Andrew Walker

Boko Haram's appetite for violence and kidnapping women has thrust them to the top of the global news agenda. In a few years they all but severed parts of Nigeria-Africa's most populous state and largest economy-from the hands of the government. When Boko Haram speaks, the world sees a grimacing ranting demagogue who taunts viewers claiming he will 'eat the heart of the infidels' and calling on Nigerians to reject their corrupt democracy and return to a 'pure' form of Islam. Thousands have been slaughtered in their campaign of purification which has evolved through a five-year bloody civil war. Civilians are trapped between the militants and the military and feel preyed upon by both. Boko Haram did not emerge fully formed. In Northern Nigeria, which has witnessed many caliphates in the past, radical ideas flourish and strange sects are common. For decades, Nigeria's politicians and oligarchs fed on the resources of a state buoyed by oil and turned public institutions into spoons for the pot. When the going was good it didn't matter. But now a new ravenous force threatens Nigeria.

The Harrowing of Nigeria and the Rise of Boko Haram

"Eat the Heart of the Infidel"

Tim Forsyth

Challenges scholars, policymakers, and resource managers to reexamine long-held assumptions about "environmental degradation." Through a case study of northern Thailand the authors ask how, why, and with whose influence environmental situations are defined. Their conclusion that misleading and simplistic explanations fail to address the real causes of environmental problems, and unnecessarily restrict the livelihoods of local people, will be a valuable contribution to broader international academic and policy discussions. Tim Forsyth is a reader at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Andrew Walker is a research fellow in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the Australian National University.

The Politics of Environmental Knowledge in Northern Thailand

Forest Guardians, Forest Destroyers

In this far-reaching examination of environmental problems and politics in northern Thailand, Tim Forsyth and Andrew Walker analyze deforestation, water supply, soil erosion, use of agrochemicals, and biodiversity in order to challenge popularly held notions of environmental crisis. They argue that such crises have been used to support political objectives of state expansion and control in the uplands. They have also been used to justify the alternative directions advocated by an array of NGOs. In official and alternative discourses of economic development, the peoples living in Thailand's hill country are typically cast as either guardians or destroyers of forest resources, often depending on their ethnicity. Political and historical factors have created a simplistic, misleading, and often scientifically inaccurate environmental narrative: Hmong farmers, for example, are thought to exhibit environmentally destructive practices, whereas the Karen are seen as linked to and protective of their ancestral home. Forsyth and Walker reveal a much more complex relationship of hill farmers to the land, to other ethnic groups, and to the state. They conclude that current explanations fail to address the real causes of environmental problems and unnecessarily restrict the livelihoods of local people. The authors' critical assessment of simplistic environmental narratives, as well as their suggestions for finding solutions, will be valuable in international policy discussions about environmental issues in rapidly developing countries. Moreover, their redefinition of northern Thailand's environmental problems, and their analysis of how political influences have reinforced inappropriate policies, demonstrate new ways of analyzing how environmental science and knowledge are important arenas for political control. This book makes valuable contributions to Thai studies and more generally to the fields of environmental science, ecology, geography, anthropology, and political science, as well as to policy making and resource management in the developing world.

Klaus Wagenbach

Emma Crewe

More than eight decades after his death, the works of Franz Kafka continue to intrigue and haunt us. Even for those with only a fleeting acquaintance with his unfinished novels, or his stories, diaries and letters, "Kafkaesque" has become a byword for the menacing, unfathomable absurdity of modern existence. Yet for all the universal significance of his fiction, Kafka's writing remains inextricably bound up with his life and work in the Czech capital Prague, where he spent every one of his 40 years. Klaus Wagenbach's biography provides a meticulously researched insight into the author's family background, his education and employment, his attitude to his native city, his literary influences, and his relationships with women. The result is a fascinating portrait of the 20th century's most enigmatic writer, in whose works, as W. G. Sebald recognised, "literary and life experience overlap."

