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  Virtual Civilization in the 21st Century

  Andrew S. Targowski

  This book analyzes a new phenomenon in civilization: the transformation of the current "Information Wave" into virtual civilization. In the 21st century, the "real-space" of the world civilization, due to the massive, network-intensive use of computers world-wide, gained the virtual space known as cyberspace. Cyberspace is a product of information technology exemplified by the Internet as the world system of information highway(s) [INFOSTRADA(S)] which forms a digital space containing all sorts of files and communication exchanges practiced in online and real-time modes. For the first time in 6,000 years of human civilization, society has become a quantum society, which can be real and virtual at the same time. The virtual society is invisible for those who do not use computer networks. Even for those who do use them, cyberspace access requires some sort of commercial transactions-oriented activities (ex. on Amazon or eBay and others), searching on Google or Yahoo or communicating as a member of one of social networks, e.g.. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others.

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  Chinese Civilization in the 21st Century

  Andrew S. Targowski and Bernard T. Han

  The authors of this book believe that the 5,000 year-long-history of Chinese Civilization is the main factor in the re-emergence of China in the 21st century. It is a well-known fact that the Chinese economy became the second largest economy in the world in 2014. With some predictions, in the near future perhaps China will surpass the United States. The main media interprets this progress as the result of a Western Civilization strategy, which forced manufacturing to be outsourced to China and made it become the World Factory. Certainly, outsourcing was the trigger and an important factor at the end of the 20th century. However, today, China and its diaspora (Chinese Civilization) are decisively moving from the "robot" of the West to a master in economy and politics. This book, primarily focused on analyzing Chinese accomplishments nowadays, is not confined only to the economic dimension; it also takes into account the legacy and practice of the Chinese, i.e., its society, culture, religion, and infrastructure - the main components of any civilization. China had 24 dynasties and elaborated administrative systems (run by Mandarins) that contributed to the Chinese receptive subordination to political power. The Mandarins' management of knowledge, wisdom, and skills were supported by Confucianism - an ethical and philosophical system based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Also, family is most important to the Chinese. There is a special relationship within the family-based complex system that is hinged on Chinese kinships and clans.

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  Tom Taylor's Civil War

  Thomas Thomson Taylor, Albert Castel, and Margaret Antoinette White Taylor

  Our hurly-burly sagas of war often overlook the deep connections between warriors and the families they left behind. In Tom Taylor's Civil War, eminent Civil War historian Albert Castel brings that familial connection back into sharp focus, reminding us again that soldiers in the field are much more than mere cogs in the machinery of war.

  A young Ohio lawyer, Thomas Taylor was a junior officer who fought under Sherman at Vicksburg and Chattanooga and on the march through Georgia, and his diary and letters contain vivid descriptions of numerous skirmishes and battles over four years. By interweaving Taylor's words with his own narrative, Albert Castel has fashioned a work on the Civil War as engrossing as a novel; by also including letters from Taylor's wife, he has created a whole new dimension for viewing that conflict.

  Often written under adverse conditions, Taylor's descriptions of military encounters are filled with vivid details and perceptive observations. His passages especially provide new insight into the Georgia campaign—including accounts of the Battles of Atlanta and Ezra Church—and into the role of middle-echelon officers in both camp and combat. Castel's bridging narrative is equally dramatic, providing an overview of the fighting that gives readers invaluable context for Taylor's eyewitness reports.

  The book chronicles not only Taylor's military career but also the strains it placed on his marriage. Taylor had gone off to war both to fight for his Unionist beliefs and to enhance his reputation in his community, while his wife, Netta, was a peace Democrat whose letters constantly urged Tom to return home. Their epistolary conversation-rare among Civil War sources-reflects a relationship that was as politically charged as it was passionate. Taylor's passages also reveal his changing attitudes: from favoring strong measures against the rebels at the beginning of the war to eventually deploring the destruction he witnessed in Georgia.

