Search results for ""planet!""

This is an urban and commuting cyclist's handbook, both inspirational and practical, showing us how to live safer, more enjoyable and healthier lives, both physically and mentally, while reducing our impact on the planet.Author of numerous bestselling bike books, Chris Sidwells, begins with a brief introduction which shows how cycling is already forming a crucial part of future urban transport, good for the environment as well as our health. Current urban transport models, heavily dependent as they are on cars, are unsustainable both in terms of our health and the environment. Cycling offers the perfect mass transport, health and wellbeing solution. As well as being an easy way to improve the fitness of the whole family, with some simple know-how, which Chris shares in this book, it can be perfectly safe even in busy cities. Increasingly, local authorities are seeing the essential role that cycling has to play in transport infrastructure; Chris looks at the many different schemes, both financial and infrastructural, to encourage people onto bikes. Commuting by bike also offers a financial benefit to individuals and societies.Chris shows how to get the right bike for you for commuting and urban cycling, whether that's an electric-assisted bike or pedal-powered only, and how to adjust it properly for your unique build. He looks at cycling clothing and accessories, including helmets, masks, locks and safety equipment. Chris explains how to keep cycling safely despite inclement weather and the different ways to transport what you need to and from work. A chapter on bike care and maintenance shows how to carry out basic repair jobs like adjusting gears, mending punctures and adjusting brakes.Chris explains cycling skills to give you confidence when cycling, including bike control, braking and how to make the most of your gears. He shows when and how to use the extra power provided by an electric bike and offers encouragement to new and returning cyclists.An extended chapter covers road safety, perhaps the biggest barrier to people commuting by bike. Chris shows how to co-exist safely with other road users and the potential hazards that every cyclist should be aware of. He explains the rules that every cyclist must follow and gives step-by-step guidance on how to carry out manoeuvres on the road.Chris shows how to choose the best route to and from work. He gives details of the various schemes to encourage commuting by bike, including insurance and where to find information.Cycling is regarded by many as the best way to regain and maintain fitness. As well as improving both physical and mental wellbeing, cycling can boost our immune system. Cycling also gives self-sufficiency and enhances self esteem.

Read more less

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin Chris is the guy Cosette always wanted. Fun. Funny. Lighthearted and sweet. Chris always manages to find beauty and laughter, even when fighting a chapel full of demons. He's exactly what she needs. Except he's a werewolf and she's a member of the Lunar Court - the only fey court that holds sway over the werewolves. Even on his best day, Chris isn't strong enough to last a few hours in the Lunar Court without becoming a slave. No matter how much Cosette's heart wants him, she knows she has to let him go. But when Chris goes missing, Cosette realizes how much she has to lose if the worst happens. Except her mother - the Queen of the Lunar Court - won't let her go after Chris. Being forced to stay at court is dangerous for Cosette. Assassins keep coming after her, and unless she accepts a mate, it's only a matter of time before one of them kills her. Cosette is the girl Chris has always dreamed of. Chris sees through the tough facade to the girl exhausted from a lifetime of fighting off assassins and court politics. She needs a true friend, someone who she can be herself around, and craves solitude. The same solitude that Chris craves. But he knows he'll never be enough to survive in her world. So, when Eli - a mysterious archon - requests his help, he figures why not? The guy might be a little shady, but he needs every distraction he can get. But when Eli says that Cosette's in trouble, Chris is more than ready to play by Eli's rules. At least until Eli takes him to the Court of Gales. Chris knows he's about to play a very dangerous game. Bargaining with the fey is something only a desperate person would do. But what wouldn't Chris give up to save Cosette's life? "These books go by so very quickly, with the pacing making me think I just started reading. I could gobble up a dozen of these novels!" - Carrie Reads a Lot "Aileen Erin: You did a great job as usual and I'm so excited for Invocation and Lunar Court ." - Lenniland It's time to catch up with the Alpha Girls series, which has sold more than 500,000 copies: Book 1: Becoming Alpha , which hit #1 at all major eBook retailers Book 2: Avoiding Alpha Book 3: Alpha Divided , an USA Today Bestseller Book 4: Bruja Book 5: Alpha Unleashed , an USA Today Bestseller Book 6: Shattered Pack Book 7: Being Alpha Book 8: Lunar Court Get ready for Off Planet , the biggest and boldest adventure yet from the mind of Aileen Erin. It's perfect for fans of Suzanne Colllins' The Hunger Games , Claudia Gray's Defy the Stars , and Maura Milan's Ignite the Stars !

Read more less

A thought-provoking combination of visually powerful imagery and comment *Includes 260 stunning photographs by more than 50 international contributors *Keynote essay by Patricia Macdonald *Features an interview with Dan Bailey and George Monbiot *Includes essays by Robert Macfarlane, Owen Logan, Kate Brown, Siobhan Lyons, Andrew Simms, Natasha Myers, Ayelen Liberona, Jared Diamond, Leslie Hook, Adam Nicolson Surveying the Anthropocene presents a range of approaches to image-making concerning the environment by some of the best artist-photographers working worldwide, alongside texts by some of the most illuminating writers on environmental questions, at a pivotal moment in the human relationship with the planet. Photographic approaches to environmental imagery have altered fundamentally in recent decades, largely as a result of increasing socio-ecological awareness. This insightful international survey, with a strong representation from Scotland, considers the varied range of current working practices of a representative selection of artist-photographers, both renowned and emerging, whose image-making explores human-caused environmental change. It concentrates particularly on work which relates to the types of impact, on climate and the web of life, that are sufficiently significant and globally widespread to appear in the future record of the rocks as a new geological epoch - the Anthropocene. The concept of the Anthropocene has engaged the attention and imagination of a wide range of commentators from very different backgrounds and walks of life. It therefore provides an excellent context in which to discuss, in an open and cross-disciplinary way, the range of responses of artist-photographers and cultural writers to our present global situation of multiple, interconnected environmental and social crises - and the options for human ingenuity in addressing these. Contributing photographers Jack Aeby, Antoine d'Agata, Benoit Aquin, Mandy Barker, Olaf Otto Becker, Daniel Beltra , Alex Boyd, Marilyn Bridges, Alicia Bruce, David Buckland, Edward Burtynsky, Anne Campbell, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Cortis & Sonderegger, Dalziel + Scullion, Pedro David de Oliveira Castello Branco, Bryan Debus, Susan Derges, Terry Evans, Tim Flach, Hamish Fulton, Sophie Gerrard, Lorne Gill, Emmet Gowin, Alexander Hamilton, J.J. Harrison, Louis Helbig, Zig Jackson/Rising Buffalo, Chris Jordan, Aleksandr Kupny, Chrystel Lebas, Ayelen Liberona, Timo Lieber, Owen Logan, Patricia & Angus Macdonald, Pradip Malde, Katie Blair Matthews, Meryl McMaster, Gideon Mendel, Richard Misrach, Fabrice Monteiro, Simon Norfolk, Susanne Ramsenthaler, Paul Souders, Jamey Stillings, Thomas Struth, Timm Suess, Klaus Thymann, Chris Wainwright, Greg White, Pinar Yoldas Scientists and photographers, some unnamed, from: Federal government of the United States; United States Department of Energy;, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA: Hannah A. Bullock; Azaibi Tamin;, NASA: including Jeff Schmalz (MODIS) Contributing writers Dan Bailey, Tobia Bezzola, Barbara Bloemink, Kate Brown, Jared Diamond, William A. Ewing, Jared Farmer, Willis E. Hartshorn, Leslie Hook, Siobhan Lyons, Robert Macfarlane, Bill McKibben, George Monbiot, Pete Moore, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Natasha Myers, Adam Nicolson, Andrew Simms

Read more less

This excellent volume provides an empirically robust, critically informed but also eminently readable interrogation of the politics and practice of sustainable development. Through a global governance and political economy lens it traverses the public and the private, and the local and the global and offers some carefully thought-through hope for a better way forward.'- Lorraine Elliott, Australian National University, Australiaand the Academic Council on the UN System'Inaction on climate change and sustainable development is not an option. But we also do not have the luxury of time and resources for wasted efforts and ineffective actions. This book cuts through the political wrangling and the policy morass to identify interventions that can make a real difference. It is a refreshing, deep dive into the relative merits of key policy instruments and market mechanisms for tackling our most intractable sustainability challenges. If you want to make informed - rather than conformed - decisions on sustainable development policy, this is the book for you. The UN Sustainable Development Goals may give us the Why and the What for creating a better future. This book gives us the How.'- Wayne Visser, author of Sustainable Frontiers and Director of Kaleidoscope Futures'An in-depth and critical interrogation of the politics of sustainable development and how policies in pursuit of this often elusive ideal are formulated, implemented and financed. Timothy Cadman and colleagues have provided an incisive tour de force that pays particular attention to private sector environmental governance as an institutional form that exists beyond governments.'- David Humphreys, The Open University, UKSince the Rio 'Earth' Summit of 1992, sustainable development has become the major policy response to tackling global environmental degradation, from climate change to loss of biodiversity and deforestation. Market instruments such as emissions trading, payments for ecosystem services and timber certification have become the main mechanisms for financing the sustainable management of the earth's natural resources. Yet how effective are they - and do they help the planet and developing countries, or merely uphold the economic status quo? This book investigates these important questions.Providing a comprehensive analysis and the latest research on sustainable development, the authors compare the divergent approaches to emissions trading. Included is a detailed investigation into illegal logging and the effectiveness of policy responses, with an evaluation of different forest certification schemes. Biodiversity offsets and environmental payments are also explored. Integral to the book are interviews and opinions of the key stakeholders in the political economy of sustainable development.This uniquely comprehensive analysis of the governance quality of different sustainable development mechanisms, unprecedented in its panorama of comparative case studies, is essential reading for all those in the policy, academic and non-governmental communities.

Read more less

Globalization, it seems, has propelled the world's uber-wealthy to new heights of power and money, with tremendous repercussions for the other 99.9 percent of us. At a time when neoliberalism has propelled the world into a new Gilded Age, with rising inequality everywhere, an aggressive class war being waged by the wealthy, and billionaires inserting themselves bluntly into the political arena, understanding the behavior and spatiality of the super-rich has acquired a pressing urgency. This volume offers a richly textured suite of essays concerning how the super-rich have restructured local places, transforming landscapes as varied as London and Kentucky, Ireland and St. Barts, as well as domains as varied as art, thoroughbred horses, and housing.'- Barney Warf, University of Kansas, US'The world's super-rich, made up of just 11 million people, have access to about US$42.0 trillion of wealth. These are people who each have a spare million of 'liquid' wealth. Their wealth is roughly equal to two thirds of global GDP. They own most of everything. As the editor of this books states '. . . library shelves and the pages of journals remain largely devoid of geographical work on the super-rich a startling lacuna this volume sets out to fill'. The super-rich now own most of the planet. During the last year their share fell slightly. Times may be changing. Now is the time to begin to study the super-rich in detail, especially if you are worried about where all the wealth has gone.'- Danny Dorling, University of Sheffield, UKThis timely and path-breaking book brings together a group of distinguished and emerging international scholars to critically consider the geographical implications of the world's super-rich, a privileged yet remarkably overlooked group.Emerging from this unique collection is an enlightening picture of the influence of the super-rich over a diverse range of affairs, extending from the shape of urban and rural landscapes to the future of art history. By concentrating on those at the apex of the economic pyramid, this book provides valuable insights to the institutions, practices and cultural values of our society, as well as allowing us a more comprehensive view of the consequences of global capitalism. Presenting case studies from across the globe from Singapore to St Barts, London to Lexington - the spatial and cultural span of the book is wide-ranging and diverse.This truly unique book will prove a fascinating read for academics, researchers and students in the fields of geography, regional and urban studies, sociology, political science and development studies.Contributors: J.V. Beaverstock, S. Chauvin, B. Cousin, M. Fasche, S.J.E. Hall, I. Hay, P. McGuirk, P. McManus, L. Murphy, C. Paris, C.-P. Pow, S.M. Roberts, R.H. Schein, J.R. Short, T. Wainwright, K. Wilkins, M. Woods

Read more less

Let the adventure begin with this straightforward guide to GURPS!This is it—the key that unlocks the riches of GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System) and gives you a wealth of information on how to create your character and fine-tune your play. Produced in partnership with Steve Jackson Games, the game's creator, GURPS For Dummies is the ideal companion to GURPS Basic Set, 4th Edition that explains the rules. It gives you insight into the choices you’ll make in everything from creating a fun, dynamic character using the allotted number of points, to playing in an adventure, to becoming a GM. Whether you want to be an Amazon princess or a stalwart warrior, an old-fashioned swashbuckler or a modern investigator, a tough cop or a cat burglar, a sorcerer casting spells or a cosmic ranger, fighting lawlessness in the asteroids, this guide will help you: Determine your character’s basic attributes: IQ, DX (dexterity), ST (strength) and HT (health) Figure out your character’s secondary characteristics Choose advantages (including powers and perks) and disadvantages (including quirks and disadvantages with a self-control roll modifier) Optimize your points by using talents Select your skills based on functional area or the campaign setting Enhance your character with spells, magic items, magic staves, and powerstones Strategically purchase equipment for different characters, tech levels, and campaign types Create and manage a character sheet, write a character background, keep a character log, and more—all with samples Choose good combat techniques and play with your character If you want to become a GM, this guide gets you going with advice on creating the adventure, managing the character creation process, managing combat, and interpreting the rules. There’s even a handy Cheat Sheet tear-out GM screen in the front of the book. There are tips throughout, plus advice on how to: Create your very own GURPS universe for your campaign, whether it’s dungeon-crawl, high-adventure, combat-focused, puzzle-focused, or masquerade-type Provide a basic write-up of the world for your players, including technology level, supernatural and supernormal abilities and powers, races, setting, character templates, cultural and social information, and limitations Create an electronic combat grid, a battle log, a tactical map, and more—with samples Do mapping, planning, and plotting Create memorable NPC (nonplayer characters), both good guys and bad guys GURPS For Dummies helps you create more detailed, exciting, and interesting characters and take your game to the next level. That’s important whether you’re saving a princess or saving the planet…searching for hidden treasure or for secrets to eliminate disease… fighting crime or combating armies of evil robots…casting spells in medieval castles or destroying terrorist cells in modern day milieus. With GURPS, the only limitation is your imagination.

