Michael J. Roberts – författare

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has sponsored a programme of intensive research into the primary productivity of grass ecosystems in both the tropics and subtropics, resulting in this book. It therefore represents the first internationally integrated study of bio-productivity since the International Biological Programme (IBP) of the early 1970s. The large international team of scientists sponsored by UNEP identified five different grassland ecosystems, determining their levels of productivity as well as the effect of climatic variation on primary production and photosynthesis. The methods and results described indicate a three to ten-fold increase in estimates of productivity from the IBP figures, raising implications for a number of important questions such as: the understanding of how carbon is cycled, the environmental impact of removing grasslands, assessment of these ecosystems as genetic resources of productive grasses, assessing the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, and establishing ground truth data for remote sensing of grassland productivity.This book provides a comprehensive assessment of an extremely important but under-researched biome. It should be of interest to a wide range of environmental scientists, including ecologists, atmospheric scientists, biogeographers, and environmental physiologists.

Using an innovative framework, this reader examines the most important and influential writings on modern class relations. Uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines scholarship from political economy, social history, and cultural studiesBrings together more than 50 selections rich in theory and empirical detail that span the working, middle, and capitalist classesAnalyzes class within the larger context of labor, particularly as it relates to conflicts over and about workProvides insight into the current crisis in the global capitalist system, including the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the explosion of Arab Spring, and the emergence of class conflict in China

Using an innovative framework, this reader examines the most important and influential writings on modern class relations. Uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines scholarship from political economy, social history, and cultural studiesBrings together more than 50 selections rich in theory and empirical detail that span the working, middle, and capitalist classesAnalyzes class within the larger context of labor, particularly as it relates to conflicts over and about workProvides insight into the current crisis in the global capitalist system, including the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the explosion of Arab Spring, and the emergence of class conflict in China

In The Jeweled Style, Michael Roberts offers a new approach to the Latin poetry of late antiquity, one centering on an aesthetic quality common to both the literature and the art of the period—the polychrome patterning of words and phrases or of colors and shapes. In Roberts's view, the writer or artist of this period works as a jeweler, carefully setting compositional units in a geometric framework, consistently demonstrating a preference for effects of patterning over realistic representation, and for a unity situated at a higher level than the literal, historical sequence of the narrative.Roberts's introductory chapter is followed by an anthology of representative narrative and descriptive poetry from the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. Next, Roberts traces the use of "jewels" as a literary metaphor from the first century A.D. to late antiquity. He then compares the works of late antique literature to wall and floor mosaics, ivory diptychs, Christian sarcophagi, and contemporary styles of dress. Emphasizing that the poetry of this period is not uniform, he differentiates the main genres of Christian narrative poetry—biblical and hagiographical epic—from secular examples of the jeweled style, such as the poetry of Ausonius and Sidonius. Roberts concludes by examining the influence of late antique aesthetics on the medieval poetics of Matthew of Vendôme and Geoffrey of Vinsauf.Elegantly written and augmented by twenty-three illustration, The Jeweled Style will be welcomed by many readers, including Latinists and other classicists, medievalists and Renaissance scholars specializing in literature, Byzantinists, and art historians.

In The Jeweled Style, Michael Roberts offers a new approach to the Latin poetry of late antiquity, one centering on an aesthetic quality common to both the literature and the art of the period—the polychrome patterning of words and phrases or of colors and shapes. In Roberts's view, the writer or artist of this period works as a jeweler, carefully setting compositional units in a geometric framework, consistently demonstrating a preference for effects of patterning over realistic representation, and for a unity situated at a higher level than the literal, historical sequence of the narrative.Roberts's introductory chapter is followed by an anthology of representative narrative and descriptive poetry from the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. Next, Roberts traces the use of "jewels" as a literary metaphor from the first century A.D. to late antiquity. He then compares the works of late antique literature to wall and floor mosaics, ivory diptychs, Christian sarcophagi, and contemporary styles of dress. Emphasizing that the poetry of this period is not uniform, he differentiates the main genres of Christian narrative poetry—biblical and hagiographical epic—from secular examples of the jeweled style, such as the poetry of Ausonius and Sidonius. Roberts concludes by examining the influence of late antique aesthetics on the medieval poetics of Matthew of Vendôme and Geoffrey of Vinsauf.Elegantly written and augmented by twenty-three illustration, The Jeweled Style will be welcomed by many readers, including Latinists and other classicists, medievalists and Renaissance scholars specializing in literature, Byzantinists, and art historians.

