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Il Treno
by Anna GregoPrendi il treno? Non sai esattamente dove sta andando finché non raggiunge il suo destino... In Il Treno non è diverso. Quando la velocità del treno aumenta, i passeggeri sanno che c’è qualcosa che non va. Qualcosa di molto sbagliato... e inevitabile. La destinazione inaspettata riserva l’inimmaginabile ai passeggeri.
Il Visconte Scomparso: Contrattempi magici
by Jane CharlesLady Clara Westcott si innamora di Pierce Drakos, visconte Harcourt, all’età di quindici anni. Da quel momento in poi tutto va storto, dal punto di vista magico. Quando lo incontra di nuovo a Londra, Clara capisce subito che potrebbe essere un pericolo per Harcourt e giura di mantenere le distanze. Pierce considerava lady Clara dolce e carina a quindici anni, ma a diciotto è maturata in modo delizioso. Tuttavia, ogni volta che lui desidera avvicinarsi, lei sparisce. Ora che è in programma una visita alla tenuta della sua famiglia e la partecipazione al Ballo delle Streghe di sua madre, si ripromette di scoprire perché lei lo evita. Quello che non ha previsto è che sarà lui stesso a sparire.
The Illiberal Public Sphere: Media in Polarized Societies
by Sabina Mihelj Václav ŠtětkaThis open access book provides the first systematic analysis of the role of the media in the rise of illiberalism, based on an original theoretical framework and extensive empirical research in Eastern Europe – a region that serves as a key battleground in the global advance of illiberalism. Liberal democracies across the world are facing a range of challenges, from the growing influence of illiberal leaders and parties to deepening polarization and declining trust in political elites and mainstream media. Although these developments attracted significant scholarly attention, the factors that contribute to the spreading of illiberalism remain poorly understood, and the communication perspective on illiberalism is particularly underdeveloped.Štětka and Mihelj address this gap by introducing the concept of the illiberal public sphere, identifying the key stages in its development, and explaining what makes illiberalism distinct from related phenomena such as populism. Their analysis reveals how and why the changing communication environment facilitates selective exposure to ideologically and politically homogeneous sources, fosters changes in normative assumptions that guide media trust, increases vulnerability to disinformation, and goes hand in hand with growing hostility to immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. The findings challenge widespread assumptions about digital platforms as key channels of illiberalism and suggest that their role shifts as the illiberal sphere progresses.The arguments presented in this book have important implications for future research on challenges to liberal democracy, as well as for journalists, media regulators and other professionals committed to rebuilding media trust and containing the forces of polarization.
Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal and Collective Healing
by Michelle Cassandra JohnsonDissolve hurtful patterns and emotional hardship through the five yogic points of suffering, or kleshas.Includes powerful and practical meditations, mantras, asanas, reflection questions, and more, to reduce our suffering—and the suffering of others.We all get stuck in hurtful patterns that continue to create more suffering in our lives. In yoga philosophy, these patterns are known as the five kleshas. In this wise, practical guide, Michelle Cassandra Johnson offers us a path toward developing a deeper understanding of them and how they hijack us emotionally.The five kleshas are: ignorance (avidya); overidentification with ego (asmita); attachment to desire or pleasure (raga); aversion or avoidance (dvesha); and fear of death or letting go (abhinivesha). Each one leads us to create tendencies and karma that move us away from realizing and remembering our true nature and seeing ourselves as separate from one another and the planet. In yogic terms, this perpetuates a constant cycle of pain for us all.Readers will learn to: • deepen their connection with self and others; • look at their relationship and attachment to pleasure and aversion to discomfort; • notice more fully how their actions affect others; • meet each moment as it arises and ride the waves of life as they come; • and much moreJohnson offers us a way to find a sense of clarity, groundedness, and equanimity within ourselves by working through the kleshas one-by-one using asana, pranayama, mudra, mantra, reflection questions, and meditation.
The Illustrated Book of Medicine: Joey and the Cough
by Joseph TalbetEmbark with Joey on a captivating voyage through the human body! One night, after Joey had settled into bed, a persistent cough piqued his curiosity. Driven by an insatiable need to understand, Joey delves into one of Papa&’s medical books. Soon enough, he embarks on a thrilling adventure, journeying through the intricate mazes of the body. Together with Papa, uncover the wonders of our internal universe, from organ to organ, revealing their unique roles and mysteries. Dive in from the tip of the nose and spiral down to the depths of the lungs!
