Introduction to Python Programming And Data Structure By Liang

How do developing states decide who gets access to public goods like electricity, water, and education? Power and the Vote breaks new ground by showing that the provision of seemingly universal public goods is intricately shaped by electoral priorities. In doing so, this book introduces new methods using high-resolution satellite imagery to study the distribution of electricity across and within the developing world. Combining cross-national evidence with detailed sub-national analysis and village-level data from India, Power and the Vote affirms the power of electoral incentives in shaping the distribution of public goods and challenges the view that democracy is a luxury of the rich with little relevance to the world's poor.

This book gets to the heart of science by asking a fundamental question about its essence: what is the true nature of space and time? Both defy modern physics and scientists find themselves continually searching for answers. This unique volume brings together world leaders in cosmology, particle physics, quantum gravity, mathematics, philosophy and theology, to provide fresh insights into the deep structure of space and time. In an attempt to understand the question, subjects ranging from dark matter to the philosophical and theological implications of spacetime are covered, ensuring that the issue is thoroughly explored. Interesting and thought-provoking answers provide a well-rounded read.

With a new title (following the successful first edition of Nations and Firms in the Global Economy), this second edition undergraduate textbook combines the dual perspectives of international economics and international business, providing a complete overview of the changing role of nations and firms in the global economy. International Economics and Business covers the key concepts typically included in an introductory course on the global economy, supported by contemporary case studies from the international business world. The result is a practical guide to the world economy for undergraduate students in economics and business, also suitable for students in other social science disciplines. Updated to include the latest theoretical insights, data and case studies, with online quizzes, data exercises and additional reading, International Economics and Business is a lively and engaging textbook providing a complete and practical understanding of international economics and globalizat

This book addresses the following question: why are presidential democracies more likely to break down than parliamentary ones? Conventional wisdom among political scientists pointS to the incentives generated by the form of government itself; the independence of the executive and legislature that defines presidentialism generates incentives that are not conducive to the consolidation of democracy. On the basis of a data set that covers all democracies between 1946 and 2002, this book demonstrates that this is not the case: the incentives generated by presidentialism are as conducive to the consolidation of democracy as the ones generated by parliamentarism. The book argues that what kills presidentialism is the fact that it exists in countries where democracies of any type are not likely to survive. This book will be of interest to academic researchers, graduates and advanced undergraduates enrolled in courses on comparative politics and political economy.

Thirty years after the identification of the disease that became known as AIDS, humanitarian organizations warn that the fight against HIV/AIDS has slowed, amid a funding shortfall and donor fatigue. In this book, Bjørn Lomborg brings together research by world-class specialist authors, a foreword by UNAIDS founding director Peter Piot and perspectives from Nobel Laureates and African civil society leaders to identify the most effective ways to tackle the pandemic across sub-Saharan Africa. There remains an alarming lack of high-quality data evaluating responses to HIV. We still know too little about what works, where and how to replicate our successes. This book offers the first comprehensive attempt by teams of authors to analyze HIV/AIDS policy choices using cost-benefit analysis, across six major topics. This approach provides a provocative fresh look at the best ways to scale up the fight against this killer epidemic.

An innovative and timely guide to housing law that integrates the disciplines of law and public policy so that readers see how the subject fits together – both the letter of the law and the way it is practised. The innovative three-part structure covers all the topics of a typical Housing Law module and it is written in a clear and conversational style, with a wide range of source material to show how the law is created, interpreted and used in real life. Students are expertly guided through the complexities of housing law by a leading academic who has taught the subject for more than 20 years. Where relevant, chapters end with a section on 'the future' that discusses proposed changes to the law and the impact of those changes. It also discusses the conceptual issues raised by the Human Rights Act.

Updated to reflect advances in the field, this introduction provides a broad, but concise, coverage of recombinant DNA techniques. Written for advanced undergraduates, graduates and scientists who want to use this technology, emphasis is placed on the concepts underlying particular types of cloning vectors to aid understanding and to enable readers to devise suitable strategies for novel experimental situations. An introduction to the basic biochemical principles is presented first. Then PCR and cloning using E. coli hosts and plasmid, phage and hybrid vectors are described, followed by the generation and screening of libraries and how to modify, inactivate or express cloned sequences. Finally genetic manipulation in a range of other organisms is discussed, including other bacteria, fungi, algae and plants, insects and mammals. A series of 'real-life' biological problems are also presented to enable readers to assess their understanding of the material and to prepare for exams.

