Despite the increasing frequency of truth commissions, there has been little agreement as to their long-term impact on a state's political and social development. This book uses a multi-method approach to examine the impact of truth commissions on subsequent human rights protection and democratic practice. Providing the first cross-national analysis of the impact of truth commissions and presenting detailed analytical case studies on South Africa, El Salvador, Chile, and Uganda, author Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm examines how truth commission investigations and their final reports have shaped the respective societies. The author demonstrates that in the longer term, truth commissions have often had appreciable effects on human rights, but more limited impact in terms of democratic development. The book concludes by considering how future research can build upon these findings to provide policymakers with strong recommendations on whether and how a truth commission is likely to help fragile post-conflict societies. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Transition Justice, Human Rights, Peace and Conflict Studies, Democratization Studies, International Law and International Relations.

Describes the new musical instrument invented by Ben Franklin for which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven composed music.

"A history of glass music from the Kama Sutra to modern times, including the glass armonica (also known as the glass harmonica), the musical glasses and the glass harp."

2010 BMO Winterset Award — Winner When retiree Keith O’Reilly witnesses the murder of his neighbour by a pizza delivery man one night during a snowstorm, a unique series of stories begins to unfold. As the narrative seamlessly moves from neighbour to neighbour, house to house, the reader begins to understand, not only the circumstances that led to the murder, but the private secrets and personal struggles of many of the McKay Street residents. Travelling through the changing viewpoints of a more than a dozen of people in a small residential neighbourhood in St. John’s, Newfoundland, The Glass Harmonica looks at the way common memories and shared experiences bend and warp as individuals recall the events of their lives, and how these distortions influence both the character’s and the reader’s understanding of the truth.

Two young women of two different times are bound by a passion for the ethereal music of a glass harmonica in this compelling novel that mixes science fiction, mystery, and romance. Eilish Eam is an orphan, living in 1761, London. She stands on an icy corner and plays her instrument: water-filled glasses. Fingers raw from the cold, her only comfort is the place her music takes her...to visions of a young girl, much her own age, but with odd short hair. Eilish survives on pennies and applause, and nothing more. Until the night Benjamin Franklin stops to listen, awe-struck by her gift—and with plans for her future... Erin Rushton is a musical prodigy, living in Seattle, 2018. She stands in the orchestra, consumed by the music of her own instrument: the glass harmonica. Like a current of electricity, the music moves from her fingers to her lips and hands. And the only thing that alters the rhythm are the visions that haunt her…of an odd old-fashioned girl, much her own age, who needs her help...

Poetry. When does the song become the singer? Is the instrument the conduit of the song, or of the one who sings? In each of GLASS HARMONICA's rigorous texts, an intense formal density of aural, grammatical, cultural, and structural echoes takes on how the presence of an appreciating but critical "I" can alter the expressive registers of what might be called the "language of information." Prosaically clear and direct, yet also poetically motivated and performed, this verbal music shows us how prose can speak an almost colloquial lyricism, creating imaginative locations where an "I" might reside, make sense, and finally even sing its own individual songs, with the aim of transforming otherwise impersonal codes and signs into the real sights and trued sounds of a more civilized humanity.

Read "The Book of Weird and enter into the mysterious netherworld of the fantastical. Ever since its original publication over a quarter of a century ago, this book has delighted fans of arcana and the occult. Now, a new package will draw still another generation to its mysterious charms. With the help of this playful sourcebook, you can decide which sounds like the more attractive occupation--witch or sorceress (or warlock or wizard). Using the table of ancient remedies you can learn how to cure common afflictions--from epilepsy to warts--that have plagued human history from the dawn of time. And by reading this book, you will finally know the proper time for matins and vespers, and when to celebrate Candlemas, Beltane, and Michaelmas. "The Book of Weird will take you through each of the deadly sins, and for good measure, each of the splendid virtues. You will learn how to avoid werewolves and vampires, and what to do to get rid of ghosts. It will teach you how to distinguish an incubus from a succubus in order to determine which you'd rather be visited by in the dark of night. Whether you are faced with gnome or dwarf, troll or ogre, elf or fairy, you will know the difference after browsing through this fun-filled, informative treasure chest of hidden knowledge.