Social worker Taylor Diaz has a problem. At a Catholic convent on the Gulf Coast a young resident named Mary is pregnant and may be able to have an abortion under Florida law as the victim of a sex crime. Mother Superior is insisting it''s a miracle – and that the girl is still a virgin. Publicity from Taylor''s court case creates a media hurricane. Using it to jockey for the GOP Presidential candidacy, the Governor has friends in high places, a billionaire Catholic power broker and the local Bishop. This Catholic triumvirate is hell bent on stopping the abortion and Taylor becomes embroiled in a battle with them as well as her own Catholic Cuban American family. From stage left, an Antipodean media baron and his right-wing commentators on HEN news, start milking it as another Culture War issue, along with an Evangelical mega-Church pastor who wants to claim the ''divine'' baby as the Second Coming of Jesus. And, oh yeah – like the original Virgin Mary, this Mary is only 12 years old! In a post-Roe world, where the gains of decades of progressive feminism have been thrown under the wheels of political machinery, a brave woman fights back. Is Mary''s baby a heavenly gift or the product of a criminal abuse? Taylor and her allies race against time, the church and the media to find out the truth before Mary becomes the ultimate pawn sacrifice. The stage is set! The Virgin Sacrifice is a scathing look at the mired, endless cycle of Culture Wars in the Divided States of America and a reminder that the poisonous Gordian knot of religion, money and politics in America are forever entwined.

Using an innovative framework, this reader examines the most important and influential writings on modern class relations.

Uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines scholarship from political economy, social history, and cultural studies Brings together more than 50 selections rich in theory and empirical detail that span the working, middle, and capitalist classes Analyzes class within the larger context of labor, particularly as it relates to conflicts over and about work Provides insight into the current crisis in the global capitalist system, including the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the explosion of Arab Spring, and the emergence of class conflict in China

Using an innovative framework, this reader examines the most important and influential writings on modern class relations.

Uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines scholarship from political economy, social history, and cultural studies Brings together more than 50 selections rich in theory and empirical detail that span the working, middle, and capitalist classes Analyzes class within the larger context of labor, particularly as it relates to conflicts over and about work Provides insight into the current crisis in the global capitalist system, including the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the explosion of Arab Spring, and the emergence of class conflict in China

Jesus questioned whether he would find faith on Earth when he returned. He also warned that the gate to life is narrow and few are those who find it. In fact many of Jesus’ disciples left him because they found his teachings difficult to accept. Most of the New Testament writings were written to counter heresy and the Apostles warned against false teachers, against those teaching the doctrines of men. Anyone reading the gospels or the book of Acts today could be forgiven for asking what the cause of the disconnect between the early church and the church today is. Could it be that what we consider to be faith today is actually not true biblical faith but rather faith in teachings which have the appearance of truth because they are based on some scripture, but because they are irreconcilable to the entire body of scripture, are incapable of producing the kind of faith Jesus spoke of? Athanasius noted that “the pressure of apparent contradictions forces a closer examination of scriptural texts, and perhaps more importantly also forces a re-examination of the larger framework of assumptions that govern our reading of the Bible.” The Narrow Gate Revealed uncovers the internal coherence of scripture by developing doctrines of atonement and salvation that are not contradicted by any scripture within the entire canon, with the principal objective of restoring truth and bringing reform to a church which fails to grasp that the Holy Spirit has been given to humanity to enable us to become holy, and in consequence be made fit for the kingdom of heaven.

