This model course aims to meet the mandatory minimum requirements for the training of personnel providing direct service to passengers in passenger spaces on board passenger ships specified in regulation V/2 & section A-V/2 of the STCW Code. On successful completion, trainees should be able to communicate with passengers during an emergency, demonstrate personal life-saving appliances & embark & disembark passengers, in particular caring for those needing special assistance. ...

This model course is intended to provide the knowledge required for port facility personnel with designated security duties, such as guards, access control officers, training officers & relevant port facility managers, in connection with a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) to perform their duties in accordance with the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), chapter XI-2, the International Ship & Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the IMO/ILO Code of Practice on Security in Ports, & guidance contained in IMO MSC.1/ Circ.1341 on Guidelines on Security-related training & familiarization for port facility personnel. ...

Successful completion of this course enables seafarers to meet the mandatory minimum standards of competence in the use of leadership & managerial skills specified in Function: Controlling the operation of the ship & caring for persons on board at the management level in tables A-II/2 & A-III/2 of the STCW Code. ...

This is the story of Britain`s model villages: miniature worlds that have captivated garden guests & paying public since the early twentieth century. This history of these small-scale utopias covers their early growth as playthings of the wealthy, their blossoming into fairylands on seafronts during the post-war holiday boom, & of many model villages` gradual decline from toy-towns to ghost towns. But it is also the story of how diligent modelmakers, artists & crafters have carried on in the sheds, gardens & workshops of Britain to build small
- yet think big. Today we still delight in their miniature marvels, & this book explains why. This book is part of the Britain`s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain`s past, & is the perfect way to get acquainted with model villages in all their variety.
...

Modena at 1: 12, 000 on indexed street plans from Litografia Artistica Cartografica, with a detailed enlargement of the city’s historic centre at 1:6, 500. 45 monuments including historic buildings & churches, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Litografia Artistica Cartografica (LAC) are Italy’s leading publishers of street plans with an extensive range of titles. Where appropriate, the plans include an enlargement showing the historic centre in greater detail. On each plan monuments including historic buildings & churches, archaeological sites, cultural or educational institutions, & important municipal buildings or facilities are numbered & listed next to the plan. Unless indicated to the contrary in the individual description, one way streets are not marked. Street index is on the reverse. ...

The treacherous mountain passes & blasted desert plains of Afghanistan have been the graveyard of every would-be conquering army since the days of Alexander the Great. With America, Britain & NATO committed to a long-term political & military engagement there, it is imperative to understand the country`s complex & bloody history. Afghanistan emerged in the mid-eighteenth century from the collapse of the Persian Safavid Empire & the decline of the Mughal dynasty in India. The nineteenth century saw the country ravaged by the rivalry of warring elites, & their great power supporters. In recent times, Afghanistan has experienced the Soviet invasion of 1979, the Pakistan-backed internal conflict of the 1990s, the Taliban regime & then the US invasion after the catastrophe of 9/11. Today, whilst the US-backed government is struggling to expand its control beyond Kabul, narco-warlords, jihadists & Western troops fight out the battle for control of this strategically vital country. Why has Afghanistan`s course of development been so turbulent? Why does it remain so vulnerable to domestic instability, foreign intervention & ideological extremism? In reconstructing the tempestuous narrative of modern Afghanistan, Amin Saikal provides a sweeping new understanding of its troubled past. He identifies the country`s inability to develop stable political structures as stemming from the inter-dynastic rivalry (exacerbated by polygamy) that scarred successive royal families from the end of the eighteenth century until the pro-Communist coup of April 1978. Outside interventions further weakened the country internally, preventing socio-economic development & leaving the country ripe for the politics of ideological extremism. ” Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle & Survival” is the definitive study of Afghanistan & its troubles. It will be vital reading for all those who are interested in the changing politics of the Middle East & Central Asia. ...