Read more less

This book offers an incomparable spectacle, that of an intimate face-to-face with the animal, here treated as a subject in its own right, on an equal footing with man, and it encourages us to take the time to contemplate it, to better question our relationship to the wild world and our place in it. And if the photographer has long since chosen black and white, it is to better play with the incomparable light of Africa, its singular purity that gives the feeling of being in direct contact with the material, without filter. Laurent Baheux's approach is not that of a naturalist or ethology-loving photographer, he does not seek to describe behavior or to unravel the mystery of a sensitive area of the animal that has remained unknown until now. What he finds with African elephants is the feeling of a rediscovered plenitude, of wonder at the world, of a rebirth, of a reconnection with the living. Far from the crowds and the urban world, it is in the heart of African national parks that he experiences the deep meaning of life, and that he offers himself the luxury of slowness, essential when he is 'is about letting the animal approach. The elephant obliges man to humility. We are nothing compared to his power and his intelligence. It is he who decides on the meeting, or, on the contrary, who imposes his distance. We are only "tolerated guests", as Laurent Baheux reminds us. The elephant is not a predator and it is the man who threatens its existence today, competing with it for the control of a territory which is shrinking more and more every day. The pressure of human activities, the demographic growth are the dangers which endanger its survival. As an extension of his militant commitment and his anti-speciesist discourse which seeks to break down the psychological barriers linked to the categorization of animals – wild, farmed, domesticated – according to their degree of utility or their "nuisance" power, Laurent Baheux provides new proof of the need to save elephants and protect their environment, not just because they populate our collective subconscious, from illustrated children's books to the travel stories of early explorers, but because they are closely linked to the balance of our planet and that they refer us, like mirrors, to our own finitude, ineluctable, we who resemble them so much, so strong and so fragile at the same time. "Courage is the reverse, the armed arm of wonder. [...] Where many, cynical or disillusioned have retreated, [Laurent Baheux] has this power to rely on the beauty of things, to believe in it and to be enraged at seeing it mistreated. He has that faith."

Read more less

A groundbreaking collection of inspiring and instructive conversations about the beauty, brutality, discipline, and technique of being a successful singer.“This is a captivating look at both the nitty-gritty preparation and emotional energy that ‘it takes [for artists] to stand up to that mic... reach down into their guts, and give everything they’ve got for the sake of the song.’ Its star power and up-close, revelatory detail will keep readers riveted from start to finish.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “For all of the conversations we have about music, there is precious little talk about the art of communicating emotion and meaning via the human voice. The Singer's Talk remedies this by reaching out to a wide range of different singers, who speak insightfully about both the skill and the magic required to change minds and break hearts.” —Steven Hyden, author of Twilight of the Gods and other books These revelatory, frequently funny, and deeply engrossing in-depth interviews provide fans and aspiring singers a backstage pass to the challenges every vocalist faces onstage and in the studio. Packed with never-before-heard stories, The Singers Talk reveals a truly intimate side to these iconic personalities while offering a master class on how the best in their field keep their vocal cords in shape and protect themselves on the road—along with countless other tricks, techniques, strategies, and philosophies to help vocalists at every level perfect the craft of singing. “This is the most geeked out I’ve ever talked about my voice!” —Thom Yorke This historic roster of artists includes: Bryan Adams, Tony Bennett, Nick Cave, Chuck D, Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliott, Emmylou Harris, Brittany Howard, Chrissie Hynde, Norah Jones, Simon Le Bon, Geddy Lee, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry, Lionel Richie, LeAnn Rimes, Smokey Robinson, Robert Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Rod Stewart, Paul Stanley, Michael Stipe, Jeff Tweedy, Roger Waters, Dionne Warwick, Ann Wilson, Thom Yorke, and many more. Additionally, the book features conversations about legendary voices no longer with us, such as Butch Vig on Kurt Cobain, Clive Davis on Whitney Houston, Nile Rodgers on David Bowie, and Jimmy Iovine on Tom Petty. “Singing is so much more than hitting the right note. It’s about connecting with the audience, connecting with something divine to a certain degree. It’s connecting to your most primitive and deepest intuition, and to your nature as a human on this planet.” —Karen O. More than just an indispensable guide for singers of any level, The Singers Talk is an unforgettable read for music fans everywhere. All royalties from The Singers Talk will benefit the kids and families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through their Music Gives to St. Jude Kids campaign.

Read more less

*Part of the 5-Volume Set 2022 Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal Winner: Ecology & Environment and Special Honors as Best of Anthology Volume 2 of the Kinship series revolves around the question of place-based relations: To what extent does crafting a deeper connection with the Earth’s bioregions reinvigorate a sense of kinship with the place-based beings, systems, and communities that mutually shape one another? We live in an astounding world of relations. We share these ties that bind with our fellow humans—and we share these relations with nonhuman beings as well. From the bacterium swimming in your belly to the trees exhaling the breath you breathe, this community of life is our kin—and, for many cultures around the world, being human is based upon this extended sense of kinship. Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. The five Kinship volumes—Planet, Place, Partners, Persons, Practice—offer essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity, highlighting the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings. More than 70 contributors—including Robin Wall Kimmerer, Richard Powers, David Abram, J. Drew Lanham, and Sharon Blackie—invite readers into cosmologies, narratives, and everyday interactions that embrace a more-than-human world as worthy of our response and responsibility. Given the place-based circumstances of human evolution and culture, global consciousness may be too broad a scale of care. “Place,” Volume 2 of the Kinship series, addresses the bioregional, multispecies communities and landscapes within which we dwell. The essayists and poets in this volume take us around the world to a variety of distinctive places—from ethnobiologist Gary Paul Nabhan’s beloved and beleaguered sacred U.S.-Mexico borderlands, to Pacific islander and poet Craig Santos Perez’s ancestral shores, to writer Lisa María Madera’s “vibrant flow of kinship” in the equatorial Andes expressed in Pacha Mama’s constitutional rights in Ecuador. As Chippewa scholar-activist Melissa Nelson observes about kinning with place in her conversation with John Hausdoerffer: “Whether a desert mesa, a forested mountain, a windswept plain, or a crowded city—those places also participate in this serious play with raven cries, northern winds, car traffic, or coyote howls.” This volume reveals the ways in which playing in, tending to, and caring for place wraps us into a world of kinship. Proceeds from sales of Kinship benefit the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Humans and Nature, which partners with some of the brightest minds to explore human responsibilities to each other and the more-than-human world. The Center brings together philosophers, ecologists, artists, political scientists, anthropologists, poets and economists, among others, to think creatively about a resilient future for the whole community of life.

Read more less

'A GENUINE TREAT FOR SF FANS: AN EPIC MULTIVERSE TALE THAT MOVES LIKE A THRILLER' Kirkus'AN IMMENSE ACHIEVEMENT: AN IMPECCABLY CRAFTED BOOK' New York Times**SHORTLISTED FOR THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD**From the international bestselling M. R. Carey comes a thrilling novel set in the multiverse - the tale of humanity's expansion across millions of dimensions, and the AI technology that might see it all come to an end . . .INFINITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.The Pandominion: a political and trading alliance of a million worlds - except that they're really just the one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an AI threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they'll eradicate it by whatever means necessary, no matter the cost to human life.Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth's environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel. It could save everyone on her dying planet, but now she's walked into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of.And she needs to choose a side before it kills her.Discover the start of the thrillingly original, mind-bending SF duology The Pandominion, from the author of the million-copy bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts. Perfect for fans of The Space Between Worlds, The Long Earth and Children of Time.**A New York Times Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year**'[A] brilliant dimension-hopping sci-fi thriller . . . readers will be wowed' Publishers Weekly'A fascinating window onto a dangerous and multifaceted universe' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time'Infinity Gate is a powerful exploration of the near-future, skilfully and seamlessly weaving different realities and different iterations of AI . . . A compelling entry and a must-read!' Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of Rosewater'Humane, thoughtful and exciting, Mike Carey reaffirms his place in the ranks of SF with this startlingly good novel' Paul Cornell, award-winning author and screenwriter'M.R. Carey is a master of imagination and suspense' Gareth L. Powell, author of Embers of War'A dazzling speculation on the many ways our world could have evolved, layered inside a thriller that will make your eardrums vibrate. I was charmed, disturbed, and fascinated by turns - and I couldn't put this book down' Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous and The Terraformers'This is gripping, unrelenting, and absolutely unique. Carey is working at the absolute top of his game' Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author'One of the most inventive voices in contemporary fiction' i09.comThe Pandominion DuologyInfinity GateEcho of Worlds

Read more less

As NightWatch, Terence Dickinson’s classic stargazing guide, neared its 40th anniversary, Dickinson worked with a small group of trusted colleagues to give this groundbreaking reference an overhaul that will take it deep into the 21st century. Longtime astronomy writer and sky observer Ken Hewitt-White led the editorial team. A central aspect to this new edition is the subtle improvements to the unique seasonal star charts that present a 360-degree simulation of the night sky on one page and identify the stars and constellations on the facing page. Yet it is Dickinson’s clear, jargon-free language that will continue to inspire hundreds of thousands of people around the world to take up recreational astronomy. Much has happened in this popular hobby since the previous revisions in 2006. In response, the text has been substantially revised and updated throughout all 13 chapters. Moreover, the book has been completely redesigned and most of its many photographs have been replaced. A noted feature is the variety of superb astrophotos of star clusters, nebulas, galaxies and other celestial phenomena taken by accomplished amateur astronomers. Lavishly illustrated sections on the Moon and planets will inspire novice observers of the solar system. To accommodate the extensive revisions, NightWatch has grown from 192 pages to 208 pages. With the release of the Fifth Edition, we are also launching a new website, NightWatchBook.com, that will offer links to additional resources and will be regularly updated with information on new celestial events and equipment. Since the First Edition of NightWatch was released in 1983, the most significant transformations in amateur astronomy have been in optics and technology. For all the latest on gadgets and gear, renowned astrophotographer Alan Dyer, Dickinson’s coauthor of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide, has contributed an entirely new chapter on basic digital astrophotography. Dyer has also modernized a key portion of an enlarged chapter on stargazing equipment, creating a welcoming place in NightWatch for today’s computerized telescopes. Stargazing enthusiasts of all levels of experience will discover much of value in an enduring reference conceived by one of the most respected names in amateur astronomy. This must-have Fifth Edition includes: a comprehensive, all-season guide to the night sky; constellation charts covering both northern- and southernhemisphere skies, making NightWatch a truly global resource; 20 carefully upgraded deep-sky charts revealing the locations and essential details about hundreds of naked-eye, binocular and telescopic objects; tips on choosing binoculars and telescopes and taking astrophotos; highlights of major features on the Moon to guide the budding lunar explorer; lists of solar and lunar eclipses, planet locations and the best lunar and planetary conjunctions to 2035; a range of resources for further study.

Read more less

‘A candid, warm, sad, surprisingly funny, raw, brave, bittersweet book.’ – MATT HAIG ‘Chase the Rainbow is a game-changing book. Poorna Bell’s moving account of the pressures on modern men could be a life-saver. This is a brave and bold work that will inspire us all to talk openly and honestly about depression once and for all. Everyone should read this book.’ – ARIANNA HUFFINGTON ‘I recently devoured this book in a couple of days. It’s so beautifully written, honest and beyond thought-provoking. I urge you to delve into its courageously written pages to learn about Poorna Bell’s story.’ – FEARNE COTTON ‘A story of love and loss and a vital contribution to the mental health debate. A great read.’ – ALASTAIR CAMPBELLAn honest yet uplifting account of a woman's life affected (but not defined) by the suicide of her husband and the deadly paradox of modern-day masculinity. Punk rocker, bird nerd and book lover Rob Bell had a full, happy life. He had a loving wife, a big-bottomed dog named Daisy and a career as a respected science journalist. But beneath the carefully cultivated air of machoism and the need to help other people, he struggled with mental health and a drug addiction that began as a means to self-medicate his illness. In 2015, he ended his life in New Zealand on a winter’s night. But what happened? How did a middle-class Catholic boy from the suburbs, who had an ocean of people who loved him, and a brain the size of a planet, end up dying alone by his own hand? How did it get to this point? In the search to find out about the man she loved, and how he arrived at that desperate, dark moment, Poorna Bell, Executive Editor of The Huffington Post UK, went on a journey spanning New Zealand, India and England to discover more about him. A month after his death, she shared her personal tragedy in an open letter to Rob on the site, which went on to be read by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. This is Poorna’s story, not only of how she met the man of her dreams and fell in love, but also Rob’s story and how he suffered with depression since childhood and had secretly been battling addiction as a means to cope with the illness. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 and a staggering 1 in 4 of us will experience mental illness disease at some point in our lives, but the stigma surrounding mental health means that millions still suffer in silence.Chase the Rainbow is an affecting, poetic, and deeply personal journey which teaches to seek hope and happiness, even in the most tragic of circumstances. Shattering the stigma surrounding depression and suicide, Poorna Bell challenges us talk about what we most fear, and to better understand the personal struggles of those closest to us.