The Illustrated & Complete Brigadier Gerard
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle“At the head of the Grande Armee march the Hussars of Conflans—and leading them is Brigadier Gerard!These are the adventures of Conan Doyle's incomparable French hero—the finest swordsman in the Light Cavalry—Etienne Gerard. Arranged for the first time in historical chronological order, his many enthusiasts can now properly appreciate his colourful career as he fights, loves and blunders his way through the Napoleonic epoch—from his earliest adventure as a young blade determined to reach his lady love despite the unwelcome attention of her father’s bull—through many campaigns and special missions—to the bloody field of Waterloo, the downfall of his beloved Emperor and beyond. This is the complete collection of these classic stories. What makes this edition exceptional is the inclusion of nearly 140 illustrations—mostly by the famed military artist William Barnes Wollen—which accurately portray the spirit of the stories and the uniforms and scenes of the events they portray. At last the modern reader can fully appreciate the Brigadier as he originally appeared in The Strand magazine. This unique volume will be a delight for fans of Conan Doyle and the Brigadier-and will be a perfect addition to the libraries of enthusiasts of the age of Napoleon in fiction and in history alike.—Print ed.
Im Brennpunkt der Wirtschaftspolitik: Innovation, Globalisierung und Klimawandel
by Christian KeuschniggDieser Open-Access-Sammelband zeigt, wie innovative Forschung und Lehre in der Volkswirtschaftslehre zu einer besseren Gesellschaft beitragen können. Eine Wirtschaftspolitik mit Ziel und Plan sollte auf rigorosem theoretischem Fundament stehen und sich auf verlässliche empirische Evidenz stützen. Damit die Forschung Wirkung entfalten kann, müssen die Forscher die neuesten Erkenntnisse in eine populäre Sprache übersetzen, damit sie einer breiten und nicht spezialisierten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich werden. Wähler und Entscheidungsträger der Politik können von den Ergebnissen der Forschung nur profitieren, wenn diese in nicht-technischer Sprache zugänglich sind. Die Aufgaben der Universitäten sind Forschung, Lehre und Information der Öffentlichkeit. Im Projekt "Next Generation" fassen die besten Masterstudierenden der Universität St. Gallen politikrelevante Ergebnisse der volkswirtschaftlichen Forschung populär zusammen. Mit diesem "Readers Digest" der Ökonomie leisten sie einen wichtigenBeitrag zur dritten Mission der Universität.
I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris
by Glynnis MacNicolWhen you&’re a woman of a certain age, you are only promised that everything will get worse. But what if everything you&’ve been told is a lie?Come to Paris, August 2021, when the City of Lights was still empty of tourists and a thirst for long-overdue pleasure gripped those who wandered its streets.After New York City emptied out in March 2020, Glynnis MacNicol, aged forty-six, unmarried with no children, spent sixteen months alone in her tiny Manhattan apartment. The isolation was punishing. A year without touch. Women are warned of invisibility as they age, but this was an extreme loneliness no one can prepare you for. When the opportunity to sublet a friend&’s apartment in Paris arose, MacNicol jumped on it. Leaving felt less like a risk than a necessity.What follows is a decadent, joyful, unexpected journey into one woman&’s pursuit of radical enjoyment.The weeks in Paris are filled with friendship and food and sex. There is dancing on the Seine; a plethora of gooey cheese; midnight bike rides through empty Paris; handsome men; afternoons wandering through the empty Louvre; nighttime swimming in the ocean off a French island. And yes, plenty of nudity.In the spirit of Nora Ephron and Deborah Levy (think Colette . . . if she&’d had access to dating apps), I&’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is an intimate, insightful, powerful, and endlessly pleasurable memoir of an intensely lived experience whose meaning and insight expand far beyond the personal narrative. MacNicol is determined to document the beauty, excess, and triumph of a life that does not require permission.The pursuit of enjoyment is a political act, both a right and a responsibility. Enjoying yourself—as you are—is not something the world tells you is possible, but it is.Here&’s the proof.
