Humans and figs form hybrid communities within the context of anthropogenic landscapes, supported by biocultural mutualisms driven by traits of Ficus species and people’s imagination and practices, and where humans also positively influence Ficus species ecology. Fig Trees and Humans examines the interactions between the biology and ecology of the genus Ficus and how humans use and think of Ficus species across the tropics and in the Mediterranean region. It demonstrates a high level of convergence of material and symbolic uses of human-fig interactions that affect various aspects of human culture, as well as the ecology of wild or cultivated Ficus species.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Foundations of Augmented Cognition, AC 2014, held as part of HCI International 2014 which took place in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, in June 2014 and incorporated 14 conferences which similar thematic areas. HCII 2014 received a total of 4766 submissions, of which 1476 papers and 220 posters were accepted for publication after a careful reviewing process. These papers address the latest research and development efforts and highlight the human aspects of design and use of computing systems. The papers thoroughly cover the entire field of Human-Computer Interaction, addressing major advances in knowledge and effective use of computers in a variety of application areas. The 34 papers presented in the AC 2014 proceedings are organized in topical sections named: emotional and cognitive issues in augmented cognition; machine learning for augmented cognition; augmented cognition for learning and training and augmented cognition for health and rehabilitation.

""Fruit Trees"" takes readers on a global journey through the diverse world of fruit-bearing trees, exploring their botany, cultural significance, and sustainable cultivation practices. This comprehensive guide emphasizes the importance of fruit trees in global food security, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable agriculture, particularly in the face of climate change. The book begins with a historical overview of fruit tree domestication and explores how human migration influenced their spread across continents. It then delves into the botanical diversity of fruit trees, examining major families and their characteristics. The cultural significance of these trees in various societies is explored, highlighting their roles in religion, art, and traditional medicine. Finally, the book focuses on sustainable cultivation practices, combining traditional knowledge with modern horticultural techniques. What sets ""Fruit Trees"" apart is its global perspective, moving beyond temperate species to explore lesser-known tropical and subtropical varieties. By presenting a wide range of evidence, including case studies and original research, the book offers readers a toolkit for adapting fruit production to changing environmental conditions. This approach makes it valuable for home gardeners, small-scale farmers, and anyone interested in sustainable food production or botanical diversity.

At age eleven, Jerry raced the 1949 Soap Box Derby in Des Moines, Iowa. Jerry was disqualified when forced to leave his lane trying to avoid a collision with the driver in the center lanes. This contestants steering cable broke, he lost control crashed into the fence and broke a spectator's leg. At thirteen, Jerry's family moved to Alliance Nebraska; later they moved to La Canada California. Jerry worked summers for his dad. At sixteen he saved money to buy a 1941 Chevy coupe for $350. He joined the Navy at seventeen and during that time, saved enough money to buy a 1956 Chevy and began racing it at the San Fernando Drag Strip. Over his life, he worked in the car business, material handling business, sold advertising and worked as a commercial diver and sailor for both Hawaii, and Washington University. On a skiing trip in Idaho, Jerry met his wife Carol and they married in 1982. The two of them attended Bible school in Ventura CA, thinking they would enter the Missionary field. However, God had other plans! They ended up serving the Lord 2-1/2 miles from their home directing the Oxnard Rescue Mission. Jerry served as President CEO of the Rescue Mission Alliance for 14 yrs. After retiring, Jerry never lost his boyhood passion for racing. "Once a racer always a racer; it's in my blood" Jerry's passion for racing is only exceeded by the burden God has given him to warn Christians of the deception being taught today by false teachers. The world is rapidly changing, as evidence by the unrest in Europe, the middle-east, wars, earthquakes and Tsunami's, we're living in the generation of the fig tree. The sign on Jerry's hotrod reads: Don't be a... Stupidbaker "NOW, LEARN THE PARABLE OF THE "FIG TREE"

 From loquat to breadfruit to persimmon, Asian fruits and berries offer a dizzying selection of tastes, techniques and associated lore. This guide provides descriptions, histories, growing techniques and additional information about Asia's resplendent selection of fruits and berries, with a full color photograph accompanying each entry. Their rich history and cultural lore is presented in this practical guide to identifying, eating and growing the berries and fruits of the Asian continent.

Domestication challenges our understanding of human-environment relationships because it blurs the dichotomy between what is artificial and what is natural. In domestication, biological evolution, environmental change, techniques and practices, anthropological trajectories and sociocultural choices are inextricably interconnected. Domestication is essentially a hybrid phenomenon that needs to be explored with hybrid scientific approaches. Hybrid Communities: Biosocial Approaches to Domestication and Other Trans-species Relationships attempts for the first time to explore domestication viewed from across disciplines both in its origins and as an ongoing process. This edited collection proposes new biosocial approaches and concepts which integrate the methods of social sciences, archaeology and biology to shed new light on domestication in diachrony and in synchrony. This book will be of great interest to all scholars working on human-environment relationships, and should also attract readers from the fields of social anthropology, archaeology, genetics, ecology, botany, zoology, history and philosophy.

Plants are people too? No, but in this work of philosophical botany Matthew Hall challenges readers to reconsider the moral standing of plants, arguing that they are other-than-human persons. Plants constitute the bulk of our visible biomass, underpin all natural ecosystems, and make life on Earth possible. Yet plants are considered passive and insensitive beings rightly placed outside moral consideration. As the human assault on nature continues, more ethical behavior toward plants is needed. Hall surveys Western, Eastern, Pagan, and Indigenous thought as well as modern science for attitudes toward plants, noting the particular resources for plant personhood and those modes of thought which most exclude plants. The most hierarchical systems typically put plants at the bottom, but Hall finds much to support a more positive view of plants. Indeed, some indigenous animisms actually recognize plants as relational, intelligent beings who are the appropriate recipeints of care and respect. New scientific findings encourage this perspective, revealing that plants possess many of the capacities of sentience and mentality traditionally denied them.

This book comprises 5 parts and 21 chapters discussing the domestication of indigenous fruit trees in Africa, Oceania, Latin America and Asia; and describes the biophysical and socio-economic aspects of Miombo fruit trees.

A classic study of the beliefs and institutions of mankind, and the progress through magic and religion to scientific thought, The Golden Bough has a unique status in modern anthropology and literature. First published in 1890, The Golden Bough was eventually issued in a twelve-volume edition (1906-15) which was abridged in 1922 by the author and his wife. That abridgement has never been reconsidered for a modern audience. In it some of the more controversial passages were dropped, including Frazer's daring speculations on the Crucifixion of Christ. For the first time this one-volume edition restores Frazer's bolder theories and sets them within the framework of a valuable introduction and notes. A seminal work of modern anthropolgy, The Golden Bough also influenced many twentieth-century writers, including D H Lawrence, T S Eliot, and Wyndham Lewis. Its discussion of magical types, the sacrificial killing of kings, the dying god, and the scapegoat is given fresh pertinence in this new edition. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Winner of the 2009 Christianity Today Award for Biblical Studies, Stories with Intent offers pastors and students a comprehensive and accessible guide to Jesus' parables. Klyne Snodgrass explores in vivid detail the historical context in which these stories were told, the part they played in Jesus' overall message, and the ways in which they have been interpreted in the church and the academy. Snodgrass begins by surveying the primary issues in parables interpretation and providing an overview of other parables—often neglected in the discussion—from the Old Testament, Jewish writings, and the Greco-Roman world. He then groups the more important parables of Jesus thematically and offers a comprehensive treatment of each, exploring both background and significance for today. This tenth anniversary edition includes a substantial new chapter that surveys developments in the interpretation of parables since the book's original 2008 publication.