Will our future imitate our past?  "The purpose of this book is threefold: to explain what makes civilization civilization what it is; to show what we are in danger of losing in the event of collapse, and to point the way toward renewal." There is a consensus in the West that something is wrong. Many people have the uneasy feeling that the liberal democratic order is in danger, and that civilization itself hangs in the balance. This feeling could be dismissed as alarmism, but the present moment of pandemic, political instability, and rioting is a startling reminder of the fragility of civilization everywhere. And we should never forget that empires and societies have collapsed many times before. But history shows that human civilization also has extraordinary powers of recuperation, writes Michael R.J. Bonner in this bracing tour de force. Drawing on such examples as the revival of Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the ebb and flow of civilization in China despite repeated foreign conquest, he shows how humankind's quest for clarity, order, and beauty-the crucial elements of civilization-does not necessarily succeed through innovation or a futuristic orientation, but by thoughtful examination and imitation of past experience.

In Defense of Civilization

Variant: In defense of civilization

Warehouse 200

A Quest for Truth recounts the devastation that sexual abuse causes a family. It shows how this family use their faith in God to recover, over time. The setting gives an inside look into the workings of rural Mormon culture in the 1980s and 1990s. The strength of the family reaches everyone. With faith, an individual can find hope even when the circumstances are bleak. Truth is not always easy to find, but the quest is worth the effort.

A Quest For Truth

Variant: A quest for truth

This novel uses a surprisingly strange setting in which guests' life experiences are examined through remembered tales. Using appropriate humor interspersed throughout the novella, the author describes living as a series of adventures. Despite the ups and downs, life is a wonderful gift for which to be grateful and appreciated.

The Adventurous Life

Variant: The adventurous life

Aubryanne Harrison wants nothing more than to take care of her son, Graham, and lead a quiet life away from the ugly scrutiny and suspicions in the aftermath of her husband's questionable police methods and murder. Graham is disabled and keeps having "accidents" at school. The bruises and bumps aren't serious, but as Graham's fears of school and of his teacher escalate, Aubryanne believes he is actually being abused. She will do anything to protect Graham from the man she believes is hurting him, but when he turns up dead she becomes the primary suspect!  Aubryanne struggles to see God's hand and purpose in the turmoil that her life has become as she and Graham become targets of an evil no one saw coming. Shane McCloud is an Army Ranger turned police detective bent on continuing the mission of taking out the world's garbage.  The evil in the world isn't his only battleground, as the issues of his past tend to feed on the difficulties of the present. His integrity and professionalism are questioned when a criminal he apprehends ends up in the hospital with serious injuries. If God really cared, then how could he let these things happen? There is a new player in the drug scene in Darien, Georgia. He is more dangerous and motivated than your typical thug selling pills in the shadows.  He has his own demons to overcome, but they fuel his desire for power and control. No one will stand in his way.

Skewed

Variant: Skewed

Dave 'Bad News' Barnes is a deputy sheriff who has transferred from the busy atmosphere of Las Vegas to a tranquil town in northeast Washington. On an autumn morning he responds to a call of an animal mutilation near Hoodoo Mountain. Later he is informed by another deputy, who is Native American, that the killer may be a supernatural creature thought to be a little-known mythical creature. This may explain the area's history of missing people, or it may be just a bedtime story. Thus begins the tale of a deputy, the town's occupants, and how they become involved over time as the nights become dark earlier and the months grow cold, and people and their pets begin going missing... again. As October moves into November and then December, the snow begins to cover up clues. As the mystery deepens, so does the body count. Deputy Barnes keeps track of the citizenry and searches for clues, real and otherwise, that offer possible solutions as to what is happening to the people and pets in the city and the outlying areas. A tough and energetic female deputy adds to the intrigue and suspense as she just might be the one person who can unravel and close this case - for good.

Hoodoo Mountain

Variant: Hoodoo Mountain

When the governor of New Jersey, Melissa Harding, appears to win a close race for the White House, the incumbent president, desperate to hold on to power, tries every tactic to stay in office. As inauguration day comes closer, both sides battle it out in the courts. The incumbent president has ordered troops to the border of Iran, risking a bloody and pointless conflict. The death of a supreme court justice means the balance of the court is also at stake. With democracy itself at a tipping point, the country's future depends on people willing to risk their careers to uphold the rule of law.

Tipping Point

Variant: Tipping point

Carolyn had never even thought that her grandfather would ever die, but a single phone call changed her entire world. Especially after finding out that she had inherited his entire estate. But things quickly take a turn for the worse for Carolyn, as her time is stolen from her by a family curse. Can she figure out how to end it, just in time? Would it even permit it? Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The Cavern

Variant: The cavern

He gave most to the versions of her that deserved the least. That's when he genuinely loved her. Loving her, as he did-so deeply, so dearly, so desperately-was his only option. He often wondered how different people have been presented with other options. How they managed to escape this consuming feeling of his. Though he was eternally grateful that she is on his mind always. And for those brief moments she begins to slip his mind, he is reminded how every breath has him wishing that the air has some faint memory of her scent. As she was so beautiful, her beauty corrupts. This isn't a love story. Maybe it started as one, was one at some point, but it soon became volatile; like all things: temporary. A collection of four short stories that encapsulate the essence of being human throughout different decades, with the primary themes of which being love, loss, and remorse.

