Search results for ""planet!""

'Precisely balanced . . . a cracking comic thriller' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people. They say that diplomacy is a gentle art. That mastering it is a lifetime's work. But you do need a certain inclination in that direction. It's not something you can just pick up on the job.A few days ago Sam Vimes was a copper - an important copper, true - chief of police - but still, at his core, a policeman. But today he is an ambassador - to the mysterious, fat-rich country of Uberwald. Today, Sam Vimes is also a man on the run.At some point during his ambassadorship, things went very wrong. It's snowing. It's freezing. And if Vimes can't make it through the forest, with only his wits and the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya (don't ask), there's going to be a terrible war.There are monsters on his trail. They're bright. They're fast. They're werewolves - and they're catching up.

Read more less

Dive into the world of The Secret Explorers and learn about ocean life in this action-packed first instalment in a brand-new fiction series.Meet The Secret Explorers! This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet - and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station, and receive their mission...In The Lost Whales, marine life expert Connor needs to use his underwater expertise to help save a pod of humpback whales that have lost their way. Along with space expert Roshni, he sets out in a submarine to search for a way to steer the whales back on track, but encounters unexpected problems along the way, including lost baby whales and a fleet of boats. Will The Secret Explorers manage to succeed in their mission?Packed with fun illustrations and facts about humpback whales, marine life, and how climate change is affecting the oceans, this thrilling adventure is perfect for emerging readers. The action-packed narrative keeps kids engaged and makes learning about the natural world fun.Also available as an audiobook, narrated by actor Alfred Enoch.

Read more less

Get ready for superheroes, supervillains and super-hilarious adventures in this brand new series about four young sidekicks, from a New York Times bestselling author!Superheroes have it easy. They don't have to clean their secret headquarters, wash the alien bloodstains out of their costumes or be responsible for taking Super Mutt out for a walk. No, they leave all that for their sidekicks like me, while they get all the credit!I'm Junior Justice, but you can call me JJ, and I think it's time we made our own team.The Super Sidekicks!Are you with me?Being a superhero sidekick isn't as fun as you think. You do all the work, beat the bad guys and save the planet, only for your grown-up partner to get all the credit. Junior Justice is sick of it, so he and his sidekick pals, Flygirl, Dinomite and Goo, have decided to form their own super team.But before they can start saving the world they'll have to prove to the adult heroes that they're more than just sidekicks. And once the evil Dr Enok discovers his favourite pet Goo has left him to join a super team, the world might need saving sooner rather than later!

Read more less

Read along with Florence Welch this February and March as part of the Between Two Books book club'Wry, beautiful, surprising and deeply moving' Rachel Seiffert, Guardian'Captures so excellently the low level anxiety that hums through everyday life' Daily Telegraph____________________________________________You wake up. You go to work. You have strategy meetings about how to use hashtags. After work you get so blackout drunk you can't remember the circumstances which have led you to waking up next to your colleague. The next day you stay in bed, scrolling through your social media feeds and wondering why everyone else seems to be achieving so much. Then you hear about Life on Nyx, a programme that offers the chance to move to another planet and start a new, meaningful way of life. But there's a caveat: if you go, you can never come back. ____________________________________________ 'An acute satire of our social media-dominated times and a haunting examination of depression and anxiety rendered in diamond sharp prose' i'Sauma has the horrors of the workplace nailed with satirical precision' Sunday Times Culture 'Weird, wonderful and beautifully written' Daily Mail'For fans of Black Mirror' Elle 'Millennial angst meets sci-fi' Stylist 'Uplifting, unputdownable and mordantly funny' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

Read more less

In Tiger x 4, Tiger tries to fix the ship's fabricator, accidently creating three copies of himself! Can the micro-friends turn the disaster to their advantage when the Krools attack? Our heroes land on Planet Akwa and meet some of the local aliens but not all of them are friendly. Find out what happens in The Sands of Akwa. In Holo-board Havoc, Cat saves Tiger from a holo-board disaster, but there is yet more trouble waiting for them when they land! In Ant's Pact, Ant makes a deal with the Akwans. But will the micro-friends be able to keep their side of the bargain? Will Max, Ant and Nok be able to save a baby Raptiss and strike a deal with the terrifying creatures? Find out in The Screams of the Raptiss. In The Secret Whirlpool, Max, Ant and Nok go deep inside a huge crater to find the first fragment of Exis. But will they be able to get it? Each book comes with notes on the inside front and back covers for teachers, TAs and parents/carers, which give question prompts and points for discussion, challenge words, and additional activities that children can do.

Read more less

David Christian, creator of Big History ('My favourite course of all time' Bill Gates), brings us the epic story of the universe and our place in it, from 13.8 billion years ago to the remote future'Nails home the point: Life is a miracle ... A compelling history of everything' Washington Post 'Spectacular' Carlo RovelliHow did we get from the Big Bang to today's staggering complexity, in which seven billion humans are connected into networks powerful enough to transform the planet? And why, in comparison, are our closest primate relatives reduced to near-extinction? Big History creator David Christian gives the answers in a mind-expanding cosmological detective story told on the grandest possible scale. He traces how, during eight key thresholds, the right conditions have allowed new forms of complexity to arise, from stars to galaxies, Earth to homo sapiens, agriculture to fossil fuels. This last mega-innovation gave us an energy bonanza that brought huge benefits to mankind, yet also threatens to shake apart everything we have created.'Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring ... Superb' The Times'With fascinating ideas on every page and the page-turning energy of a good thriller, this is a landmark work' Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element

