“An engaging, if slow-paced, introduction to an expedition’s adventures and challenges on a distant planet.” Earth is dying, but a lush, beautiful world discovered at the edge of human space could be the key to its survival. The World council has begun a massive project to build a ship that can make the journey, even though the planet has a flaw: it defies most of the known laws of science. Building the ship is hard, but finding a trustworthy crew and civilians willing to risk everything on a potentially dangerous world is even harder. The council decides to pursue a merchant captain who has proven himself in setting up colonies, but Alec does not get along with everyone on the council. His relationship with the council becomes even more strained when they use Alec’s wife and young daughters to coerce him into accepting the assignment. Wonders––and dangers––may await the crew, but as humanity’s existence on Earth becoming more perilous every day, Alec accepts the assignment. A surprising discovery awaits the crew, but is it one that will help or hurt their cause? Converging Paths of Cerzia: The Journey Begins sets the stage for an extraordinary adventure in space as the crew works together to determine if the mysterious world is the solution that will assure humanity’s survival.

A collection of studies on the ecologies of European cities, including Paris, Zurich, and Amsterdam among others. Discussion includes the natural and historical development of each city, local flora, the environmental impact of city growth, and environmental planning, design, and management.

Draws on research to offer strategies for adopting a high-hope attitude and shaping a successful future, and provides real-life examples of people who create hope and have changed the lives of their communities.

This volume addresses the convincing belief that hope is an existential need and resource for living a good life, not only when all is going well, but especially in difficult times. The findings reported in this volume result from the annual survey of the Hope-Barometer Research Program collected during 7 years and conducted in several countries. Structured in three parts, the first one provides the reader with a general introduction into the topic of hope, the theoretical and methodological foundations and major general results of the Hope-Barometer. Part two presents specific topics related to the levels and variations of hope across different population groups, and the relationship of hope with several measures of well-being. Further part three focuses on comparisons of elements and levels of hope across cultures discussing methods and techniques to improve hope and thus increase overall well-being.

How can you get to know the history, culture and gastronomy of a country in just a few seconds? Taste its wine! Whether you're a restaurant owner, wine trader or tourist looking fora liquid souvenir from Slovakia, this book will help you to find your way around the current wines on offer on the Slovak market. Vladimír Hronský, the author, is a famous enologist, sommelier and Slovak wine popularizer, and his guide introduces readers to 50 wineries and their 365 most interesting Slovak wines. The introductory chapters describe the characteristics of the viticultural regions of Slovakia and the traditional and new grapevine varieties cultivated here. Hronský also explains the labelling of Slovak wines and current trends in wine making. He goes on to offer experts and non-experts alike a selection of the most interesting wines on the market based on various requirements (wines made of traditional varieties and popular new clones, innovative wines, classical Tokaj wines, sparkling wines, and others). Lovers of local cheeses will also appreciate this first English edition which includes a chapter on the best Slovak wine and cheese combinations.

This groundbreaking book introduces an innovative new perspective on mixed method grounded theory methodology (MM-GTM) by conceptualizing it holistically as a distinct, qualitatively driven methodology that appreciates the integrity of each of the methods it embraces. This practical and accessible text advocates for using MM-GTM in a way that promote meaningful interaction between qualitative and quantitative data during analysis. Its principal contribution is to provide a set of research tools to develop or refine a multi-faceted analytical framework in applied fields in the social and behavioral sciences, including nursing. Used as either a resource or a textbook in a survey course about research methods, the text references dozens of examples about how a dialectical exchange between different sources of data can be built into core grounded theory procedures, including theoretical sampling, coding, case-based memoing, and integrated visual displays. With a whole chapter devoted to reporting, the book also considers the way that indexes of quality that extend beyond methodological transparency can be used to evaluate research that partners mixed methods with grounded theory and other qualitative methods. Featuring student-friendly pedagogy throughout, including self-assessment questions, a glossary, and a framework that summarizes key points, this text is an essential read for all research methods students or early career researchers ambitious to develop a theoretical perspective with qualitative, mixed methods, or evaluation.

The competition to stage major global events – such as OIympic Games, EXPOs, cultural festivals, and political summits – is more intense than ever before. Despite advances in virtual communication, large-scale gatherings of this kind have again ...