Conversations I Have of Her

Variant: Conversations I have of her

Aurora Scott was living her best life, guiding troubled adolescent girls on wilderness adventures, and returning to her Arlington home and supportive husband, Peter, an NSA analyst. But all that Aurora holds dear is wrenched from her when an aggressive cancer takes Peter and, just months later, an electro-magnetic pulse attack plunges the United States into a prolonged blackout. When even the cabin that Peter had prepared becomes unsafe, Aurora finds herself marooned in a hut deep in the George Washington National Forest, her survival skills stretched to their limit and her will to survive trickling away. "In her novel Shelter in Place Maria Bowling offers us a glimpse into the post-apocalyptic future that is as terrifying as it is realistic. In prose that is spare and unflinching, Bowling tells a story of a lone woman who loses her family and risks everything to find her place in a world that has left so many behind."  - Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home. "A woman is alone in the wilderness, and the society she left behind is descending into lawlessness. Shelter in Place is a terrific work of imagination, sound delivery, deft prose, and thematic power."  - Richard Adams Carey, author of In the Evil Day. "Shelter in Place is a unique novel set in the near post-apocalyptic future. It is one woman's struggle to survive, to seek justice, to protect those in need, and to reclaim her life and identity. Aurora is smart, courageous, relentless, and righteous. She's both a warrior and a nurturer, a victim and a winner."  - Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry, author of The Orchard.

Shelter in Place

Variant: Shelter in place

Elyssa, a single woman in her mid-thirties, decides that her life can only be fulfilled through motherhood. She strikes out on a journey of in vitro pregnancy from a facility, which on the surface appears to be credible, and gives birth to and raises a daughter, who from the beginning demonstrates exceptional physical and mental prowess. Sarah, the daughter, is happy in her world but is thrust, against her will, into another locale, where she and others are told that they will be undergoing training to fully realize their not-so-hidden strengths. The facility she's been taken to seems on the surface to be a light-filled, spa-like building nestled in a harsh but beautiful mountain setting. As she spends more time there, Sarah finds that her suspicions about the place and the people may be well-founded. Sarah finds an ally in her roommate Goldie, and together they navigate beyond the smiling faces to find an underlying and sinister agenda. As the outside world's climate cracks and begins to crumble, Sarah and a small group of desperate cast outs contend with assassins, the vagaries of Mountain weather, and with each one's individual struggle to understand who they are and where and if they fit in this new world.

Selection

Variant: Selection

When Sarah receives dreams of an apocalyptic world, she is met by the Chimera god Lycia to help her fulfill her destiny. Sarah is approached by a secret organization that believes she is the girl from an ancient prophecy. It predicts that Sarah is the key to saving the world from a cult leader who plans to unleash the god of chaos and destruction on Earth. Struggling to deal with dreams and her teenage life, Sarah begins to doubt herself and her sanity. With guidance from Lycia and encouragement from her mother, Sarah gains the strength and confidence she needs in order to save the world from annihilation. In "The Starlight Hour" a young thief named Leona is offered an opportunity to pursue her dreams of being an artist, she is faced with a tough decision. Should she leave behind her community or stay and find a new purpose in life. After an attempt to gain money to fund her new opportunity, Leona ends up escaping a car chase from the police. After reflecting on her actions, Leona finds a new dream and learns the value of the people that are important to her life. Seven other short stories accompany "The Chimera Prophecies". All center around the themes of self-discovery, personal purpose in life, and the emotional journey of what it means to be human.

The Chimera Prophecies and Other Short Stories

Variant: The Chimera prophecies and other short stories

From Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy to Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort, dynamic duels are some of the most exciting scenes in the Wizarding World films. This richly illustrated scrapbook features detailed descriptions on the many spellbinding skirmishes of the wizarding world, including Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort, Molly Weasley vs. Bellatrix Lestrange, Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, and dozens more. Concept art and behind-the-scenes photography give fans an in-depth look at the action-packed conflicts throughout the film series. Filled with filmmaking secrets and celebrating the visionary artistry behind the Wizarding World films, this unique volume brings the duels from the films to life like never before. Packed with bonus features, including stickers, posters, and more, Harry Potter: Wizard Duels: A Movie Scrapbook is a must-have collectible for fans of the Wizarding World.

Harry Potter Wizard Duels A Movie Scrapbook H/B

Variant: Harry Potter Wizard Duels A Movie Scrapbook H/B

Maya Deren - Choreographed For Camera

Variant: Maya Deren - Choreographed for Camera

Bruce Nauman: Neons Corridors Rooms

Variant: Bruce Nauman: Neons Corridors Rooms

A collection of words set aside, moving from darkness to light in an earnest battle despite bitterness, rattle of bones, and aches. To battle and finally sail homeward, to further victories, from a battered poet. Happiness is a Butterfly is Athira Kamal's debut poetry collection about her life as a patient and poet with Lupus, an autoimmune disease. She seeks to inspire and spread awareness.