  Tom Taylor's Civil War is a moving account of one man whose life was ripped apart by war and of the woman back home who remained his anchor through it all. Combining the best features of biography and autobiography, it paints a compelling picture of that conflict that will stir the heart as much as the imagination.

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  Origins of the Knife: Early Encounters with the History of Surgery

  Luis Toledo-Pereya

  1. Personal Reflections. The Life of the Knife. 2. Primitive Times. The First Traces of the Knife. 3. Mesopotamia-The Fertile Crescent. Attempts at Controlling the Knife: The Hammurabi Code. 4. Egypt of the Pharaohs. Writings on the First Surgical Cases: The Recognition of the Knife. 5. Hindu Tradition. The World of Sushrupta Samhita: Another View of the Knife. 6. Ancient China. A Land of Unrealized Expectations. 7. Greek Civilization. A Rational Approach to Medicine: A Defined Role of the Knife. 8. Early Roman Times before Galen. Following Greek Principles: The Greco-Roman Knife. 9. Galen's R.

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  Reminiscences on Surgery, History and Humanities

  Luis Toledo-Pereya

  "This book introduces writings on the history and philosophy of surgery the previously appeared in the Journal of Investigative Surgery. These writings were selected and organized after careful analysis to include those works that demonstrated the best cohesive unit in telling about the evolution of surgery and its masters."

  *from the preface

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  Surgical Revolutions : A Historical and Philosophical View

  Luis Toledo-Pereya

  Many surgical revolutions distinguish the history and evolution of surgery. Some are small, others more dominant, but each revolution improves the art and science of surgery. Surgical revolutionaries are indispensable in the conception and completion of any surgical revolution, initiating scientific and technological advances that propel surgical practice forward. Surgical revolutionaries can come in the guises of Lister (antisepsis), Halsted (surgical residency and safe surgery), Cushing (safe brain surgery), Wangensteen (gastrointestinal physiological surgery), Blalock (relief of cyanotic heart disease), Lillehei (open heart surgery), and many others. With the hindsight of history, we can recognize patterns of progress, evaluate means of advancing new ideas, and solidify details of innovative behavior that could lead to new surgical revolutions.This volume examines the following vital questions in detail: What is a surgical revolution and how do we recognize one? Are surgical revolutionaries different? Is there a way to educate new surgical revolutionaries? Can history provide enduring examples of surgical revolutions? Are there different kinds of surgical revolutions? What characterizes a surgical revolution in the context of science and technology? What surgical revolutions are on the horizon?

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  Innovation and Discovery on Surgery, History and Humanities

  Luis Toledo-Pereyra

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  Organ Preservation for Transplantation

  Luis H. Toledo-Pereyra

  The first edition of this book, Basic Concepts in Organ Procurement, Perfusion and Preservation for Transplantation, was published 27 years ago, in 1982 when organ procurement and preservation began to advance in the study of the best ways to preserve organs for transplantation. The second edition, Organ Procurement and Preservation for Transplantation, 2nd Edition, followed 15 years later, in 1997, with the goal of finding common denominators in the best preservation techniques for transplantation. In this current third edition, 11 years after the second edition, similar goals are still pursued of defining the best preservation methods, but there is now more evidence, including results, and new advances have reached publication and are being incorporated into ischemia and reperfusion techniques and organ preservation studies. Many preservation solutions have been introduced, important preservation solution components have been better defined, and improved perfusion methods are being considered, especially for the increasing number of organ donors with non-beating hearts who are being sought for transplantation.

  This edition (2009) engaged experts in the field of organ preservation to review, update, and rewrite each of the chapters. Crafted in collaboration with Luis H. Toledo-Pereyra, the text is eminently informative and easily understandable. Each solid organ that can be transplanted has an entire chapter devoted to the particular methods of its preservation. One chapter apiece, in other words, features insights on the preservation of the kidney, the liver, the pancreas, the small bowel, the heart, and the heart-lung.

