OOIS'95 (Object-Oriented Information Systems '95) contains contributions from leading researchers and practitioners working on object oriented technology and its application in information systems design and development. The book has a strong practical focus and contains much technical insight of particular relevance to professionals working in the field. The papers cover two main areas of the field: academic research trends into object oriented concepts and principles, and state of the art applications in industry. Among the specific topics covered are modelling, knowledgebases, software development, interface design, object databases, distributed databases, and emerging object technologies. All those working in the field of information technology will find the book a useful source of reference.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance that has long been associated with indigenous Amazonian shamanic practices. The recent rise of the drink’s visibility in the media and popular culture, and its rapidly advancing inroads into international awareness, mean that the field of ayahuasca is quickly expanding. This expansion brings with it legal problems, economic inequalities, new forms of ritual and belief, cultural misunderstandings, and other controversies and reinventions. In The World Ayahuasca Diaspora, leading scholars, including established academics and new voices in anthropology, religious studies, and law fuse case-study ethnographies with evaluations of relevant legal and anthropological knowledge. They explore how the substance has impacted indigenous communities, new urban religiosities, ritual healing, international drug policy, religious persecution, and recreational drug milieus. This unique book presents classic and contemporary issues in social science and the humanities, providing rich material on the bourgeoning expansion of ayahuasca use around the globe.

Featuring illuminated manuscripts from nineteen Boston-area institutions, Beyond Words provides a sweeping overview of the history of the book in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as well as a guide to its production, illumination, functions, and readership. With over 150 manuscripts on display, Manuscripts for Pleasure & Piety at the McMullen Museum focuses on lay readership and the place of books in medieval society. The High Middle Ages witnessed an affirmation of the visual and, with it, empirical experience. There was an explosion of illumination. Various types of images, whether in prayer or professional books, attest to the newfound importance of visual demonstration in matters of faith and science alike."--

Clarifying a crucial aspect of Nietzsche's work—his constant preoccupation with Socrates—this intensive study also provides a general introduction to the philosophy of an important and difficult thinker. Through close analyses of two of his major books, The Birth of Tragedy and Twilight of the Idols, as well as his other writings, Professor Dannhauser rescues Nietzsche's thought from the vague generalities that it has too often provoked. His book will be especially valued as a judicious presentation of the quarrel between modern and ancient philosophy. While he makes clear his admiration for Nietzsche, he expresses his doubts that Nietzsche "won" his debate with Socrates.

This “immensely stimulating story of true crime down the ages” tells the history of human violence, from Peking Man to the Mafia (The Times, London). This landmark work offers a completely new approach to the history and psychology of human violence. Its sweep is broad, its research meticulous and detailed. Colin Wilson explores the bloodthirsty sadism of the ancient Assyrians and the mass slaughter by the armies led by Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Ivan the Terrible, and Vlad the Impaler. He delves into modern history, exploring the genocides practiced by Stalin and Hitler. He then takes a chilling look into the sex crimes and mass murders that have become symbols of the neuroses and intensity of modern life. With breathtaking audacity and stunning insight, Wilson puts criminality firmly in a wide, illuminating historical context. “A work of massive energy, compulsively readable, splendidly informative . . . it establishes Wilson in a European tradition of thought that includes H. G. Wells, Sartre and Shaw.” —Time Out London “A tremendous resource for crime buffs as well as a challenging exposition for some of the more subtle criminological thinking of our time.” —Kirkus Reviews