Topix Media Lab
Topix Media Lab has now been recognized for two years in a row as one of five fastest growing U.S. Book publishers.
View Rights PortalTopix Media Lab has now been recognized for two years in a row as one of five fastest growing U.S. Book publishers.
View Rights PortalDo dogs belong with humans? Scientific accounts of dogs' 'species story,' in which contemporary dog-human relations are naturalised with reference to dogs' evolutionary becoming, suggest that they do. Dog politics dissects this story. This book offers a rich empirical analysis and critique of the development and consolidation of dogs' species story in science, asking what evidence exists to support it, and what practical consequences, for dogs, follow from it. It explores how this story is woven into broader scientific shifts in understandings of species, animals, and animal behaviours, and how such shifts were informed by and informed transformative political events, including slavery and colonialism, the Second World War and its aftermath, and the emergence of anti-racist movements in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The book pays particular attention to how species-thinking bears on 'race,' racism, and individuals.
From insects to fish as well as birds and primates: the use of tools is amazingly widespread in the animal kingdom. It’s a misnomer to presume that humans are distinguished by tool use and conscious capacity. So where is culture initiated? The biologist Peter-René Becker has evaluated numerous studies and cites plenty of evidence for the use of the hammer and anvil, lances, bait or sponges. Animals also use “tools as social implements”. Ultimately, the depth of man’s conscience singles him out from other animals.
This book provides a powerful diagnosis of why the global governance of science struggles in the face of emerging powers. Through unpacking critical events in China and India over the past twenty years, it demonstrates that the 'subversiveness' assumed in the two countries' rise in the life sciences reflects many of the regulatory challenges that are shared worldwide. It points to a decolonial imperative for science governance to be responsive and effective in a cosmopolitan world. By highlighting epistemic injustice within contemporary science, the book extends theories of decolonisation.
Flea dermatitis in dogs, runny noses in cats, colic in horses – when our four-legged friends suffer, the owners suffer with them and want to find the best possible treatment. Alongside conventional medicine, natural remedies and homoeopathic treatments also offer opportunities for treating animals – but which of them have proved effective? An experienced veterinarian and alternative practitioner draws on his wealth of knowledge and explains ■ Typical clinical pictures with causes, symptoms and their diagnosis ■ Tried and tested proposed treatments from conventional medicine, homoeopathy, phytotherapy and other procedures ■ Basic principles, such as structure and function of organs, nerve and hormone systems, blood circulation Here the reader can quickly find the most effective method of treatment!
A considered investigation of a long-standing army base's impact on the British countryside. What is it like to live next door to a British Army base? Beyond the barracks provides an eye-opening account of the sprawling military presence on Salisbury Plain, drawing on a wide range of voices from both sides of the divide. Targeted for expansion under government plans to reorganise the UK's global defence estate, the Salisbury 'super garrison' offers a unique opportunity to explore the impact of the military footprint in a particular place. But this is no ordinary environment: as well as being the world-famous site of Stonehenge, the grasslands of Salisbury Plain are home to rare plants and wildlife. How does the army take responsibility for conserving this unique landscape as it trains young men and women to use lethal weapons? Are its claims that its presence is a positive for the environment anything more than propaganda? Beyond the barracks investigates these questions against the backdrop of a historic landscape inscribed with the legacy of perpetual war.
This book is a study of the ambitions, activities and achievements of Methodist missionaries in northern Burma from 1887-1966 and the expulsion of the last missionaries by Ne Win. The story is told through painstaking original research in archives which contain thousands of hitherto unpublished documents and eyewitness accounts meticulously recorded by the Methodist missionaries. This accessible study constitutes a significant contribution to a very little-known area of missionary history. Leigh pulls together the themes of conflict, politics and proselytisation in to a fascinating study of great breadth. The historical nuances of the relationship between religion and governance in Burma are traced in an accessible style. This book will appeal to those teaching or studying colonial and postcolonial history, Burmese politics, and the history of missionary work.
Intoxicating? Intoxicating drugs are as old as mankind itself. Whether herbal or produced synthetically in a laboratory, their variety is almost limitless. And every year, more substances are added to the list. Niels Eckstein, who is a Professor of Drug Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacology and a long-standing expert in the narcotics scene, explores the abysses of the darknet and dealer hell, provides insider information, conducts interviews with dealers and producers, and offers profound insights into the bizarre, parallel world of intoxicating substances. At the same time, the author takes a thorough look at the chemistry of the different substance classes and the neurobiological basis of addiction. He also covers production and assesses the danger and addiction potential of designer drugs, BTM, NPS, medicinal drugs and doping substances. This book outlines the political and sociopolitical dimensions of the use of psychoactive substances, classifies them legally, describes risks, approaches, and help strategies, highlights routes out of drug problems and alternatives to drug prohibition, and comments on the opioid crisis in the United States and the „war on drugs.“ “I don‘t care how it‘s regulated: if he wants it and can pay for it, he gets it. If I get caught, I‘ll go to jail for a few years, whether it‘s for a kilo of coke, meph or testo, it doesn‘t matter.“ – In an interview with a dealer
We all know that audio engineering is more than just acronyms. But what do they all mean? This practical textbook is designed to meet the special needs of events technicians. The textbook stands out from the crowd because it is designed specifically with the university curriculum and professional needs in mind, making it not only an excellent companion in the classroom, but a useful reference for on the job as well. The author, himself an instructor for special events technicians, covers the ground from physical fundamentals of acoustics and electronics to setting up mixing consoles and sound systems, providing a multitude of useful tips without confusing the reader with extraneous details. A chapter on video technology rounds off the book. Sample calculations put the material in a practical context, and sample problems at the end of each chapter (with solutions in the appendix) help review what has been learned and inspire further thought. Entertaining guest essays provide a broader perspective.