  The title of the present book has been shortened to better represent its content. Thus, Organ Preservation for Transplantation, 3rd Edition, demonstrates a more accurate depiction of its current status. Nevertheless, the goal of this book remains exactly the same as in the first edition, that is “to analyze the most important aspects of organ procurement, perfusion and preservation for transplantation”.

  *from landesbioscience.com

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  An Oral History of Portage Schools: Cleora Skinner to Pete McFarlane

  Tom Vance

  This is a history of Portage Public Schools (Portage, Michigan) from Cleora Skinner to Pete McFarlane as told by 13 former superintendents and board presidents. Superintendents participating in this project include Varl Wilkinson, James Rikkers, and Pete McFarlane (an interview previously conducted with Cleora Skinner serves as the prologue). Board presidents interviewed include Robert VanderRoest, Bill Boyer, James Ellinger, Patricia Dolan, Phil Sheldon, Kevin Flynn, John Whyte, Kevin Hollenbeck, Tom Eddy, and Shirley Johnson. An introduction by Steve Rossio places the oral histories in context and he wrote about one room schools in Portage for the appendix. Steve, a graduate of Portage Schools and a life-long resident of Kalamazoo County, is the local historian at Portage Public Library. He received his Public History degree from Western Michigan University. The appendix also contains a listing of District leadership provided by Edna M. Kent, while she was the District's Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent. This oral history project was conducted in 2004 as professional field experience under Dr. Kristin M. Szylvian for the editor's MA in U.S. History with a concentration in biography from Western Michigan University. Three interviews were conducted years later, to provide time for reflection since the end of Dr. McFarlane's tenure. Tom Vance served as community relations manager at Portage Public Schools from 2000 to 2012. He is a former president of the Michigan School Public Relations Association and a past chair of the History Section, Michigan Academy of Science, Arts & Letters. Tom's career in public affairs includes the Army (both active and reserve duty), The Upjohn Company and later Pharmacia & Upjohn, Biggs-Gilmore Communications, Portage Public Schools, and currently Kalamazoo Community Foundation. He is also the editor of Selected Speeches of Elliot Richardson, and author of Elliot Richardson: The Virtue of Politics and Napoleon in America: Essays in Biography & Popular Culture. This oral history project is a part of the Portage Schools Collection at Portage District Library, and any proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Portage Schools Collection. "Public education is a vital component of our culture and a basic part of our democratic system of government. On this premise, Tom Vance interviewed District leadership spanning eight decades. The vast array of issues throughout the development of Portage Schools include enrollment (reaching a peak of nearly 11,000 students in the 1970s); instruction; building, closing and renovating schools; state and local funding; collective bargaining; changes in social mores; and technology. How the District met these challenges is revealed here." -- Ted Vliek, Sr. Ted Vliek served as Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent (responsible for community relations), Board of Education Secretary, and was interim superintendent at the District between Varl Wilkinson and George Conti.

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  Tied to the Great Packing Machine: The Midwest and Meatpacking

  Wilson Warren

  Ambitious in its historical scope and its broad range of topics, Tied to the Great Packing Machine tells the dramatic story of meatpacking's enormous effects on the economics, culture, and environment of the Midwest over the past century and a half. Wilson Warren situates the history of the industry in both its urban and its rural settings--moving from the huge stockyards of Chicago and Kansas City to today's smaller meatpacking communities--and thus presents a complete portrayal of meatpacking's place within the larger agro-industrial landscape.
  Writing from the vantage point of twenty-five years of extensive research, Warren analyzes the evolution of the packing industry from its early period, dominated by the big terminal markets, through the development of new marketing and technical innovations that transformed the ways animals were gathered, slaughtered, and processed and the final products were distributed. In addition, he concentrates on such cultural impacts as ethnic and racial variations, labor unions, gender issues, and changes in Americans' attitudes toward the ethics of animal slaughter and patterns of meat consumption and such environmental problems as site-point pollution and microbe contamination, ending with a stimulating discussion of the future of American meatpacking.
  Providing an excellent and well-referenced analysis within a regional and temporal framework that ensures a fresh perspective,Tied to the Great Packing Machine is a dynamic narrative that contributes to a fuller understanding of the historical context and contemporary concerns of an extremely important industry.