Afghanistan`s recent history is a sad one: Soviet invasion in 1979; Pakistan-backed internal conflict in the 1980s; the Taliban regime; & then the US invasion & the multi-national occupation after the events of 11 September 2001. Why does Afghanistan remain so vulnerable to domestic instability, foreign intervention & ideological extremism? In reconstructing the tempestuous narrative of modern Afghanistan, Amin Saikal provides a sweeping new understanding of its troubled past & present. He identifies the country`s inability to develop stable political structures as stemming from the inter-dynastic rivalry (complicated by polygamy) that scarred successive royal families from the end of the eighteenth century until the pro-Soviet Communist coup of April 1978, all exacerbated by foreign interventions
- feeding on fragile domestic structures
- & the rise & fall of different ideological streams. Here, for the first time, is an up-to-date analysis of the era of the Taliban`s rule, the effects of US domination in the country & attempts to negotiate a US withdrawal
- including talks about talks with the Taliban themselves. This book, which sets the crisis of Afghanistan in the context of the country`s modern history & social structures, makes a major & highly original contribution towards a better & more nuanced understanding of this ill-fated l&. It is the definitive study of Afghanistan & its troubles in national, regional & international contexts from 1747 to the present day.


...

In the early 1990s, Albania, arguably Europe`s most closed & repressive state, began a startling transition out of forty years of self-imposed Communist isolation. Albanians who were not allowed to practice religion, travel abroad, wear jeans, or read ”decadent” Western literature began to devour the outside world. They opened cafes, companies, & newspapers. Previously banned rock music blared in the streets. Modern Albania offers a vivid history of the Albanian Communist regime`s fall & the trials & tribulations that led the country to become the state it is today. The book provides an in-depth look at the Communists` last Politburo meetings & the first student revolts, the fall of the Stalinist regime, the outflows of refugees, the crash of the massive pyramid-loan schemes, the war in neighboring Kosovo, & Albania`s relationship with the United States. Fred Abrahams weaves together personal experience from more than twenty years of work in Albania, interviews with key Albanians & foreigners who played a role in the country`s politics since 1990-including former Politburo members, opposition leaders, intelligence agents, diplomats, & founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army-and a close examination of hundreds of previously secret government records from Albania & the United States. A rich, narratively-driven account, Modern Albania gives readers a front-row seat to the dramatic events of the last battle of Cold War Europe. ...

The second edition of ” Modern Algeria” brings readers up to date with the outcome of the 2004 Algerian elections. Providing thorough coverage of the 1990s & the end of the Algerian Civil War, it addresses issues such as secularist struggles against fundamentalist Islam, ethnic & regional distinctions, gender, language, the evolution of popular culture, & political & economic relationships with France & the expatriate community. Updated information on resources enhances the usefulness of this popular textbook that has become a standard in the field. John Ruedy is Emeritus Professor of History at Georgetown University. He is author of ” Land Policy in Colonial Algeria & Islamism” & ” Secularism in North Africa” & has served most recently as the North Africa editor for the ” Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa”. ...

` Deeply impressive! ancient history: the new rock `n` roll.` The Times Julian Cope`s bestselling modern classic, The Modern Aniquarian, is now released in a beautiful new hardback package. Having sold over 50, 000 copies in two highly successful editions. Julian Cope is one of Britain`s best known & most-celebrated post-punk visionaries. In this historical masterpiece, he takes us on an unforgettable journey across the British Isles, uncovering the first temples ever built & their myriad descendants, the relics of which can still be seen today. The Modern Antiquarian is the result of an eight-year odyssey in search of the roots of British cultural identity. Of the countless sites visited, Cope has selected over 300 of the very best; photographing their remains & explaining fully their relationships with the landscape. This book shines a powerful light onto the past of a nation hoodwinked into believing that its history began with the Roman conquest. Cope`s deft prose examines our prehistoric beginnings through the evidence of megalithic remains & their surroundings, allowing us for the first time to reconcile the tapestry of our past with modern life. ...