are victims of HIV/AIDS using FCM, BAM and Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps. As in our study and analysis we felt several of the factors related with the psycho, socio, economic problems of these HIV/AIDS patients from rural Tamil Nadu (a southernmost state in India) remain indeterminate apart from the data being an unsupervised one. At the outset, we first emphasize that the study and analysis (and there by the conclusions and suggestions) pertain only to migrant labourers from rural Tamil Nadu who are poor and uneducated and who are HIV/AIDS infected. So this study cannot be extended to urban people or rich/ sophisticated/ educated populations of Tamil Nadu....

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Migration acquires great significance in the study of peoples and populations, for it not only involves the merely mathematical spatial redistribution of people, but also because it has enormous impact on livelihood, life-styles, employment, socioeconomic and political stability; or in other words, it influences the entire society. When used in the geographical context, the term ‘migration’ refers to the ‘permanent or semipermanent change in the residence of an individual person or group of people.’ Traditional studies classify migrants under two broad heads: voluntary migrants and involuntary migrants....

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Old timer ‘root-cellars’ had water barrels that froze when it was too cold. Northern lights are similar, but in the sky. Flaring denotes both freezing and perhaps atmospheric friction. Northern lights combine uranium chalk (for green lights), water, and collapsed balloons of atmospheres in the far north. At minus 35 degrees Celsius (C) or so, gaseous lights turn to icebergs and float in the sky. Think of these terms: • Ice lenses • Tesla’s atmospheric friction electrical generation (7 atmospheres) • ‘Root- cellar’ water barrels • Rivers- in- the- sky ...and think of Galileo, the Toronto School Board of Education, Copernicus, and ...GURBIN!...

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From approximately Dec 1/2012 to mid- may year 2013, I was very fortunate to have the unique experience of being a winter caretaker for Ennedai Lake Lodge, Nunavut territory, Kivaliq region. For about five months I had a wood burning stove on the edge of Canada's northern tree line to keep from freezing to death. I was supplied with proper gear to live through temperatures ranging from +15 C to a low of - 55 C, very cold! I was provisioned both at the camp and also upon being flown in. I planned to ice fish but ten feet of ice is tough to get through when a back injury prevents ‘quick- pull’ actions needed to start a power auger and also a snowmobile. I called HQ in Resolute Bay, or in Iqaluit, twice a week sometimes only getting through once (the local term is being 'weathered out'). I saw foxes, singular wolverines (purposeful tanks that can take out a grizzly), lots of birds, northern lights, sundogs, moondogs, green snow, blue snow, and many northern experiences unfathomable to southern warmer eyes. It is often hard to recall those eyes upon returning south, such is the absolute wonder I have witnessed in the north. I melted ...

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CHAPTER ONE: A Maverick book … CHAPTER TWO: What if H2O is mixed with radioactivity? … CHAPTER THREE: Canada really is ‘Bloody Canada’ as was ‘little France’, aka ‘Bloody Scotland’. Or: So I think URANIUM is in the hydrology cycle. … CHAPTER FOUR: I’m baffled by this all… & older bro says “more iodized salt”. … CHAPTER FIVE: Snow White’s Palace for a Disney destination. … CHAPTER SIX: Lynn Andrews needs to move her people- not only because no one I’ve heard of has tried corralling Muskox (twice the iron content of bison). … CHAPTER SEVEN: ICE LIGHTS! and moondogs and skyquakes- OH MY! … CHAPTER EIGHT: Save the Queen, not the Wi-Fi. … CHAPTER NINER: The un-named 2000’ highpointed Stoney Mountains of Kug/ Coppermine to Churchill that hold the weather in, as in- ‘in’sanely cold (locally named). … CHAPTER X: Green mud forming around a small green chalky pebble- it’s a water-soluble-dissolving-pebble in a wet puddle. ...

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Preface: Those who have done me the honor of reading my previous writings will probably receive no strong impression of novelty from the present volume; for the principles are those to which I have been working up during the greater part of my life, and most of the practical suggestions have been anticipated by others or by myself. There is novelty, however....

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Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter I To What Extent Forms of Government are a Matter of Choice ............................................................. 5 Chapter II The Criterion of a Good Form of Government .................................................................................... 15 Chapter III That the ideally best Form of Government is Representative Government .................................... 34 Chapter IV Under what Social Conditions Representative Government is Inapplicable ................................... 51 Chapter V Of the Proper Functions of Representative Bodies............................................................................... 61 Chapter VI Of the Infirmities and Dangers to which Representative Government is Liable ............................. 76 Chapter VII Of True and False Democracy; Representation of All, and Representation of the Majority only 92 Chapter VIII Of the Extension of the Suffrage ...............................

