This is a book that every student of politics would enjoy reading, and indeed should read, together with every person who wishes to become an activist (not necessarily an animal activist). This is because the book discusses, in a very interesting and exacting analysis, different strategies used to achieve a goal; in this case, the liberation of animals from the bonds of torture, deprivation and cruelty. Gonzalo Villanueva clearly has compassion for animals, but he is careful to keep an academic distance in this thoroughly researched, scholarly book, which is nevertheless easy to read. After each chapter of the book there are many pages of references which indicate that the author has been careful to check his facts.
"Enough with the dead white men! Forget what you learned in school! Ever since Columbus --who was probably a converted Jew -- "discovered" the New World, the powerful and privileged have usurped American history. The true story of the United States lies not with the founding fathers or robber barons, but with the country's most overlooked and marginalized peoples: the workers, immigrants, housewives, and slaves who built America from the ground up and made this country what it is today. In A Most Imperfect Union, cultural critic Ilan Stavans and award-winning cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz present a vibrant alternative history of America, giving full voice to the country's unsung but exceptional people. From African royals to accused witches, from Puerto Rican radicals to Arab immigrants, Stavans and Alcaraz use sardonic humor and irreverent illustrations to introduce some of the most fascinating characters in American history-- and to recount travesties and triumphs that mainstream accounts all too often ignore. What emerges is a colorful group portrait of these United States, one that champions America's progress while also acknowledging its missteps. Sweeping and cinematic, stretching from the nation's prehistory to the post-9/11 era, A Most Imperfect Union is a joyous, outrageous celebration of the complex, sometimes unruly individuals and forces that have shaped our ever-changing land." -- Publisher's description
Theories and opinions about climate change abound - from those claiming that human-induced climate change is already beyond control to those who express scepticism about the real extent of these changes. How should we weigh up the scientific evidence, and what role does climate change play in the history of the Earth? In this comprehensive history of the climate and climate change, Antonello Provenzale explains how the planetary climate system works and how the climate has evolved over millions of years. Starting from the catastrophic events that marked the early history of the Earth, including seas of magma, global glaciations and mass extinctions, he shows that the climate has fluctuated between hot and cold periods: at certain times, the Earth was hot and lush with forests, while at others it was almost entirely covered by a thick layer of ice. The mechanisms that determine the modifications of the climate are multiple and complex and include external factors, such as solar luminosity and variations in the Earth's orbit, as well as internal processes connecting the atmosphere, the oceans, the crust, the mantle and the biosphere, which comprises living organisms. While the climate has fluctuated a great deal in the long history of the Earth, there are two features of our current situation that are a source of real concern. First, the rise in temperature of the last 50 years has been extremely fast, making it difficult for the environment to adapt to the new conditions. Second, the human population is much greater than it was in the past, and this population needs water, food, energy and shelter to survive. If temperatures continue to rise as they have in recent decades, ours will not be an easy world in which to live. To appreciate what is at stake we need to understand how the climate works and how human activity is affecting it - not in order to save the planet, which will do just fine on its own and probably better without us, but to save ourselves.
The Regional History Project conducted this oral history with Leta Miller, Professor of Music, as part of its University History Series. After earning a B.A. from Stanford University in music, an M.M in music history from the Hartt College of Music, and a PhD from Stanford University in musicology, Miller arrived at UC Santa Cruz in 1978. She began as a part-time lecturer, teaching a course in chamber music literature at College Eight and offering flute lessons in a tiny room with no window in the old music building. After several years teaching various classes for UCSC, including a music history survey course, in 1987 Miller applied for and was hired for a tenure-track position in the UCSC Music Department [then called the Music Board]. Miller is passionate about teaching, research, and performance. For many years she was a dedicated professional player of Baroque, Renaissance, and modern flute. Her classes at UCSC range from general education courses in music appreciation (which she confided are still her favorite courses to teach), to advanced seminars in the compositions of Lou Harrison and Renaissance performance practice. In her narration Miller also reflects on the unique aspects of UC Santa Cruz she has experienced over the past four decades: the Narrative Evaluation System, the boards of studies, the college system, the focus on undergraduate education, and the emphasis on interdisciplinary studies. She discusses the design of UCSC's state-of-the-art Music Building, which opened in 1997. She also explores the evolution of UCSC's Music Department, including the unique backgrounds and strengths of many of her colleagues, the birth of the MA, PhD, and DMA in music at UCSC, and the development of the UCSC Orchestra, the UCSC Opera Program, and various student ensembles. Miller found a true home in the UC Santa Cruz Music Department, which is dedicated to what Miller called "this balance between the practical and theoretical." Miller's scholarly interests are also diverse, ranging from Renaissance French chansons and madrigals; to music and politics in San Francisco from 1906 until World War II; to the Jewish American composer Aaron Jay Kernis. But she is perhaps best known for her scholarship on world-renowned composer Lou Harrison, who resided in the mountains near Santa Cruz from 1953 until his death in 2003. An extensive portion of this oral history is devoted to a discussion of Miller's deep connection with Lou Harrison. This part of the oral history illuminates Miller's writings on this extraordinary composer, whose archive is also housed at the UCSC Library's Special Collections Department.
Debate has occurred over the past decade about Aboriginal Australians' 'welfare dependency'. How can this challenging discourse be deconstructed and understood? This thesis returns to the roots of the imposition of welfare on Aboriginal Australians in the colony of New South Wales. It examines the period from the invasion of Sydney Cove by the British in 1788 and the early settlement to 1859. This thesis addresses the question: In what ways was welfare used by the British in the process of colonization of Aboriginal people in the colony of New South Wales?The methodology employed is a Critical Indigenous approach. Generally, Australian history has been told by non-Indigenous Australians, informed by a Western understanding and interpretation of documentary and other evidence. Understandings and interpretatons are derived from Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing and being. 'Seeing' the creation of welfare for Aboriginal peoples in the early colony through this Indigenous critical historical method opens a new understanding of Aboriginal welfare. Archival documents not used previously in this way, are examined to understand how the early Governors of NSW and the British government of the day conceptualized and dealt with Aboriginal peoples In particular this thesis explores how Aboriginal people were welfarised within the colony of New South Wales. Further to this it is found that welfarisation was not only the result of colonisation but also used as a method in the process of colonising. The findings of this thesis provides a new way of thinking about what occurred during the colonisation of NSW and the impact upon Aboriginal people. It also provides a way in which to consider how it is possible to decolonise the way in which we understand our past, know who we are today and allow us to address current issues in a manner which is based on human rights and social justice. It is essential for all Australians, not only Aboriginal people, that we are able to break free from the shackles of our colonial ...