Read more less

Inhabiting a whole kingdom of their own, fungi can be found in every ecosystem. They carpet the forest floor, and different types of fungi decompose matter, feed plants, and even change animals' behaviour.Their beautiful mushrooms come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Fungal stories include the greening of the Earth, when fungi helped plants first grow on land, and the mass destruction of crops through fungal disease. From the villains of the upcoming bananageddon to plastic-eating eco-warriors, there are over 1.5 million known fungus species, and a huge, unknown number of unnamed "dark" types. Some are even found inside animals - helpful fungi break down food in animal guts, but others take over their hosts' bodies.Inside the pages of this children's science and nature book, you'll discover exactly what fungi are and more!- Wonderfully detailed illustrations and photographs of fungal species- Surprise pull-out tabs packed with fun facts- Introduction to the science of fungi through engaging topics and thoughtful layoutsThis book of fabulous fungi will intrigue and amaze young readers, and open their eyes to the fungi thriving all around them.Embark on a magical tour of the forest floor and discover one of the most fascinating living organisms on this planet - fungi.

Read more less

Kids are on a mission to save the Earth! Recycle and Remake is the hands-on, practical guide you need to get started. This gentle, but empowering book is full of creative making activities, information, and ideas that give young eco-warriors (like you!) the know-how to really help the environment. With Recycle and Remake, you will soon be saving trees by making your own seeded recycled paper from junk mail, cleaning up the oceans by turning old carrier bags into kites, friendship bracelets, and colourful weaved baskets, and repurposing a cardboard box into a periscope. You'll also learn about sustainable energies by creating a simple solar oven, cutting down on cling-film by making a food wrap from scrap cotton and beeswax, and turning an old tshirt into a reusable tote bag so you never need to buy a plastic carrier bag again. You can even grow new plants to clean the air in your own upcycled milk bottle planters and using homemade compost.Each of the activities directly relates to an environmental hot topic, such as plastic pollution, food waste, or deforestation. Budding environmentalists all over the world are feeling inspired to do their bit for our unique planet.

Read more less

Film director Oliver Stone had this to say about World Stompers: “Travel can be a nightmare when you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. This subversive masterpiece of travel writing might just save your sanity the next time you go out there. Get it. It makes life fun!” Written to motivate and inspire young people in their quests to travel the world, this book introduces a new way of traveling—freestyle traveling—where all that’s required is an adventurous spirit and an insatiable curiosity about the workings of the world. This global travel manifesto clears up misconceptions about extended backpacking, candidly portrays travelers interacting in different cultures around the world, and encourages people of all ages to get on world travel circuits to become aware of the immense changes happening around the planet. In addition to providing all the practical information such as saving money on travel expenses, staying safe and healthy on the road, and finding a job overseas, this guide will also take travelers on a philosophical journey with the best travel advice from sages throughout the ages.

Read more less

Tom Sleigh's poems are skeptical of the inevitability of our fate, but in this brilliant new collection, they are charged with a powerful sense of premonition, as if the future is unfolding before us, demanding something greater than the self. Justice is a prevailing force, even while the poems are fully cognizant of the refugee crisis, war, famine, and the brutal reality of a crowded hospital morgue. The King's Touch collides the world of fact and the world of mystery with a resolutely secular register. The title poem refers to the once-held belief that the king, as a divine representative, is imbued with the power of healing touch. Sleigh turns this encounter between illness and human contact toward his own chronic blood disease and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its mounting death tolls. One poem asks, "isn't it true that no matter how long you / wear them, masks don't grieve, only faces do?" In this essential new work, Sleigh shows how the language of poetry itself can revive and recuperate a sense of a future under the conditions of violence, social unrest, and global anxiety about the fate of the planet.

Read more less

The Meaty Truth is an eye-opening look at the massive problems caused by the American population’s food supply. Water, meat, and milk and other dairy products are filled with toxins, antibiotics, untested growth hormones, ammonia, and animal pus and manure. The current conditions of the food production industry must drastically improve, and until they do, it is absolutely vital to monitor what you eat. Castle and Goodman take a hard-hitting look at what America is putting into its food, the negative effects this has on the world, and the best ways to make healthy, informed decisions about eating.As the antibiotic age ends, the rise of pandemic diseases is approaching. Approximately half of the illnesses that claim American lives today are related to what we eat, and our health-care system is focused on treating the sick, not preventing illnesses from occurring. To fix our health problems, to continue feeding the world’s ever-growing population, and to save our planet from ecological destruction, we can no longer avoid making changes to how American meat and dairy are produced. This guide is easy to read, applicable to anyone’s lifestyle, and impossible to put down.

Read more less

Oil palms are ubiquitous--grown in nearly every tropical country, they supply the world with more edible fat than any other plant and play a role in scores of packaged products, from lipstick and soap to margarine and cookies. And as Jonathan E. Robins shows, sweeping social transformations carried the plant around the planet. First brought to the global stage in the holds of slave ships, palm oil became a quintessential commodity in the Industrial Revolution. Imperialists hungry for cheap fat subjugated Africa's oil palm landscapes and the people who worked them. In the twentieth century, the World Bank promulgated oil palm agriculture as a panacea to rural development in Southeast Asia. As plantation companies tore into rainforests, evicting farmers in the name of progress, the oil palm continued its rise to dominance, sparking new controversies over trade, land and labor rights, human health, and the environment. By telling the story of the oil palm across multiple centuries and continents, Robins demonstrates how the fruits of an African palm tree became a key commodity in the story of global capitalism, beginning in the eras of slavery and imperialism, persisting through decolonization, and stretching to the present day.

