Stern discipline, so prevalent in Ontario classrooms during the first half of the twentieth century, remained intact not only because elementary and secondary teachers wanted to keep their jobs, but also as a result of control exerted by higher authorities. During their training, teachers encountered this control, particularly during practice teaching. As educators, their mandate to "keep order" extended well beyond the classroom. Ignorance and insensitivity when dealing with issues of ethnicity, religion, gender, colour, and mental and physical capabilities frequently resulted in discrimination. Beyond corporal punishment, the subtleties incorporated in rules, rituals, and curriculum reflected the societal conviction that a teacher was always in control-expectations that mirrored the previous century's school reformers' desire to instill a work ethic and moral discipline suitable for an emerging society. In Not Just the Strap, author Vera C. Pletsch offers an intriguing analysis of discipline during the formative period of Ontario's history, when locals and parents controlled education. Making extensive use of archival material and interviews with former education authorities, inspectors, trustees, school staff, and pupils (1900-1960), Pletsch depicts an era of hierarchical control in school discipline-a period when few initiatives for change in educational policy, or in curriculum, were introduced. By explaining the subsequent efforts to dismantle the old philosophy, she also sheds valuable light on an area of current concern.

Taras Grescoe rides the rails all over the world and makes an elegant and impassioned case for the imminent end of car culture and the coming transportation revolution "I am proud to call myself a straphanger," writes Taras Grescoe. The perception of public transportation in America is often unflattering—a squalid last resort for those with one too many drunk-driving charges, too poor to afford insurance, or too decrepit to get behind the wheel of a car. Indeed, a century of auto-centric culture and city planning has left most of the country with public transportation that is underfunded, ill maintained, and ill conceived. But as the demand for petroleum is fast outpacing the world's supply, a revolution in transportation is under way. Grescoe explores the ascendance of the straphangers—the growing number of people who rely on public transportation to go about the business of their daily lives. On a journey that takes him around the world—from New York to Moscow, Paris, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Bogotá, Phoenix, Portland, Vancouver, and Philadelphia—Grescoe profiles public transportation here and abroad, highlighting the people and ideas that may help undo the damage that car-centric planning has done to our cities and create convenient, affordable, and sustainable urban transportation—and better city living—for all.

When Gray Eagleson remembers the strap, it brings back horrific images of pain, suffering, and humiliation in the public school system. When he thinks of money, he realizes how little of it he has since getting laid off from a public relations job. When he recalls relationships, the painful memory of how his long-time girlfriend cheated on him with his so-called best friend surfaces. His confidence at an all-time low, he decides a trip to Ecuador, the most bio-diverse country on the planet, is exactly what he needs to take his mind off his problems. Before departing, he connects with Adriana Enrique on an internet dating site, promising to meet her on his arrival. He also helps his best friend Derrick Richmond evict some biker tenants involved in a marijuana grow-operation in one of Derrick's rental properties. During the eviction, one of the bikers, Stuart Treblecoch, The Strap, threatens to kill Gray for tossing biker belongings into a blazing backyard inferno. Arriving in Ecuador, he soon discovers his idyllic vacation has turned into a life-and-death struggle. The Strap is hunting him down, Adriana's behavior casts a black shadow of doubt over his optimistic expectations, and he meets a Canadian woman, Abby Taylor, who wants his help evicting violent squatters who have overrun a hotel she purchased in the beach town of Atacames. As the nail-biting tension and violence ratchet up, Gray believes a visit with a shaman and an experience with the mind-altering and spiritually enlightening drug ayuahuasca is his only hope for salvation. The Strap ushers you full-throttle deep inside the exotic sights and sounds of Ecuador while also exposing the very real dangers that exist. Through Gray's harrowing journey for redemption, survival and sanity, we discover the frailties and insecurities of the human condition and the ever-present need for companionship at the root of human nature.

Hammock camping--one of the most comfortable ways to enjoy a long-distance thru-hike, a weekend backpacking trip, or just an overnight in the woods. With more than 200 illustrations to guide you, this book helps you get off the ground to discover the freedom, comfort, and convenience of hammock camping. Learn how to set up and use a hammock to stay dry, warm, and bug free in a Leave No Trace-friendly way. This book covers hammock camping basics such as how to get a perfect hang and how to stay dry, warm, and bug free. Plus, it illustrates techniques and tips to get the most out of a hammock shelter, whether you have purchased an all-in-one kit or you've assembled your own customized system.

It's a typical summer night in August. Literature professor Arne and artist Tove are with their children at a summer house in southern Norway. Their friend Egil is staying nearby. Kathrine, a priest, is on her way home from a seminar, journalist Jostein is out on the town, and his wife, Turid, an assistant nurse, is on the night shift. Above them all, a huge star suddenly appears blazing in the sky. No one knows what this phenomenon might be. Is it a star burning itself out? But why, then, has no one seen it before? Is it a brand new star? Life goes on, but not quite as before, as strange things start to happen on the fringes of human existence. 'The Morning Star' is a novel about what we do not understand, about great drama seen through the ordinary lens of life. But first and foremost, it is about what happens when the dark forces in the world are set free.