Drawing on decades of educational experience and a wealth of research. "Yardsticks" invites every adult who teaches or cares for children to celebrate the incredible developmental journey that occurs from ages four through fourteen. Combining easy-to-access information about the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical characteristics unique to each age with practical advice for how to apply this knowledge, "Yardsticks" offers parents and educators a foundation for helping children grow and thrive
"This innovative volume analyzes historical, strategic and domestic political influences on the character and dynamics of the European Union's eastern enlargement. Its main focus is on interactions between Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, in political-diplomatic, commercial-economic and socio-cultural fields. The book also examines the wider European and international contexts to show that as enlargement advanced, we also witnessed an increase in the potential for conflict among EU members, old and new. Steve Wood provides an eclectic and topical appraisal, which identifies the German state as the crucial actor in both the enlargement venture and parallel processes of bilateral reconciliation. The book is recommended to those with interests in contemporary Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, and European integration."--Provided by publisher.
"Trade Unions and Democracy explores the role of trade unions as products of, and agents for, democracy. As civil society agents, unions may promote democracy within the wider society, especially in the case of authoritarian regimes or other rigid political systems, by acting as watchdogs and protecting hard-won democratic gains.Established democratic institutions in many advanced societies are facing new challenges. The problem with using trade unions for this purpose is that they remain locked in a cycle of political marginalization and decline. Beyond this, there are, ironically, serious questions about whether unions themselves internally function as democracies. Certainly there are tensions between rank and file membership and an authoritarian leadership, with this infighting having possible effects on strategic deals or alliances and member accountability and actions. On the other hand, trade unions continue to represent a significant component of society within most industrialized countries, and in many case, they have a demonstrated capacity for working with other elements of civil society. Looking forward, trade unions may be able to play a vital role in channeling and focusing spontaneous popular upsurges. In the process, they may revitalize themselves through use of greater internal democracy and become geared toward more diverse constituencies. The question is, will they fulfill this promise or continue to suffer from internal breakups and external breakdowns? Can trade unions save themselves and democracy, or will both deteriorate in time? Trade Unions and Democracy brings together a distinguished panel of leading and emerging scholars in the field and provides a critical assessment of the current role of trade unions in society. It explores their capacity to affect political policies to ensure greater accountability and fairness. It also explores the nature of and extent to which internal representative democracy actually operates within trade unions themselves.Mark Harcourt is a professor in the Department of Strategic Management and Leadership at Waikato University in New Zealand."--Provided by publisher.
Most Americans are now familiar with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and its prevalence among troops. In this groundbreaking new book, David Wood examines the far more pervasive yet less understood experience of those we send to war: moral injury, the violation of our fundamental values of right and wrong that so often occurs in the impossible moral dilemmas of modern conflict. It is a call to listen intently to our newest generation of veterans, and to ponder the inevitable human costs of putting American "boots on the ground" as new wars approach. --
Introduction : addicted : nicotine and working-class history -- Reformers, employers, and the dangers of working-class smoking -- Smoking bans and shop floor resistance during the early twentieth century -- Workers, management, and the right to smoke during World War II -- Thank you for not smoking : anti-smoking politics in postwar workplaces -- "Exiled smoking" and the making of smoke-free workplaces -- Organized labor and the problem of "smokers' rights" -- Conclusion : quitting smoking and the endurance of nicotine
"Invitation to Peace Studies is the first textbook in the field to emphasize 21st-century topics and the latest empirical research, as well as the first to prominently apply a gender perspective to the topics of peace, war, and violence. The book covers traditional peace studies' concerns with interstate wars while offering an equal emphasis on intrastate wars, group- and gender-based violence, and on the many nonviolent movements which have shaped recent world history. Clear and accessible language invites students to become more frequent and effective peace promoters in their own everyday lives. Dozens of case studies and textboxes foreground contemporary topics such as climate change, cyber warfare, digital activism, drones and robots, the occupy movement, peace ecology, positive psychology, religion and violence, and terrorism"--