Read more less

From the Moon, Sun, and planets of our Solar System to space exploration, black holes, and dark matter, this completely revised and updated children’s encyclopedia covers all you need to know about the cosmos. The most up-to-date images from space agencies such as NASA and ESA combine with info panels, timelines, interviews, diagrams, and activities you can do at home to help you understand the majesty and wonder of space. Learn about the Space Race, the Apollo Moon Landings, the Voyager craft that first probed the outer planets, the Hubble telescope, and the International Space Station (ISS) – the state-of-the-art laboratory orbiting Earth. Find out about future missions, space tourism, and the latest discoveries in the furthest reaches of our galaxy. Discover how to find constellations and where to look for stars and planets, including Venus and Mars, in the night sky. Learn how galaxies such as our Milky Way were formed. Part of a series of best-selling encyclopedias for children, Space: A Children’s Encyclopedia is a rocket ride from the beginning of time to the near future, and from planet Earth out to the furthest reaches of the Universe.

Read more less

A new installment in the New York Times best-selling, award-winning Vorkosigan science fiction adventure series! Captain Ivan Vorpatril sometimes thinks that if not for his family, he might have no troubles at all. But he has the dubious fortune of the hyperactive Miles Vorkosigan as a cousin, which has too-often led to his getting dragged into one of Miles’ schemes, with risk to life and limb — and military career — that Ivan doesn’t consider entirely fair. Fortunately, his current duty is on the planet Komarr as staff officer to Admiral Desplains, far from both his cousin and his mother back on their homeworld of Barrayar. It’s an easy assignment and nobody is shooting at him. What could go wrong? Plenty, it turns out, when Byerly Vorrutyer, an undercover agent for Imperial Security, shows up on his doorstep and asks him to make the acquaintance of a young woman, recently arrived on Komarr, who seems to be in danger. It is but a short step down the road of good intentions to the tangle of Ivan’s life, in trouble with the Komarran authorities, with his superiors, and with the lethal figures hunting the mysterious but lovely Tej!

Read more less

David Drake’s legendary Raj Whitehall series, stunningly reborn! Humanity settled the stars, only to fall into a catastrophic collapse. On one planet, a single artificial intelligence, a computer program known as Center, found a military genius of grit and daring in Raj Whitehall, and the Galactic Republic rose again. But many dark planets remain — planets such as Duisenberg. Here, a single river cuts through a vast continental desert and a culture not unlike that of New Kingdom Egypt has developed. But, when a capsule containing the forbidden metal, plastic, and circuit boards that Zentrum hates falls from the sky — circuits with secretly stowed away, uploaded versions of Raj and Center — everything changes! What Raj and Center need now is a hero to break the Land’s stasis and lead Duisberg back from the galactic dark ages. Enter Abel Dashian. The son of a local military commander, he is a brilliant and courageous young man who has lost his mother to a simple bacterial infection. He is a young man who will dare anything to avenge his mother’s death and bring about change. He is the Heretic.

Read more less

If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War—a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival—and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the "hour of maximum danger."

Read more less

The fifth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.The Maritime Unit had landed in paradise. After a terrifying ten-year transit from Solar System aboard the Ashanti, the small band of oceanographers and marine scientists were finally settled. Perched on a reef five hundred kilometers out from shore, they were about to embark on the first exploration of Donovan's seas. For the twenty-two adults and nine children, everything is new, exciting, and filled with wonder as they discover dazzling sea creatures, stunning plant life, and fascinating organisms.But Donovan is never what it seems; the changes in the children were innocuous--oddities of behavior normal to kids who'd found themselves in a new world. Even then it was too late. An alien intelligence, with its own agenda, now possesses the children, and it will use them in a most insidious way: as the perfect weapons.How can you fight back when the enemy is smarter than you are, and wears the face of your own child?Welcome to Donovan.

Read more less

Dear Reader, I am honored that you have picked up The True Power of Water. In a world of no mistakes, it is not by coincidence that you and I are embarking on this journey. The words and pictures you are about to see will open a new world of possibilities for you -- just as my research has done for me. In this book you will learn of the unique properties of water and its ability to improve your health and your life. You will see the effect each of us has on water -- not only the water we drink but also the water that makes up 70 percent of the human body and, most importantly, what happens to that water as we interact with each other. 2005 marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Water. It is our individual responsibility to learn all we can about water, the most precious resource on our planet, and to help shift the consciousness through our thoughts, through our words and prayers, and through our commitment to respect each other with love and gratitude. May our understanding of water help bring peace to all humankind. Masaru Emoto

Read more less

Fatherhood is the debut novel from award-winning poet Caleb Klaces, combining prose and poetry in an experimental work of verse fiction. Following the birth of their first child, a couple move out of the capital to the northern countryside, where they believe the narrator’s great-grandfather, a Russian emigrant, was laid to rest. The father dedicates himself to parenting, writing and conversation with his dead ancestor, newly conscious of the ties that bind the present to the past. It is a time of startling intimacies, baby-group small talk, unexpected relationships and tender rhythms, when every clock seems to tell a different time, and the solidity of language is broken. As his daughter begins to speak, the father’s gentleness turns to unexplainable rage. He begins to question who he must protect his child from – the outside world or himself. Their new house, the family discover, is built on a floodplain.Moving between history, memory and autobiography, its shifting form captures a life and language split open by fatherhood. An experiment in rewriting masculinity, it asks how bodies can share both a house and a planet.