Read more less

Despite Warner Brothers Records' conviction that it had mid-wifed the American equivalent of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "Song Cycle" wasn't rock music, and it didn't sell like rock music. The album's arrangements taxed the storage capacity of multi-track tape and its lyrics allowed enquiring minds to follow a Joycean snakes-and-ladders path through multiple meanings, allusive wordplay and puns. "Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle" is an intelligent take on a classic left-field album. For good and for ill, the full arsenal of bouquets and brickbats available to music writers has been tossed at Van Dyke Parks during his tenure of forty years and more in the music business. The Mississippi native has been hailed as a great American original - Charles Ives in Groucho Marx's pajamas, was Rolling Stone's pull quote - and derided as a charlatan. He was among the first to achieve the questionable status of cult artist; defended by a vocal few, dismissed or ignored by the greater audience. His career arc, and indeed his own life invite parallel consideration with another maverick who made his name in Hollywood, the film director and actor Orson Welles. Both were immediately recognized as child prodigies and took full advantage of the status conferred upon them. Each had the mantle of genius conferred upon them; in both cases, the mantle was worn with increasing difficulty as the years progressed. Both men, perhaps unfairly, have been accused of never bettering their artistic debuts. The compounded triumph and debacle of Welles' Citizen Kane is the stuff of a crammed shelf of film history books. In Van Dyke Parks' case, his calling card and his bete noir both fit within the same cardboard sleeve, the one containing "Song Cycle". The album was released on Warner Brothers Records in 1968. It cost more than any recording made prior to that time (Warners would ultimately recoup its costs sometime in the early 90s). No one can say that the label didn't get its money's worth: "Song Cycle"'s arrangements taxed the storage capacity of multi-track tape and its lyrics allowed enquiring minds to follow a Joycean snakes-and-ladders path through multiple meanings, allusive wordplay and puns. Said lyrics were sung by their author, his piping tenor swathed in a galactic fog of studio effects. The rhythms veered from Broadway to box step, little or none cut from the cloth of psychedelic, blues-based turbulence that dominated the landscape of the late 60s. 'A growing Alexandria of rock criticism' - "Los Angeles Times", 2008. 'Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough' - "Rolling Stone". 'One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet' - "Bookslut". 'A brilliant series...each one a word of real love" - "NME" (UK). For more information on the series and on individual titles in the series, check out our blog.

Read more less

It’s estimated that there are over 50 million pensioners—in the United States alone. Like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Germany and many other countries around the world are all in big trouble when it comes to the solvency of their pension funds. Who Stole My Pension? was written to give them guidance, resources, and tools so they can take action… and stop the looting. We are in the early stages of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of our nation and, indeed, the entire world. According to the World Health Organization, nearly two billion people around the world are expected to be over age 60 by 2050, a figure that’s more than triple what it was in 2000. For better or for worse, never before have there been more elderly people living on planet Earth. One thing is. certain: Doing nothing—sitting back, confident your pension check is “in the mail”—is not an option. That’s a risk you can’t afford to take. According to Edward Siedle, a former attorney with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and America’s leading expert in pension looting, “In the decades to come, we will witness hundreds of millions of elders worldwide, including America’s Baby Boomers, slipping into poverty. Too frail to work, too poor to retire will become the “new normal” for many of the aged.” Kiyosaki, who like Siedle saw this crisis looming years ago, complements the facts and stats Siedle puts forth with strategies on how retirees can take control—not only their pensions, but their financial futures. Kiyosaki writes about the fact that his father, a highly educated man he calls his poor dad, wasn’t poor until he lost his job, his paycheck—and his pension. “His PHD couldn’t save him,” says Kiyosaki, who has dedicated his life to teaching and financial literacy advocacy. In Who Stole My Pension? the authors focus on the most misunderstood and ignored cause of the pension crisis: mismanagement of pensions and investments. The culprits that are looting the pensions of public school teachers, firefighters, police, as well as private sector workers, are on Wall Street. The Wall Street casinos charging high fees for gambling in risky hedge funds and other speculative investments, outrageous investment-industry conflicts of interest, and outright violations of the law. Who Stole My Pension? is an in-depth assessment of the pension crisis that the world is facing today and what millions around the world—employees who expected to have pension income at retirement—can do about it. The authors recount a history of pension failures, inexperienced boards, gambling, looting and other horror stories—with a focus on action steps workers and retirees can take to quickly determine if a pension is being mismanaged as well as the concrete steps they can take to end decades of pension mismanagement. They detail critical questions retirees can ask—and guidance regarding how to act on what they learn.

Read more less

“Will You Help Me?” Isidora and Julian, playing in the Chilean ocean, hear a plaintive cry -- a sea lion is tangled in an abandoned fishing net. They free their ocean friend then consider what to do with the net. With the help of a bird building its nest, they recycle it into something useful again, something better than new. Presented in both English and Spanish, Better than New: A Recycle Tale/Mejor que Nuevo: Un cuenta de reciclaje is an inspiring story that presents children with a problem and shows how they find the solution, while teaching about the dangers of ocean pollution and encouraging a healthy relationship with the natural world. Issues covered: Plastic pollution in the ocean -- the harm it has on sea life Abandoned fishing nets, also known as ghost nets, as one particularly dangerous source of pollution They can be collected (instead of dumped) and made into other things – like fabric How this is done at a recycle facility – melting and restructuring into fabric, then made into clothing Kids will think it is super cool that they are wearing old fishing nets! Kids learn, “You can help the planet with the choices you make in what you wear.” “You, too, can help save the fish and other sea life.” Kids learn from other animals in nature Empathy toward sea life Taking action and having a positive outcome "¿Me ayudarás?" Isidora y Julián, jugando en el océano chileno, escuchan un llanto lastimero: un león marino está enredado en una red de pesca abandonada. Liberan a su amigo del océano y luego consideran qué hacer con la red. Con la ayuda de un pájaro que construye su nido, lo reciclan en algo útil nuevamente, algo mejor que nuevo. Presentado tanto en inglés como en español, Mejor que Nuevo: Un cuenta de reciclaje / Better than New: A Recycle Tale es una historia inspiradora que presenta a los niños un problema y muestra cómo encuentran la solución, mientras les enseñan sobre los peligros de la contaminación del océano y Fomentar una relación sana con el mundo natural. Temas cubiertos: Contaminación plástica en el océano: el daño que causa a la vida marina Redes de pesca abandonadas, también conocidas como redes fantasma, como una fuente de contaminación particularmente peligrosa Se pueden recolectar (en lugar de tirar) y convertirlos en otras cosas, como tela. Cómo se hace esto en una instalación de reciclaje: fundir y reestructurar en tela, luego convertirlo en ropa ¡Los niños pensarán que es genial que estén usando viejas redes de pesca! Los niños aprenden: "Puedes ayudar al planeta con las decisiones que tomas en cuanto a lo que te pones". "Tú también puedes ayudar a salvar a los peces y otras especies marinas". Los niños aprenden de otros animales de la naturaleza. Empatía hacia la vida marina Actuar y obtener un resultado positivo

Read more less

A Financial Times Best Business Book of the YearNamed one of 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50"An advocate of sustainable capitalism explains how it's done" — The Economist"Polman's new book with the sustainable business expert Andrew Winston…argues that it's profitable to do business with the goal of making the world better." — The New York TimesNamed as recommended reading by Fortune's CEO Daily"…Polman has been one of the most significant chief executives of his era and that his approach to business and its role in society has been both valuable and path-breaking." — Financial TimesThe ex-Unilever CEO who increased his shareholders' returns by 300% while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability for eleven years running has, for the first time, revealed how to do it. Teaming up with Andrew Winston, one of the world's most authoritative voices on corporate sustainability, Paul Polman shows business leaders how to take on humanity's greatest and most urgent challenges—climate change and inequality—and build a thriving business as a result.In this candid and straight-talking handbook, Polman and Winston reveal the secrets of Unilever's success and pull back the curtain on some of the world's most powerful c-suites. Net Positive boldly argues that the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems, not creating them.Together the authors explode our most prevalent corporate myths: from the idea that business' only function is to maximise profits, to the naïve hope that Corporate Social Responsibility will save our species from disaster. These approaches, they argue, are destined for the graveyard. Instead, they show corporate leaders how to make their companies "Net Positive"—thriving by giving back more to the world than they take. Net Positive companies unleash innovation, build trust, attract the best people, thrill customers, and secure lasting success, all by helping create stronger, more inclusive societies and a healthier planet. Heal the world first, they argue, and you’ll satisfy your investors as a result.With ambitious vision and compelling stories, Net Positive will teach you how to find the inner purpose and courage you need to embrace the only business model that will matter in the years ahead. You will learn how to lead others and unlock your company's soul, while setting and delivering big and aggressive goals, and taking responsibility for all of your company's impacts. You'll find out the secrets to partnering with others, including your competition and critics, to drive transformative change from which you will prosper. You'll build a company that serves your people, your customers, your communities, your shareholders—and your children and grandchildren will thank you for it.Is this win-win for business and humanity too good to be true? Don't believe it. The world's smartest CEOs are already taking their companies on the Net Positive journey and benefitting as a result. Will you be left behind?Join the movement at netpositive.world

Read more less

The keys to unlocking your personal universe are written in the stars. In Astrology: A Guided Workbook, you can map out your own cosmic story with more than 200 guided writing prompts. Astrology is a stellar language that allows us to understand the nuances of who we are and how to live our lives with more insight and awareness. We look to our zodiac signs to help us navigate our relationships, career, finances, and family matters—it’s really all about getting more acquainted with ourselves. From passionate Aries to sensitive Pisces, and all the signs in between, each astrological profile is associated with a unique temperament and different needs when it comes to nurturing body, mind, and spirit. Knowing these can help you personalize your writing and hone your intuition. Divided into twelve sections, Astrology: A Guided Workbook includes an array of thoughtful writing prompts that will help you record new insights from an astrological perspective. There’s no predicting what treasures you might uncover about yourself and others in your life. First plot your birth chart, then connect to the celestial cycles, as you work your way through chapters such as: The Rising Signs: The zodiac sign that was rising up when you were born indicates how other people see you or the image you present to the world. Along with the moon sign, this is the next most important part of your birth chart. The 12 Houses: The first house on your birth chart is where your rising sign is located, and each house is associated with a different aspect of your personality and life. From there, move counterclockwise to discover which signs fall into the other 11 houses. The Moon Signs: The position of the moon and the zodiac sign it was passing through when you were born defines your emotional self and inner world. The Sun Signs: The position of the sun and the zodiac sign it was passing through when you were born reveals who you are, your sense of self, and what drives you. Planetary Rulers and Retrogrades: Each planet was in a sign when you were born and they will impact your personality, deepest desires, and opportunities for growth. And so many more! With so much of our lives and contact going digital, the Guided Workbooks offer an intimate way to nurture your connection with yourself and the people around you. An entertaining way to get off your screen, the pages in these guided prompt books are great for writers and first-timers alike. Each workbook offers content around a different, compelling theme, filled with thoughtful questions, inspiration for composition, and interactive prompts to learn about yourself and the world around you. Beautifully designed on high-quality paper stock and full of mindful prompts, channel your inspiration as you put pen to paper to learn more about what inspires you. Other books in the series include Tarot: A Guided Workbook to Unlock and Explore Your Magickal Intuition and Finding Your Balance: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook.

Read more less

The Scottish Highlands have a strong appeal to the public imagination. Indeed, as a result of the writings of Sir Walter Scott, they are now symbolic of Scotland as a whole: a land of mountains, glens and lochs, of golden eagles and red deer; a land with a rich cultural history of clans and clanship, of kilts and castles, of crofts, crofting, Highland cows and sheep, of music and dance. But does this imagined landscape relate to the actuality? Is it in fact a wild landscape which has escaped the pressures of the modern world, or does such untrammelled wildness only reside in the mind? The aim of this book is to answer this last question by taking an objective look at the history of the Highland landscape, how it has changed over the centuries and how it is still changing. It challenges the view that the Highlands are, to quote the famous ecologist Frank Fraser Darling, ‘a devastated landscape’ – that is a landscape damaged by centuries of overgrazing and human exploitation. Instead it points out that the evidence suggests that the traditional unwooded Highland landscape of open hill and moor is one of the most natural remaining in northwest Europe, showing only minimal signs of human impact over the millennia; apart, that is, from the areas of human settlement. The occurrence of woodland as only isolated fragments scattered across the land is in fact a key biodiversity feature of the Highlands, distinguishing the far northwest of Britain from most of western Europe, where woodland would undoubtedly be the dominant habitat. There certainly were significantly more trees in the past but the woodland declined naturally over the millennia for a complex variety of reasons. Hence the current approach of putting trees back in the landscape, nowadays termed ‘reforesting’ or ‘rewilding’ is in fact destroying the very essence of the land. Similarly, the current activity of ‘restoring’ peatland can also result in a loss of the naturalness of the landscape. Indeed, loss of natural habitat is seen as a serious global issue, with humans slowly taking over for themselves the whole planet, leaving little space available for the wildness of nature. It is not only reforesting and peatland restoration which is destroying the naturalness of the Highland landscape, but also the continuing encroachment of infrastructure, whether hill tracks, wind turbines, dams, phone masts, ski development, fences, and commercial forestry plantations. At the current rate of attrition, the wild landscape will soon remain only in the imagination, the open hills and moors having been dumped into the dustbin of history. The Highlands, sadly, will be like everywhere else in the world: developed and managed to extinction! Why can we not just let the hills be? After all, this is how they were for thousands of years until landownership entered the Highlands following the Battle of Culloden.