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An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist Adam Smith, published on March 9, 1776 during the Scottish Enlightenment. It is a clearly written account of political economy at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and is widely considered to be the first modern work in the field of economics. (from Wikipedia)...

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Economics/Political Economy

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François-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture (1743-1803) rose to fame in 1791 during the Haitian struggle for independence. In this revolt, he led thousands of slaves on the island of Hispañola to fight against the colonial European powers of France, Spain and England. The former slaves ultimately established the independent state of Haiti and expelled the Europeans. L’Ouverture eventually became the governor and Commander-In-Chief of Haiti before recognizing and submitting to French rule in 1801. In June of 1802, L’Ouverture was arrested by French forces and taken to France where he was imprisoned at Joux. There he penned his autobiography “. . . to render to the French government an exact account of my conduct.” L’Ouverture died in prison on April 7, 1803 from pneumonia. Although L’Ouverture died a captive of the French, the revolution he led was historically perhaps the most significant world event opposing slavery. It precipitated a re-examination--among the major European powers as well as those in the new world--of the right of all mankind to be free and self-governing. John Relly Beard, an English minister, wrote The Life of Tous...

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Adventure, Biography, History, Memoirs, Politics, War stories

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Excerpt: A Theologico-Political Treatise: Part One -- Chapters One through Five by Baruch Spinoza, translated by R.H.M. Elwes.

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Contents CHAPTER I ? Of Prophecy Definition of prophecy. Distinction between revelation to Moses and to the other prophets. Between Christ and other recipients of revelation. Ambiguity of the word ?Spirit.? The different senses in which things may be referred to God. Different senses of ?Spirit of God.? Prophets perceived revelation by imagination. CHAPTER II ? Of Prophets. A mistake to suppose that prophecy can give knowledge of phenomena Certainty of prophecy based on: (1) Vividness of imagination, (2) A Sign, (3) Goodness of the Prophet. Variation of prophecy with the temperament and opinions of the individual...

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Excerpt: Chapter 1. Childhood and early education it seems proper that I should prefix to the following biographical sketch some mention of the reasons which have made me think it desirable that I should leave behind me such a memorial of so uneventful a life as mine. I do not for a moment imagine that any part of what I have to relate can be interesting to the public as a narrative or as being connected with myself. But I have thought that in an age in which education and its improvement are the subject of more, if not of profounder, study than at any former period of English history, it may be useful that there should be some record of an education which was unusual and remarkable, and which, whatever else it may have done, has proved how much more than is commonly supposed may be taught, and well taught, in those early years which, in the common modes of what is called instruction, are little better than wasted. It has also seemed to me that in an age of transition in opinions, there may be somewhat both of interest and of benefit in noting the successive phases of any mind which was always pressing forward, equally ready to lear...

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Terrorism could be the heading of the running chapter in human history though strife had always been its grand title. Assorted terrorist groups to espouse their parochial causes have come to target their ideological opponents with utter cynicism. At least they have an articulated grievance and identified opponents with defined terror zones that are amenable for containment and redressal and or both at some stage or the other. But what of the jihadi terrorism and how is it that the western-educated, non-conformist, Muslim youth all over, not to speak of the fresh converts from other faiths get attracted to fight for Islam and die for it? It matters little where we live in this wide world, and one being a Musalman is no guarantee either to escape being its victim. Its madness might reduce us to a statistic of the dead or injured in tomorrow's newspaper headline in today's fidayeen attack. If left unabated it might one day engulf all of us in the Third World War. And thus the significance of any exercise aimed at improving our understanding of the involved issues cannot be overemphasized. Possibly in a new non-fiction genre, this th...

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Pitfalls of Faith If the ecstasy of the Quran is the soul of Islam, the legend of Muhammad is the mind of the Musalman. The exalted sense of his pedigree could have made Muhammad fiercely honest, even in the state of deprivation. It is to be appreciated that neither his insignificance as an orphan affected his self-worth nor his poverty dented his self-esteem. While nature endowed him with a shrewd mind his destiny seems to have helped him cultivate a sense of purpose. Though unlettered, he obviously possessed native intelligence, and thus was alive to every opportunity that came his way. Above all, at some stage at least, he seems to have developed an unwavering faith in his own destiny. As can be seen, he was an uncanny man manager and mob manipulator extraordinary. His exemplary personal courage in battle enabled him lead by example, and this single character of his played no mean a part in the battles his faithful fought to raise the standard of Islam in the nations of the world. Though he grew up in an environment of sentimentality, he imbibed a balanced outlook that his stint as the Czar of Medina turned into statesmanship. ...