Read more less

In every interaction, every conversation and in every thought, you have a choice – to promote peace or perpetuate violence. International peacemaker, mediator and healer, Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg shows you how the language you use is the key to enriching life. Take the first step to reduce violence, heal pain, resolve conflicts and spread peace on our planet – by developing an internal consciousness of peace rooted in the language you use each day. Speak Peace is filled with inspiring stories, lessons and ideas drawn from over 40 years of mediating conflicts and healing relationships in some of the most war torn, impoverished, and violent corners of the world. Speak Peace offers insight, practical skills, and powerful tools that will profoundly change your relationships and the course of your life for the better. Bestselling author of the internationally acclaimed, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Discover how you can create an internal consciousness of peace as the first step toward effective personal, professional, and social change. Find complete chapters on the mechanics of Nonviolent Communication, effective conflict resolution, transforming business culture, transforming enemy images, addressing terrorism, transforming authoritarian structures, expressing and receiving gratitude, and social change.

Read more less

This is the first book to gather leading designers, creators and industry insiders to reflect on sneaker design and its ground-breaking impact on popular culture. Contributors provide insights into the evolution of sneakers from sport-wear to style icons, the processes and people involved in sneaker design and its global future. Through conversations with the people directly involved in the creation of sneakers, it speaks to the next generation of sneaker designers and wearers by asking: who are the people involved in the design of a sneaker? How do their roles and approaches differ? How does their individual work contribute to the collective effort of making a sneaker? What will the future of sneaker design be? Richly illustrated, it includes iconic sneakers, drawings and sketches, prototypes as well as glimpses in the manufacturing process. Across three chapters – Style and Culture, People and Processes, The Future – the approaches and experience of industry leaders unfold the past, present, and future of sneakers as style icons and cultural facilitators. Contributors turn to the next generation of designers with an open challenge to move the industry towards a more positive direction for both the people and the planet.

Read more less

In The Cabaret of Plants, Mabey explores the plant species which have challenged our imaginations, awoken our wonder, and upturned our ideas about history, science, beauty and belief. Picked from every walk of life, they encompass crops, weeds, medicines, religious gathering-places and a water lily named after a queen. Beginning with pagan cults and creation myths, the cultural significance of plants has burst upwards, sprouting into forms as diverse as the panacea (the cure-all plant ginseng, a single root of which can cost up to $10,000), Newton's apple, the African 'vegetable elephant' or boabab - and the mystical, night-flowering Amazonian cactus, the moonflower. Ranging widely across science, art and cultural history, poetry and personal experience, Mabey puts plants centre stage, and reveals a true botanical cabaret, a world of tricksters, shape-shifters and inspired problem-solvers, as well as an enthralled audience of romantics, eccentric amateur scientists and transgressive artists. The Cabaret of Plants celebrates the idea that plants are not simply 'the furniture of the planet', but vital, inventive, individual beings worthy of respect - and that to understand this may be the best way of preserving life together on Earth.

Read more less

This cutting-edge book invites readers to rethink environmental law and its critical role in ensuring a sustainable future for all. Featuring international narratives, it demonstrates how environmental law can be a potent tool to secure multi-actor engagement, to improve ocean governance and to usher in effective policy reforms. Contributors illustrate narratives of successful historic and contemporary developments in environmental law, setting out innovative approaches to issues such as environmental enforcement and monitoring, effective forest protection, climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Drawing out key lessons and practices for effective reform, this insightful book highlights opportunities by which we can respond to the acute environmental challenges facing the planet. Bringing together perspectives from both established and up-and-coming scholars, this book will be of interest to academics and students of environmental law, as well as researchers of environmental management. Policy makers and practitioners will also find inspiration in fruitful stories of environmental law and policy reform. Contributors include: T.N. Adimazoya, T. Daya-Winterbottom, R.-L. Eisma-Osorio, D. Estrin, A. Foerster, L.L. Heng, E.A. Kirk, Y. Lin, R.V. Percival, F.-K. Phillips, A. Pickering, N. Robinson, J. Steinberg-Albin

Read more less

Humans and the world around us have been governed by the waxing and waning of the moon since the planet came into being. Over the centuries different civilisations have embraced these natural cycles, and so lunar gardening has been around for as long as man has pulled food from the soil; once practised by the Incas and Native Americans, this tried and trusted method has been largely forgotten.John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, has been using Moon Gardening for over forty years. The methods he uses can be implemented anywhere, you do not need fancy tools, expensive seeds or substantial acreage, but instead, given time, patience and care, the results can be breath-taking. This is gardening at its most natural and organic.The Natural Gardener charts John's story from a rudderless young lad in a Cornish village to being charged with the salvation of the long-neglected gardens at Tresillian. As he shares how to follow these simple principles, he imparts his abundance of horticultural knowledge from years spent working in harmony with the soil, providing a timely link back to nature and the reassuring regularity of the seasons.

Read more less

In a sacramental ecology, divine grace is to be found in the evolutionary emergence of life. The ‘Epic of Evolution’ is the scientific story that reveals that we live in an approximately 14 billion year old universe on a planet that is approximately 4.6 billion years old and that we are a part of the ongoing process of life that has existed on Earth for roughly 4 billion years. Nature's Sacrament focuses on the religious and ecological significance of the evolutionary epic in an effort to seamlessly connect the ecological value attributed as a part of an understanding of the evolutionary connectedness of life on Earth, with the Divine grace understood to be present in Christian sacramental worship. David C. McDuffie is a faculty member in the Religious Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where his primary teaching schedule includes courses in World Religions, Religion in America, Christian History, Religion and Environment, and Religion and Politics. Broadly, his research and teaching interests involve the subject area of Religion and Culture, which includes but is not limited to the relationships between religion and politics, science, and health care. This is his first book.