Read more less

'His book injects some grounded, non-jargon-laden reality into the bland corporate-speak around notions of passion, engagement and purpose.' Financial Times'This is explicitly a book to help a "regular person do well in a rapidly changing economy" and it succeeds precisely because there is no hyperbole or hard sell. No dynamism is required' Financial Times'Inspiration for entrepreneurs that should be required reading in any business school curriculum' Kirkus'The Passion Economy is exactly what everyone needs today: examples of how to thrive in an economy that can seem overwhelming, and crystal-clear explanations of how to succeed. This is the book about how to live (and work) a more passionate life' Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit 'Adam Davidson is one of America's most accomplished business journalists - and this book reminds us why. With a reporter's eye and a storyteller's grace, he has traveled the country to find regular people who have cracked the code of the modern economy. Reading their stories will reveal the secrets of successful careers' Daniel H. Pink, author of When'Move over Malcolm Gladwell. In The Passion Economy Adam Davidson upends the conventional thinking about how to succeed in our topsy-turvy, seemingly unforgiving post-industrial economy by sharing the stories of regular people who followed their dreams' William D. Cohan, author of House of CardsThe brilliant creator of NPR's Planet Money podcast and award-winning New Yorker staff writer explains our current economy: laying out its internal logic and revealing the transformative hope it offers for millions of people to thrive as they never have before.Contrary to what you may have heard, the middle class is not dying and robots are not stealing our jobs. In fact, writes Adam Davidson--one of our leading public voices on economic issues-- the twenty-first-century economic paradigm offers new ways of making money, fresh paths toward professional fulfillment, and unprecedented opportunities for curious, ambitious individuals to combine the things they love with their careers. Drawing on the stories of average people doing exactly this--an accountant overturning his industry, a sweatshop owner's daughter fighting for better working conditions, an Amish craftsman meeting the technological needs of Amish farmers--as well as the latest academic research, Davidson shows us how the twentieth-century economy of scale has given way in this century to an economy of passion. He makes clear, too, that though the adjustment has brought measures of dislocation, confusion, and even panic, these are most often the result of a lack of understanding. In The Passion Economy, he delineates the ground rules of the new economy, and armed with these, we begin to see how we can succeed in it according to its own terms--intimacy, insight, attention, automation, and, of course, passion. An indispensable road map and a refreshingly optimistic take on our economic future.

Read more less

Kate Stewart and her UNIT team investigate and confront alien attacks on the planet Earth in the new 5 disc boxset. Something is stirring, an old foe to those in UNIT with a long memory. And fortunately, to face an old foe...There are old friends. 4.1 Call to Arms by Matt Fitton.Mike Yates braves a stormy night in the Lakes to help celebrate a milestone for John Benton. An evening of fond reminiscences of old glories and friends awaits. But a long-buried past is about to catch up with them. Meanwhile, on the rain-lashed moors, what begins as a routine mission for modern-day UNIT quickly becomes a fight for survival. 4.2 Tidal Wave by Guy Adams. When an experimental tidal power generator needs its eco-friendly credentials checked, Kate Stewart calls in an expert. Soon, Jo Jones is bound for 'Project Charybdis' in the South Atlantic, along with an awestruck Osgood. But out at sea, a treacherous plan is set in motion to awake an ancient race. Beneath the seabed an army is sleeping - an army of Sea Devils! 4.3 Retrieval by Guy Adams. As the Earth's primeval rulers reclaim their birthright, UNIT must stand against them. And Kate Stewart and Osgood must venture into a Mediterranean stronghold to retrieve a means to fight back. But a Silurian warrior is on their trail. Once she has the humans' scent, Commander Tryska will never give up the hunt. 4.4 United by Matt Fitton. The Silurians hold Great Britain under siege. Grand Marshal Jastrok rules the seas and the skies with reptile forces. On the ground, Commander Kalana crushes all ape resistance. With Kate Stewart trapped, defence of the realm falls to UNIT's old guard. Jo Jones, Mike Yates and John Benton are ready to do their duty and stand united. Launching with last year's Extinction, UNIT - The New Series was the first Big Finish range to use characters from the BBC mega-hit 21st century relaunching of Doctor Who! In this thrilling full-cast audio with cinematic sound design and music, Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver reprise the fan-favourite characters of Kate Stewart and Petronella Osgood as seen on TV in stories such as the globally cinema-screened Doctor Who - Day of the Doctor. The set's foes - Silurians and Sea Devils -are some of Doctor Who's most popular monsters. This is the first time the Sea Devils have appeared in a Big Finish production in nearly 14 years, something highly anticipated by the TV show's fans. CAST: Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart), Ingrid Oliver (Osgood), James Joyce (Captain Josh Carter), Ramon Tikaram (Colonel Shindi), Fernandez (Captain Gonsalves/ Phoebe Breckenridge), Lucy Fleming (Alice Donelly), Matthew Cottle (Ben Donnelly/ Overseer), David Jonsson (Corporal James Morley), Dan Starkey (Marshal Skar/ Commander Merx/ Sontaran Escapee), James Wilby (Professor John Torrance), Beth Goddard (Christine Colley) and Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks).

Read more less

He's your perfect date. You're his next victim.When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it's not her case. While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can't help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds - a fatal incision to their femoral artery. Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn't seem to exist? Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Last Breath will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final dramatic page. Read what everyone is saying about Last Breath:'Oh my giddy aunt, Robert Bryndza never fails to surprise me, just when I convinced myself the Detective Erika Foster series couldn't possibly get any better, he delivers another belter of a book...each book has been from the last and how each story offers something unique, which is why Robert Bryndza continues to be one of my very favourite authors on the planet.' The Book Review Café 'It's the sort of book that you want to devour in one sitting, it's too good to put down. The characters crackle with energy and the chemistry between them is fantastic to read... A breathtaking addition to the series that I would thoroughly recommend!' The Quiet Knitter 'Robert Bryndza has leapfrogged up to the top place in my list of favourite crime authors after reading his other books... This book was absolutely fantastic!! The story gripped me from page one and didn't let up until the end...If you're looking for a gritty police procedural crime thriller, then I can highly recommend this book. If you're going to buy this one, don't forget to buy the others too!! Five stars (although if I could give it more I would!).' Star Dust Book Reviews 'I will always applaud for more Erika Foster #QueenDetective. I love her so much, she is one of my best fictional characters.' The Book Heathen 'One of my most anticipated reads of 2017...Last Breath is a gripping, nail biting ride of a read. I seriously cannot get enough of the author's books and now that I have finished this one I have the long agonising wait for the next one. Brilliant series, brilliant book by a brilliant author, what else can I say!' By the Letter Book Reviews

Read more less

Roaming Wild details the unconventional and pioneering lives of Anna and Peter Roberts, a British couple who were instrumental in making the animal welfare movement a respectable, highly-impactful and worldwide organisation. This book explores the paths that led Anna and Peter to found and steward what is now the world's largest and most successful animal welfare charity from a backroom of their own home, with few funds, and at a time when caring for animals and our planet was seen as 'crankish' and 'sentimental'. This is the story of their family, their era, influence, their rebellion and prophetic ideas and the development of Compassion in World Farming. It spans the period from the early 1920s when they were born, throughout the decades of their childhoods and World War II, to their highly romantic meeting and marriage in the 1950s, and then the next years of their lives as dairy and chicken farmers in rural Hampshire. This 'ordinary' part of their story preceded their move to change everything by making the 'extraordinary' decision during the tumultuous 1960s, of risking their livelihood, going vegetarian (as animal farmers), and losing the approval of their peers, to found their compassion-driven campaign. This personal transformation was at a time when the British countryside was also transforming, irrevocably and for the worse, when intensive, polluting farms were just taking root, the cruel battery and broiler system had recently been developed, and the countryside's biodiversity was being destroyed with the implementation of monoculture and the profligate spraying of lethal biocides, such as DDT. The Roberts were at first rejected by the popular animal charities of the day; believing that the public cared only about companion animals or those in circuses, rather than those animals who suffer the most at human hands - those in the food chain - and so the Roberts family went out alone and set up CIWF in the face of much public derision. Then followed the highs and lows of campaign life, a court battle with an order of veal-farming Catholic monks, famine campaigns in Ethiopia, work alongside comedian Spike Milligan, model Celia Hammond and philosopher Peter Singer, challenging EU legislation, and battles with agricultural and chemical giant Monsanto. Corporate giants like McDonald's were influenced to go free-range, even the British Royal family was challenged to go free-range, and animals were put on the agenda of every major political party in the 1970s and much more. The story interweaves the personal with the political and documents the highs and lows of family life, the judgement faced when they chose to raise their three daughters as vegetarians in the 1960s, their myriad spiritual quests, including the couple's time spent in the Indian ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, their rewilding of the land near their family home, and the story of their fifty-year love. This is a tale of an 'ordinary couple with an extraordinary vision'.

Read more less

Conservationist Grant Fowlds lives to save and protect Africa's rhinos, elephants and other iconic wildlife, to preserve their habitats, to increase their range and bring back the animals where they have been decimated by decades of war, as in Angola, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This vivid account of his work tells of a fellow conservationist tragically killed by the elephants he was seeking to save and a face-off with poachers, impoverished rural people exploited by rapacious local businessmen. Fowlds describes the impact of the Covid pandemic on conservation efforts, the vital wildlife tourism that sustains these and rural communities; and tells of conservationists' efforts to support people through the crisis. Lockdowns may have brought a welcome lull in rhino and other poaching, but also brought precious tourism to a standstill. He shows how the pandemic has highlighted the danger to the world of the illicit trade in endangered wildlife, some of it sold in 'wet markets', where pathogens incubate and spread. He describes a restoration project of apartheid-era, ex-South African soldiers seeking to make reparations in Angola, engulfed for many years in a profoundly damaging civil war, which drew in outside forces, from Cuba, Russia and South Africa, with a catastophic impact on that country's wildlife. Those who fund conservation, whether in the US, Zambia or South Africa itself, are of vital importance to efforts to conserve and rewild: some supposed angel-investors turn out to be not what they had appeared, some are thwarted in their efforts, but others are open-hearted and generous in the extreme, which makes their sudden, unexpected death an even greater tragedy. A passionate desire to conserve nature has also brought conservationists previously active in far-off Venezuela to southern Africa. Fowlds describes fraught meetings to negotiate the coexistence of wildlife and rural communities. There are vivid accounts of the skilled and dangerous work of using helicopters to keep wildebeest, carrying disease, and cattle apart, and to keep elephants from damaging communal land and eating crops such as sugar cane. He tells of a project to restore Africa's previously vast herds of elephants, particularly the famed 'tuskers', with their unusually large tusks, once prized and hunted almost to extinction. The range expansion that this entails is key to enabling Africa's iconic wildlife to survive, to preserving its wilderness and, in turn, helping humankind to survive.There is a heartening look at conservation efforts in Mozambique, a country scarred by years of war, which are starting to bear fruit, though just as a new ISIS insurgency creates havoc in the north of the country. What will humanity's relationship with nature be post-pandemic? Will we have begun to learn that by conserving iconic wildlife and their habitats we help to preserve and restore precious pockets of wilderness, which are so vital not only the survival of wildlife, but to our own survival on our one precious planet.

Read more less

Part of an award-winning book series for children, this is the ultimate guide to our magnificent solar system and the astronauts who explore it. An entertaining, educational adventure for young readers. Engage the senses through vivid deep-space photography, cutaways and illustrations, quiz questions, and quirky fun facts. It's the perfect book for any kid who can't get enough of outer space! Supporting STEM-based learning, this fact-filled book for kids is perfect for ages 6-9 and contains key curriculum information. Although, age is but a number, don't let our recommendations put you off enjoying this absolute masterpiece of extraordinary astrology!This kids' educational book is so much more than just another book about space. It allows children to discover the mysteries of asteroids hurtling through space, comets lighting up the sky, and the biggest star in our glorious solar system, the Sun. It also explores the steps we've taken to study outer space, like launching the International Space Station. Not to mention the exquisite photographs of nearby planets, stars, and astronomical bodies. Find stunning details on each of Earth's neighbouring planets, including fascinating facts about their moons, mineral makeup, and more.While it's packed with a lot of information, it is presented in a way that can be read in snippets that are appropriate to any level of understanding. You can return to it over and over again to enjoy the majestic realm that is outer space in more detail. Vetted by educational consultants, the DKfindout! series drives kids ages 6-9 to become experts on more than 30 of their favourite STEM- and history-related subjects. Find out Amazing Facts About Our Solar System!What is the weather like on Jupiter? Which planet is the hottest? What are Saturn's remarkable rings made of? How long would it take to get to Pluto? Find out the answers to these questions and more in DKfindout! Solar System. This incredible book is packed with surprising facts and amazing pictures that are simply put, out of this world! From comets to craters, this book captures the beauty of our celestial system as best as one can without going into space itself.Explore the world of astronomy and travel our solar system as we know it today:-Explore Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto-Learn about Space rocks, ice giants, and asteroid belts-Adventure through space ages, meet alien hunters and go beyond the solar system!DKfindout! Solar System is one title in the DKfindout! series of educational books for kids, and Silver award winner in the MadeForMums Awards 2017 children's books series category. Kids around the world are obsessed with this gorgeous collection, so much so that a range of massive DKfindout! posters for bedroom walls are sold separately. Add to your collection and nurture your little one's interest in the world. Other titles include DKfindout! Birds, Castles, Climate Change, Pirates, Coding, Ancient Egypt, Engineering, Reptiles and a whole lot more!

