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America: The Farewell Tour
by Chris HedgesA profound and provocative examination of America in crisis, where unemployment, deindustrialization, and a bitter hopelessness and malaise have resulted in an epidemic of diseases of despair—drug abuse, gambling, suicide, magical thinking, xenophobia, and a culture of sadism and hate.America, says Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Chris Hedges, is convulsed by an array of pathologies that have arisen out of profound hopelessness, a bitter despair and a civil society that has ceased to function. The opioid crisis, the retreat into gambling to cope with economic distress, the pornification of culture, the rise of magical thinking, the celebration of sadism, hate, and plagues of suicides are the physical manifestations of a society that is being ravaged by corporate pillage and a failed democracy. As our society unravels, we also face global upheaval caused by catastrophic climate change. All these ills presage a frightening reconfiguration of the nation and the planet. Donald Trump rode this disenchantment to power. In America: The Farewell Tour, Hedges argues that neither political party, now captured by corporate power, addresses the systemic problem. Until our corporate coup d’état is reversed these diseases will grow and ravage the country. A poignant cry reported from communities across the country, America: The Farewell Tour seeks to jolt us out of our complacency while there is still time.
America: How to Save Our Democracy
by Douglas E. Schoen Carly CoopermanWHAT AMERICA MUST DO TO ACHIEVE UNITY AND SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY AMERICA: UNITE OR DIE is a real-time analysis of why American Democracy is crumbling and why both sides – Republicans and Democrats – are responsible for its collapse. This is the first objective, nonpartisan analysis of what has happened, and most importantly, explains what we can do to avoid impending doom for our system, and most of all, our nation. ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE? America is the only country in the history of the world founded on an idea—and that idea is liberty. It&’s an idea that resulted in the most flourishing citizenry in human history, but today that idea is under attack, not just from foreign adversaries but from within as the extreme right of the Republican Party and extreme left of the Democratic Party move further and further apart. These dangerous, corrosive positions pose a serious threat to the foundations of American democracy as we now face: · A political class that has lost touch with mainstream America. · Public loss of trust in the institutions of democracy. · The rise and mobilization of extremism on the right and left, both threatening violence. · The rise of social media, websites, and cable TV news that splinters audiences and creates alternate realities. · Inequality of opportunity that creates a two-tiered society of haves and have-nots. · Anti-democratic regimes ruling China and Russia that threaten freedom around the world. In an era of growing distrust, demonization, and hatred, as we live America&’s tragic &‘Tale of Two Cities,&’ our most inspired turn is to embrace the idea engendered in a true symbol of American democracy: the mighty woman with a torch, &‘the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World&’: &“Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free&”. When citizens who work hard and play by the rules believe they have no shot at the American Dream — or conclude that the American values, identity, and the principles they grew up with are vanishing — a giant question mark hangs over the future of our democracy. If we hope to preserve our democracy, both sides must start by reaffirming their belief in the democratic principles of America so they can move from the fringes to the moderate middle-of-the-road positions that millions of Americans embrace. AMERICA: UNITE OR DIE is an inspired plan to turn the Divided States of America into the Reunited State of America. &“America: Unite or Die is a must-read for anyone interested in politics and governing or in the current dysfunction of our political system. Douglas Schoen and Carly Cooperman are great scholars and practitioners of American politics. They are two of the country's finest pollsters and strategists who have seen it all—from advising presidents in the White House to analyzing the voters in the precincts across America. The polarization in this country today is explained clearly. Every citizen who cares about this extraordinary country of ours should read this book and be enlightened about what's going on around them.&” —Ed Rollins, former assistant to President Reagan for political and governmental affairs, and former co-chairman to the National Republican Congressional Committee
America: How Well Do You Know Your Country?