Read more less

Emmy Award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling author Lionel Friedberg has spent 50 years making films as diverse as full-length theatrical features and television documentaries. After growing up in South Africa during the troubled era of apartheid he began his career during the dying days of colonialism in Central Africa. He eventually settled in Los Angeles where his work took him to the sound stages of Hollywood and to the most remote regions of the Earth. His career exposed him to the extraordinary wonders of our planet and brought him into close contact with many unforgettable personalities from maverick scientists to politicians, entertainers and people who survived near-death experiences. His observations have taught him that life is far more complex and infinitely stranger than we can imagine. When he was struck by an unexpected life-threatening illness his efforts to find a way to save his life took him back to Africa where he encountered the age-old rituals and powerful healing methods of African shamans. Their mysterious ways have much to teach us and are as relevant today as they were in ancient times.

Read more less

'Before the sixties, you were a child and then you were a man. You went to school and then you went to work. That changed. Our generation changed it.'Roger Daltrey is the voice of a generation, and this is his story.This is the story of his tempestuous school days and his expulsion, age 15, thanks to his authoritarian headmaster, Mr Kibblewhite. That could have been where the story ended, as the life of a factory worker beckoned, but then came rock and roll. Making his first guitar from factory off-cuts, Roger formed a band that would become The Who, one of the biggest bands on the planet.This is the story of My Generation, Tommy and Quadrophenia, of smashed guitars, exploding drums, cars in swimming pools, fights, arrests and redecorated hotel rooms, but also how all those post-war kids redefined the rules of youth.This is not just a hilarious and frank account of more than 50 wild years on the road, it is the definitive story of The Who and of the sweeping revolution that was British rock 'n' roll.

Read more less

A timely, contemporary novel challenging ideas around health – our own and our planet's – and the stigma that persists around illness, by Printz Medallist and internationally bestselling novelist, Marcus Sedgwick. Ash has lived in eight states in as many years. Mom has gone walkabout, but stepdad Jack is like a father, and stepbrother Bly the best anyone could wish for. When Bly goes missing too, Ash sets off to search for him – and finds something much bigger: the sickness of the world. Arriving in Snowflake, Arizona, Ash discovers Bly living with a community 6000 feet high in the wide red desert. They call themselves the Canaries and all suffer from some kind of environmental illness. They are ostracised by modern society, as it continues to ignore climate change, global warming and so much more of our self-inflicted poisoning of the planet. When Ash takes ill, the doctor's response is, 'it's all in your mind'. In a story spanning seven years with triumphs and tragedies, Ash learns how to live as the world is pushed to a point of no return. This humane and deeply thoughtful novel is about resilience, trust, family and love.

Read more less

We are marching towards a future in which three-quarters of humans live in cities, more than half of the landmass of the planet is urbanized, and the rest is covered by farms,pasture, and plantations. Increasingly, as we become ever more city-centric, species and ecosystems crafted by millions of years of evolution teeter on the brink of extinction - or have already disappeared.A growing band of 'urban ecologists' is beginning to realize that natural selection is not so easily stopped. They are finding that more and more plants and animals are adopting new ways of living in the seemingly hostile environments of asphalt and steel that we humans have created. Carrion crows in the Japanese city of Sendai, for example, have learned to use passing traffic to crack nuts for them; otters and bobcats, no longer persecuted by humans, are waiting at the New York City gates; superb fairy-wrens in Australia have evolved different mating structures for nesting in strips of vegetation along roads; while distinct populations of London underground mosquitoes have been fashioned by the varied tube line environments.Menno Schilthuizen shows us that evolution can happen far more rapidly than Darwin had dared dream.

Read more less

What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator! Discover hundreds of dad-joke inspired word searches that are so bad, they’re great.A joke is only a dad joke when it’s fully groan. This collection features 50 puzzles and over 400 puns made for your inner dad-joke aficionado. With knock-knock jokes, clever puns, and witty one-liners, these family-friendly jokes are ideal for pun enthusiasts of all ages. This giftable book is perfect for birthdays, Father’s Day, stocking stuffers, road trips, and more! Challenge yourself and your friends and family as you puzzle through each word search. Stumped? Flip to find the answers in the back of the book. These unbearable wisecracks will provide hours of fun.Inside you’ll find: How do you organize a space party? Planet What do you call a wife of a hippie? Mississippi What does a vegetarian zombie eat? Grains What do you give to a citrus fruit that needs help? Lemonaid And more! Fill in the blanks for many groan-worthy, smile-inducing jokes with The Punniest Word Searches in the World.

Read more less

Find strength and motivation for your next outdoor journey with this beautiful book of inspiring quotes and empowering stories of women who indulged in the freedom of being adventurous.Adventurous Soul is for all outdoor enthusiasts, empowering you to get out and explore the world you haven’t yet. In this book, the inspiring team at Happy Earth tell their stories about the wisdom of making room for nature, of people who long to forge a more vital, meaningful connection to the natural world to live a better, more fulfilling life. Happy Earth was founded on the idea of sustainable clothing and making a positive impact on the Earth. It is their goal to protect the planet and put the Earth first. Full of beautiful photography, uplifting quotes, and stories of people who go on incredible and unique adventures, the chapters are organized by empowering themes, including: Walk Your Own Path Balance Brings Beauty Change is the Only Constant Results without the Rush Live and Let Live Adventurous Soul is the perfect gift for anyone looking to unplug, spend more time outdoors, and find wisdom in nature.