Read more less

From the award-winning champion of conscious eating and author of the bestselling Food Matters comes The Food Matters Cookbook, offering the most comprehensive and straightforward ideas yet for cooking easy, delicious foods that are as good for you as they are for the planet.The Food Matters Cookbook is the essential encyclopedia and guidebook to responsible eating, with more than 500 recipes that capture Bittman’s typically relaxed approach to everything in the kitchen. There is no finger-wagging here, just a no-nonsense and highly flexible case for eating more plants while cutting back on animal products, processed food, and of course junk. But for Bittman, flipping the ratio of your diet to something more virtuous and better for your body doesn’t involve avoiding any foods—indeed, there is no sacrifice here. Since his own health prompted him to change his diet, Bittman has perfected cooking tasty, creative, and forward-thinking dishes based on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Meat and other animal products are often included—but no longer as the centerpiece. In fact the majority of these recipes include fish, poultry, meat, eggs, or dairy, using them for their flavor, texture, and satisfying nature without depending on them for bulk. Roasted Pork Shoulder with Potatoes, Apples, and Onions and Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Clams are perfect examples. Many sound downright decadent: Pasta with Asparagus, Bacon, and Egg; Stuffed Pizza with Broccoli, White Beans, and Sausage; or Roasted Butternut Chowder with Apples and Bacon, for example. There are vegetarian recipes, too, and they have flair without being complicated—recipes like Beet Tartare, Lentil “Caviar” with All the Trimmings, Radish-Walnut Tea Sandwiches, and Succotash Salad. Bittman is a firm believer in snacking, but in the right way. Instead of packaged cookies or greasy chips, Bittman suggests Seasoned Popcorn with Grated Parmesan or Fruit and Cereal Bites. Nor does he skimp on desserts; rather, he focuses on fruit, good-quality chocolate, nuts, and whole-grain flours, using minimal amounts of eggs, butter, and other fats. That allows for a whole chapter devoted to sweets, including Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies, Apricot Polenta Cake, Brownie Cake, and Coconut Tart with Chocolate Smear. True to the fuss-free style that has made him famous, Bittman offers plenty of variations and substitutions that let you take advantage of foods that are in season—or those that just happen to be in the fridge. A quick-but-complete rundown on ingredients tells you how to find sustainable and flavorful meat and shop for dairy products, grains, and vegetables without wasting money on fancy organic labels. He indicates which recipes you can make ahead, those that are sure to become pantry staples, and which ones can be put together in a flash. And because Bittman is always comprehensive, he makes sure to include the building-block recipes for the basics of home cooking: from fast stocks, roasted garlic, pizza dough, and granola to pots of cooked rice and beans and whole-grain quick breads. With a tone that is easygoing and non-doctrinaire, Bittman demonstrates the satisfaction and pleasure in mindful eating. The result is not just better health for you, but for the world we all share.

Read more less

The importance and actuality of investigation Space Magnetic Traps in the Universe and in Magnetosphere are based on following four factors: 1. Space Magnetic Traps in the Universe for Cosmic Ray particles (Astroparticles, Run Away Particles) on different studies of the Universe's evolution and in different objects (galaxies of different types, quasars, nucleus of galaxies, Sun and stars, Heliosphere and Stellar Spheres, solar and stellar winds, magnetospheres of planets, and so on) are very interested and important in the frame of fundamental science (Astrophysics, Plasma Physics and Magneto-Hydrodynamics, Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Geophysics). This problem is interested also for applications (e.g., problem of controlled thermo-nuclear reactions in magneto-plasmas traps as main source for energy in near future for the Earth's Civilization). 2. The Magnetosphere is the nearest giant natural laboratory where with satellites and ground measurements is possible to investigate different plasmas and energetic processes in space caused by interaction of high kinetic energy solar wind plasmas with frozen in Interplanetary Magnetic Fieldsï­IMF and its perturbations (Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejectionsï­ICMEs, Interplanetary Shock Wavesï­ISWs, Interplanetary Interaction Regionsï­IIRs, and so on) with the rotated main geomagnetic field. This interaction leads to a dynamic transformation of magnetic fields in the Magnetosphere, formation Space Magnetic Traps (Radiation Belts), generation and trapping of high energy particles (which can be called Magnetospheric Cosmic Raysï­MCR), and generation of different types of instabilities and electromagnetic radiations. These processes are similar to processes in magnetospheres of other planets and their moons, in the atmosphere of the Sun and other stars, in interplanetary and in interstellar space, and in many different astrophysical objects in the Universe. This research presents an important basis for fundamental space in frame of Astrophysics, Plasma Physics and Magneto-Hydrodynamics, Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Geophysics. 3. In modern time, technology, economics, navigation, TV, internet, radio-connections, military aspects, and the life of people on our planet are strongly connected by the work of many satellites moving inside the Magnetosphere. Different processes and MCR in the magnetosphere influence how the satellites work and often lead to satellite malfunctions, sometimes completely destroying their electronics and satellites become 'dead'. The described research can be considered as a basis for developing methods of forecasting dangerous situations for satellites on different orbits and to decrease the risk of satellite malfunctions and of losing them. It means that this research has important practical applications. 4. The interaction of ICME, ISW, and IIR with the Magnetosphere leads to the generation of big magnetic storms accompanied by Cosmic Ray Forbushï­decrease and precursory effects in Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) intensity. These magnetic storms are dangerous, not only for satellites, but also for Earth's surface regarding technology, radio-connections, car accidents, and human health (e.g., increasing frequency of infarct myocardial and brain strokes). Investigation of causes of magnetic storms can help to develop methods of their forecasting and decrease the level of magnetic storm hazards. Therefore, the other practical application of this research is connected with the problem of space weather and space climate influence on the technology, radio-connections, navigation, transportation, and human health on the Earth in dependence of altitude and geomagnetic latitude.

Read more less

The importance and actuality of the Geomagnetosphere's research are based on following three factors: 1. The Geomagnetosphere is the nearest giant natural Laboratory, where is possible by a lot of satellites and ground measurements investigate in details many different plasmas and energetic processes in space, caused finally by interaction of high kinetic energy solar wind plasmas and its perturbations (Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections - ICMEs, Interplanetary Shock Waves - ISWs, Interplanetary Interaction Regions - IIR) with frozen in Interplanetary Magnetic Fields - IMF with the rotated main geomagnetic field. This interaction leads to dynamic transformation magnetic fields in Geomagnetosphere, generation and trapping high energy particles (which can be called as Magnetospheric Cosmic Rays - MCR), generation of many types instabilities and electromagnetic radiations. These processes are in principle similar to processes in magnetospheres of other planets and their moons, in the atmosphere of the Sun and other stars, in interplanetary and in interstellar space, in many different astrophysical objects, i.e. this research is important basis for fundamental Space and Astrophysical science. 2. In the modern time the Technology, Economics, Navigation, TV, Internet, Radio-Connections, Military aspects, and the life of people on our planet are strong connected with the work of many satellites, moving inside the Geomagnetosphere. Different processes and MCR in the Geomagnetosphere influenced on the satellites work and often lead to satellite malfunctions up to full destroying work of their electronics - satellites became 'dead'. The described research can be considered as basis for developing methods of forecasting dangerous situation for satellites on different orbits and to decrease the risk of satellite malfunctions and loosing, i.e. this research has important practical application. 3. The interaction of ICME, ISW, and IIR with Geomagnetosphere leads to generation big magnetic storms accompanied with Forbushdecreases and precursory effects in Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) intensity. These magnetic storms are dangerous not only for satellites, but also on the Earth's surface for technology, radio-connections, car accidents, people health (e.g., increasing frequency of infarct myocardial and brain strokes). Investigations of causes of magnetic storms can help to develop methods of their forecasting and decreasing the level of magnetic storms hazards. Therefore, the other practical application of this research is connected with the problem of space weather and space climate influence on the technology, radio-connections, navigation, transportation, and people health on the Earth in dependence of altitude and geomagnetic latitude. The present book "Energetic Particles in Geomagnetosphere/Ionosphere" contains the following Chapters: Chapter 1. Experimental Evidences on Energetic Particles in the Earth's Environment Chapter 2. Theories/Models/Simulations of Energetic Particles Acceleration and Propagation in the Geomagnetosphere Chapter 3. Energetic Particles in Geomagnetosphere and Ionosphere: Related Phenomena Chapter 4. Auroras and Magnetospheric/Ionospheric Acceleration Processes Chapter 5. Magnetospheric/Ionospheric Acceleration and Propagation Processesat High-Latitudes and in Polar Regions We hope that this review-book will be interesting and useful for researches, engineers, students of corresponding specialties, and all people interested in developing of modern technologies in space and in problems of Geomagnetosphere, Ionosphere, Upper and Low Atmosphere, Space Weather and Space Climate, and how they influence on the Earth's Civilization.

Read more less

Uncover awe-inspiring stories behind the natural world with this nature book for curious kids aged 6-8.The world is filled with curious objects such as amazing rocks and minerals, microscopic life, plants, animals and more. The wonders of wildlife are so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn! The Wonders of Nature is a stunning nature encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they dive into this collection of 100 remarkable items from the natural world, from orchids to opals and lichens to lizards and so much more! Each plant, animal, and rock is shown both photographically and illustrated, and children will love poring over the detailed close-up images.The storybook descriptions let you discover the myths and legends surrounding both organisms and gemstones, as well as key facts about their natural history. Find out how the prowling jaguar uses spots to avoid being spotted, why a sticky sundew means big trouble for insects, and what on Earth a radiolarian is. This beautiful treasury lets you find the things that interest you and uncover new favourites along the way. With reference pages packed with information you'll go away knowing something you didn't before, and you'll return time and again. The Wonders of Nature takes you on a tour of our planet through commonplace-but-incredible objects made by nature itself. The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on the wonders of nature and wildlife, making this book ideal for inquisitive children aged 6-8 who loves to spot things when exploring outside and wants to know more about the wonderful and mysterious natural world.Celebrate your child's curiosity as they:- Explore 100 minerals, plants, and animals each with a stunning photographs and illustrations- Reveal fun facts in visual index guides that provide key reference information- Uncover captivating information on the natural history and mythology of a variety of nature's wondersThis nature encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of storybook style text with out of this world illustrations which makes it a fantastic nature book for children who are obsessed with wildlife and the natural world. Encourage young readers to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 6-8 to enjoy for hours on end, whether reading with the family or reading alone, this fun fact book also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn.Explore the vastness of space by uncovering: -Stunning Jacket Detail: gold foil, holographic foil & metallic gold edges-Stunning photography & illustrations inside-A beautiful book for the whole family to treasure-A quality gift to be passed down through the generationsMore in the SeriesThe Wonders of Nature is part of the beautiful and informative Anthology series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity as they explore the natural world with Nature's Treasures or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life.

Read more less

A rare and powerful illustration of what it takes to become a sustainable, community-embedded organization that continually grows the next generation of compassionate leaders. This essential, timely book meets us at our current moment of crisis to offer hope that American democracy’s stalled trajectory toward its founding creed to embrace all, and not just some, can indeed be re-invigorated. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons is about low-income youth of color working within justice-oriented, community-based organizations to improve the social and spatial conditions in their surroundings. It draws from hundreds of pages of data, some collected over a decade ago by graduate research assistants at three universities and some collected recently by a graduate research assistant at a fourth university, to present verbatim quotes from interviews with constituents of three youth-serving organizations. The book posits that the disinvested neighborhoods where youth experience abandonment and marginality in fact can serve as a call to action, given appropriate organizational support. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons envisions a place-based critical pedagogy that can provide young people with the practical skills and deep values to engage with today’s economic, racial, and ecological crises. It offers a welcome antidote to a neoliberal education system that has not only veered away from its public mandate to advance democratic citizenship but that has also reinforced today’s insidious economic inequality, rendering illusive the idea that rich and poor can work together toward a common good. Between these pages resonates a passionate call for an approach to cultivating citizens who have the critical skills to challenge injustice, the courage to hold the rich and powerful accountable, and the empathy to advance not just their own self-interest but also the health and well-being of their communities and the planet. The author proposes that such citizens develop by exercising collective agency in “the commons,” a political and psychic space whose values are mapped out in physical space. Through the expert use of an architect’s lens, this groundbreaking book argues that the three-dimensional concreteness of the nation’s disinvested neighborhoods provides a virtual stage where disenfranchised youth can experiment with collective life, become more discerning about the forces that have shaped their communities, and practice working toward just and inclusive futures. Merging Paolo Freire’s seminal theory of critical pedagogy with Grace Lee Boggs’s belief that hands-on community-building can disrupt the ever more destructive forces of neoliberal capitalism, Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons refines an aspirational framework for a pathway forward through a careful analysis of three exemplar organizations. It offers rich, unique portraits of young people transforming their communities in southwest Detroit, Wai’anae, and Harlem, respectively illustrating place-based activism through theater, organic farming, and critical inquiry. Here activism is framed as the hands-on engagement of youth in addressing inequities in the commons of their neighborhoods through small but persistent interventions that also help them learn the language of solidarity and collectivity that a sustainable democracy needs. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons is a must-read for our times and for our future.