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  Animeat's End: A Future History of the End of Animal Meat

  Wilson J. Warren

  In the future, contact between people and animals is forbidden. Because interaction between people and animals leads to pain and suffering, eliminating contact has the highest priority. Eating animal meat-animeat-is a heinous crime and punished severely. Everyone is vegan. The Order of the Prelate teaches Noameran citizens to reject human dominion over the animal world. Christianity and other religious traditions that had empowered people to believe they could use animals for whatever purposes they chose have been disbanded. Pet ownership has also been banned. The hypocrisy that had allowed people to kill some animals for food while saving others to be loved as pets no longer exists. Welcome to the moral order of 22d century Noamera. When Will'm Ashbee violates this moral order, can a defense for his actions be found in the annals of human-animal interactions? Source: Amazon.com

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  Meat Makes People Powerful: A Global History of the Modern Era

  Wilson J. Warren

  From large-scale cattle farming to water pollution, meat— more than any other food—has had an enormous impact on our environment. Historically, Americans have been among the most avid meat-eaters in the world, but long before that meat was not even considered a key ingredient in most civilizations’ diets. Labor historian Wilson Warren, who has studied the meat industry for more than a decade, provides this global history of meat to help us understand how it entered the daily diet, and at what costs and benefits to society.

  Spanning from the nineteenth century to current and future trends, Warren walks us through the economic theory of food, the discovery of protein, the Japanese eugenics debate around meat, and the environmental impact of livestock, among other topics. Through his comprehensive, multifaceted research, he provides readers with the political, economic, social, and cultural factors behind meat consumption over the last two centuries. With a special focus on East Asia, Meat Makes People Powerful reveals how national governments regulated and oversaw meat production, helping transform virtually vegetarian cultures into major meat consumers at record speed.

  As more and more Americans pay attention to the sources of the meat they consume, Warren’s compelling study will help them not only better understand the industry, but also make more informed personal choices. Providing an international perspective that will appeal to scholars and nutritionists alike, this timely examination will forever change the way you see the food on your plate.

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  Struggling With Iowas Pride

  Wilson J. Warren

  This history of Ottumwa's meatpacking workers provides insights into the development of several forms of labour relations in Iowa during the Democratic party's ascendancy across much of industrial North America following World War II.

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  History Education 101: The Past, Present, and Future of Teacher Preparation

  Wilson J. Warren and D. Antonio Cantu

  Historians and teacher educators nationwide are now engaged in discussions about the importance of history teacher preparation. Interest within the history profession about the teaching of K-12 history has increased significantly during the past two decades, particularly since the controversy over the National Standards for History's publication. This attention is evident not only in the historical professions' various publications, but also in the federal government's multi-million dollar Teaching American History Program and the No Child Left Behind Act. Professional historians are increasingly committed to improving the teaching of history at the K-12 level through many forms of collaboration. History Education 101's thirteen essays are organized into three sections: context, practice, and new directions. The essays' contributors, tenured faculty who teach history teaching methods courses in colleges and universities throughout the United States, focus on how history education has, is, and will be taught to new K-12 teachers throughout the United States. Perhaps more than ever, it is critical for Americans to understand the role of higher education in the preparation of future middle and high school history teachers. This book provides important insights for academics in history and education departments as well as other individuals who are concerned with the status and improvement of history teaching in the schools, particularly current and future elementary and secondary teachers and administrators.