by Union Square & Co.Would you pass the government’s test to become a United States citizen? Take the 100-question quiz and see!As millions of people know, becoming an American citizen isn’t easy. It involves a lengthy application process, including a tough two-part naturalization test covering English and civics. How well would you do? Find out! America: The Quiz contains the most updated version of the 100 test-prep questions given to applicants by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, current through the 2016 elections. They include: What is an amendment?What is “the rule of law”?What does the president’s cabinet do?Name three of the original 13 statesName one state that borders CanadaWhy does the flag have 50 stars? A surprising number of questions require even more advanced knowledge. For example: Describe one of the four Constitutional amendments concerning the right to vote. Complete with illustrations and historic photographs, and fully updated through the presidential election of 2016, America: The Quiz is a handy little guidebook to the nation you thought you knew.
The Amenity Value of the Global Climate
by David MaddisonThis text develops and applies a far-reaching account of the economic value of climate, derived from its amenity value or the benefits which a particular climate provides to the people of that region or country. As climate change moves higher on the economic and political agendas, reliable measures of the benefits and costs of specific climates and changes to them become ever-more critical. Detailed studies of a range of countries including Britain, the US, India and Russia, show that the mobility of the population is crucial. When individuals are able to move, the amenity value of the climate is reflected in land prices and wage rates. Without mobility, amenity values emerge in patterns of purchasing, either to compensate for the disadvantages of the climate or to make best use of it. Indices are generated for the cost of living as a function of climate variables, and optimal climates are identified to determine who wins and who loses from climate change.
Ameliorating Mental Disability: Questioning Retardation
by Alfred A. BaumeisterThis book grows out of the optimistic view that mental retardation can be treated. It views mental retardation primarily as a behavioral problem. A child is diagnosed as retarded primarily because he behaves in certain maladaptive ways, not simply because he may have a chromosomal anomaly. The contributors view any intervention intended to produce adaptive changes in the behavior of the retarded as "treatment." The authors come from the fields of medicine, special education, and speech and hearing, as well as from psychology.The book is intended to help students and workers in the field apply research findings and theoretical formulations in their appraisal and treatment of mental retardation. The primary emphasis of the book is empirical. While many of the author's suggestions have not been subjected to rigorous experimental scrutiny, almost all have been derived from close examination of the research literature.A wide diversity of topics are included in this volume. Criteria employed were the relevance of the topic to the understanding and modifi cation of defective behavior; and the subject's popularity or neglect in other sources. Ameliorating Mental Disability will be of interest to medical officers in institutions for the mentally challenged, lecturers giving courses for teachers of the educationally subnormal, and to psychologists, social workers, and teachers.
Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor (I Can Read! #Level 2)
by Herman ParishAn I can read book. Amelia Bedelia always does what she's told. So when Mr. Rogers tells her she should run for Mayor Thyomas's office, she pics up her skirts and dshes off to City Hall. She knows just what she'd do in the mayor's shoes (polish them, of course). With Amelia Bedelia in the race, politics will never be the same.
Ambushed!: A Cartoon History of the George W. Bush Administration
by Walter C. Clemens Jr Jim MorinA Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist teams up with a noted political commentator. For everyone who loves to hate the Bush administration and is ready to laugh about it! Ambushed! recounts the exploits of the Bush administration, at home and abroad, 2001 to 2008, through the lens of a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Miami Herald and the analysis of a leading political scientist at Boston University and Harvard University. The book begins with the ways in which American voters were ambushed in two presidential elections and ranges widely among the ensuing disasters from Enron to Katrina to the budget deficit to the economy and finally to the "global war on terror" that lost America many friends and inspired enemies worldwide. Contrasting the Bush administration's lofty promises with its policy failures-from Baghdad to New Orleans-the book suggests that this has been not only the least effective but the most destructive presidency of the past century.
Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield (Medical Fiascoes)
by Gail JarrowThis thrilling title for young readers blends science, history, and medical mysteries to tell the story of the assassination and ultimately horrible death of President James Garfield.James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was assassinated when he was shot by Charles Guiteau in July 1881, less than four months after he was elected president. But Garfield didn't actually die until 80 days later. In this page-turner, award-winning author Gail Jarrow delves into the fascinating story of the relationship between Garfield and Guiteau, and relates the gruesome details of Garfield's slow and agonizing death. She reveals medical mistakes made in the aftermath of Garfield's assassination, including the faulty diagnoses and outdated treatments that led to the president's demise. This gripping blend of science, history, and mystery — the latest title in the Medical Fiascoes series — is nonfiction for kids at its best: exciting and relevant and packed with plenty of villains and horrifying facts.
An Ambulance on Safari: The ANC and the Making of a Health Department in Exile (McGill-Queen's/Associated Medical Services Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society #53)
by Melissa Diane ArmstrongDuring the apartheid era, thousands of South African political activists, militants, and refugees fled arrest by crossing into neighbouring southern African countries. Although they had escaped political oppression, many required medical attention during their period of exile. An Ambulance on Safari describes the efforts of the African National Congress (ANC) to deliver emergency healthcare to South African exiles and, in the same stroke, to establish political legitimacy and foster anti-apartheid sentiment on an international stage. Banned in South Africa from 1960 to 1990, the ANC continued its operations underground in anticipation of eventual political victory, styling itself as a "government in waiting." In 1977 it created its own Health Department, which it presented as an alternative medical service and the nucleus of a post-apartheid healthcare system. By publicizing its own democratic policies as well as the racist practices of healthcare delivery in South Africa, the Health Department won international attention for its cause and provoked widespread condemnation of the apartheid state. While the global campaign was unfolding successfully, the department's provision of healthcare on the ground was intermittent as patients confronted a fledgling medical system experiencing various growing pains. Still, the legacy of the department would be long, as many medical professionals who joined the post-apartheid Department of Health in South Africa had been trained in exile during the liberation struggle. With careful attention to both the international publicity campaign and on-the-ground medical efforts, An Ambulance on Safari reveals the intricate and significant political role of the ANC's Health Department and its influence on the anti-apartheid movement.
Amboina, 1623: Fear and Conspiracy on the Edge of Empire
by Adam ClulowIn 1623, a Japanese mercenary called Shichizō was arrested for asking suspicious questions about the defenses of a Dutch East India Company fort on Amboina, a remote set of islands in what is now eastern Indonesia. When he failed to provide an adequate explanation, he was tortured until he confessed that he had joined a plot orchestrated by a group of English merchants based nearby to seize control of the fortification and ultimately to rip the spice-rich islands from the Company’s grasp. Two weeks later, Dutch authorities executed twenty-one alleged conspirators, sparking immediate outrage and a controversy that would endure for centuries to come.In this landmark study, Adam Clulow presents a new perspective on the Amboina case that aims to move beyond the standard debate over the guilt or innocence of the supposed plotters. Instead, Amboina, 1623 argues that the case was driven forward by a potent combination of genuine crisis and overpowering fear that propelled the rapid escalation from suspicion to torture, that gave shape and form to an imagined plot, and that pushed events forward to their final bloody conclusion. Based on an exhaustive analysis of original trial documents, letters, and depositions, this book offers a masterful reinterpretation of a trial that has divided opinion for centuries while presenting new insight into global history and the nature of European expansion across the early modern world.
Ambivalenzen des Ökonomischen: Analysen zur „Neuen Steuerung“ im Bildungssystem (Educational Governance #29)
by Martin Heinrich Barbara KohlstockBildung und Ökonomie sind wechselseitig aufeinander verwiesen: Es wird keine Autonomie der Bildung ohne ressourcielle Absicherung geben, ebensowenig wie eine moderne industrialisierte Gesellschaft mit Blick auf ihre Reproduktionslogiken auf die Produktivkraft ,,Bildung" verzichten kann. Am Beispiel bildungstheoretisch fundierter und empirischer Studien zu den differenten pädagogischen und ökonomischen Logiken innerhalb der ,,Neuen Steuerung" des Bildungssystems wird im vorliegenden Band aufgezeigt, dass es sinnvoll erscheint, sich weder vereinseitigend dem Pol des ökonomischen oder dem des pädagogischen Ideals zuzuschlagen, noch die im Verhältnis von Ökonomie und Bildung angelegten Ambivalenzen zu leugnen. Demgegenüber wird versucht, sich in einem analytischen Zugriff aus der Perspektive der Governance-Forschung eben jenen Ambivalenzen systematisch zu widmen.