Read more less

"Finally, a resource....guide...roadmap....to help team members and team leaders alike understand what it takes to function as a high performing team, how doing so can personally enrich your life, and why it's critical for organizations to function only in this way. The Emotionally Intelligent Team connects the dots between the task at hand, achieving and making a difference, and personal happiness. Imagine where humankind would be if every entity on the planet operated within a series of high performing teams. Marcia Hughes and James Terrell show us that it's possible!" —Suzanne Kirk, SVP, Branch Service Center, Bank of the West "We value teams at Medtronic so we know that this book will be a powerful tool in understanding and developing successful team behaviors!" —Michael Mihalczo, District Manager, Walter Cooper, District Manager, Medtronic CRDM "Marcia Hughes' and James Terrell's latest book, The Emotionally Intelligent Team, is a 'must read' for every school district, business and organization that wants to ensure high functioning and productive teams. Based on solid research, this easy-to-read book describes the seven social emotional skills necessary for effective teams, and includes practical strategies any team leader can use to develop and maintain an emotionally intelligent team. Marcia's and James' book has been of tremendous value to the work of the senior administrative team in our school district!" —Linda Fabi, Director of Education, Waterloo Region District School Board "Marcia and James provide a good lens for the way people view others in a team environment. This insight, when combined with measuring one’s own EQ through a test such as the Emotional Quotient inventory (EQ-i ®), provides a powerful lever for improving team performance." —Steven J. Stein, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of MHS, Co-author of the best seller The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success and author of Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent Organization "Discovering ways to strengthen teams in an organization can lead to impressive improvement in morale, engagement, productivity, and results. The Emotionally Intelligent Team will help any team take practical steps toward greater collaboration and effectiveness." —Brian Twillman, EPA Training Officer & Organization Development Specialist, Lead Author EPA's Team Leader Resource Guide US EPA - Office of Executive Services, Office of the Administrator "The most important issue in our networked world is teamwork across levels and boundaries. This masterful work offers a completely new perspective, bringing the power of emotional and social intelligence through engaging insights, exercises and stories to high performance teamwork - creating the opportunity for potentially extraordinary results that are seamless, dynamic, and productive." —Eileen Rogers, Global Director, Leadership Excellence Programs, Deloitte In this compelling book, authors Marcia Hughes and James Terrell offer practical information and a guide for businesses that want to draw on the power of the emotional competencies of their teams. They reveal how individuals, team members, and leaders can take the steps to become more emotionally intelligent team (ESI) members and show how to put in place the practices and exercises that will help any team grow in emotional intelligence. The book outlines the seven emotional competencies of teams.

Read more less

A charming children's encyclopedia bursting with fun facts for little learners who want to know about the world!Our world is an amazing place. It's full of rivers, mountains, animals, and too many other amazing places to count. But that's not all. There's also families, friends, music, technology, language, games, and all other things that make life wonderful. This exciting children's book is a celebration of our world and what it's like to live in it. My Very Important World is a vibrant encyclopedia for curious 5-9 year olds, with a unique approach to the subject that features both places from around the globe as well as focusing on what the world is like from a child's perspective, covering everyday subjects about their own experiences. Unlike an atlas, this encyclopedia of discovery will entertain, educate, and inspire readers to wonder about the world around them. On one page they'll read about their body and brain, on another they'll learn about languages, food, culture, the environment, and on others, they can marvel at wonders of the Earth such as fiery volcanoes, sprawling cities, or a place called "The Rainbow Mountains".My Very Important World allows readers to delight in discovering where the coldest place on Earth is, how many languages there are, why they sometimes feel scared, and much more. Full of fun facts, colourful illustrations, and games that will keep the kids entertained time again, this children's encyclopedia is filled with age-appropriate knowledge on a range of topics that are complementary to your school's Key Stage 1 curriculum, with contents divided into six sections, covering: My World, The World Around Me, People and Culture, The Big Wide World, The Natural World, and Exploring The World.Celebrate your child's curiosity as they:- Read hundreds of exciting facts- Learn all about amazing animals, people, and places- Discover the wonders of our incredible planet, and moreOur encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of adorable, simple illustrations with stunning photography and lively text. Encourage early learners to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 5-9 to enjoy for hours on end, whether for homeschooling, a bedtime story, shared reading or reading alone, this fun fact book for children also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn. Tell the story of the world one page at a time, by uncovering: - Educational content written in a friendly and fun manner - Beautifully padded cover with several high-quality finishes, including padding and foil- Features a built-in ribbon bookmark so you never lose your place whilst reading More in the SeriesMy Very Important World is part of the educational kid's book series My Very Encyclopedia series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity with My Encyclopedia of Very Important Adventures, teach them about different species with My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals, or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in My Encyclopedia of Very Important Dinosaurs.Shortlisted:- The School Library Association Information Book Award 2017- Best Children's Book in the Junior Design Awards 2017

Read more less

New York Times Bestseller“Just because everything appears to be a mess doesn’t mean you have to be one. Mark Manson’s book is a call to arms for a better life and better world and could not be more needed right now.” — Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the EnemyFrom the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope. We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle; to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different countries.In Everthing Is F*cked, Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.

Read more less

Elves. Leprechauns. Gremlins. Call them what you like. These little dudes may be the stuff of legend, but they're just as real as you and me. Far from the mythical, magical creatures of rumor, they are actually tiny aliens, marooned for centuries on this miserable mudball known as Earth. And they want just one thing: OFF! Now, human technology may finally make a reality of their dreams to leave this pathetic planet behind. NASA has a new rocket and it's Mars-bound. All the gremlins need do is hijack it and set a course for their homeworld of Gremla. The only thing lacking is a hapless human accomplice . . . About The Best of Bova Volume III: “Ben Bova is a living legend. . . .The hallmarks of Bova’s fiction . . . are believable human characters and complete rationality. He adheres to the philosophy articulated by John W. Campbell, Jr. . . . that the best science fiction involves not just science and technology, but their impact on people. . . . [I]f you care about the history of science fiction, or if you just want to read some good stories, you’ll be happy with this one.”—Analog About the award-winning stories and novels of Ben Bova: “Technically accurate and absorbing. . .”—Kirkus “[Bova is] the science fiction author who will have the greatest effect on the world.”—Ray Bradbury “A masterful storyteller”—Vector “Gives a good read while turning your eyes to what might be in the not so distant future, just like Clarke and Asimov used to do so well.”—SFX About Mars, Inc., by Ben Bova: “. . .perfectly enjoyable as an SF book (could Bova write anything that wasn’t enjoyable?), Mars, Inc. has that torn-from-the-headline vibe that’s obviously intended for a larger audience. . . . the bottom line? Mars, Inc. has inspiration, excitement, thrills, romance, a dash of satire—and is a good, fun read . . . .”—Analog “The Hugo winner returns to his most popular subject: the quest for Mars.”—Publishers Weekly “. . . escapist fantasy for rocket scientists and space engineers, those dreaming of these kinds of missions. Yet Bova’s story is rigorously realistic. . . . a fun read showing you do not need car chases or shootouts to deliver a fast-paced and exciting story."—Daily News of Galveston County Praise for Time Storm by Gordon R. Dickson: "Dickson has done a superb job."—Publishers Weekly "Dickson at his best. . . . One of the notable science fiction novels of the year."—Booklist "One of those rare books that holds your attention constantly. The suspense at some points is almost unbearable, leaving the reader breathless and glad the crisis has passed."—New Orleans Times-Picayune "Science fiction that seduces. . . . A masterful science fiction story told by a masterful science fiction writer."—Milwaukee Journal About Gordon R. Dickson: "Dickson is one of SF's standard-bearers."—Publishers Weekly "Dickson has a true mastery of pacing and fine understanding of human beings."—Seattle Post Intelligencer "A masterful science fiction writer."—Milwaukee Journal "Dickson is among the best storytellers we have ever has...one of the finest makers that our field has ever known."—Poul Anderson

Read more less

A rare and powerful illustration of what it takes to become a sustainable, community-embedded organization that continually grows the next generation of compassionate leaders. This essential, timely book meets us at our current moment of crisis to offer hope that American democracy’s stalled trajectory toward its founding creed to embrace all, and not just some, can indeed be re-invigorated. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons is about low-income youth of color working within justice-oriented, community-based organizations to improve the social and spatial conditions in their surroundings. It draws from hundreds of pages of data, some collected over a decade ago by graduate research assistants at three universities and some collected recently by a graduate research assistant at a fourth university, to present verbatim quotes from interviews with constituents of three youth-serving organizations. The book posits that the disinvested neighborhoods where youth experience abandonment and marginality in fact can serve as a call to action, given appropriate organizational support. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons envisions a place-based critical pedagogy that can provide young people with the practical skills and deep values to engage with today’s economic, racial, and ecological crises. It offers a welcome antidote to a neoliberal education system that has not only veered away from its public mandate to advance democratic citizenship but that has also reinforced today’s insidious economic inequality, rendering illusive the idea that rich and poor can work together toward a common good. Between these pages resonates a passionate call for an approach to cultivating citizens who have the critical skills to challenge injustice, the courage to hold the rich and powerful accountable, and the empathy to advance not just their own self-interest but also the health and well-being of their communities and the planet. The author proposes that such citizens develop by exercising collective agency in “the commons,” a political and psychic space whose values are mapped out in physical space. Through the expert use of an architect’s lens, this groundbreaking book argues that the three-dimensional concreteness of the nation’s disinvested neighborhoods provides a virtual stage where disenfranchised youth can experiment with collective life, become more discerning about the forces that have shaped their communities, and practice working toward just and inclusive futures. Merging Paolo Freire’s seminal theory of critical pedagogy with Grace Lee Boggs’s belief that hands-on community-building can disrupt the ever more destructive forces of neoliberal capitalism, Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons refines an aspirational framework for a pathway forward through a careful analysis of three exemplar organizations. It offers rich, unique portraits of young people transforming their communities in southwest Detroit, Wai’anae, and Harlem, respectively illustrating place-based activism through theater, organic farming, and critical inquiry. Here activism is framed as the hands-on engagement of youth in addressing inequities in the commons of their neighborhoods through small but persistent interventions that also help them learn the language of solidarity and collectivity that a sustainable democracy needs. Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons is a must-read for our times and for our future.

Read more less

Convert your unproductive lawn and landscape areas into fruitful edible gardens with this practical guide overflowing with ideas, plans, designs, and know-how.Out with the lawn and in with the food! That’s the battle cry of millions of modern gardeners who are not only looking to reduce the amount of time and energy they have to spend tending a lawn, but they’re also looking to improve the lives of their family, friends, and neighbors by supplying them with fresh, homegrown food. In the United States alone, 46 million acres of land are covered in turfgrass (that’s more acreage than corn and soybeans combined!). Imagine all the good that would come if that land were dedicated to growing food instead! Converting unused areas of the landscape into food gardens helps mitigate the effects of climate change, reduces food miles, improves food security, and allows us to be a better steward of our little slice of the planet. But how do you get started? Which plants do you choose? Is there a series of best practices to follow to successfully convert your yard into an edible oasis so that it’s not just high-yielding, but it’s also attractive? Growing an Edible Landscape is here to help answer all of these questions and many more.Setting up an edible landscape is much more than just placing a few tomato-filled raised beds in the middle of the lawn, though for some gardeners, this might be a logical place to start. The eventual goal, however, is to have a landscape filled with layers of fruitful plants combined together to produce edible harvests for as many months of the year as possible. To reach that end, there’s much to plan and do to ensure your success. Authors Gary Pilarchik of @therustedgarden and Dr. Chiara D’Amore have devised the perfect guidebook to take you from “turfgrass overwhelm” to consistent harvests of a huge diversity of homegrown edible plants. And the best part is—you can create an edible paradise whether your yard is large or small, sunny or shaded, urban or rural, or level or sloped. A few highlights of the systems and techniques outlined in these pages include: The phases of the transformation process and how they are different for everyone Real-world, sensible garden design options for edible yards Step-by-step projects to get growing today How to choose the edible plants that are best for your conditions Practical plant-care tips for everything from seed starting to fertilizing and watering Pick-and-choose menus to help you combine productive plants in an attractive way Ways in which your edible landscape can cultivate community Also included are 25 profiles of common and uncommon plants for an edible yard. From raspberries and asparagus to fruit trees and dandelions, these food plants are great additions to any edible landscape plan. Start small or go big—it’s your choice! By saying goodbye to lawn and hello to an edible landscape, you’ll soon be starting on a deeply personal journey toward a more self-sufficient and flavorful life.