In times of the coronavirus pandemic many people have certainly condemned them, but Professor Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker has dedicated his life to researching them and is intrigued by viruses – even if sometimes he is keenly aware of their fatal effects. To mark his 80th birthday the biochemist describes the co-evolution and co-existence as well as the eternal ‘battle’ between humans and viruses. Winnacker takes up the cause of these ‘biological elements between animate and inanimate nature’ because they play an important role in fundamental research and genetic technology, and without them human beings would not be what they are.
Alternatives or supplements to conventional medicine for cats and dogs? Yes, homoeopathy provides holistic therapeutic approaches for our four-legged friends too! Whether they are suffering from anxiety, conjunctivitis, or a tick bite, this book describes the appropriate homoeopathic remedies. The author draws on her many years of experience as an animal healer and presents the most important symptoms and their treatment using homoeopathy.This handy paperback fits into a lab coat pocket and provides:- Basic information on homoeopathy for dogs and cats- Symptoms from A to Z- Characteristics of the most important single-remedy homoeopathic preparations
Where do bees get the wax for their honeycombs from? What does the bee dance mean? Why are bees important for us humans? General knowledge for primary school children! Who will be quiz king? The life of the little honeybee and its environment is full of surprises. Do you know your way around the native animal world? Discover their secrets, research how animals live and what distinguishes them. One quiz question – three possible answers. Plus all sorts of fascinating facts on the reverse page. For one or more players aged 6+.
Cinesonica: sounding film and video explores previously neglected and under-theorised aspects of film and video sound, drawing on detailed case study analyses of Hollywood cinema, art cinema, animated cartoons, and avant-garde film and video. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the soundtrack, and breaking away from the focus on narrative and signification that has tended to dominate the study of film sound, the book examines the way in which sound's materiality figures within audiovisual experience. Through a close examination of sound-image relations in a range of film and video forms and genres - including Warner Bros. cartoons, scratch video, and artist's film and video - Cinesonica recasts the film and video text as the meeting point of audio and visual materialities, cultural practices and perceptual activity. The interdisciplinary approach adopted by the book makes its discussion of sound of interest to those studying and working in a range of subject disciplines, including film studies, sound studies, sonic arts, cultural studies, music and art history.
What makes human beings human? Is it a life in society that makes us what we are? We often hear stories of persons who have survived in the wild without social contact or who were supposedly raised by wild animals. Kaspar Hauser is probably the most well-known example, but certainly not the only one. P. J. Blumenthal has taken up the hunt for the “wild man” Homo ferus on the boundary between man and animal.
Three quarters of the world’s population live in cities. One in eight people lives in a metropolitan area. Megacities swallow up land, energy and resources – and at the same time are particularly hard hit by the current climate crisis that they fuel. However, in the metropolises of the overcrowded world plenty of committed people have heard the warning signals and establish networks to use the potential of cities to reorganize the participative and social-ecological activity that is urgently needed. The contributions to this Yearbook for Ecology focus on the present and future of cities from wide-ranging viewpoints and highlight perspectives for their creative transformation towards liveable sustainability.
Do you struggle with thoughts and feelings that make life difficult? Have you tried all sorts of ways of dealing with this without getting anywhere? Do you feel that life is passing you by? Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which this book describes in a clear and entertaining way, provides new and very enlightening insights into the causes of human suffering. At the same time, ACT shows how we can improve the way we handle the difficult aspects of being human, while also developing our abilities and strengths. This title shows how using the described simple but effective methods can lead you to a happier, better life. Target Group: people who want to utilize their potential more fully, people interested in acceptance and commitment therapy, people practicing or interested in psychotherapy (psychologists, doctors, coaches, social workers)
Apfelbäume, so weit das Auge reicht, idyllische Fachwerkdörfer hinter dem Deich und am Horizont die Elbe: Das Alte Land ist eine uralte Kulturlandschaft am Wasser, die ihren eigenen Charakter bewahrt hat. Prächtige Bauernhöfe und Backsteinkirchen mit kostbaren Barockorgeln zeugen noch heute vom frühen Wohlstand der Altländer. Birgit Haustedt erzählt von den Anfängen im Mittelalter, von Deichbau und Sturmfluten, vom Alltag der kleinen Leute und von großer Handwerkskunst, von stolzen Bauern und mutigen Schiffern. Dazu ein Exkurs, welche Rolle das Alte Land in Lessings Leben und Goethes Faust spielte.
In the company of wolves presents further research from the Open Graves, Open Minds Project. It connects together innovative research from a variety of perspectives on the cultural significance of wolves, wild children and werewolves as portrayed in different media and genres. We begin with the wolf itself as it has been interpreted as a cultural symbol and how it figures in contemporary debates about wilderness and nature. Alongside this, we consider eighteenth-century debates about wild children - often thought to have been raised by wolves and other animals - and their role in key questions about the origins of language and society. The collection continues with essays on werewolves and other shapeshifters as depicted in folk tales, literature, film and TV, concluding with the transition from animal to human in contemporary art, poetry and fashion.