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1. Preface of Strife 2. Advent of Dharma 3. God’s quid pro Quo 4. Pyramids of Wisdom 5. Ascent to Descent 6. The Zero People 7. Coming of the Christ 8. Legacy of Prophecy 9. War of Words 10. Czar of Medina 11. Angels of War 12. Privates of ‘the God’ 13. Playing to the Gallery 14. Perils of History 15. Pitfalls of Faith 16. Blinkers of Belief 17. Shackles of Sharia 18. Anatomy of Islam 19. Fight for the Souls 20. India in Coma 21. Double Jeopardy 22. Paradise of Parasites 23. The Number Game 24. Winds of Change 25. Ant Grows Wings 26. Constitutional Amnesia 27. The Stymied State 28. The Wages of God 29. Delusions of Grandeur 30. Ways of the Bigots 31. The Rift Within 32. The Way Around 33. The Hindu Rebound 34. Wait for the Savant...

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Excerpt: Reprinted from Fraser?s Magazine. The cloud which for the space of a month hung gloomily over the civilized world, black with far worse evils than those of simple war, has passed from over our heads without bursting. The fear has not been realized, that the only two first-rate Powers who are also free nations would take to tearing each other in pieces, both the one and the other in a bad and odious cause. For while, on the American side, the war would have been one of reckless persistency in wrong, on ours it would have been a war in alliance with, and, to practical purposes, in defence and propagation of, slavery. We had, indeed, been wronged....

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From hunters and gatherers through agro-cities, State-religious Empires infiltrated by migrating Tai persons with a wet glutinous rice technology, evolved to produce a sustainable agriculture. Rice culture determined administrative structures in a pragmatic society which regularly produced a saleable surplus. Ayutthaya’s ascendancy, continuing today, consolidated the importance of rice agriculture to national security and economic well-being, as Chinese and European influence benefited agribusiness and initiated the demand which would expand agriculture through population increase until accessible land was expended. The resulting central interest in the spoils of agriculture more than its producers pervaded decision-making until recently, and was supported by narrow economic development advocates. As agriculture declined in relative financial importance, it continued to provide the benefits of employment, crisis resilience, self-sufficiency, rural social support, and cultural custody. Technical and economic globalisation forces which assumed a cultural uniformity were eventually revealed to require modification, but had meanwhile a...

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Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Uniquely Agricultural Golden Cradle The Land of the Thai Soils Water Resources Climate Other Natural Resources Regional Origins Intensification Industrialisation National and Global Responsibilities Current Situation Ingredients of Thai Agriculture Summary Chapter 2 - Agricultural Origins From Gathering to Growing Neolithic to Iron Age Domination of Rice Early Thai Agriculturists Khmer Agriculture Pagan Agriculture Southern Thailand Summary Chapter 3 - Arrival of Tai Agriculture Chinese Tai Muang F Integrating Technologies Tai Agriculturists Migrating Farmers Tai in Thailand Tai Traits Environmental Traditions Tai and Buddhist Environments Summary Chapter 4 - Expansion of Thai Agriculture from 1200 C Agricultural Organisation Agricultural Administration Integrating Irrigation Systems Agricultural Domination Tai to Thai Agriculture 5 Agricultural Life Summary Chapter 5 - Emerging Agribusiness: Ayutthaya to the Early Twentieth Century Agriculture, Environment and Morality Export Rice Cash Crops Foreign Influence Administering the Peasants State Irrigation Development Traders and Early Agrib...

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What this Book is About There is a commonly held view that the incidence and scale of disasters is increasing in the modern world although some disagreement on whether the incidence of events, such as Tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, floods etc., that can give rise to disasters is increasing. The view is understandable, both population and their built environment are increasing so more is at risk and this trend of increased risk will continue while populations continue to rise. As the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) enumerates this: ‘Natural disasters are becoming more costly: in constant dollars, disaster costs between 1990 and 1999 were more than 15 times higher ($652 billion in material losses) than they were between 1950 and 1959 ($38 billion at 1998 values) The human cost is also high: over the 1984–2003 period, more than 4.1 billion people were affected by natural disasters. The number affected has grown, from 1.6 billion in the first half of that period (1984–93) to almost 2.6 billion in the second half (1994-2003), and has continued to increase. Although disasters caused by natural events occur throughout...

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List of figures, table & Abbreviations ix Acknowledgements x What this Book is About 1 Chapter 1 - Key Concepts 7 Disaster Risk Reduction 7 Risk 10 Fast and Slow Onset Disasters 11 Resilience 12 Systems Thinking 13 Self-organising Systems 18 A System for Disaster Risk Reduction 21 Evaluation of Natural Disasters 22 Chapter 2 –Components of Disasters and NRM 27 Economic Analysis – Five Forms of Capital 27 The Significance of Context 31 Ecosystems Functional Analysis ...