Shakespeare and the Classics demonstrates that the classics are of central importance in Shakespeare's plays and in the structure of his imagination. Written by an international team of Shakespeareans and classicists, this book investigates Shakespeare's classicism and shows how he used a variety of classical books to explore crucial areas of human experience such as love, politics, ethics and history. The book focuses on Shakespeare's favourite classical authors, especially Ovid, Virgil, Seneca, Plautus and Terence, and, in translation only, Plutarch. Attention is also paid to the humanist background and to Shakespeare's knowledge of Greek literature and culture. The final section, from the perspective of reception, examines how Shakespeare's classicism was seen and used by later writers. This accessible book offers a rounded and comprehensive treatment of Shakespeare's classicism and will be a useful first port of call for students and others approaching the subject.

In this rich and resonant work, Soren Kierkegaard reflects poetically and philosophically on the biblical story of God's command to Abraham, that he sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith. Was Abraham's proposed action morally and religiously justified or murder? Is there an absolute duty to God? Was Abraham justified in remaining silent? In pondering these questions, Kierkegaard presents faith as a paradox that cannot be understood by reason and conventional morality, and he challenges the universalist ethics and immanental philosophy of modern German idealism, especially as represented by Kant and Hegel. This volume, first published in 2006, presents the first new English translation for twenty years, by Sylvia Walsh, together with an introduction by C. Stephen Evans which examines the ethical and religious issues raised by the text.

The historical spread of Spanish and Portuguese throughout the world provides a rich source of data for linguists studying how languages evolve and change. This volume analyses the development of Portuguese and Spanish from Latin and their subsequent transformation into several non-standard varieties. These varieties include Portuguese- and Spanish-based creoles, Bozal Spanish and Chinese Coolie Spanish in Cuba, Chinese Immigrant Spanish, Andean Spanish, and Barranquenho, a Portuguese variety on the Portugal-Spain border. Clancy Clements demonstrates that grammar formation not only takes place in parent-to-child communication, but also, importantly, in adult-to-adult communication. He argues that cultural identity is also an important factor in language formation and maintenance, especially in the cases of Portuguese, Castilian, and Barranquenho. More generally, the contact varieties of Portuguese and Spanish have been shaped by demographics, by prestige, as well as by linguistic inpu

Originally published in 1901, this book by Polybius scholar E. S. Shuckburgh was intended not only as a history of the Greeks from the time of the Homeric poems until the Roman conquest in 146 BC, but also as an outline of the continuing influence of ancient Greek culture in the modern world. The text is illustrated with maps and photographs of important statues, coins and ancient ruins. This book will be of value for anyone seeking a simple introduction to ancient Greece and its culture.

Archaeologists today need a wide range of scientific approaches in order to delineate and interpret the ecology of their sites. Dena Dincauze has written an authoritative and essential guide to a variety of archaeological methods, ranging from techniques for measuring time with isotopes and magnetism to the sciences of climate reconstruction, geomorphology, sedimentology, soil science, paleobotany and faunal paleoecology. Professor Dincauze insists that borrowing concepts from other disciplines demands a critical understanding of their theoretical roots. Moreover, the methods that are chosen must be appropriate to particular sets of data. The applications of the methods needed for an holistic human-ecology approach in archaeology are illustrated by examples ranging from the Paleolithic, through classical civilizations, to recent urban archaeology.

This volume brings together the major statements by the leading contemporary scholars of cultural analysis on the relationship between culture and society. Part one surveys the range of current analytical debate over culture, focusing on the relationship of culture to social structure and power. Approaches to the study of culture covered include functionalism, semiotics, and Weberian, Durkheimian, and Marxian analysis. While individual contributions differ in defining the nature of culture and its relation to society, they are in agreement in assessing the relative autonomy of culture and the centrality of symbolic analysis. Part two turns to substantive debates, including those over the role of religion, secular ideology, and mass culture and brings to light disputes about the meaning of modernity. The book testifies to the remarkable development in the last two decades of a cultural paradigm for social and political analysis.