Ambivalenzen der Ordnung: Der Staat im Denken Hannah Arendts (Staat – Souveränität – Nation)
by Samuel Salzborn Julia Schulze Wessel Christian VolkEs besteht kein Zweifel, dass Hannah Arendt den klassischen republikanischen Tugenden des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements, der Partizipation und des politischen Handelns in ihrem Werk eine gewichtige Bedeutung verliehen hat. Ihr politisches Denken lebt von öffnenden Begriffen wie der Natalität, dem Anfang, der Pluralität, der Spontaneität oder der Freiheit des Menschen, etwas beginnen zu können. Und dennoch ist dieses Denken nur ein Teil von ihr und steht in einer konzeptionellen Beziehung zu einem dezidierten Ordnungsdenken, das in der Forschung bislang vernachlässigt wurde. Dieses stärker in den Mittelpunkt der Auseinandersetzung zu rücken, ist das Anliegen dieses Bandes.
Ambivalent Miracles: Evangelicals and the Politics of Racial Healing (Race, Ethnicity, and Politics)
by Nancy D. WadsworthOver the past three decades, American evangelical Christians have undergone unexpected, progressive shifts in the area of race relations, culminating in a national movement that advocates racial integration and equality in evangelical communities. The movement, which seeks to build cross-racial relationships among evangelicals, has meant challenging well-established paradigms of church growth that built many megachurch empires. While evangelical racial change (ERC) efforts have never been easy and their reception has been mixed, they have produced meaningful transformation in religious communities. Although the movement as a whole encompasses a broad range of political views, many participants are interested in addressing race-related political issues that impact their members, such as immigration, law enforcement, and public education policy. Ambivalent Miracles traces the rise and ongoing evolution of evangelical racial change efforts within the historical, political, and cultural contexts that have shaped them. Nancy D. Wadsworth argues that the stunning breakthroughs this movement has achieved, its curious political ambivalence, and its internal tensions are products of a complex cultural politics constructed at the intersection of U.S. racial and religious history and the meaning-making practices of conservative evangelicalism. Employing methods from the emerging field of political ethnography, Wadsworth draws from a decade’s worth of interviews and participant observation in ERC settings, textual analysis, and survey research, as well as a three-year case study, to provide the first exhaustive treatment of ERC efforts in political science. A 2014 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title
The Ambivalent Impact of Religion on Human Rights: Empirical Studies in Europe, Africa and Asia (Religion and Human Rights #7)
by Hans-Georg Ziebertz Francesco ZaccariaThis volume presents the most recent joint study of the research group Religion and Human Rights. This text is comprised of studies carried out in twelve countries and divided into three parts according to their respective tree continents. Almost 10,000 youths have participated and all chapters deal with the question of whether and to what extent religious or worldview convictions hinder or favor the support of human rights. Studies are comparative on multiple levels because of the many religious groups and countries. The studies take into account personal, religious and socio-cultural differences, showing the ambivalent role of religion in the striving to make the world safer, more democratic, just, and compassionate thru human rights. This text appeals to students and researchers.
