Once Upon The Permafrost

"Once Upon the Permafrost is a longitudinal climate ethnography about "knowing" a specific culture and the ecosystem that culture physically and spiritually depends on in the twenty-first-century context of climate change. Through careful integration of contemporary narratives, on-site observations, and document analysis, Susan Alexandra Crate shows how local understandings of change and the vernacular knowledge systems they are founded on provide critical information for interdisciplinary collaboration and effective policy prescriptions"

Once Upon the Permafrost is a longitudinal climate ethnography about "knowing" a specific culture and the ecosystem that culture physically and spiritually depends on in the twenty-first-century context of climate change. Through careful integration of contemporary narratives, on-site observations, and document analysis, Susan Alexandra Crate shows how local understandings of change and the vernacular knowledge systems they are founded on provide critical information for interdisciplinary collaboration and effective policy prescriptions.

A fascination with romantic movies leads three teenagers growing up in a small Soviet village in the 1970s to follow their dreams all the way to Brooklyn's Brighton Beach. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

This is one of a series of anthologies of science fiction and mystery stories by Borgo Press writers that are being distributed at cost as both ebooks and print-on-demand volumes. This third volume in the sequence, Once Upon a Future, includes a dozen original and reprint tales by twelve writers. Jean Lorrah’s “Best of Friends” is a key tale in the Sime~Gen sequence, being set just after the implementation of the treaty that allowed Simes and Gens to live together peaceably. In “Best-Laid Plans,” by William Maltese, a pair of professional fighters is selected for a new mission—but not the one they thought! A. R. Morlan’s “Boog’/4 and the Endicaran Kluge” is an interesting psychological tale set on a multi-generational spaceship to the stars. Edward R. Morris can pronounce “Game Over” only when his protagonist escapes the game world in which he’s trapped. Charles Nuetzel’s “The Talisman” demonstrates that “free” is sometimes too high a price to pay for a gift. Patricia Wardon discovers that “Saving Jane Austen” (by Robert Reginald) is not as easy as it sounds. A starving author’s agent discovers a new market for subsidiary rights in Pamela Sargent’s amusing “All Rights.” Darrell Schweitzer’s “The Fire Eggs” just appear one day, everywhere on Earth, but what are they—and what purpose do they serve? “The Skin Trade,” by Brian Stableford, is one of a series of tales that explores the future of biotechnology, particularly as applied to the human form. In “The Space City,” by Doru Tatar, Grig investigates the massacre of a group of androids. E. C. Tubb’s “Agent” only wants to make money peddling his clients’ talents, but the licensees desire something entirely different! George Zebrowski’s “The Water Sculptor” fashions sculptures from ice in his isolated satellite home orbiting Earth. Twelve great stories by a dozen great writers!

Co-published with British Society for Geomorphology This volume is the fifth in the definitive series, The History of the Study of Landforms or the Development of Geomorphology. Volume 1 (1964) dealt with contributions to the field up to 1890, Volume 2 (1973) with the concepts and contributions of William Morris Davis and Volume 3 (1991) covered historical and regional themes during the ‘classic’ period of geomorphology (1890–1950). Volume 4 (2008) concentrated on studies of geomorphological processes and Quaternary geomorphology between 1890 and 1965; by the end of this period, process-based studies had become dominant. Volume 5 builds on this platform, covering in detail the revolutionary changes in approach that characterized the study of geomorphology in the second half of the twentieth century. It is divided into three sections: the first deals with changes in approach and method; the second with changes in ideas and the broader scientific context within which geomorphology is studied; and the final section details advances in research on processes and landforms. The volume’s objective is to describe and analyse many of the developments that provide a foundation for the rich and varied subject matter of twenty-first century geomorphology.

Permafrost is the thermal condition of the earth’s crust when its temperature has been below 32°F continuously for a number of years. Half of Canada’s land surface lies in the permafrost region—either in the continuous zone where the ground is frozen to a depth of hundreds of feet, or in the discontinuous zone where permafrost is thinner, and there are areas of unfrozen ground. The existence of permafrost causes problems for the development of the northern regions of all countries extending into the Arctic. Mining operations are hindered by frozen ore which resists blasting and is difficult to thaw. Agriculture is restricted by the presence of permafrost near the ground surface which limits the soil available for plant growth. Engineering structures are also affected by the low temperatures. Ice layers give soil a rock-like structure with high strength. However heat transmitted by buildings often causes the ice to melt, and the resulting slurry is unable to support the structure. Many settlements in northern Canada have examples of structural damage or failure caused by permafrost. In the construction and maintenance of railways, buildings, water and sewage lines, dams, roads, bridges, and airfields, normal techniques must often be modified at additional cost because of permafrost. For the last twenty-five years scientific investigations and engineering projects have increased steadily in Canada’s permafrost region, and it is now technically possible to build any structure or conduct any activity on the worst soils and under permafrost conditions. This comprehensive analysis of permafrost—its origin, definition, and occurrence, and the effect it has on industry and agriculture—will be invaluable to the growing number of people working in the north and to those interested in its development.

A LOCUS AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVELLA Fix the past. Save the present. Stop the future. Master of science fiction Alastair Reynolds unfolds a time-traveling climate fiction adventure in Permafrost. 2080: at a remote site on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a group of scientists, engineers and physicians gather to gamble humanity’s future on one last-ditch experiment. Their goal: to make a tiny alteration to the past, averting a global catastrophe while at the same time leaving recorded history intact. To make the experiment work, they just need one last recruit: an ageing schoolteacher whose late mother was the foremost expert on the mathematics of paradox. 2028: a young woman goes into surgery for routine brain surgery. In the days following her operation, she begins to hear another voice in her head... an unwanted presence which seems to have a will, and a purpose, all of its own – one that will disrupt her life entirely. The only choice left to her is a simple one. Does she resist ... or become a collaborator? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.