Richard Wollheim's classic reflection on art considers central questions regarding expression, representation, style, the significance of the artist's intention and the essentially historical nature of art. Presented in a fresh series livery for the twenty-first century, with a specially commissioned preface written by Richard Eldridge, illuminating its continuing importance and relevance to philosophical enquiry, Art and its Objects continues to be a perceptive and engaging introduction to the questions and philosophical issues raised by works of art and the part they play in our culture and society. Wollheim's insights into theories of art, criticism, perception and the nature of aesthetic value make this one of the most influential works on aesthetics of the twentieth century.

Social class is often seen as an intractable barrier to success, yet a number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds still manage to show resilience and succeed against the odds. This book presents the findings from fifty Child and Family Case Studies (CFCS) conducted with 13-16 year olds. The authors look specifically at the roles that people and experiences - at home, in schools and in the wider community - have played in the learning life-courses of these children; how these factors have affected their achievement; and explanations and meanings given by respondents to the unique characteristics, experiences and events in their lives. Featuring the voices of real parents and children, and backed up by a decade of quantitative data, this is a compelling record that will help readers to understand the complex nature of social disadvantage and the interplay between risk and protective factors in homes and schools that can make for a transformational educational experience.

This collection of papers delivered at the Fifth International Symposium in Economic Theory and Econometrics in 1988 is devoted to the estimation and testing of models that impose relatively weak restrictions on the stochastic behaviour of data. Particularly in highly non-linear models, empirical results are very sensitive to the choice of the parametric form of the distribution of the observable variables, and often nonparametric and semiparametric models are a preferable alternative. Methods and applications that do not require string parametric assumptions for their validity, that are based on kernels and on series expansions, and methods for independent and dependent observations are investigated and developed in these essays by renowned econometricians.

Filtering and smoothing methods are used to produce an accurate estimate of the state of a time-varying system based on multiple observational inputs (data). Interest in these methods has exploded in recent years, with numerous applications emerging in fields such as navigation, aerospace engineering, telecommunications and medicine. This compact, informal introduction for graduate students and advanced undergraduates presents the current state-of-the-art filtering and smoothing methods in a unified Bayesian framework. Readers learn what non-linear Kalman filters and particle filters are, how they are related, and their relative advantages and disadvantages. They also discover how state-of-the-art Bayesian parameter estimation methods can be combined with state-of-the-art filtering and smoothing algorithms. The book's practical and algorithmic approach assumes only modest mathematical prerequisites. Examples include Matlab computations, and the numerous end-of-chapter exercises include

A multidisciplinary and accessible introduction to humanity’s favorite structure: the bridge.

Materials and Sustainable Development, Second Edition, written by noted materials selection authority Mike Ashby, provides a structure and framework for analyzing sustainable development and the role of materials in it. The aim is to introduce ways of exploring sustainable development to readers in a way that avoids simplistic interpretations and approaches complexity in a systematic way. There is no completely right answer to questions of sustainable development - instead, there is a thoughtful, well-researched response that recognizes concerns of stakeholders, the conflicting priorities and the economic, legal and social aspects of a technology as well as its environmental legacy. The intent is not to offer solutions to sustainability challenges but rather to improve the quality of discussion and enable informed, balanced debate. The second edition has been updated to reflect new insights, regulatory trends, and other developments that have occurred since publication of the first edi

This textbook provides a clear and concise introduction to computer architecture and implementation. Two important themes are interwoven throughout the book. The first is an overview of the major concepts and design philosophies of computer architecture and organization. The second is the early introduction and use of analytic modeling of computer performance. The author begins by describing the classic von Neumann architecture, and then presents in detail a number of performance models and evaluation techniques. He goes on to cover user instruction set design, including RISC architecture. A unique feature of the book is its memory-centric approach - memory systems are discussed before processor implementations. The author also deals with pipelined processors, input/output techniques, queuing modes, and extended instruction set architectures. Each topic is illustrated with reference to actual IBM and Intel architectures. The book contains many worked examples and over 130 homework exer

Presents the main statistical tools of econometrics, focusing specifically on modern econometric methodology. The authors unify the approach by using a small number of estimation techniques, mainly generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation and kernel smoothing. The choice of GMM is explained by its relevance in structural econometrics and its preeminent position in econometrics overall. Split into four parts, Part I explains general methods. Part II studies statistical models that are best suited for microeconomic data. Part III deals with dynamic models that are designed for macroeconomic and financial applications. In Part IV the authors synthesize a set of problems that are specific to statistical methods in structural econometrics, namely identification and over-identification, simultaneity, and unobservability. Many theoretical examples illustrate the discussion and can be treated as application exercises. Nobel Laureate James A. Heckman offers a foreword to the work.