Ambivalences of Inclusion in Society and Social Work: Research-Based Reflections in Four European Countries (European Social Work Education and Practice)
by Stephan Bundschuh Maria José Freitas Càndid Palacín Bartrolí Nino ŽganecThis book represents the work of the European Research Network: Inclusive Society and the Role of Social Work, which comprises researchers from Barcelona, Spain; Koblenz, Germany; Maastricht, The Netherlands; and Zagreb, Croatia. The authors present research results and reflections from these four different European countries to provide a comprehensive introduction and discussion of the ambivalences of inclusive processes in society and social work. The development towards an inclusive society is a subject of ongoing discussion in Europe. How the subject is addressed, through an examination of political and social characteristics, differs significantly by country. Each country-specific chapter includes evidence-based reflections on inclusive society and the role of social work: In The Netherlands, there is evidence of a top-down process implementing inclusive social policy and social work principles through the self-proclaimed ‘participation society’. In Spain, the process to inclusion is accompanied by the third sector often replacing governmental responsibilities, namely through the bottom-up activities of non-governmental organizations in social work. In Croatia, inclusion is a state initiative in transitioning society and an academic approach to deinstitutionalising social work. In Germany, inclusion is discussed in social systems theory and the reform of school systems. In the migration discourse it was introduced as a less-loaded alternative to integration. Ambivalences of Inclusion in Society and Social Work: Research-Based Reflections in Four European Countries is a useful resource for learners, teachers, practitioners, and researchers in social work, as well as those who have an interest in social policy, social welfare, and sociology.
The Ambitious Elementary School: Its Conception, Design, and Implications for Educational Equality
by Elizabeth Mcghee Hassrick Lisa Rosen Stephen W. RaudenbushThe challenge of overcoming educational inequality in the United States can sometimes appear overwhelming, and great controversy exists as to whether or not elementary schools are up to the task, whether they can ameliorate existing social inequalities and initiate opportunities for economic and civic flourishing for all children. This book shows what can happen when you rethink schools from the ground up with precisely these goals in mind, approaching educational inequality and its entrenched causes head on, student by student. Drawing on an in-depth study of real schools on the South Side of Chicago, Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, Stephen W. Raudenbush, and Lisa Rosen argue that effectively meeting the challenge of educational inequality requires a complete reorganization of institutional structures as well as wholly new norms, values, and practices that are animated by a relentless commitment to student learning. They examine a model that pulls teachers out of their isolated classrooms and places them into collaborative environments where they can share their curricula, teaching methods, and assessments of student progress with a school-based network of peers, parents, and other professionals. Within this structure, teachers, school leaders, social workers, and parents collaborate to ensure that every child receives instruction tailored to his or her developing skills. Cooperating schools share new tools for assessment and instruction and become sites for the training of new teachers. Parents become respected partners, and expert practitioners work with researchers to evaluate their work and refine their models for educational organization and practice. The authors show not only what such a model looks like but the dramatic results it produces for student learning and achievement. The result is a fresh, deeply informed, and remarkably clear portrait of school reform that directly addresses the real problems of educational inequality.
Ambition in America: Political Power and the Collapse of Citizenship
by Jeffrey A. BeckerMost Americans admire the determination and drive of artists, athletes, and CEOs, but they seem to despise similar ambition in their elected officials. The structure of political representation and the separation of powers detailed in the United States Co
Ambition, Competition, and Electoral Reform: The Politics of Congressional Elections Across Time
by Jamie L. Carson Jason Matthew RobertsIn Ambition, Competition, and Electoral Reform, Jamie L. Carson and Jason M. Roberts present an original study of U.S. congressional elections and electoral institutions for 1872-1944 from a contemporary political science perspective. Using data on late nineteenth and early twentieth century congressional elections, the authors test the applicability in a historical context of modern political science theories, assess the effects of institutional reforms, and identify the factors that shape the competitiveness of elections. They present several key findings: the strategic politicians theory is applicable in an era without candidate-centered campaigns; there was an incumbency advantage prior to the full development of candidate-centered campaigns; institutional reforms have had a significant effect on elections; and the degree of electoral competition frequently correlates with elected officials' responsiveness to citizens.