A Life in Prague

Kafka

Nicholas Tapp

A Digest of Articles from the Thai-Yunnan Project Newsletter

The Tai World

Heather Leary

Cindy Hmelo-Silver

Like most good educational interventions, problem-based learning (PBL) did not grow out of theory, but out of a practical problem. Medical students were bored, dropping out, and unable to apply what they had learned in lectures to their practical experiences a couple of years later. Neurologist Howard S. Barrows reversed the sequence, presenting students with patient problems to solve in small groups and requiring them to seek relevant knowledge in an effort to solve those problems. Out of his work, PBL was born. The application of PBL approaches has now spread far beyond medical education. Today, PBL is used at levels from elementary school to adult education, in disciplines ranging across the humanities and sciences, and in both academic and corporate settings. This book aims to take stock of developments in the field and to bridge the gap between practice and the theoretical tradition, originated by Barrows, that underlies PBL techniques.

Exploring and Extending the Legacy of Howard S. Barrows

Essential Readings in Problem-Based Learning

Blockchain technology and the invention of smart-contracts running on it have given rise to Decentralized Finance. At the time of its birth, DeFi was seen as a response to the 2008 crisis and a hope to democratize finance. By eliminating the role of intermediaries and fluidifying property through tokenization, finance would become accessible to all. To overcome all the obstacles it faced (volatility, security issues, distrust etc.), DeFi had to find original ways to develop, by leveraging sociologically diverse communities of enthusiastic developers, users and investors from all over the world. In particular, it has distinguished itself in the fields of communication, marketing and community building through an original use of social networks and messaging tools. We have specifically emphasized these latter aspects, based on our professional experience and interviews with experts working in the field. It appears that DeFi is potentially interesting for companies. Indeed, Blockchain technology is generalizable to many other areas of economic activity beyond finance. Moreover, the DeFi communities foreshadow the communities of entrepreneurs and users/consumers of the future Web3.0. DeFi is the manifestation of a new era of the Internet. Due to key elements of blockchain and smart contracts, the value of data could be wrested from the hands of Internet giants, that control the ad market, and be restituted to businesses and consumers. Through the direct relationship with the consumer, this technology is becoming a powerful tool for optimizing business operations, reducing costs and creating value. Businesses will have to reconsider relationship with their customers, in a spirit of community and direct interaction with them (which blockchain allows, i.e. through remuneration of the user/customer). However, if blockchain technology is mature, its use is still too amateurish. In this context, it is crucial to rely on recognized professionals, because a hasty implementation can lead to serious risks for the reputational and financial integrity of companies. Experts we have interviewed have emphasized this key issue. On the one hand, a business with significant capital can invest heavily in Web3.0 and can develop its own blockchain solutions to stay ahead of its competitors. On the other hand, a small business cannot do the same. With less technical and financial capital, the small business is currently only able to implement technologies that are not very advanced and whose utilization carries risks. But the situation may change rapidly in the future. Get this book and you will learn more on blockchain and decentralized finance.

#1 Guide To Invest In Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies, Altcoins, Smart Contracts and NFTs

Blockchain & Decentralized Finance

The Ultimate Body Language Guide to Become Body Language Expert in 24 Hours

Body Language

Everybody wants to get on the train as soon as it arrives, so they're scrambling to buy a ticket as soon as possible. Technology, finance, politics, and the social and economic margins of the digital world have not ceased to deliver surprising packages that provide value and novelty, as well as the promise of a future utopian society. The term "cryptocurrency" is no longer a mysterious, esoteric term. A decentralized, autonomous financial system is quickly becoming the norm in almost every part of the world because of the widespread adoption of the idea of a decentralized autonomous financial system. The number of active cryptocurrency transactions and users has grown exponentially over the past few years, and the year 2021/22 was chosen as a significant part of this analysis. Bitcoin's introduction in 2009 has sparked a slew of negative headlines about crypto, ranging from heavy criticism of its working principle to random government jabs to knock it off its feet and out of the global economy to massive crypto meltdowns. Although it has stood the test of time, it continues to grow, and now even children are familiar with the term "cryptocurrency." Cryptocurrency is constantly evolving new ways to use its underlying technology—the blockchain—originally designed for crypto trading. Still, the innovation of NFTs has changed all of that. All these talks about NFTs have you scratching your head and wondering what all the fuss is all about. Astonishing sums of money are being paid for these NFTs in the six-figures and even the eight-figure range! This is not a fairy tale, my dear friends. I'm confident that after reading this e-book, the scales will fall from your eyes, and you will begin to see all the crazy good opportunities that are just out there in the digital world waiting for you to make a move.