Imaging Cell Signaling (Methods in Molecular Biology #2800)
by Robert F. Murphy Christoph WülfingThis volume explores recent innovations across the entire pipeline of imaging signal transduction, cell preparation, cellular manipulation, image acquisition, and computational analysis. The chapters in this book cover topics such as rapid preparation of living Drosophila pupal macrophages for ex vivo imaging; controlling the potency of T cell activation using an optically tuneable chimeric antigen receptor; in situ imaging of proteins using DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy; reconstructing signaling networks using biosensor barcoding; and morphological, spatial, and dynamic models for cellular components. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Cutting-edge and authoritative, Imaging Cell Signaling is a valuable resource that provides guidance to researchers looking to learn how to effectively tailor design projects to image, manipulate, and model signal transduction.
The Immeasurable Power of Prayer (The Buddhism of the Sun)
by Daisaku IkedaDoes prayer work? What does it mean to pray in Buddhism? In a world where problems, both personal and global, seem out of our control, Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda explains the power of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: “ Daimoku is so powerful that there is nowhere in the universe it does not reach.” The Immeasurable Power of Prayer is a collection of essays where Daisaku Ikeda outlines the limitless power of prayer in Nichiren Buddhism. We learn that no matter how difficult our circumstances, through chanting, we develop the ability to take bold action, create value, and make positive changes.
The Immortals of Australian Rugby Union
by Gordon BrayFully illustrated profiles of the most legendary Australian rugby union players.Hardcover and jacket gift book which names a best of the best 15-strong line-up of Australian rugby union players. Each Immortal player named is profiled in a dedicated chapter with career stats and multiple action images. There is also a group of honourable mentions and an Immortals Wallaby side. Features 100 photographs and key statistics. The Immortals of Australian Rugby Union celebrates the greatest players to wear the green and gold for the Wallabies. It takes the Immortals concept made famous elsewhere in the sporting world and applies it to the 15-player game. Gordon Bray, the voice of rugby in Australia, chooses his XV Immortals, telling the remarkable stories behind pioneering and modern-day Wallabies.
Immune Homeostasis: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #2782)
by Vijay KumarThis volume discusses different aspects of immune homeostasis regulation and its dysregulation during various diseases, including infections, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, autoinflammation, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency, along with immunological, genetic, cell biology, and molecular biology techniques designed to understand immune homeostasis at different stages. The chapters in this book cover topics such as T cell subsets; monocyte-myofibroblast immunomodulation in a 3D co-culture system; human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with neurodegenerative diseases; and CRISPR-Cas9 induced gene-editing in primary human monocytes. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Immune Homeostasis: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for both novice and experts researchers interested in learning more about this important and developing field.
Impact/Impasse: Revaluing University Classroom Life
by Laura E. Smithers Heidi Fischer Faith A. WatrousImpact/Impasse argues for the value of everyday life in college classrooms. Quantifiable categories such as high-impact practice, student engagement, and integrative learning have captured the imagination of a generation of higher education researchers, practitioners, administrators, and policymakers. But they miss those mundane moments, or "impasses," that resist capture by metrics while nevertheless shaping student outcomes. Impact/Impasse blends critical theories and ethnographic research—conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic—to argue that learning happens in ordinary moments. Indeed, in sharing anecdotes from both in-person and virtual classrooms, the coauthors show how the so-called new normal is little different from the old in its neoliberal attachment to data. Impact/Impasse provides a conceptual and practical foundation for an alternative approach to valuing impacts on their own terms, in excess of quantification.
Impact of COVID-19 Waste on Environmental Pollution and Its Sustainable Management: COVID-19 Waste and Its Management (Environmental Science and Engineering)
by Alok Prasad Das Sunanda MishraThis book focuses on challenges that have arisen because of trash discharges and their potential causes and provides long-term sustainable solutions. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense devastation, leading to numerous fatalities as well as substantial economic losses and health issues. With the rise in COVID-19 cases, the amount of biomedical waste has multiplied, exposing more people to the epidemic. For developing countries, waste management is already a problem, and the waste generated during this pandemic situation has made things worse. If improper waste management techniques are not changed, the world will face a new crisis that could be referred to as a "garbage crisis." The increased quantity of COVID-19-associated waste (CAW) and their presence in the environment make them more vulnerable, potentially increasing the danger of food chain contamination. A few countries have already started putting emergency plans in place to address the “waste crisis.” Given the paucity of information on the mutational features and potential hosts of this newly discovered COVID-19, there is a pressing need for an effective plan to protect India's ecosystem against further contamination. To handle the current crisis and prevent the anticipated waste disaster, it is imperative to construct a more effective, automated, computerized, and well-modified waste management system during the COVID-19 period.