The Ambiguous Legacy of Socialist Modernist Architecture in Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge Research in Architecture)
by Mariusz E. Sokołowicz Aleksandra Nowakowska Błażej CiarkowskiThis book examines the unique socialist-modernist architecture built in the twentieth century in Central and Eastern Europe as a source of heritage and of existing and potential value for the present and future generations. Due to the historical context in which it was created, such architecture remains ambiguous. On the one hand, the wider public associates it with the legacy of the unpleasant period of the real socialist economic regime. Yet, on the other hand, it is also a manifestation of social modernization and the promotion of a significant proportion of the population. This book focuses particularly on concrete heritage, a legacy of modernist architecture in Central and Eastern Europe, and it was this material that enabled their rebuilding after World War II and modernization during the following decades. The authors search for the value of modernist architecture and using case studies from Poland, Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Lithuania and Slovenia verify to what extent this heritage is embedded in the local socio-economic milieu and becomes a basis for creating new values. They argue that the challenge is to change the ways we think about heritage, from looking at it from the point of view of a single monument to thinking in terms of a place with its own character and identity that builds its relation to history and its embeddedness in the local space. Furthermore, they propose that the preservation of existing concrete structures and adapting them to modern needs is of great importance for sustainability. With increasing awareness of the issue of preserving post-war architectural heritage and the strategies of dissonant heritage management, this multidisciplinary study will be of interest to architecture historians, conservators, heritage economists, urban planners and architects.
The Ambiguous Embrace: Government and Faith-Based Schools and Social Agencies (New Forum Books #26)
by Charles L. GlennThis is a time of far-reaching change and debate in American education and social policy, spurred in part by a rediscovery that civil-society institutions are often better than government at meeting human needs. As Charles Glenn shows in this book, faith-based schools and social agencies have been particularly effective, especially in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. However, many oppose providing public funds for religious institutions, either on the grounds that it would threaten the constitutional separation of church and state or from concern it might dilute or secularize the distinctive character of the institutions themselves. Glenn tackles these arguments head on. He builds a uniquely comprehensive and persuasive case for faith-based organizations playing a far more active role in American schools and social agencies. And, most importantly, he shows that they could do so both while receiving public funds and while striking a workable balance between accountability and autonomy. Glenn is ideally placed to make this argument. A leading expert on international education policies, he was for many years the director of urban education and civil rights for the Massachusetts Department of Education, and also serves as an Associate Minister of inner-city churches in Boston. Glenn draws on all his varied experience here as he reviews the policies and practices of governments in the United States and Europe as they have worked with faith-based schools and also with such social agencies as the Salvation Army and Teen Challenge. He seeks to answer key theoretical and practical questions: Why should government make greater use of faith-based providers? How could they do so without violating First Amendment limits? What working relationships protect the goals and standards both of government and of the organizations that the government funds? Glenn shows that, with appropriate forms of accountability and a strong commitment to a distinctive vision of service, faith-based organizations can collaborate safely with government, to their mutual benefit and that of those they serve. This is a major contribution to one of the most important topics in political and social debate today.
Ambiguous Antidotes: Virtue as Vaccine for Vice in Early Modern Spain
by Hilaire KallendorfChastity and lust, charity and greed, humility and pride, are but some of the virtues and vices that have been in tension since Prudentius’ Psychomachia, written in the fifth century. While there has been widespread agreement within a given culture about what exactly constitutes a virtue or a vice, are these categories so consistent after all? In Ambiguous Antidotes, Hilaire Kallendorf explores the receptions of Virtues in the realm of moral philosophy and the artistic production it influenced during the Spanish Gold Age. Using the Derridian notion of pharmakon, a powerful substance that can serve as poison and cure, Kallendorf’s original and pioneering insight into five key Virtues (justice, fortitude, chastity, charity, and prudence) reveals an intriguing but messy relationship. Rather than being seen as unambiguously good antidotes, the Virtues are instead contested spaces where competing sets of values jostled for primacy and hegemony. Employing an arsenal of tools drawn from literary theory and cultural studies Ambiguous Antidotes confirms that you can in fact have too much of a good thing.
Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria
by Lisa WedeenIn Syria, the image of President Hafiz al-Asad is everywhere. In newspapers, on television, and during orchestrated spectacles Asad is praised as the "father," the "gallant knight," even the country's "premier pharmacist. " Yet most Syrians, including those who create the official rhetoric, do not believe its claims. Why would a regime spend scarce resources on a cult whose content is patently spurious? Wedeen concludes that Asad's cult acts as a disciplinary device, generating a politics of public dissimulation in which citizens act as if they revered their leader. By inundating daily life with tired symbolism, the regime exercises a subtle, yet effective form of power. The cult works to enforce obedience, induce complicity, isolate Syrians from one another, and set guidelines for public speech and behavior. Wedeen's ethnographic research demonstrates how Syrians recognize the disciplinary aspects of the cult and seek to undermine them. Provocative and original, Ambiguities of Domination is a significant contribution to comparative politics, political theory, and cultural studies.
Ambiguities of Activism: Alter-Globalism and the Imperatives of Speed (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies #43)
by Ingrid M. HoofdThis volume provides a critical and in-depth investigation of the relationship between alter-globalist thinking and practices and their popular discourses. It examines the ways in which several alter-globalist activist groups (like Indymedia, no-borders campaigns, and forms of climate change activism), as well as left-wing intellectuals and academics (like Michael Hardt, Al Gore, Antonio Negri, Hakim Bey, and Geert Lovink), mobilize problematic discourses, tools, and divisions in an attempt to overcome gendered, raced, and classed oppressions worldwide. The book draws out how these mobilizations and theorizations, despite (or possibly because of) their liberatory claims, are actually implicated in the intensification of global hierarchies by repeatedly invoking narratives of transcendence, connection, progress, and in particular of speed. Hoofd argues that the humanist ideals that underlie all these practices paradoxically trigger increasing disenfranchisements worldwide.
Ambient Assisted Living: Italian Forum 2017 (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #540)
by Niccolò Casiddu Claudia Porfirione Andrea Monteriù Filippo CavalloThis book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. It covers a broad range of topics, with sections on technological sensors and platforms, social robotics for assistance, assistance and care applications, health and medical support methodologies and technologies, as well as the analysis, modelling and design of AAL services. <P><P> The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 8th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2017), which was held in Genoa, Italy, in June 2017 and brought together researchers, technology teams and professional associations, as well as representatives of the Italian regions and advisors to the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, with the goal of developing a consensus on how to improve provisions for the elderly and impaired. The respective contributions offer valuable insights into how the latest advances can help address the needs of the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. They also underscore the need for AAL to continue moving toward multidisciplinary integration, so as to embrace the various disciplines that place the user of services at the centre of the design process.
Ambient Assisted Living: Italian Forum 2013 (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #11)
by Sauro Longhi Pietro Siciliano Michele Germani Andrea MonteriùThis book presents the refereed proceedings of the Fourth Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), held in Ancona, Italy, in October 2013. A wide range of issues are covered and new technological developments are described which will support the autonomy and independence of individuals with special needs through an innovative and integrated approach, designed to respond to the socio-economic challenges of an aging population. Topics addressed include: health and well-being, prevention and rehabilitation and support for care providers; active aging and its social implications; services for the frail elderly with health problems and their families; nutrition; ICT platforms/technologies for the benefit of the elderly; home automation and control technologies (autonomy, safety and energy saving); smart cities and smart communities; telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and telecare; mobility, participation and social inclusion; games and fun for the elderly; building design; social housing; interface design and interaction (accessibility, acceptance); social policies to encourage and support active aging; business models, market analysis and development of sustainable financing and business and ethics, privacy and data protection. Many experimental validations based on user trials and usability testing are presented and discussed. The knowledge and insights provided in this book will help researchers and others involved in AAL to understand relevant societal trends, novel technological developments and pressing challenges.