Read more less

In Gotham City, heinous acts of violence are a daily occurrence. Harley Quinn, forensic psychiatrist and profiler, consults with the GCPD on their worst cases. But she is fixated on an unsolved murder that haunts her-the night she discovered her roommate's body marked with the signature of a notorious serial killer known as The Joker. Five years later, the case remains unsolved, and a new series of horrific killings has begun. As the murders escalate and the meticulously constructed crime scenes become more elaborate, Harley's obsession with finding the depraved psychopath responsible leads her down a dangerous path. When the past and the present finally collide, Harley has to decide how far she is willing to go-and how many lines she is willing to cross-to solve these cases once and for all. Written by #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures, Unbreakable, The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos) and drawn by Mico Suayan (Bloodshot Reborn), Jason Badower (Wonder Woman '77), and Mike Mayhew (The Star Wars), Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity introduces readers to a Joker and Harley Quinn unlike any they've seen before, utilizing forensic psychiatry, behavior analysis (profiling), and psychological profiles to create a true-to-life take on these iconic characters that is more terrifying than any psychotic fantasy. This volume collects issues #1-8, as well as Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity-Secret Files. 'Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity is as brutal and cruel as Gotham itself. Kami Garcia and her disturbed co-conspirator artists are about to make you uncomfortable in the very best way.' -Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist and writer of Identity Crisis 'Reads like a cinematic trip, a breathtaking sojourn through the tangled minds of psychopaths. Chilling writing and the art is off the charts.' -Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Goblin 'Gritty, gripping, and suspenseful-a fresh vision of Harley Quinn and the Joker, and a darkly vivid story.' - Meg Gardiner, bestselling author of the Unsub series 'Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity is methodical, disturbing, and incredibly compelling. Harley is brilliant, formidable, and absolutely not to be f'd with.'-Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer of Bitch Planet and Captain Marvel 'Kami Garcia, Mico Suayan, Jason Badower, and Mike Mayhew bring some things to the legends Joker and Harley that no one else has done before! A mesmerizing treat even for those who think they know all there is to know about these characters.' - Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Alias and Naomi 'Kami Garcia and her amazing artistic collaborators dig deep to create a portrait of Joker and Harley that is as scary and exciting as you'd hope for, but also surprisingly human.' - Jeff Lemire, creator of Sweet Toothand writer of Joker: Killer Smile 'Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity isn't just a darkly fresh take on iconic DC characters, it's also a deep, masterful exploration of the most terrifying corners of human psychology. One of the most gripping series I read this year.' - Scott Snyder, writer of The Batman who Laughs and American Vampire

Read more less

Reveal extraordinary stories form nature by best-selling author Ben Hoare with this awe-inspiring animal book for curious kids aged 6-8.The world is filled with curious objects made by plants, animals, and even by the Earth itself. The wonder of wildlife is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. Nature's Treasures is a stunning nature encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they dive into this collection of more than 100 intriguing items from the natural world and discover the stories behind them. Whether it's learning how bristly mouths help huge whales capture tiny animals, how minute scales make butterflies shine in the sunlight, or how studying a leaf skeleton can tell us how it transports food, children can learn all sorts of fun animal facts from the storybook descriptions.Arranged into four chapters: Animals; Plants, fungi, and algae; Minerals and rocks, and Made by nature, objects are shown with truly stunning photography and colourful illustrations to help kids understand the science behind them. The lively descriptions by best-selling nature writer Ben Hoare explore the remarkable tales of each item and all are packed with fascinating information. Nature's Treasures takes you on a tour of our planet through commonplace-but-incredible objects made by nature itself. The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on the wonders of nature and wildlife, making this book ideal for inquisitive children aged 6-8 who loves to spot things when exploring outside and wants to know more about the wonderful and mysterious natural world.Celebrate your child's curiosity as they:- Explore unique and intriguing approach to exploring nature- Reveal remarkable features of plants and animals, the nests and structures they make- Uncover more than 100 amazing individual objects found in the natural worldThis nature encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of storybook style text with out of this world illustrations which makes it a fantastic nature book for children who are obsessed with wildlife and the natural world. Encourage young readers to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 6-8 to enjoy for hours on end, whether reading with the family or reading alone, this fun fact book also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn.Explore the vastness of space by uncovering: -Stunning Jacket Detail: gold foil, holographic foil & metallic gold edges-Stunning photography & illustrations inside-A beautiful book for the whole family to treasure-A quality gift to be passed down through the generationsMore in the SeriesNature's Treasures is part of the beautiful and informative Anthology series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity as they explore the natural world with The Wonders of Nature or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life.

Read more less

Reveal extraordinary stories form nature by best-selling author Ben Hoare with this awe-inspiring animal book for curious kids aged 6-8.The world is filled with curious objects made by plants,animals, and even by the Earth itself. The wonder of wildlife is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. Nature’s Treasures is a stunning nature encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they dive into this collection of more than 100 intriguing items from the natural world and discover the stories behind them. Whether it’s learning how bristly mouths help huge whales capture tiny animals, how minute scales make butterflies shine in the sunlight, or how studying a leaf skeleton can tell us how it transports food, children can learn all sorts of fun animal facts from the storybook descriptions.Arranged into four chapters: Animals; Plants, fungi, and algae; Minerals and rocks, and Made by nature, objects are shown with truly stunning photography and colourful illustrations to help kids understand the science behind them. The lively descriptions by best-selling nature writer Ben Hoare explore the remarkable tales of each item and all are packed with fascinating information. Nature’s Treasures takes you on a tour of our planet through commonplace-but-incredible objects made by nature itself. The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on the wonders of nature and wildlife, making this book ideal for inquisitive children aged 6-8 who loves to spot things when exploring outside and wants to know more about the wonderful and mysterious natural world.Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they:- Explore unique and intriguing approach to exploring nature- Reveal remarkable features of plants and animals, the nests and structures they make- Uncover more than 100 amazing individual objects found in the natural worldThis nature encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of storybook style text with out of this world illustrations which makes it a fantastic nature book for children who are obsessed with wildlife and the natural world. Encourage young readers to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 6-8 to enjoy for hours on end, whether reading with the family or reading alone, this fun fact book also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn. Explore the vastness of space by uncovering: -Stunning Jacket Detail: gold foil, holographic foil & metallic gold edges-Striking photography & illustrations inside-A beautiful book for the whole family to treasure -A quality gift to be passed down through the generationsMore in the SeriesNature’s Treasures is part of the beautiful and informative Anthology series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity as they explore the natural world with The Wonders of Nature or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life.

Read more less

New York Times bestseller — over 25 million copies soldThe No. 1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century “[Thirty] years after it first appeared, the wisdom of The 7 Habits is more relevant than ever. On an individual level people are burning out, and on a collective level we are burning up the planet. So Dr. Covey’s emphasis on self-renewal and his understanding that leadership and creativity require us to tap into our own physical, mental, and spiritual resources are exactly what we need now.” Arianna HuffingtonOne of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for nearly three decades. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, teachers and parents - millions of people of all ages and occupations. Now, this 30th anniversary edition of the timeless classic commemorates the wisdom of the 7 habits with modern additions from Sean Covey. The 7 habits have become famous and are integrated into everyday thinking by millions and millions of people. Why? Because they work! With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 habits will be refreshed for a new generation of leaders. They include: Habit 1: Be Proactive Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind Habit 3: Put First Things First Habit 4: Think Win/Win Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Habit 6: Synergise Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw This beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity - principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.Stephen R. Covey dedicated his life to demonstrating how a person can truly control their destiny with profound yet straightforward guidance. As an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organisational consultant, and author, his advice gives insight to millions. He sold more than 20 million books (in 40 languages), and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the No. 1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century. He was the author of The 3rd Alternative, The 8th Habit, The Leader in Me, First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and many other titles. He held an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate from Brigham Young University, USA. He was the cofounder of FranklinCovey, a leading global education and training firm with offices in 147 countries.Sean Covey is President of FranklinCovey Education and oversees all of Franklin Covey's International partnerships which cover over 140 countries. He is a New York Times best-selling author and has written several books, including The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which has been translated into 20 languages and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Read more less

'Megan Bannen has created a world that you'll never want to leave and characters that will carve a spot into your heart. This series is playfully unique, delightfully steamy, utterly romantic, and overall unmissable!' Ali HazelwoodThe Princess Bride meets You've Got Mail in this enchantingly quirky, completely refreshing fantasy with a rom-com-worthy premise.Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the magical wilds of Tanria. It's an unforgiving job, and he's got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.Mercy never has a moment to herself. She's been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart-ache Hart, the man with a knack for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. After yet another run-in with Merciless Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to "A Friend". Much to his surprise, he receives an anonymous reply, and a tentative friendship is born. Little does Hart know he's baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most. . . Set in a world equally full of magic and demigods as it is donuts and small-town drama, this utterly unique fantasy is sure to sweep you off your feet.Praise for The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy:'Romantic, wildly creative, and utterly charming, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a fantasy unlike any I've read before' Lana Harper, author of Payback's a Witch'The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy broke my heart, put it back together, then tucked me into bed with a forehead kiss. Packed with earnest characters, wit, action, and reluctant yearning, this is easily my favourite fantasy romance of the year' Jen DeLuca, author of Well Met'A uniquely charming mixture of whimsy and the macabre that completely won me over' Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient'Megan Bannen remains the queen of swoons upon swoons upon swoons! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a playful, quirky gem-full of feels and guaranteed to deliver the perfect grumpy/sunshine fix!' Sierra Simone'An unabashedly offbeat adventure' Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light'A lovely, macabre fantasy romance about life, death, and Actually Living. I cried twice and smiled plenty' Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul'Megan Bannen broke me, made me laugh, then put me back together again. . . The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one of those books you'll be thinking about long after you've read the last page' Manda Collins'A truly outstanding romantic fantasy' India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels'A little sweet, a little spicy, a little sharp and entirely moreish!' Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer 'I showed up for the fantastic, fun fantasy setting but it was Hart and Mercy that kept me reading' Ruby Dixon, author of Ice Planet Barbarians'Megan Bannen has found her voice with this incredibly smart, and hilariously weird debut. A must read' Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil 'Warm, compassionate and compelling' Vivian Shaw, author of Strange Practice

Read more less

Murder is his art. Catching killers is hers. In Gotham City, heinous acts of violence are a daily occurrence. Harley Quinn, forensic psychiatrist and profiler, consults with the GCPD on their worst cases. But she is fixated on an unsolved murder that haunts her the night she discovered her roommate s body marked with the signature of a notorious serial killer known as The Joker. Five years later, the case remains unsolved, and a new series of horrific killings has begun. As the murders escalate and the meticulously constructed crime scenes become more elaborate, Harley s obsession with finding the depraved psychopath responsible leads her down a dangerous path. When the past and the present finally collide, Harley has to decide how far she is willing to go and how many lines she is willing to cross to solve these cases once and for all. Written by #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures, Unbreakable, The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos) and drawn by Mico Suayan (Bloodshot Reborn), Jason Badower (Wonder Woman 77), and Mike Mayhew (The Star Wars), Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity introduces readers to a Joker and Harley Quinn unlike any they ve seen before, utilizing forensic psychiatry, behavior analysis (profiling), and psychological profiles to create a true-to-life take on these iconic characters that is more terrifying than any psychotic fantasy. This volume collects issues #1-8, as well as Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity Secret Files. Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity is as brutal and cruel as Gotham itself. Kami Garcia and her disturbed co-conspirator artists are about to make you uncomfortable in the very best way. Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist and writer of Identity Crisis Reads like a cinematic trip, a breathtaking sojourn through the tangled minds of psychopaths. Chilling writing and the art is off the charts. Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Goblin Gritty, gripping, and suspenseful a fresh vision of Harley Quinn and the Joker, and a darkly vivid story. Meg Gardiner, bestselling author of the Unsub series Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity is methodical, disturbing, and incredibly compelling. Harley is brilliant, formidable, and absolutely not to be f d with. Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer of Bitch Planet and Captain Marvel Kami Garcia, Mico Suayan, Jason Badower, and Mike Mayhew bring some things to the legends Joker and Harley that no one else has done before! A mesmerizing treat even for those who think they know all there is to know about these characters. Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Alias and Naomi Kami Garcia and her amazing artistic collaborators dig deep to create a portrait of Joker and Harley that is as scary and exciting as you d hope for, but also surprisingly human. Jeff Lemire, creator of Sweet Tooth and writer of Joker: Killer Smile Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity isn t just a darkly fresh take on iconic DC characters, it s also a deep, masterful exploration of the most terrifying corners of human psychology. One of the most gripping series I read this year. Scott Snyder, writer of The Batman who Laughs and American Vampire

Read more less

Uncover awe-inspiring stories behind the natural world with this nature book for curious kids aged 6-8.The world is filled with curious objects such as amazing rocks and minerals, microscopic life, plants, animals and more. The wonders of wildlife are so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn! The Wonders of Nature is a stunning nature encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they dive into this collection of 100 remarkableitems from the natural world, from orchids to opals and lichens to lizards and so much more! Each plant, animal, and rock is shown both photographically and illustrated, and children will love poring over the detailed close-up images. The storybook descriptions let you discover the myths and legends surrounding both organisms and gemstones, as well as key facts about their natural history. Find out how the prowling jaguar uses spots to avoid being spotted, why a sticky sundew means big trouble for insects, and what on Earth a radiolarian is. This beautiful treasury lets you find the things that interest you and uncover new favourites along the way. With reference pages packed with information you’ll go away knowing something you didn’t before, and you’ll return time and again. The Wonders of Nature takes you on a tour of our planet through commonplace-but-incredible objects made by nature itself. The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on the wonders of nature and wildlife, making this book ideal for inquisitive children aged 6-8 who loves to spot things when exploring outside and wants to know more about the wonderful and mysterious natural world.Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they:- Explore 100 minerals, plants, and animals each with a stunning photographs and illustrations- Reveal fun facts in visual index guides that provide key reference information - Uncover captivating information on the natural history and mythology of a variety of nature’s wonders This nature encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of storybook style text with out of this world illustrations which makes it a fantastic nature book for children who are obsessed with wildlife and the natural world. Encourage young readers to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 6-8 to enjoy for hours on end, whether reading with the family or reading alone, this fun fact book also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn. Explore the vastness of space by uncovering: -Stunning Jacket Detail: gold foil, holographic foil & metallic gold edges-Striking photography & illustrations inside-A beautiful book for the whole family to treasure -A quality gift to be passed down through the generationsMore in the SeriesThe Wonder’s of Nature is part of the beautiful and informative Anthology series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity as they explore the natural world with Nature’s Treasures or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Life.