What is colloquial Latin? What can we learn about it from Roman literature, and how does an understanding of colloquial Latin enhance our appreciation of literature? This book sets out to answer such questions, beginning with examinations of how the term 'colloquial' has been used by linguists and by classicists (and how its Latin equivalents were used by the Romans) and continuing with exciting new research on colloquial language in a wide range of Latin authors. Each chapter is written by a leading expert in the relevant area, and the material presented includes new editions of several texts. The Introduction presents the first account in English of developments in the study of colloquial Latin over the last century, and throughout the book findings are presented in clear, lucid, and jargon-free language, making a major scholarly debate accessible to a broad range of students and non-specialists.

John Holloway is probably best known for his work on Shakespeare and on the Victorian and modern periods; this 1979 book represents an extension of his interests hitherto. Though not intended as mathematical analyses of fiction or drama, the essays here have evolved largely by allowing broad mathematical concepts to suggest original lines of argument in the critical analysis of narrative structure. Among the authors to come under detailed consideration are Boccaccio, Racine, George Eliot, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Henry James, as well as several more recent English novelists, and the tendency of the book as a whole is to invite application of the critical approaches that it explores to a still wider range of literary works. Professor Holloway also considers some fundamental issues relating structural analysis to the concerns of the literary critic, and he includes appendices on methods of analysing political oratory, and on the idea of the transformation rule as an aid to the critical d

In this book, the first systematic study of Socrates' reflections on self-knowledge, Christopher Moore examines the ancient precept 'Know yourself' and, drawing on Plato, Aristophanes, Xenophon, and others, reconstructs and reassesses the arguments about self-examination, personal ideals, and moral maturity at the heart of the Socratic project. What has been thought to be a purely epistemological or metaphysical inquiry turns out to be deeply ethical, intellectual, and social. Knowing yourself is more than attending to your beliefs, discerning the structure of your soul, or recognizing your ignorance - it is constituting yourself as a self who can be guided by knowledge toward the good life. This is neither a wholly introspective nor a completely isolated pursuit: we know and constitute ourselves best through dialogue with friends and critics. This rich and original study will be of interest to researchers in the philosophy of Socrates, selfhood, and ancient thought.

Margaret Masterman was a pioneer in the field of computational linguistics. Working in the earliest days of language processing by computer, she believed that meaning, not grammar, was the key to understanding languages, and that machines could determine the meaning of sentences. She was able, even on simple machines, to undertake sophisticated experiments in machine translation, and carried out important work on the use of semantic codings and thesauri to determine the meaning structure of texts. This volume brings together Masterman's groundbreaking papers for the first time. Through his insightful commentaries, Yorick Wilks argues that Masterman came close to developing a computational theory of language meaning based on the ideas of Wittgenstein, and shows the importance of her work in the philosophy of science and the nature of iconic languages. Of key interest in computational linguistics and artificial intelligence, it will remind scholars of Masterman's significant contribution

Dual arguments have become a standard tool for analysis of problems involving optimization by consumers and producers. The principal aim of this book is to provide a fairly systematic yet simple exposition of the basic structure of such arguments. The emphasis is not on providing mathematically general proofs; instead, a geometric approach is used to provide, in an informal way, an intuitive understanding of duality theory. This book introduces the most common alternative ways of representing preferences and technologies, such as indirect utility and distance functions, expenditure and cost functions, and profit and revenue functions. and it discusses the assumptions under which alternative formulations contain precisely the same information. Results such as Roy's identity. the Hotelling-Wold identity, and Shephard's lemma are fully explained. as are their roles in facilitating analysis of behaviour.

The theory of Gröbner bases, invented by Bruno Buchberger, is a general method by which many fundamental problems in various branches of mathematics and engineering can be solved by structurally simple algorithms. The method is now available in all major mathematical software systems. This book provides a short and easy-to-read account of the theory of Gröbner bases and its applications. It is in two parts, the first consisting of tutorial lectures, beginning with a general introduction. The subject is then developed in a further twelve tutorials, written by leading experts, on the application of Gröbner bases in various fields of mathematics. In the second part are seventeen original research papers on Gröbner bases. An appendix contains the English translations of the original German papers of Bruno Buchberger in which Gröbner bases were introduced.