Throughout his childhood and during his twenty years of professional service in the New Zealand Army, author Michael J. Roberts repeatedly heard a message: grown men dont cry. To cope with lifes ups and downs, Roberts put on a mask and effectively concealed his emotions behind itthat is, until he was diagnosed with cancer. In Grown Men Dont Cry, Roberts shares his story and describes how he found inner peace by allowing himself to cry and by turning to be Jesus to be saved. This memoir narrates his personal journey as he faced recovery from a major operation, the fight against late stage-three cancer, radiation, and chemotherapy and ensuing depression. He tells how through these challenges and despair he found hope and God.A story about one mans triumph over great odds and the fear of death, Grown Men Dont Cry shows that no matter the despair or the pain, one must always have hope.

"e;Before Elvis there was nothing"e; - John LennonDiscovering the joy of the epoch defining music and of the scarcely believable story of a certain Liverpudlian quartet, who operated in a small time window during the second half of the 20th century, seems to be an experience that will long outlive all those who lived through it. Apart from the music, which speaks for itself, a good place to find out about the people involved and what all the fuss was about is to work through their feature film output and to examine some of the better films that are centred on their story, or parts of it. As opposed to the Elvis Presley film legacy, the Beatles were well served in the main by the cinematic medium, leaving a body of work to be envious of and they remain crucial visual documents of a miraculous time. The Beatles story is revealed in some depth via the 'documentary' bookends of the fable, The Beatles: The First US Visit and A Hard Day's Night at the beginning and the (almost) warts and all Let It Be at the fractious end. The lads took to the silver screen with a naturalness and flair typical of their approach to every aspect of their career, but unlike Elvis they never let the 'tail' of their film work wag the 'dog' of their musical work. Elvis Presley, ironically, was their hero, but even they were quick to condemn the hackneyed scripts and hack directors that the 'King' was lumbered with. Elvis and his manager, The Colonel, an ex-carnival flim-flam man, both felt rock and roll was a fad, as did conventional entertainment industry wisdom and they agreed that the future for Elvis and 'legitimate' stardom, was to be found in movies. Hal Wallis was a fading Hollywood power in the mid 1950's, working at Paramount after a dazzling career in the 1930's and 1940's that saw him produce, amongst others, the immortal The Adventures of Robin Hood and Casablanca for Warner Brothers. Wallis knew an entertainment phenomena when he saw one, having helmed Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin's transition from the comedy nightclub stage to Hollywood stardom and he cannily packaged the charismatic boy from Memphis for mass consumption. What Hal Wallis did was play to an already established market and this immediately put Presley in a straightjacket in terms of scripts and scenario's that would play to those preconceptions. The pity of it was that the formula Wallis established was never varied and the electric performer that audiences loved on the rock and roll stage was rarely spotted on the silver screen. Wallis later said, "e;Elvis was a great entertainer, and a great personality, and that is what we bought when we bought him. The idea of tailoring Elvis for dramatic roles is something that we never attempted because we did not sign Elvis as a second Jimmy Dean. We signed him as a number one Elvis Presley."e; Wallis hired his old cronies, B-list writers and directors like Hal Kanter and Norman Taurog, veterans of the Lewis and Martin cycle and of some old Bob Hope chestnuts.

Spiders are the most obvious group of animals - they share with us our houses and gardens. They also have some of the most fascinating colours, behaviour and biology. This book is designed to aid identification of these animals, without using any complicated keys or equipment. Each of the 450 species covered is illustrated in colour, with paintings of all the common colour variations and differences between the sexes, and described in detail in the text. The general features of each family are also described, with information on courtship, hunting and web-making behaviour. A key to spiders' webs is also included in the introduction. Each species has illustrations of its genitalia - to allow conclusive identification of the species.

As entrepreneurs fuel the economy with start-ups, job creation, innovation, and new technologies, the need to understand the evolving field of entrepreneurship continues to grow. Covering every phase of the entrepreneurial venture, from the basic concepts to emerging issues, this collection of readings by leading academics and practitioners is designed to serve as a handbook for entrepreneurs, as well as for teachers and students of the entrepreneurial process. Newly updated with timely material, professors will find this second edition invaluable for the richness of the cases and the accompanying questions designed to facilitate discussion.