The Impactful Vegan: How You Can Save More Lives and Make the Biggest Difference for Animals and the Planet
by Robert CheekeFrom New York Times bestselling author Robert Cheeke comes a new way of thinking about helping animals and the environment—and making the biggest impact possible with the resources already available to you.When it comes to reducing animal suffering, many people aren&’t sure where to start or which options are most beneficial. Charitable donations? Volunteer work? Dining at vegan restaurants? Meatless Monday? But the truth is that you have far more power than you think to make a real difference. Inspired by the effective altruism movement, The Impactful Vegan teaches readers how to audit their impact and follow methods that have been scrutinized, evaluated, and determined to do the most good for animals. From trusted vegan activist and motivational speaker Robert Cheeke, this in-depth guide will show you just how easy it is to help animals and protect the Earth, by breaking down:How to identify the best organizations and volunteer efforts Why supporting for-profit vegan businesses is vitalWhy some approaches to promoting animal rights and veganism aren&’t helpful, and in fact, could be harmful for animals, despite best intentionsHow to choose a career path that aligns with your values and helps you meet your goalsHow influencers can build a personal brand and leverage it to promote veganism Some of these actions are easier and more important than one might think, and armed with this knowledge you can put your ethics into action. This book will help you help animals every day.
Importance of Role Modeling in Educational Settings: A Machine-Generated Literature Overview
by Syeda Shagufta QuadriThis book is the result of a collaboration between a human editor and an artificial intelligence algorithm to create a machine-generated literature overview of research articles analyzing importance of role modeling in Educational Settings. It’s a new publication format in which state-of-the-art computer algorithms are applied to select the most relevant articles published in Springer Nature journals and create machine-generated literature reviews by arranging the selected articles in a topical order and creating short summaries of these articles. This machine-generated literature review presents an overview of role modeling in education across different fields. Delving into various aspects related to the significance of role models in students' lives, this book caters to the interests of both students and educators. The utilization of AI enabled a more comprehensive and in-depth examination of role modeling. Through automated analysis, it provides abundant research-based evidence highlighting the positive impact of role modeling in education settings.
Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century
by Simon KuperAn entertaining and openhearted tale of a naïf eventually getting to understand a complex, glittering, beautiful and often cruel society - at least a little. When Simon Kuper left London for Paris in his early thirties, he wasn't planning to make a permanent move. Paris, however, had other plans. Kuper has grown middle-aged there, eaten the croissants, seen his American wife through life-threatening cancer, taken his children to countless football matches on freezing Saturday mornings in the city's notorious banlieues, and in 2015 lived through two terrorist attacks on their neighborhood. Over two decades of becoming something of a cantankerous Parisian himself, Kuper has watched the city change. This century, it has globalized, gentrified, and been shocked into realizing its role as the crucible of civilizational conflict. Sometimes it's a multicultural paradise, and sometimes it isn't. This decade, Parisians have lived through a sequence of shocks: terrorist attacks, record floods and heatwaves, the burning of Notre Dame, the storming of the city by gilets jaunes, and then the pandemic. Now, as the Olympics come to town, France is busy executing the "Grand Paris" project: the most serious attempt yet to knit together the bejewelled city with its neglected suburbs. This is a captivating memoir of the Paris of today, without the Parisian clichés.
An Impossible Friendship: Group Portrait, Jerusalem Before and After 1948 (Religion, Culture, and Public Life #47)
by Sonja Mejcher-AtassiIn Jerusalem, as World War II was coming to an end, an extraordinary circle of friends began to meet at the bar of the King David Hotel. This group of aspiring artists, writers, and intellectuals—among them Wolfgang Hildesheimer, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Sally Kassab, Walid Khalidi, and Rasha Salam, some of whom would go on to become acclaimed authors, scholars, and critics—came together across religious lines in a fleeting moment of possibility within a troubled history. What brought these Muslim, Jewish, and Christian friends together, and what became of them in the aftermath of 1948, the year of the creation of the State of Israel and the Palestinian Nakba?Sonja Mejcher-Atassi tells the story of this unlikely friendship and in so doing offers an intimate cultural and social history of Palestine in the critical postwar period. She vividly reconstructs the vanished social world of these protagonists, tracing the connections between the specificity of individual lives and the larger contexts in which they are embedded. In exploring this ecumenical friendship and its artistic, literary, and intellectual legacies, Mejcher-Atassi demonstrates how social biography can provide a picture of the past that is at once more inclusive and more personal. This group portrait, she argues, allows us to glimpse alternative possibilities that exist within and alongside the fraught history of Israel/Palestine. Bringing a remarkable era to life through archival research and nuanced interdisciplinary scholarship, An Impossible Friendship unearths prospects for historical reconciliation, solidarity, and justice.
