Long after he was dead, French poet Charles Baudelaire inspired a Decadent Movement in France, which became definitive of fin de siecle sensibility. One of the historical and influential links between Baudelaire and the new Decadents was the Comte de Villiers de l'Isle Adam, who called the first of his own collections of Decadent prose Contes cruels, because they spurned conventional means of attaining literary closure by celebrating 'the irony of fate' -- the capacity that the course of events has for thwarting human ambition in a frankly mocking fashion. "Because it became so firmly linked to the notion of the fin de siecle, the Decadent Movement did not survive the end of the nineteenth century in France and Decadent literature became increasingly unfashionable thereafter -- but it was, by definition, a literary species guaranteed to thrive on its own unfashionability. The stories collected here have been woefully unappreciated, even when they have succeeded in reaching print -- as some have not until now -- but I have never been tempted to abandon the production of such items, and am far fonder of them than I am of many works that proved more economically viable." -- from the author's Introduction. The tales in this collection include: "An Oasis of Horror," "Justice," "The Copper Cauldron," "Nobody Else to Blame," "Heartbeat," "Upon the Gallows-Tree," "The Devil's Men," "The Elixir of Youth," "The Lamia's Soliloquy," "And the Hunter Home from the Hill," "The Riddle of the Sphinx," "My Mother, the Hag," "The Devil's Comedy," and "The Power of Prayer." Never before collected into book form.

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"There is widespread recognition that large enrollment introductory classes are a significant problem. Lack of engagement, incongruous learning styles and teaching methods, and high failure/dropout rates are some of the symptonms. ... The University of North Texas has developed and promulgated a process for resdesigning these classes that brings to bear the creativity of the faculty, resulting in higher-level student learning without increasing instructional costs. This groundbreaking book provides the reader with a theoretical foundation for course redesign that employs assessment-driven experiential learning, and tools and examples to bring all or part of the process to their campus."--Back cover.

Describes approaches to operational redesign and clinical process redesign and provides examples and case studies from the field, designed to assist health care professional in redesign. Part I examines operational redesign, with discussion of the case for change, and structure and team processes fo

In 2007-2008 the global financial and economic system was in turmoil. This volume focuses on how the global financial architecture was redesigned following the financial crash of 2008. Its central claim is that the reforms constituted a paradigm shift, a move from the dominance of market authority to the re-assertion of state authority over financial markets and actors. The book underscores that the cycle of boom and bust, of crisis response, reform and eventual relapse are not only economic but also conceptual and ideological. Ideas matter in the political and economic calculus of policy making. Economies are underpinned by and linked to ideological narrative, a prevailing policy consensus that places limits on policy actions and options and constitutes a dominant worldview or paradigm. To become real, to be lasting, to impact actual policy choices and market actor decisions, a re-regulatory paradigm shift cannot just be conceptual or ideological. It must also be present in the institutional constructs and policy decisions that flow from the ideological regulatory shift. To gauge the fluctuating strength of the paradigm shift the book addresses the G20 summit process, the creation of the FSB, the policy output of the new forums, for signs of permanency, strength, and possible effectiveness. This work presents important new material on the financial crisis and the regulatory response to it, which will be valuable for researchers, teachers and students alike.

The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel records the story of three important leaders in Israel's history: Samuel, Saul, and David. The lives of these flawed men showcase God's gracious response to ancient Israel's leadership crisis, offering valuable lessons related to why leaders fail, the impact this failure can have on God's people, and what it means to model godly leadership—even today. In this accessible commentary, John Woodhouse shows how 1 Samuel reveals the importance of true leadership and the character of the godly leader. More significantly, this volume points forward to Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God's promises to his people and the only perfect leader the world has ever known. Those who preach and teach God's Word will find this an invaluable resource as they seek to help others embrace 1 Samuel's timely message. Part of the Preaching the Word series.