A Beginners Guide On Making Money In Virtual Lands, Blockchain Gaming, Non-Fungible Tokens, Crypto Art, DeFi Projects, Smart Contracts, Web 3.0

Metaverse and NFT Investing 2022 and Beyond

A parliamentary scandal that dominates the headlines. The resignation of major party figures. Commentators and citizens wondering if the British government—and the people’s faith in it—will survive. Before Brexit, another major crisis rocked the foundation of government in the country: the expenses scandal of 2009. Featuring interviews with the members of parliament, journalists, and officials close to the center of the turmoil, An Extraordinary Scandal tells the story of what really happened. Andrew Walker, the tax expert who oversaw the parliamentary expenses system, and Emma Crewe, a social scientist specializing in the institutions of parliament, bring fascinating perspectives—from both inside and outside parliament—to this account. Far from attempting provide a defense of any the parties involved, An Extraordinary Scandal explains how the parliament fell out of step with the electorate and became a victim of its own remote institutional logic, growing to become at odds with an increasingly open, meritocratic society. Charting the crisis from its 1990s origins—when Westminster began, too slowly, to respond to wider societal changes—to its aftermath in 2010, the authors examine how the scandal aggravated the developing crisis of trust between the British electorate and Westminster politicians that continues to this day. Their in-depth research reveals new insight into how the expenses scandal acted as a glimpse of what was to come, and they reveal where the scandal’s legacy can be traced in the new age of mistrust and outrage, in which politicians are often unfairly vulnerable to being charged in the court of public opinion by those they represent.

The Westminster Expenses Crisis and Why It Still Matters

An Extraordinary Scandal

Following The Star is a compelling ten-year journey through the highs and lows in the life of a racing fan entwined with the exploits of Kauto Star, one of National Hunt Racing's stars who was compared to the great Arkle. Andrew Walker's book, Following the Star, is a rollercoaster of emotion with Kauto Star as the central figure. This book will appeal to racing supporter, sports fan and general public alike, since it paints a delightful picture of almost a decade of life-changing experiences: children being born, moving house, the 2012 Olympic Games - and the ups and downs on the racecourse that come from following a racing legend. Andrew Walker was born in 1956. He is married to Fiona and has two sons, Sean and Nicholas and lives in North Devon. His passion for National Hunt Racing stems from his Irish background and he is a frequent visitor to Cheltenham, Wincanton and Exeter. Andrew is also a keen sports fan and a former racing cyclist, now a National Official.

Following The Star

Beyond the Kingdom

At the end of the Second World War the victorious Allies began unprecedented proceedings against those leading Nazis who had survived and been captured. They charged them with 'crimes against humanity' and put them on trial. This Pocket Essential looks at the Nuremberg Trials and at the personalities involved from defendants like Herman Goering and Rudolf Hess to the judges and the prosecuting and defending counsels. It provides a chronology of the proceedings in the court-room and refers frequently to the terrible events Nazi rule had unleashed on Europe for which the defendants found themselves in the dock. The fates of the major players in the drama at Nuremberg are all revealed. And the book asks the questions that were raised at the time and have not been fully answered since. What was the legal validity of the trials and were the ones who were tried always the right people to bear the responsibility for Nazi crimes?

Nazi War Trials

Aspects of Lincoln, is the first in the widely acclaimed Aspects series to feature the City of Lincoln. However the Aspects series now extends from the east and west Midlands, up to Lancaster in the north-west and the north Yorkshire coast in the east.Aspects of Lincoln, is a multi author book containing 12 pinpoint historical essays covering such diverse subjects as: Cinemas and Cinema Going in 20th Century Lincoln, Getting Drunk in 17th Century Lincoln, the story of Emily Gilbert, motoring pioneer and first woman sheriff of Lincoln. No story of Lincoln would be complete without Royal Air Force Bomber Command during World War 2, and here, we examine the social impact of the airfields and their staff on both City and County. In a more peaceful vein, we study the work of artist Peter de Wint and the importance of his works, now held in the Usher Gallery. Elsewhere we encounter the development of technical education in the City and remember the plight of those imprisoned in Lincoln's jails during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These and much much more are to be found between the covers of Aspects of Lincoln. A treasury of history, both for the armchair historian and the student alike.

Andrew Walker

About

Books

Join the club