Improving Education Policy Together: How It’s Made, Implemented, and Can Be Done Better
by Nansi Ellis Gareth ConyardBy focusing on the relationships involved, Improving Education Policy Together will change how policy-making in education is approached and showcase alternative models that will lead to more sustainable and effective practices. The authors analyse the state of educational policy-making in England. They particularly reflect on the relationships of the different people and organisations involved – policy-makers such as politicians, civil servants, and unions – and explain how these interact with the wider world. Building on the experiences of the authors on different sides of the process, the book explores the reasons why education policies fail the very sector they are intended to serve. By considering aspects of policy-making in different countries, the authors highlight more effective ways of building relationships between decision-makers and those affected by educational policy. This book explores, as an alternative, long term, systems-led, and relational policy-making, and maps out a range of unique models for change. Of interest to those involved in developing and influencing policy in government, this book will be essential reading for political parties, unions, civil servants, and charities, as well as teachers and leaders who believe they should be much more influential in the policies that affect their working lives and seek to adopt a better approach to making education policy.
Improving Equity in Data Science: Re-Imagining the Teaching and Learning of Data in K-16 Classrooms
by Colby Tofel-Grehl Emmanuel SchanzerImproving Equity in Data Science offers a comprehensive look at the ways in which data science can be conceptualized and engaged more equitably within the K-16 classroom setting, moving beyond merely broadening participation in educational opportunities. This book makes the case for field wide definitions, literacies and practices for data science teaching and learning that can be commonly discussed and used, and provides examples from research of these practices and literacies in action. Authors share stories and examples of research wherein data science advances equity and empowerment through the critical examination of social, educational, and political topics. In the first half of the book, readers will learn how data science can deliberately be embedded within K-12 spaces to empower students to use it to identify and address inequity. The latter half will focus on equity of access to data science learning opportunities in higher education, with a final synthesis of lessons learned and presentation of a 360-degree framework that links access, curriculum, and pedagogy as multiple facets collectively essential to comprehensive data science equity work.Practitioners and teacher educators will be able to answer the question, “how can data science serve to move equity efforts in computing beyond basic inclusion to empowerment?” whether the goal is to simply improve definitions and approaches to research on data science or support teachers of data science in creating more equitable and inclusive environments within their classrooms.
Improving Thinking About Thinking in the Classroom: What Works for Enhancing Metacognition
by Keith J. ToppingWhat are the best ways to enhance metacognition in the course of classroom teaching? This research-to-practice book shows how to go beyond simple student reflection to use any of 19 different practical strategies. Each chapter describes a different method, gives the research evidence to support the effectiveness of the method and then provides guidelines for implementation. You will learn about programs within traditional curriculum subjects, programs across the traditional curriculum, programs focusing especially on self-regulation, programs for disabled and special needs students, and programs embedded in a digital environment. You will also discover common features of the methods, so you can see the similarities across the methods and ultimately devise your own ways to develop metacognition and self-regulated learning. With the powerful practices in this book, students will develop a refined ability to think about how they think and learn, preparing them for their futures beyond school.
Improving Upper Canada: Agricultural Societies and State Formation, 1791–1852
by Ross FairAgricultural societies founded in the colony of Upper Canada were the institutional embodiment of the ideology of improvement, modelled on contemporary societies in Britain and the United States. In Improving Upper Canada, Ross Fair explores how the agricultural improvers who established and led these organizations were important agents of state formation. The book investigates the initial failed attempts to create a single agricultural society for Upper Canada. It examines the 1830 legislation that publicly funded the creation of agricultural societies across the colony to be semi-public agents of agricultural improvement, and analyses societies established in the Niagara, Home, and Midland Districts to understand how each attempted to introduce specific improvements to local farming practices. The book reveals how Upper Canada’s agricultural improvers formed a provincial association in the 1840s to ensure that the colonial government assumed a greater leadership role in agricultural improvement, resulting in the Bureau of Agriculture, forerunner of federal and provincial departments of agriculture in the post-Confederation era. In analysing an early example of state formation, Improving Upper Canada provides a comprehensive history of the foundations of Ontario’s agricultural societies today, which continue to promote agricultural improvement across the province.
