Other books that might interest you

• 

  Dissonant Landscapes - Music...

  Tore Størvold

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  During the past three decades, Iceland has attained a strong presence in the world through its musical culture, with images of the nation being packaged and shipped out in melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. What 'Iceland' means for people, both at home and abroad, is conditioned by music and its ability to animate notions of nature and nationality. In six chapters that range from discussions of indie rock ballads to 'Nordic noir' television music, Dissonant Landscapes describes the capacity of musical expression to transform ideas about nature and nationality on the northern edges of Europe.

  Show book

• 

  Richard Sorge and the Cambridge...

  Charles River Editors

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Soviet Russia followed a philosophy demanding international, global revolution – which, in practice, often resembled conquest by any means available, direct or indirect. While the Soviets never hesitated to use naked force when it seemed advisable, or when compelled to it by outside attack, they made intensive use of covert operations – spying, assassination, bribery, infiltration of governments and educational systems, the deployment of agents provocateur and “agitprop” – in an effort to weaken other nations from within or possibly cause takeover by a friendly revolutionary regime.  
  Soviet agents operated in all European countries and others, but their main efforts naturally focused on the strongest potential rivals – Germany, the United States, and Great Britain. Intelligent, persistent, and ruthless, the Soviets succeeded in recruiting a considerable number of agents, including men from the British ruling class. 
  Their activities enabled the Soviets to capture and execute hundreds, if not thousands, of the opponents of their regime along with numbers of British agents. The men responsible for this unprecedented leaking of life-or-death information would enter history as the Cambridge Five – though in fact, they may have been only the core of a much larger group.  
  Occasionally, a spy will be so successful that they are able to place themselves in a position where they have access to information at the highest levels, secrets that really can change the course of world events. Sometimes, these spies may even be as handsome, charming, charismatic, and bold as their fictional counterparts.	One such spy was a man named Richard Sorge. Experiencing the horrors of World War I at first-hand turned Sorge into an ardent communist, after which he worked as a spy for the USSR in Germany, China, and Japan before and during World War II. He obtained vital military and political secrets and maintained his cover for over nine years.

  Show book

• 

  A Handbook for Improving Student...

  Jack Franklin Orchard

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Democratic values, student achievement, and effective citizenship are intrinsically linked. The research, however, is that students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, have few opportunities to practice democratic citizenship in secondary schools. Alongside current threats to democracy, this should concern us all: professional learning communities, teacher-leaders, parents, consultants, administrators, school districts, human rights activists, minority leadership, the justice system, local communities, university faculties, state education departments, and citizens in general. Democratic citizenship is a superordinate goal – a composite of communicative abilities, freedom with responsibility, inclusiveness, career preparation, community mindfulness, evidence-based thinking, collective ownership, distributed leadership, and support for those in need. Student leadership, including school research (their own school and others), not only benefits the school generally, but helps prepare high school students for freedom, responsibilities, and opportunities as democratic citizens. Such leadership has foundations: student-chosen teacher advisors, daily advisories, collaborative learning expertise, student-led assemblies, self-regulation, leadership credit courses, and virtual/personal connections with student leaders in other schools, districts, and countries. Expanded contributions are student feedback on teacher performance, student-led (parent-student- teacher) conferences, after-school activities leadership, reciprocal teaching, and participation in school/district decision making. All under the auspices of improved language capability, teacher modeling and encouragement, a learning to learn focus, and gradual release of responsibility. ENDORSEMENTS JOHN HATTIE "There is never a dull moment reading this book. Centred on the principles of democracy, it points to the need for broad participation and thus calls for schools to do more, do better, and do wonderful things to ignite a love of learning. Orchard masterfully outlines seven key theorems to make his case; a compelling roadmap for educators to foster effective learning strategies." Professor Emeritus John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate MICHAEL FULLAN "Jack Orchard's 'Handbook for Improving Student Achievement in Secondary Schools' is powerful, timely, and an action-packed message for us to get going in transforming secondary schools. Orchard's Handbook is grounded, urgent, insightful, and deeply practical. Anybody in high schools can act on this agenda. Read this book with others, be collectively inspired, and get down to the excitement and frustrations of engaging in breakthrough change. The good news is that students, teachers (and eventually parents and communities) will be excited to join in and make the long-awaited transformation of secondary schools." Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan, OISE/University of Toronto

  Show book

• 

  Vagabond Princess - The Great...

  Ruby Lal

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Situated in the early decades of the magnificent Mughal Empire, this first ever biography of Princess Gulbadan offers an enthralling portrait of a charismatic adventurer and unique pictures of the multicultural society in which she lived. Following a migratory childhood that spanned Kabul and north India, Gulbadan spent her middle years in a walled harem established by her nephew Akbar to showcase his authority as the Great Emperor. Gulbadan longed for the exuberant itinerant lifestyle she'd known. With Akbar's blessing, she led an unprecedented sailing and overland voyage and guided harem women on an extended pilgrimage in Arabia. Amid increasing political tensions, the women's "un-Islamic" behavior forced their return, lengthened by a dramatic shipwreck in the Red Sea. 
   
   
   
  Gulbadan wrote a book upon her return, the only extant work of prose by a woman of the age. A portion of it is missing, either lost to history or redacted by officials who did not want the princess to have her say. 
   
   
   
  Vagabond Princess contemplates the story of the missing pages and breathes new life into a daring historical figure. It offers a portal to a richly complex world, rife with movement and migration, where women's conviviality, adventure, and autonomies shine through.

  Show book

• 

  Terrible Beauty - Reckoning with...

  Auden Schendler

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Something's gone badly awry with environmentalism. We faithfully separate our waste into different streams, but wonder whether it really makes a difference. Global companies announce their commitment to carbon negativity while simultaneously sponsoring oil conferences. American businesses, communities, and individuals assiduously measure their carbon footprints, then implement voluntary emissions-reduction programs, all while trumpeting their do-gooderism. 
   
   
   
  The problem is, none of this—whether individual efforts or corporate sustainability tactics—will make a dent in solving the civilizational threat of climate change. We only pretend it will, at our peril. 
   
   
   
  As Auden Schendler argues in this provocative, powerful book, we're living a big green lie. The hard truth is that much of the modern environmental road map could have been written by the fossil fuel industry specifically to avoid disrupting the status quo. But there is another truth: while ineffective or duplicitous environmentalism has become standard practice, we all have friends and family we love and care about, whose future depends on solving the problem of climate change. Conscience tells us we have an obligation to repair the world. How can our common dreams be so at odds with our daily practice? And how might we meld our spirit and our passion to create a better future?

  Show book

• 

  Astrid Lindgren: A short...

  5 Minutes, 5 Minute Biographies,...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Astrid Lindgren, Swedish writer and creator of Pippi Longstocking: Life and work in a short biography! Everything you need to know, brief and concise. Infotainment, education and entertainment at its best!

  Show book