Time A Collection Of Fragile Moments

A series of reflections intended to lead one to a more fruitful use of God's precious gift of time.

In this sweeping work of science and history, the renowned climate scientist and author of The New Climate War shows us the conditions on Earth that allowed humans not only to exist but thrive, and how they are imperiled if we veer off course. For the vast majority of its 4.54 billion years, Earth has proven it can manage just fine without human beings. Then came the first proto-humans, who emerged just a little more than 2 million years ago—a fleeting moment in geological time. What is it that made this benevolent moment of ours possible? Ironically, it’s the very same thing that now threatens us—climate change. The drying of the tropics during the Pleistocene period created a niche for early hominids, who could hunt prey as forests gave way to savannahs in the African tropics. The sudden cooling episode known as the “Younger Dryas” 13,000 years ago, which occurred just as Earth was thawing out of the last Ice Age, spurred the development of agriculture in the fertile crescent. The “Little Ice Age” cooling of the 16th-19th centuries led to famines and pestilence for much of Europe, yet it was a boon for the Dutch, who were able to take advantage of stronger winds to shorten their ocean voyages. The conditions that allowed humans to live on this earth are fragile, incredibly so. Climate variability has at times created new niches that humans or their ancestors could potentially exploit, and challenges that at times have spurred innovation. But there’s a relatively narrow envelope of climate variability within which human civilization remains viable. And our survival depends on conditions remaining within that range. In this book, renowned climate scientist Michael Mann will arm readers with the knowledge necessary to appreciate the gravity of the unfolding climate crisis, while emboldening them—and others--to act before it truly does become too late.

Setting macroeconomic policy is especially difficult in fragile states. Political legitimacy concerns are heightened, raising issues such as who the policymakers are, what incentives they face, and how the process of policymaking is likely to work under limited legitimacy and high uncertainty both about the macroeconomic environment as well as policy effectiveness. In addition, fragility expands the range of policy objectives in ways that may constrain the attainment of standard macroeconomic objectives. Specifically, in the context of fragility policymakers also need to focus on measures to mitigate fragility itself - i.e., they need to address issues such as regional and ethnic economic disparities, youth unemployment, and food price inflation. Socio-political developments around the world have thus pushed policymakers to broaden their toolkit to improve the effectiveness of macroeconomic management in the face of these constraints. The chapters in Macroeconomic Policy in Fragile States address these issues, both by giving an analytical context from which policymakers can build to answer the questions they face in fragile situations as well as by providing lessons drawn from empirical analyses and case studies. The first section of the volume discusses the interactions between political economy considerations and macroeconomic policymaking. The second section covers the private sector environment in fragile states. The third section focuses on macroeconomic policy, especially fiscal policy, monetary policy, exchange rate policy, external flows, and aid effectiveness. The last section explains the role of the IMF in fragile states and concludes by presenting case studies from the Middle East and from Sub-Saharan Africa. The contributors to the volume are economists and political scientists from academia as well as policymakers from international organizations and from countries affected by fragility.

"Without each other, neither one of us would have survived." Born two hundred kilometres away from each other and two years apart, Zsuzsanna Fischer and Eva Steinberger are both thrown into chaos when Germany occupies Hungary and destroys their peaceful childhoods. In the spring of 1944, as Zsuzsanna and Eva are sent into ghettos and then to Auschwitz, they each take refuge in the one constant in their lives--their older sisters. A glimpse into the fierceness of a sister's love, In Fragile Moments and The Last Time mirror the remarkable differences of similar paths of survival.

This edited collection aims to provoke discussion around the most important question for contemporary higher education – what kind of education (in terms of purpose, pedagogy and policy) is needed to restore the health and wellbeing of the planet and ourselves now and for generations to come? The book contains contributions from colleagues at a single UK University, internationally recognised for its approach to sustainability education. Introducing a conceptual framework called the ‘Paradox Model’, the book explores the tensions that underpin the challenge of developing sustainability in higher education in the 21st century. It asks probing questions about the purpose of higher education in the 21st century given growing concerns in relation to planetary safety and justice and calls for a rethinking of educational purpose. It draws upon the theory and practice of education and explores how these can develop an understanding of sustainability pedagogies in practice. Finally, it delivers thought-provoking discussion on what constitutes a ‘good’ higher education that meets the needs of a world in crisis. Drawing on a planetary health lens, the book concludes with a ‘manifesto’ that brings together the key insights from the contributing authors. This will be an engaging volume for academics and educators from a wide range of disciplines in higher educational settings interested in translating sustainability theory into educational practice.

Two ten-year-old Irish American girls take the reader on a journey beginning in 1955, when they are challenged by Salvie Baldwin to learn about the historic 1954 US Supreme Court decision declaring segregated schools unconstitutional. After a tragic fall on a track field, sixteen-year-old Erin OHara is told that she must make a life-or-death decision to have surgery to save her left leg and her life. Desperately ill and weary from the fight to hang on, she thinks of what she and her best friend, Lily McCarey, have learned about the courage of the Negroes in fighting for fair independence and acceptance, as they are in the middle of Americas civil rights movement. They have both been clinging to that shifty rope bridge called faith. It is now 1963 and the worst is yet to come. Joy OHara, Erins mother, keeps her ambitious husband and three daughters within her sight, delivering unconditional love. In her wisdom, she hires Mayleen Watson, a good woman, to look after her children and her home. But her true intent is to help her racially prejudiced husband move to a place of honest acceptance, while keeping her children colorblind. Mayleen, who swore she would never work for a white family, takes them into her heart and, when necessary, delivers tough love through sass and laughter. While representing Colorado in the 1963 Americas Junior Miss Pageant, Erins beliefs are sorely tested but reinforced by divine miracles. As life spins ahead, it is discovered that deeply held faith in God is the bedrock of everyones salvation. Crashing into the Third Heaven is a testament to the power of faith, courage, and forgiveness. First-time novelist Janis Baker lays down a foundation of strong, believable characters who exemplify the capabilities of women while under fire.