Improving Your School One Week at a Time: Building the Foundation for Professional Teaching and Learning
by Jeffrey Zoul Spiri Diamantis HowardLearn how you can work more effectively with your staff to improve your school. In this unique book, Jeffrey Zoul and Spiri Diamantis Howard reveal how a powerful tool, “Friday Focus” emails or newsletters, can help school principals communicate more proactively and consistently with their teachers while improving instruction and morale.The chapters cover 37 “Friday Focus” memos, which are organized around the school year and which cover topics such as student behavior, teacher observations, parent-teacher conferences, and more. This updated second edition offers suggestions for additional areas including artificial intelligence and equity, hope, microlearning, universal design for learning, engaging the families of ELLs, online relationship building, and gamification.Whether you’re a new or veteran school leader, these inspiring messages will help you work alongside your staff as change agents for school improvement.
In Christ or The Believer's Union With His Lord
by A. J. Gordon"In Christ or The Believer's Union With His Lord" by A. J. Gordon is a profound exploration of the spiritual concept of union with Christ, a cornerstone of Christian theology. In this timeless work, A. J. Gordon, a renowned 19th-century pastor and theologian, delves deeply into the mystical and transformative relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ.Gordon's insightful and eloquent writing elucidates the doctrine of being "in Christ," a central theme in the New Testament. He explains how this union is not merely a theological idea but a living, dynamic reality that profoundly impacts every aspect of a believer's life. Through a careful examination of Scripture, Gordon illustrates how this spiritual union provides believers with access to Christ's righteousness, strength, and peace.The book is structured around key biblical passages and themes, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of what it means to live a life intimately connected with Jesus. Gordon discusses the implications of this union for personal sanctification, spiritual growth, and daily Christian living. His reflections are both theologically rich and practically applicable, making complex concepts accessible to readers at all levels of spiritual maturity.This classic work remains a valuable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of their relationship with Christ. "In Christ or The Believer's Union With His Lord" is essential reading for theologians, pastors, and laypeople alike, offering timeless wisdom and inspiration for living a Christ-centered life.A. J. Gordon's insightful exploration of this profound spiritual truth continues to resonate with readers, inviting them to experience the transformative power of being truly "in Christ."
In Defence of Our Humanity: Real Life as a United Nations Ambassador in a Troubled World (Springer Biographies)
by Stephen HillThis book is based on Stephen Hill’s direct experience working in the United Nations for many years as consultant and over a decade as full time Member of Staff—based in Indonesia and part-time in Paris, serving as United Nations Regional Director for Science for Asia and the Pacific as well as Principal Director and Ambassador of the United Nations Agency UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) across South East Asia. It was not always a quiet life. Stephen had to handle the negotiations and aftermath of two of his own UN staff taken hostage in 1996 for five months by freedom fighters into the jungles of West Papua; the May 1998 Revolution in Indonesia where he had to escape his house at 2.00am through mobs and fires while his own security staff had changed into civilian clothes and run off down the street to escape, then evacuate everyone else, but stay to report to the UN Security Council and liaise with the incoming Transition Government. In the early 2000s, Stephen needed to escape Indonesia, under UN Security instruction, from the terrorist organisation, Abu Sayyaf from Mindanao, the Southern Philippines, when they sent a Hit Squad down through Manado and across Sulawesi towards Jakarta to assassinate him in Jakarta because of his collaborative work throughout Mindanao’s previous fundamentalist Islamic conflict zones, amongst other things, bringing literacy to 7,000 villagers, mainly women, building nine radio stations with community support across religious lines, and introducing basic education into Islamic Schools previously teaching only the Koran and Arabic. This book captures all of this rather exciting life but delivers a message from experience—the Power of Community and Cultural Empowerment in successful United Nations Action to bring positive change into the world.