Read more less

Discover delicious, creative and affordable meals in Vegan (ish), a collection of plant-based recipes from bestselling writer and campaigner Jack Monroe.'My theory is, if all of us adopted a few more plant-based meals into our diets on a weekly basis, not only would our food bills go down, but so would our environmental impact'This full-colour collection of one hundred simple, low-cost recipes is perfect for committed vegans or anyone who wants to give vegan cooking a try. From Breakfast Muckmuffins to Beet Wellington, and Kinda-Carbonara to Bakewell Tart, Jack's easy, vibrant home cooking is tasty, tempting and surprisingly uncomplicated.Packed with inventive, easy and 100% vegan dishes, this gorgeous book is sure to appeal – whether you are looking to take the leap, want to be a little kinder to the planet, need ideas to cook for a vegan friend, or simply want to put some more plant power in your everyday cooking.'Jack Monroe is both cookery writer and tenacious campaigner . . . she understands first hand what it's like to be skint and have the desire to put something delicious on the table' – Nigel Slater

Read more less

Sort the truth from the lies with the Fact or Fake series packed full of unbelievable, mind-boggling facts!This high-interest series for children aged 9-11 sorts the facts from the fakes. From the human body and dinosaurs to history and science, each statement is proved right or wrong, and accompanied by eye-popping graphics that bring each subject to life! Prepare to be surprised and amazed by these sometimes strange, but always fascinating, truths.In Fact or Fake: The Truth About Dinosaurs will you separate the facts from the fakes?:Is there really a dinosaur named after Hogwarts School? Is it true that Stegosaurus had two brain? Dinosaurs were great parents, fact or fake?T rex stood upright, or did it?Eye-catching illustration, quirky fonts and clever design treatment make this an appealing and unputdownable high interest leisure read for children aged 9+ Other titles in the series: The Truth about the Human Body The Truth about Science The Truth about History The Truth about Space The Truth about Animals The Truth about Planet Earth The Truth about Dinosaurs The Truth about Sports The Truth about Inventions The Truth about Survival Skills

Read more less

In Radiation and Revolution political theorist and anticapitalist activist Sabu Kohso uses the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster to illuminate the relationship between nuclear power, capitalism, and the nation-state. Combining an activist's commitment to changing the world with a theorist's determination to grasp the world in its complexity, Kohso outlines how the disaster is not just a pivotal event in postwar Japan; it represents the epitome of the capitalist-state mode of development that continues to devastate the planet's environment. Throughout, he captures the lived experiences of the disaster's victims, shows how the Japanese government's insistence on nuclear power embodies the constitution of its regime under the influence of US global strategy, and considers the future of a radioactive planet driven by nuclearized capitalism. As Kohso demonstrates, nuclear power is not a mere source of energy—it has become the organizing principle of the global order and the most effective way to simultaneously accumulate profit and govern the populace. For those who aspire to a world free from domination by capitalist nation-states, Kohso argues, the abolition of nuclear energy and weaponry is imperative.

Read more less

From the Moon, Sun, and planets of our Solar System to space exploration, black holes, and dark matter, this completely revised and updated children’s encyclopedia covers all you need to know about the cosmos. The most up-to-date images from space agencies such as NASA and ESA combine with info panels, timelines, interviews, diagrams, and activities you can do at home to help you understand the majesty and wonder of space. Learn about the Space Race, the Apollo Moon Landings, the Voyager craft that first probed the outer planets, the Hubble telescope, and the International Space Station (ISS) – the state-of-the-art laboratory orbiting Earth. Find out about future missions, space tourism, and the latest discoveries in the furthest reaches of our galaxy. Discover how to find constellations and where to look for stars and planets, including Venus and Mars, in the night sky. Learn how galaxies such as our Milky Way were formed. Part of a series of best-selling encyclopedias for children, Space: A Children’s Encyclopedia is a rocket ride from the beginning of time to the near future, and from planet Earth out to the furthest reaches of the Universe.

Read more less

Be astounded by the incredible invertebrate life that lived on Earth millions of years ago!Hundreds of millions of years before humans had evolved, our planet was already teeming with life. In prehistoric oceans, stony deserts, warm swamps and vast grasslands, there lived an incredible variety of plants and animals.Invertebrates made up a huge number of Earth's life forms. Among them, giant sea scorpions as big as a lion terrorised the oceans, enormous millipedes fed on plants in dense Carboniferous forests and tiny wasps preyed on cockroach larvae in lush tropical regions.Children will pour over the incredibly detailed illustrations and timeline, and be absorbed by the wealth of information.This stunningly illustrated series looks at life in the prehistoric era, focusing not just on dinosaurs, but looking at the world as a whole. The prehistoric era is absolutely fascinating for children and adults alike, and is useful for schools studying history chronologically. Amazingly detailed and accurate illustrations bring the prehistoric era to life. Engaging reading for children aged 7+.Titles in the series:Dinosaurs Insects, Bugs and Other InvertebratesMammals, Birds and Other VertebratesPlants

Read more less

Against the long historical backdrop of 1492, Columbus, and the Conquest, Robert Stam's wide-ranging study traces a trajectory from the representation of indigenous peoples by others to self-representation by indigenous peoples, often as a form of resistance and rebellion to colonialist or neoliberal capitalism, across an eclectic range of forms of media, arts, and social philosophy. Spanning national and transnational media in countries including the US, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, Stam orchestrates a dialogue between the western mediated gaze on the 'Indian' and the indigenous gaze itself, especially as incarnated in the burgeoning movement of “indigenous media,” that is, the use of audio-visual-digital media for the social and cultural purposes of indigenous peoples themselves. Drawing on examples from cinema, literature, music, video, painting and stand-up comedy, Stam shows how indigenous artists, intellectuals and activists are responding to the multiple crises - climatological, economic, political, racial, and cultural - confronting the world. Significant attention is paid to the role of arts-based activism in supporting the struggle of indigenous artistic activism, of the Yanomami people specifically, to save the Amazon forest and the planet.