Happiness Is a Butterfly

Variant: Happiness is a butterfly

Learn to prepare a wide variety of dim sum dishes at your own pace with the guidance of dim sum master, Chef Ng Lip Kah. In Dim Sum Basics: Irresistible bite-sized snacks made easy , Chef Ng demonstrates how to make all-time favorites as well as new creative treats such as:  siew mai  paper-wrapped chicken  glutinous rice in lotus leaf  egg tarts  salted egg yolk custard buns  snow skin dumplings With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step photographs, these recipes will help perfect your skills in making dim sum, be it molding dumplings or preparing crisp and flaky pastries. Includes dual measures and conversion chart.

Dim Sum Basics

Variant: Dim Sum Basics

This book deals with the contemporary subject of perception of risk and its influence on accidents and disasters. The contents examine the conventional viewpoints on human errors, incubation of errors, complexity and organisational deviance as a cause for accidents. Work of Mary Douglas with regard to risk, Charles Perrow's work on the normal accident theory and Diane Vaughan's theory on normalisation of deviance are examined from a fresh perspective in this book. It also discusses prominent accidents in aviation, space, nuclear energy, automotive and healthcare, using the pandemic and Boeing 737 Max as a backdrop to study accidents and disasters. It further explores the background and similarities to these events and addresses the core issues such as the state of regulation, the worldview of the sociologists, and proposes that mental models of complex systems, avarice and risk for gain as other possibilities for accidents. Using the concept of nudge in behavioural economics and the Elinor Ostrom's viewpoint on regulating for common good, it suggests a way forward through the High Reliability Organisation Theory (HRO) leading to enhanced risk perception. The book will be of interest to those who would like to understand the need to incorporate risk perception into regulation, engineers and scientists, professionals and policy makers working in the areas of disaster and risk management, technology areas like aviation, nuclear plants, space and healthcare, students of the sociology of risk and of course the general reader.

Accidents and Disasters

Variant: Accidents and disasters

This book is an anthology of research co-edited by Dr. Chia-rong Wu (University of Canterbury) and Professor Ming-ju Fan (National Chengchi University). This collection of original essays integrates and expands research on Taiwan literature because it includes both established and young writers. It not only engages with the evolving trends of literary Taiwan, but also promotes the translocal consciousness and cultural diversity of the island state and beyond. Focusing on the new directions and trends of Taiwan literature, this edited book fits into Taiwan studies, Sinophone studies, and Asian studies.

Taiwan Literature in the 21st Century

Variant: Taiwan literature in the 21st century

This book highlights advances in Cyber Security, Cyber Situational Awareness (CyberSA), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Media. It brings together original discussions, ideas, concepts and outcomes from research and innovation from multidisciplinary experts. It offers topical, timely and emerging original innovations and research results in cyber situational awareness, security analytics, cyber physical systems, blockchain technologies, machine learning, social media and wearables, protection of online digital service, cyber incident response, containment, control, and countermeasures (CIRC3). The theme of Cyber Science 2022 is Ethical and Responsible use of AI. Includes original contributions advancing research in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Cyber Security, Social Media, Cyber Incident Response & Cyber Insurance. Chapters "Municipal Cybersecurity-A Neglected Research Area? A Survey of Current Research", "The Transnational Dimension of Cybersecurity: The NIS Directive and its Jurisdictional Challenges" and "Refining the Mandatory Cybersecurity Incident Reporting under the NIS Directive 2.0: Event Types and Reporting Processes" are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Cybersecurity

Variant: Proceedings of the International Conference on Cybersecurity

The Persian Gulf 2021-22 is the ninth in the annual Persian Gulf Series  published by MEI@ND. It is a detailed analysis of India's bilateral relations with the nine countries in the Persian Gulf region and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and focuses on the developments of 2020 and 2021. It offers a comprehensive account of the internal politics, economic situations, foreign policy, security challenges and social developments in the Persian Gulf countries and India's strategic, political, economic and cultural engagements with the region. The book also offers policy recommendations for India based on the current state of affairs.

Persian Gulf 2021-22

Variant: Persian Gulf 2021-22

This book covers the entire spectrum of green diesel and their applications in existing CI engines. This book discusses how a green diesel is a better fuel than biodiesel and petrodiesel and more suitable fuels for sustainable future development. The book begins with a concise overview of the fundamentals of the green diesel properties, preparation, and characterization of green diesel using hydroprocessing technology. The book covers recent developments in the domain of green diesel derived particularly from the second-/third-generation feedstocks. Various topics covered in this book include the catalysts involved in the processing of green diesel, characterization of the products as per ASTM/EN protocols. In addition, the book also illustrates characteristic features of green diesel and how it is different from biodiesel and petrodiesel. Other chapters cover performance and emission characteristics of green diesel in CI engines and techno-economic analysis. Moreover, the current status of green diesel industries is also incorporated. This book is of particular interest to graduate students and academic or industrial researchers/professionals working in the area of green diesel/green energy, bioenergy and mechanical, automobile, and chemical engineering. This book makes a forceful foundation for the establishment of green diesel refineries/biorefineries for a sustainable, cleaner, and greener future.