Find Every Pok幦on From Kanto to Paldea With Over 1,400 Stickers! The Pok幦on Epic Sticker Collection: 3rd Edition covers every known Pok幦on from Kanto to Paldea - plus Kitakami and the Blueberry Academy - including Legendary and Mythical Pok幦on, Ultra Beasts, and much more! Organized by region, this book features each Pok幦on's name, pronunciation, type, height, and weight. Learn about as many Pok幦on as you can with over 1,400 stickers included. The Pok幦on Epic Sticker Collection: 3rd Edition also includes an introduction to each region, along with helpful tips about some of the coolest and most mysterious Pok幦on that inhabit them!

Economists have traditionally concentrated on aggregate economic growth to measure a country's development, but previously they have also considered income distribution performance. In this book Gary Fields reverses conventional approaches by using income distribution as the primary indicator. He examines what is known about the distribution of income and poverty, inequality, and development. He explores the main causes of poverty and inequality and the extent to which they have been reduced by individual countries in the course of their economic growth. Recognizing that conclusions vary with the type of income distribution measure used, Fields proposes that changes in absolute poverty be adopted as the primary index of a developing nation's progress and suggests that the growth rate of the GNP and character of that growth be regarded as the principal determinants of the levels of poverty and inequality. This framework calls for new models new data. and new microanalytic techniques in

Get a quick introduction to the technologies, tools, and techniques for programming Virtual Reality on the latest generation of desktop and mobile VR hardware. With this hands-on guide, you’ll learn e

This book describes both the theoretical and experimental aspects of optical soliton generation, soliton properties and the application of optical solitons to all-optical high-bit-rate communications. Only temporal optical solitons in fibres are considered. The intention of the book is to provide an overview of our current understanding of optical soliton properties, introducing the subject for the student and reviewing the most recent research. Each chapter has been written by experts, indeed chapters 1 and 2 have been contributed by the pioneers of theoretical and experimental optical soliton research – Dr A. Hasegawa and Dr L. F. Mollenauer respectively. The book will be of importance to graduate students and researchers in optics, optical engineering and communications science, providing a useful introduction for those who are entering the field. It will provide an up-to-date summary of recent research for the expert, who will also find the references to each chapter extremely val

Competency in resuscitation is a necessity for most clinical staff, with many attending Advanced Life Support (ALS) courses. Adult and Paediatric ALS: Self-assessment in Resuscitation uses an innovative question-and-answer structure and Resuscitation Council (UK) 2010 Guidelines to provide a complete overview of all aspects of advanced life support and resuscitation in adults and children. Comprising ten chapters of multiple choice questions, diagnostic questions, colour photo questions and comprehensive answers, this resource aids revision of the adult and paediatric ALS syllabus and assists readers in gaining a thorough understanding of all aspects of resuscitation science and practice. Written by a leading resuscitation expert, Adult and Paediatric ALS: Self-assessment in Resuscitation is essential reading for anyone undertaking resuscitation training, beginning training in acute resuscitation specialities or wishing to update their knowledge of advanced life support.

Originally published in 1950, this book was based on a short series of lectures given by the author at the University of Illinois in 1948. Aimed at the non-specialist, the chief aim of the text was to provide a general introduction to contemporary developments in the field of calculating instruments and machines. But there is some treatment of the historical side of the subject, with appreciation shown for the vision and foresight of key pioneers Charles Babbage and Lord Kelvin. This is a concise and informative volume that will be of value to anyone with an interest in the development and history of computation.

Das Schreiben der romischen Kirche an die korinthische aus der Zeit Domitians, Harnack's 'farewell gift' on 1 Clement to his students, was formative for several decades after its publication, and remains an influential work even in contemporary discussions of this ancient letter. Harnack contends that 1 Clement is the most important witness to early Christianity, and that a close study of this work will equip the reader better to understand its later developments. Now translated into English for the first time, it is presented alongside four influential essays pertaining to 1 Clement that Harnack wrote throughout his career, as well as a historical introduction and assessment of Harnack's work by Larry Welborn.