Read more less

There are over 40 000 named species of mite, and if estimates for unnamed species are included, then up to 1 million may grace the planet. By comparison, there are approximately 40 000 species of vertebrates, half of them fish, alive today. Mites are predators, parasites, herbivores and detritivores. They live in the dark depths of the ocean, in the lungs of birds, on the leaves of rainforest plants, and in human clothes and bedding. They are vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. Despite the grand diversity of mites, these small arthropods are often overlooked, and even trained biologists can be unaware of their significance. This books aims to fill the gap in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites, without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. The text is richly illustrated with line drawings and photographs. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, and mites as models of ecological and evolutionary theories.

Read more less

Already in the nineteenth century, German-language writers were contending with the challenge of imagining and accounting for a planet whose volatility bore little resemblance to the images of the Earth then in circulation. The Geological Unconscious traces the withdrawal of the lithosphere as a reliable setting, unobtrusive backdrop, and stable point of reference for literature written well before the current climate breakdown. Through a series of careful readings of romantic, realist, and modernist works by Tieck, Goethe, Stifter, Benjamin, and Brecht, Groves elaborates a geological unconscious—unthought and sometimes actively repressed geological knowledge—in European literature and environmental thought. This inhuman horizon of reading and interpretation offers a new literary history of the Anthropocene in a period before it was named. These close readings show the entanglement of the human and the lithic in periods well before the geological turn of contemporary cultural studies. In those depictions of human-mineral encounters, the minerality of the human and the minerality of the imagination become apparent. In registering libidinal investments in the lithosphere that extend beyond Carboniferous deposits and beyond any carbon imaginary, The Geological Unconscious points toward alternative relations with, and less destructive mobilizations of, the geologic.

Read more less

In 1761 and again in 1768, European scientists raced around the world to observe the transit of Venus, a rare astronomical event in which the planet Venus passes in front of the sun. In The Transit of Empire, Jodi A. Byrd explores how indigeneity functions as transit, a trajectory of movement that serves as precedent within U.S. imperial history. Byrd argues that contemporary U.S. empire expands itself through a transferable “Indianness” that facilitates acquisitions of lands, territories, and resources.Examining an array of literary texts, historical moments, and pending legislations—from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma’s vote in 2007 to expel Cherokee Freedmen to the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization bill—Byrd demonstrates that inclusion into the multicultural cosmopole does not end colonialism as it is purported to do. Rather, that inclusion is the very site of the colonization that feeds U.S. empire.Byrd contends that the colonization of American Indian and indigenous nations is the necessary ground from which to reimagine a future where the losses of indigenous peoples are not only visible and, in turn, grieveable, but where indigenous peoples have agency to transform life on their own lands and on their own terms.

Read more less

What did our ancestors dream of when they gazed up at the stars and looked beyond the present? Wildly imaginative but grounded in reasoned scientific speculation, A Journey in Other Worlds races far ahead of the nineteenth century to imagine what life would be like in the year 2000. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Earth is effectively a corporate technocracy, with big businesses using incredible advances in science to improve life on the planet as a whole. Seeking other planets habitable for the growing human population, the spaceship Callisto, powered by an antigravitational force known as apergy, embarks on a momentous tour of the solar system. Jupiter proves to be a wilderness paradise, full of threatening beasts and landscapes of inspired beauty, where the explorers must fight for their lives. Dangers less tangible but equally deadly await the Callisto crew on Saturn, which yields profound secrets about their fate and the ultimate destiny of mankind. Thoughtful, adventurous, and replete with a dazzling array of futuristic devices, A Journey in Other Worlds is a classic, unforgettable story of utopias and humankind’s restless exploration of the stars.

Read more less

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive and systematic account of the phenomenon of cinematic remaking. Drawing upon recent theories of genre and intertextuality, Film Remakes describes remaking as both an elastic concept and a complex situation, one enabled and limited by the interrelated roles and practices of industry, critics and audiences. This approach to remaking is developed across three broad sections: the first, remaking as industrial category, deals with issues of production, including commerce and authors; the second, remaking as textual category, considers genre, plots and structures; and the third, remaking as critical category, investigates issues of reception, including audiences and institutions. The film remake emerges as a particular case of repetition, a function of cinematic and discursive fields that is maintained by historically specific practices, such as copyright law and authorship, canon formation and media literacy, film criticism and re-viewing. These points are made through the lively discussion of numerous historical and contemporary examples, including the remaking of classics (Double Indemnity, All That Heaven Allows, Psycho), foreign art-films (Yojimbo, Solaris, Le Samourai), cult movies (Gun Crazy, Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Dead), and television properties (Batman, The Addams Family, Charlie's Angels).