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  Capital Cities and Urban Form in Pre-modern China: Luoyang, 1038 BCE to 938 CE (Asian States and Empires)

  Victor Cunrui Xiong

  Luoyang, situated in present-day Henan province, was one of the great urban centres of pre-Qin and early imperial China, the favoured site for dynastic capitals for almost two millennia. This book, the first in any Western language on the subject, traces the rise and fall of the six different capital cities in the region which served eleven different dynasties from the Western Zhou dynasty, when the first capital city made its appearance in Luoyang, to the great Tang dynasty, when Luoyang experienced a golden age. It examines the political histories of these cities, explores continuity and change in urban form with a particular focus on city layouts and landmark buildings, and discusses the roles of religions, especially Buddhism, and illustrious city residents. Overall the book provides an accessible survey of a broad sweep of premodern Chinese urban history.

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  Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty: His Life, Times, And Legacy

  Victor Cunrui Xiong

  Looking at the life and legacy of Emperor Yang (569 618) of the brief Sui dynasty in a new light, this book presents a compelling case for his importance to Chinese history. Author Victor Cunrui Xiong utilizes traditional scholarship and secondary literature from China, Japan, and the West to go beyond the common perception of Emperor Yang as merely a profligate tyrant. Xiong accepts neither the traditional verdict against Emperor Yang nor the apologist effort to revise it, and instead offers a reassessment of Emperor Yang by exploring the larger political, economic, military, religious, and diplomatic contexts of Sui society. This reconstruction of the life of Emperor Yang reveals an astute visionary with literary, administrative, and reformist accomplishments. While a series of strategic blunders resulting from the darker side of his personality led to the collapse of the socioeconomic order and to his own death, the Sui legacy that Emperor Yang left behind lived on to provide the foundation for the rise of the Tang dynasty, the pinnacle of medieval Chinese civilization.

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  Heavenly Khan

  Victor Cunrui Xiong

  This historical fiction is based on the true story of Li Shimin (also known as Tang Taizong), the greatest sovereign in Chinese history. About 30 years younger than Muhammad, he grew up in a world of devastating upheaval that tore China asunder and was thrust into the role of a military commander in his father’s rebel army while still a teenager. In the process of vanquishing his enemies on the battlefield, he proved himself to be a great military genius. As emperor he encouraged critical suggestions by his court officials, which he often adopted, and lent support to the religions of his day, notably, Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity. The international prestige he had won for Tang China was so high that the states of Central and North Asia honored him with the title of “Heavenly Khan.” Although his father founded the dynasty, it was his reign that laid the groundwork for a brilliant empire that was to endure for centuries.

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  Historical Dictionary of Medieval China

  Victor Cunrui Xiong

  The crucial period of Chinese history, 220-960, falls naturally into contrasting phases. The first phase, also known as that of "early medieval China," is an age of political decentralization. Following the breakup of the Han empire, China was plunged into civil war and fragmentation and stayed divided for nearly four centuries. The second phase started in 589, during the Sui dynasty, when China was once again brought under a single government. Under the Sui, the bureaucracy was revitalized, the military strengthened, and the taxation system reformed. The fall of the Sui in 618 gave way to the even stronger Tang dynasty, which represents an apogee of traditional Chinese civilization. Inheriting all the great institutions developed under the Sui, the Tang made great achievements in poetry, painting, music, and architecture. The An Lushan rebellion, which also took place during Tang rule, brought about far-reaching changes in the socioeconomic, political, and military arenas. What transpired in the second half of the Tang and the ensuing Five Dynasties provided the foundation for the next age of late imperial China. The Historical Dictionary of Medieval China fills an urgent need for a standard reference tailored to the interest of Western academics and readers. The history of medieval China is related through the book's introductory essay, maps, a table of Dynastic Periods, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on key people, historical geography, arts, institutions, events, and other important terms.