Geophysical imaging methods provide solutions to a wide range of environmental and engineering problems: protection of soil and groundwater from contamination, disposal of chemical and nuclear waste, geotechnical site testing, landslide and ground subsidence hazard detection, location of archaeological artefacts. This book comprehensively describes the theory, data acquisition and interpretation of all of the principal techniques of geophysical surveying: gravity, magnetic, seismic, self-potential, resistivity, induced polarization, electromagnetic, ground-probing radar, radioactivity, geothermal, and geophysical borehole logging. A final chapter is devoted to inversion theory and tomography. Each chapter is supported by a large number of richly illustrated case histories. This book will prove to be a valuable course-book for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates in environmental and applied geophysics, a supplementary course-book for students of geology, engineering geophysics, ci

A deliciously funny and moving comedy-of-manners about a Chinese father and son's experiences at the height of London's Jazz Age' He was in London - why be bothered looking at it? Wasn't it bad enough just being there?'Newly arrived from China, Mr Ma and his son Ma Wei run an antiques shop nestled by St Paul's Cathedral, where they try to make a living amid the smog and bustle of 1920s London. As they struggle with money, misunderstandings and the ways of the English - from the overbearing patronage of missionary Reverend Ely to their well-meaning landlady Mrs Weddeburn and her carefree daughter - can understanding, even love, blossom? Both a moving story of the Chinese immigrant experience and a bitingly funny satire on the English, Mr Ma and Son delicately portrays the dreams and disappointments of those seeking a new life in a distant land.Translated by William Dolby, with an introduction by Julia Lovell

The past decade has witnessed a surge of pricing innovations in the U.S. telecommunications industry. This book systematically reviews recent innovations in the economic theory of pricing and extends results to the conditions which characterise telecommunications markets. The implementation of normative pricing theory is examined in selected US telephone tariffs, providing a rich and diverse data base and laboratory for examining the practical consequences of pricing innovations. The authors develop and illuminate the relationships between the normative economic theory of pricing - with its objectives of social welfare, economic efficiency, and fairness - and telecommunications pricing as it is practised by business and regulators. The general theoretical pricing principles and lessons of US pricing experience discussed are directly applicable to telecommunications services in other countries, and to numerous other industries including electricity, gas, rail and air transport, and post

Scholars and critics commonly align W. B. Yeats with Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot and the modernist movement at large. This incisive study from renowned poetry critic Edna Longley argues that Yeats' presence and influence in modern poetry have been sorely misunderstood. Longley disputes the value of modernist critical paradigms and suggests alternative perspectives for interpreting Yeats - perspectives based on his own criticism, and on how Ireland shaped both his criticism and his poetry. Close readings of particular poems focus on structure, demonstrating how radically Yeats' approach to poetic form differs from that of Pound and Eliot. Longley discusses other twentieth-century poets in relation to Yeats' insistence on tradition, and offers valuable insights into the work of Edward Thomas, Wallace Stevens, Wilfred Owen, Hugh MacDiarmid, W. H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, Geoffrey Hill, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes. Her postscript addresses key issues in contemporary poetry by taking a fresh loo

This is an introduction to logic and the axiomatization of set theory from a unique standpoint. Philosophical considerations, which are often ignored or treated casually, are here given careful consideration, and furthermore the author places the notion of inductively defined sets (recursive datatypes) at the centre of his exposition resulting in a treatment of well established topics that is fresh and insightful. The presentation is engaging, but always great care is taken to illustrate difficult points. Understanding is also aided by the inclusion of many exercises. Little previous knowledge of logic is required of the reader, and only a background of standard undergraduate mathematics is assumed.

Is what could have happened but never did as real as what did happen? What did happen, but isn't happening now, happened at another time. Analogously, one can say that what could have happened happens in another possible world. Whatever their views about the reality of such things as possible worlds, philosophers need to take this analogy seriously. Adriane Rini and Max Cresswell exhibit, in an easy step-by-step manner, the logical structure of temporal and modal discourse, and show that every temporal construction has an exact parallel that requires a language that can refer to worlds, and vice versa. They make precise, in a way which can be articulated and tested, the claim that the parallel is at work behind even ordinary talk about time and modality. The book gives metaphysicians a sturdy framework for the investigation of time and modality - one that does not presuppose any particular metaphysical view.