Read more less

'One of the most exciting and provocative books that I've read in a long time' - Mike Davis, author of Planet of the Slums Can people who live in shantytowns, shacks and favelas teach us anything about democracy? About how to govern society in a way that is inclusive, participatory and addresses popular needs? This book argues that they can. In a study conducted in dozens of South Africa's shack settlements, where more than 9 million people live, Trevor Ngwane finds thriving shack dwellers' committees that govern local life, are responsive to popular needs and provide a voice for the community. These committees, called 'amakomiti' in the Zulu language, organise the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, public works and crime prevention especially during settlement establishment. Amakomiti argues that, contrary to common perception, slum dwellers are in fact an essential part of the urban population, whose political agency must be recognised and respected. In a world searching for democratic alternatives that serve the many and not the few, it is to the shantytowns, rather than the seats of political power, that we should turn.

Read more less

With the recent catastrophe in Indonesia, the topic of tsunamis could not be more timely. This book, volume fifteen in a distinguished series surveying the frontiers of ocean science and research, looks at every aspect of the current science of tsunamis. The world’s foremost experts write about the dynamics of geophysical processes involved in tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation, along with the statistical and geophysical properties of tsunami recurrence, and their application to tsunami forecasts and warnings. Together, their work constitutes the first comprehensive overview of a topic of paramount importance in ocean science today. Coinciding with the recent completion of the United States, enhanced tsunami warning program—which will provide an unprecedented volume of data on tsunamis in the deep ocean—this book will help crystallize a research agenda and foster the study of this critical issue in our understanding of the sea.In the manifold, multidisciplinary efforts of science to understand and manage our planet, contemporary ocean science plays an essential role. This new volume in the series The Sea advances these efforts with a clear focus on one of the ocean’s more significant deadly phenomena.

Read more less

'Like the twisted lovechild of Jack Kirby and Dr Seuss, Craig Thompson has created a new genre: the Adorable Epic.' JOSS WHEDONFrom the Eisner award winning, New York Times bestselling author of Habibi and Blankets, comes this year's most exciting adventure.For Violet, family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy. So when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can't just sit around and do nothing. Throwing caution to the stars, she sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is a big and dangerous place for a young girl, and when she discovers that her dad has been swallowed into the belly of a giant planet-eating whale, the odds looked stacked against them...Visionary graphic novel creator Craig Thompson brings all of his wit, warmth, and humour to create a brilliantly drawn story for all ages. Set in a distant yet familiar future, Space Dumplins weaves themes of family, friendship, and loyalty into a grand space adventure filled with quirky aliens, awesome space-ships, and sharp commentary on our environmentally challenged world.

Read more less

In 2004 the London Symphony Orchestra celebrated its hundredth birthday. The centenary finds the orchestra acclaimed as one of the best in the world, making music with the most charismatic conductors and soloists on the planet. In this compelling and highly praised biography, leading columnist Richard Morrison examines all sides of the LSO: from the notorious playboy era of the 1970s and the disastrous early years at the Barbican to the remarkable transformation into one of the most dazzling and ambitious arts organisations that Britain has ever produced.'Richard Morrison has done a splendid job for the LSO. The historical facts are all here, laced with saucy criticism and spiced with anecdotes . . . a fine achievement.' Sunday Telegraph'Owned and organised by its players, the LSO is a glorious example of teamwork in an industry of prima donnas. Richard Morrison writes enjoyably about the telepathy that binds a string section, the gesticulations that distinguish a great conductor and the schoolboy humour that enlivens rehearsals.' Observer'Contains all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster . . . The fact that Morrison's book is non-fiction does little to detract from the glitzy, compelling, moving and fascinating story.' Scotland on Sunday

Read more less

Are humans unwitting partners in evolution with psychedelic plants? Darwin’s Pharmacy shows they are by weaving the evolutionary theory of sexual selection and the study of rhetoric together with the science and literature of psychedelic drugs. Long suppressed as components of the human tool kit, psychedelic plants can be usefully modeled as “eloquence adjuncts” that intensify a crucial component of sexual selection in humans: discourse. Psychedelic plants seduce us to interact with them, building an ongoing interdependence: rhetoric as evolutionary mechanism. In doing so, they engage our awareness of the noosphere, or thinking stratum of the earth. The realization that the human organism is part of an interconnected ecosystem is an apprehension of immanence that could ultimately benefit the planet and its inhabitants. To explore the rhetoric of the psychedelic experience and its significance to evolution, Doyle takes his readers on an epic journey through the writings of William Burroughs and Kary Mullis, the work of ethnobotanists and anthropologists, and anonymous trip reports. The results offer surprising insights into evolutionary theory, the war on drugs, the internet, and the nature of human consciousness itself. Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xof-t2cAob4

Read more less

James Schwoch presents a unique retelling of the Cold War period by examining the relationship of global television, diplomacy, and new electronic communications media. Beginning with the Allied occupation of Germany in 1946 and ending with the 1969 Apollo moon landing, this book explores major developments in global media, including the postwar absorption of the International Telecommunications Union into the United Nations and its impact on both television and international policy; the rise of psychological warfare and its relations to new electronic media of the 1950s; and the role of the Ford Foundation in shaping global communication research concepts. Drawing on work in media studies, diplomatic history, and science and technology studies, Schwoch analyzes the way in which global media has been characterized, emphasizing a discursive shift away from a framework of east-west security and, by the 1960s, toward a framework of world citizenship and globalization. The global growth of television and other new electronic media occurred in conjunction with the ongoing tensions of the Cold War, as superpowers searched for ways to extend their influence beyond traditional borders of nation-states and into the extraterritorialities of planet Earth.

Read more less