Lorna Gibson – författare

A renowned engineer and ornithologist reveals the marvel of how birds work from the tips of their beaks to the sheen of their tailfeathers. With over 150 full-color illustrations, a unique gift book for everyone from the avid birder to the bird beginner. Consider feathers: They define birds wings, enabling flight. They insulate against cold. They repel water. They even control sound. And how feathers work is just one aspect of the wonders of birds explained by pathbreaking researcher and lifelong birder Lorna Gibson in Birds Up Close. Feathers, bones, bills, eggs, flight: all come in for scrutiny in this engaging book. What produces the iridescence of plumage? How does the internal structure of a bird s bones make them lightweight? How do different birds use their bills and tongues from woodpeckers penetrating the holes they drill to hummingbirds imbibing nectar, to sandpipers needling the sand, and to phalaropes drawing water droplets containing plankton into their mouths without sucking (no lips!)? Drawing on her expertise and personal experience in both engineering and ornithology, the author explores the hidden microscopic structures and engineering principles that keep birds aloft and alive how an egg is formed, how a bird generates lift; how raptors soar and glide, albatrosses fly thousands of miles, hummingbirds hover, puffins and penguins fly underwater. She also considers the longer view of birds in their habitats and natural history. Her up-close look at avian mysteries provides a perspective like no other for the expert ornithologist and curious observer alike.

A gorgeous, festive tale filled to the brim with warmthand Christmas magic"In the corner of the forestin a cosy, glowing houselived the kindest Mr Bearand his very best friend Mouse."Mr Bear and his best friend Mouse are planning a Christmas toremember for their friends. But when the day finally arrives, Mouseis nowhere to be found.Can Mr Bear and his forest friends find Mouse so they can havethe Christmas they all dreamed of? Lorna Gibson is an author, illustrator and award-winningmultimedia creator. Mr Bear's Christmas isher debut picture bookLorna's animated film of Mr Bear's Christmasis currently streaming on BBC Iplayer with the voice ofStephen Fry as the narratorA special, cosy Christmas treat for fans of Stick Manand The Tiger Who Came to Tea

A gorgeous, festive tale filled to the brim with warmthand Christmas magic"In the corner of the forestin a cosy, glowing houselived the kindest Mr Bearand his very best friend Mouse."Mr Bear and his best friend Mouse are planning a Christmas toremember for their friends. But when the day finally arrives, Mouseis nowhere to be found.Can Mr Bear and his forest friends find Mouse so they can havethe Christmas they all dreamed of? Lorna Gibson is an author, illustrator and award-winningmultimedia creator. Mr Bear's Christmas isher debut picture bookLorna's animated film of Mr Bear's Christmasis currently streaming on BBC Iplayer with the voice ofStephen Fry as the narratorA special, cosy Christmas treat for fans of Stick Manand The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Music in the Women's Institute has become stereotyped by the ritualistic singing of Jerusalem at monthly meetings. Indeed, Jerusalem has had an important role within the organization, and provides a valuable means within which to assess the organization's relationship with women's suffrage and the importance of rurality in the Women's Institute's identity. However, this book looks beyond Jerusalem by examining the full range of music making within the organization and locates its significance within a wider historical-cultural context. The Institute's promotion of conducting - a regular part of its musical activity since the 1930s - is discussed within the context of embodying overtly feminist sentiments. Lorna Gibson concludes that a redefinition of the term 'feminism' is needed and the concept of 'gendered spheres' of conducting provides a useful means of understanding the Institute's policy. The organization's promotion of folk song is also examined and reveals the Institute's contribution to the Folk Revival, as well as providing a valuable context within which to understand the National Federation's first music commission, Ralph Vaughan Williams's Folk Songs of the Four Seasons (1950). This work, and the Institute's second commission, Malcolm Williamson's The Brilliant and the Dark (1969), are examined with the context of the organization's music policy. In addition to discussing the background to the works, issues of critical reception are addressed. The book concludes with an Epilogue about the National Society Choir (later known as the Avalon Singers), which tested the organization's commitment to amateur music making. The book is the result of meticulous work undertaken in the archives of the National Federation, the BBC Written Archives Centre, the V&A archives, the Britten-Pears Library, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Library, the Women's Library and the Newspaper Library.

Written by leading experts, this volume provides a picture of the realities of current ICT use in musicology as well as prospects and proposals for how it could be fruitfully used in the future. Through its coverage of topics spanning content-based sound searching/retrieval, sound and content analysis, markup and text encoding, audio resource sharing, and music recognition, this book highlights the breadth and inter-disciplinary nature of the subject matter and provides a valuable resource to technologists, musicologists, musicians and music educators. It facilitates the identification of worthwhile goals to be achieved using technology and effective interdisciplinary collaboration.

Written by leading experts, this volume provides a picture of the realities of current ICT use in musicology as well as prospects and proposals for how it could be fruitfully used in the future. Through its coverage of topics spanning content-based sound searching/retrieval, sound and content analysis, markup and text encoding, audio resource sharing, and music recognition, this book highlights the breadth and inter-disciplinary nature of the subject matter and provides a valuable resource to technologists, musicologists, musicians and music educators. It facilitates the identification of worthwhile goals to be achieved using technology and effective interdisciplinary collaboration.