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  Historical Dictionary of Medieval China

  Victor Cunrui Xiong

  The crucial period of Chinese history, 168-979, falls naturally into contrasting phases. The first phase, also known as that of 'early medieval China,' is an age of political decentralization. Following the breakup of the Han empire, China was plunged into civil war and fragmentation and stayed divided for nearly four centuries. The second phase started in 589, during the Sui dynasty, when China was once again brought under a single government. Under the Sui, the bureaucracy was revitalized, the military strengthened, and the taxation system reformed. The fall of the Sui in 618 gave way to the even stronger Tang dynasty, which represents an apogee of traditional Chinese civilization. Inheriting all the great institutions developed under the Sui, the Tang made great achievements in poetry, painting, music, and architecture. The An Lushan rebellion, which also took place during Tang rule, brought about far-reaching changes in the socioeconomic, political, and military arenas. What transpired in the second half of the Tang and the ensuing Five Dynasties provided the foundation for the next age of late imperial China.

  This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Medieval China contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on historical figure. It expands on existing thematic entries, and adds a number of new ones with substantial content, including those on nobility, art, architecture, archaeology, economy, agriculture, money, population, cities, literature, historiography, military, religion, Persia, India, Japan, Korea, Arabs, and Byzantium, among others. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about medieval China.

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  Routledge handbook of Imperial Chinese history

  Victor Cunrui Xiong and Kenneth J. Hammond

  The resurgence of modern China has generated much interest, not only in the country¿s present day activities, but also in its long history. As the only uninterrupted ancient civilization still alive today, the study of China¿s past promises to offer invaluable insights into understanding contemporary China. Providing coverage of the entire Imperial Era (221 BCE - 1912 CE) this handbook takes a chronological approach. It includes comprehensive analysis of all major periods, from the powerful Han empire which rivalled Rome and the crucial transformative period of the Five Dynasties, to the prosperous Ming era and the later dominance of the non-Han peoples. With contributions from a team of international authors, key themes include: Political events and leadership Religion and philosophy Cultural and literary achievements Legal, economic and military institutions This book transcends the traditional boundaries of historiography, giving special attention to the role of archaeology. As such, the Routledge Handbook of Imperial Chinese History is an indispensable reference work for students and scholars of Chinese, Asian, and World History.

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  From Cultures of War to Cultures of Peace: War and Peace Museums in Japan, China, and South Korea

  Takashi Yoshida

  "Professor Yoshida examines historical analyses of war and peace museums from the late 19th century to the present and traces the historical development of a pacifist discourse in postwar Japan that centered on Japan's war crimes and responsibility"--Page 4 of cover.

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  The Making of the "Rape of Nanking": History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States

  Takashi Yoshida

  On December 13, 1937, the Japanese army attacked and captured the Chinese capital city of Nanjing, planting the rising-sun flag atop the city's outer walls. What occurred in the ensuing weeks and months has been the source of a tempestuous debate ever since. It is well known that the Japanese military committed wholesale atrocities after the fall of the city, massacring large numbers of Chinese during the both the Battle of Nanjing and in its aftermath. Yet the exact details of the war crimes--how many people were killed during the battle? How manyafter? How many women were raped? Were prisoners executed? How unspeakable were the acts committed?--are the source of controversy among Japanese, Chinese, and American historians to this day. In The Making of the "Rape of Nanking" Takashi Yoshida examines how views of the Nanjing Massacre have evolved in history writing and public memory in Japan, China, and the United States. For these nations, the question of how to treat the legacy of Nanjing--whether to deplore it, sanitize it,rationalize it, or even ignore it--has aroused passions revolving around ethics, nationality, and historical identity. Drawing on a rich analysis of Chinese, Japanese, and American history textbooks and newspapers, Yoshida traces the evolving--and often conflicting--understandings of the NanjingMassacre, revealing how changing social and political environments have influenced the debate. Yoshida suggests that, from the 1970s on, the dispute over Nanjing has become more lively, more globalized, and immeasurably more intense, due in part to Japanese revisionist history and a renewed emphasison patriotic education in China. While today it is easy to assume that the Nanjing Massacre has always been viewed as an emblem of Japan's wartime aggression in China, the image of the "Rape of Nanking" is a much more recent icon in public consciousness. Takashi Yoshida analyzes the process by which the Nanjing Massacre has becomean international symbol, and provides a fair and respectful treatment of the politically charged and controversial debate