Read more less

Small World, Big Ideas collects twelve of the most inspiring and courageous activists together to share their stories and present an inspiring vision of what each of us can do to build a better world today.There's an activist in all of us, and you don't have to shout about it to be heard. And to prove it, life-long campaigner and former Jain monk Satish Kumar has invited twelve of those activists he most admires to share their own inspiring stories in Small World, Big Ideas, revealing—some, for the very first time—who or what made them want to change the world and what kind of world they want to help create. This book collects the thoughts, hopes and visions of some of the most significant figures in the global fight for a better and more compassionate world. As well as Satish Kumar, we hear from: Deepak Chopra - The mind-body healing pioneer discusses his journey from growing up in post-war India to learning about Ayurvedic medicine, to his current work promoting spiritual knowledge and working for world peace. Jane Goodall - The renowned scientist and conservationist tells of the people who have inspired her in her work to pretect animals, and the reasons she has for hope in the future. Franny Armstrong - The McLibel filmmaker writes about her politicisation as a teenager, her involvement with the Greenpeace movement and the next steps in the fight against climate change. Bob Brown - The Australian Green politician shares stories from his time as an ecologist and lawmaker, and his belief in how democracy can be used to bring people together to fight the looming crises facing Planet Earth. Tim Flannery - The explorer and ecologist tells of watching the ecosystems around him disappear, his travels to remote areas around the world and how the only hope for our future lies in connecting with others to act together. Polly Higgins -The late environmental lawyer discusses how the concept of Earth Law, and how she came to fight for ecocide to be recognised as a crime against humanity. Caroline Lucas - England's only Green MP, Lucas writes about how she has fought all her life to change the political system, and how radical change is always possible! Bill McKibben - The writer and activist discusses moving from writing to political campaigning, and how he founded 350.org, the global grass-roots organization that works to halt and reverse climate change. Carlo Petrini - The slow food advocate tells of growing up in Piedmont, and of how we can change the world by putting food back at the centre of our lives. Vandana Shiva - The ecofeminist discusses how the multiple crises which she has fought – climate change, misogyny and inequality – are all interlinked, and how our response must be similarly all-encompassing. Whether they have championed the tragic plight of Indian farmers impoverished by the domination of the agro-giants or shamed Hollywood into treating climate change as a serious concern these are the people who have made their voices heard. Their illuminating and often moving life stories will inspire all of us to get off the couch and do something ourselves to help shape a better world.

Read more less

National treasure Sheridan Smith returns to the role of Lucie Miller in these four new adventures with the Eighth Doctor! 1. The Dalek Trap by Nicholas Briggs. The thing about black holes is, they’re big and they’re black and they’re deadly, and you’d have to be mad to go anywhere near them. Because anything that falls inside a black hole ends up crushed in the singularity. Unfortunately, the Doctor just went mad, or so it seems, and flew his TARDIS beyond a black hole’s event horizon, causing him and his companion Lucie Miller to end up marooned on a planetoid just inside the event horizon. Along with a Dalek saucer… and something else. Because this is no ordinary black hole… This is the Cradle of the Darkness. 2. The Revolution Game by Alice Cavender. It’s Lucie’s birthday, and her birthday treat awaits. But whatever she’s expecting, it’s not what she’s getting on the colony world of Castus Sigma in the year 3025: ringside seats for the interplanetary Retro Roller Derby – sponsored by Heliacorp, “turning sunlight into gold”! It’s more than just a game, though. For the competitors, it’s a matter of life or death – a New Life with Heliacorp, or a living death on Castus Sigma. Or, on this fateful day, a very actual death. Because there are strange creatures living out on the plain, beyond the colony. Creatures with every reason to want to sabotage the games. Creatures with a grudge. 3. The House on the Edge of Chaos by Eddie Robson. The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Lucie to a vast house on the planet known as Horton’s Orb. The only house on Horton’s Orb, in fact. Outside its outsized windows there’s nothing. No land. No sea. No sky. No life. Just an endless expanse of static. Inside the house, there’s an upstairs and a downstairs – servants below, gentlefolk from the finest of the house’s families above. Alas, there are altogether too few eligible ladies on the upper floors these days. Meaning there’s a vacancy for Miss Lucie Miller, single and unattached…Outside the house, the static howls on. Except now, the static wants to get in. 4. Island of the Fendahl by Alan Barnes. The Fendahl is the death of evolution, the horror that lies in wait at the far end of the food chain. The Fendahl is death itself. And the Fendahl is dead. The Doctor destroyed it many years ago, in another incarnation, when he encountered it in a place called Fetchborough. But if the Fendahl is dead… how can it live again, on the remote island of Fandor? CAST: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Sheridan Smith (Lucie Miller), Matt Lloyd Davies (Jik Gelliska), Amanda Hurwitz (Raz Kalisto), Jonathan Keeble (Clegg), Madeline Duggan (Sash), Tom Alexander (George), Alicia Ambrose-Bayly (Tallulah / Alana Kelly), Carla Mendonca (Evangeline Horton), Rupert Vansittart (Darius Horton), Emily Woodward (Frances Horton), Joe Jameson (Berrigan Horton), Carlyss Peer (Diane Howard), Atilla Akinci (Dieter Fendelman), Paul Panting (Freddie), Lauren Cornelius (Maxine Mitchell), Bethan Dixon Bate (Landlady) and Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Read more less

Our attachment to the tropical rain forest has grown over the past hundred years from a minority colonial pursuit to mainstream environmental obsession. The tropical rain forest has variously been assumed to be the world's most important repository of biological diversity and 'the lungs of the planet'. As Philip Stott shows in this magnificent monograph, neither claim has any basis in fact. The Northern environmentalist conception of the tropical rain forest is far removed from the ecological realities of the places it purports to denote. Most of the 'million year old forest' to which environmentalists sentimentally refer turns out to have existed for less than 20,000 years. During the last ice age the tropics were colder and drier than today and probably more closely resembled the savanna grasslands of East Africa. Most of the abundant plants and insects of the so-called tropical rain forest are equally novel, having co-evolved with the trees. Claims regarding the fragility of the ecosystems in tropical areas are similarly awry. Recent research suggests that a clear-cut area will return to forest with a similar level of biological diversity to the original within twenty years. Ironically, the mythical 'climax rain forest' would be a barren place: no new species would evolve because there would be no new environmental niches to be filled. The myth of the tropical rain forest suits the purposes of Northern environmentalists, who are able to justify demands for restrictions on the conversion of 'virgin forest' to other uses. Yet the history of the world has been one of evolutionary change. If we attempt to maintain stasis, we risk limiting our ability to adapt to change when it inevitably comes. Calls for the tropical rain forest to be preserved are founded on the implied presumption that the people living in tropical regions are merely there to protect a western construct. This denigrates their rights and dehumanises them. If people in developing countries are to escape from the mire of poverty in which so many continue to live, it is essential that they have secure rights of tenure and are free to do with their land what they will. Some may make mistakes, some may fail in their attempts to manage the land, but many will be successful and those successes will be emulated. Through a process of experimentation -- trial, error and emulation -- people will come to learn how best to manage the land. The environment will then be managed in ways that are best for humanity as a whole, not according to the whims of a minority of eco-imperialists. Giving rights to people, not to the environment, is not only best for the people, but is also best for the environment. Philip Stott, Professor of Biogeography at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, provides an eloquent deconstruction of the ideas that have led to the mythical western idea of the tropical rain forest, which has constrained our ability to understand the environments of developing countries and has enabled the eco-imperialist vision to flourish.

Read more less

In a world ravaged by climate change, a young woman's job of enforcing Britain's one-child policy is compromised when she discovers an illegal sibling on the ministry hit list, and that sibling is hers… `A tightly paced plot set in an all-too imaginable future … a page-turning, thought-provoking read´ Jo Callaghan ‘With echoes of V for Vendetta, ONE serves as a stark warning, challenging societal norms and individual sacrifices in the face of adversity’ SciFi Now Book of the Month ‘Pleasingly terrifying’ New Scientist `A terrifying vision of a global climate emergency, a jaw-dropping government conspiracy and some truly devastating twists … one hell of a speculative thriller´ Tom Hindle ––––––––––––––––––– One law. One child. Seven million crimes… A cataclysmic climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory abortion of 'excess' pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm, and families must adhere to strict consumption quotas as the world descends into chaos. Kai is a 25-year-old `baby reaper´, working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned families attempt to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price. Until, one morning, she discovers that an illegal sibling on her Ministry hit-list is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else finds out. Kai's hunt for her forbidden sister unearths much more than a dark family secret. As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a catastrophic discovery that could bring down the government … and tear her family apart. ––––––––––––––––––– `Eve Smith is a master storyteller for our troubled times´ Simon Conway `Chillingly plausible … both thrilling and deeply moving´ Philippa East `All too convincing and scientifically plausible … as much a warning as an entertainment´ Paul E. Hardisty `Amazing, beautiful writing, jam-packed with clever ideas´ Helen Fitzgerald `Gripping, frightening and deep … a very brilliant, masterful book´ Sarah K. Jackson `Simmering with great intelligence and insight that never fails to be terrifyingly and thrillingly plausible´ James Goodhand `A visionary storyteller´ Awais Khan `A gripping and pacy thriller set in an all too plausible and terrifying future´ David Beckler `Meticulously crafted, no detail is overlooked … so authentic it doesn't feel speculative at all´ Sarah Sultoon `Raises troubling issues about the balance between saving the planet and our individual human rights … brilliant!´ Guy Morpuss `Pulse-pounding and heart-rending in equal measure, this book is a tour-de-force´ Louise Mumford `A powerful warning and a gripping thriller´ Greg Mosse `A chilling, poignant novel that holds a mirror up to our world … sensational´ Vikki Patis `Gripping and unsettling´ Shen Yang `Compulsive and addictive´ Adam Simcox `Another taut and terrifying thriller from Eve Smith´ Louise Swanson `A terrifying, yet plausible read. Too scary to imagine in reality, and yet…´ Heather Fitt `Horrifying and gripping in equal measure … a jaw-dropping glimpse of the catastrophe around the corner … Astonishing´ Lucy Martin

Read more less

A TRANSFORMATIVE ORACLE CARD DECK FROM WORLD-RENOWNED ANGEL EXPERT AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF RAISE YOUR VIBRATION, KYLE GRAYELEVATE YOUR ENERGY, DEVELOP YOUR INTUITION, AND IGNITE YOUR SOUL WITH THE HELP OF 45 ASCENDED MASTERS AND ENLIGHTENED BEINGS The Keepers of the Light oracle card deck is a congregation of Ascended Masters and divine beings from many world traditions that are dedicated to the peace, healing, and nurturing of the world. These amazing masters transcend religion and go beyond time—they are here and willing to help all of those who call on them. “Kyle Gray is one of the world’s most incredibly gifted angel communicators. I have seen him work and he is authentic, intelligent, and deeply compassionate. I highly recommend him and all his creations!” – Colette Baron-Reid, international best-selling oracle expert This angel oracle card deck balances male and female energies, and includes traditional masters like Lord Buddha and Mother Mary, Earth-based deities like Gaia and Cernunnos, and modern favorites like Sanat Kumara, Lady Venus, and Saint Germain. Each oracle card is beautifully hand drawn by visionary artist Lily Moses, who paints what she sees from a deep meditative state. The deck’s aim is to help spiritual seekers develop their intuition, enrich their spiritual practice, and to really start trusting the messages that spirit shares. Every single oracle card offers an opportunity for you to receive a message you need to hear at this point on your spiritual journey.Angels In the deckYou will find a selection of powerful angels to bring deep spiritual inspiration that allows you to feel more connected to your spiritual gifts and talents. Ascended Masters These enlightened ones are souls who once walked the Earth (or other planets) and have chosen to offer their intelligence and life experience to all lightworkers so that they can overcome personal challenges and grow spiritually.Goddesses and Gods The divine has assumed many different faces and names through time, but it is still the divine. Goddesses and gods give personalities and tales to this supreme life-force energy. Twin Flames A twin flame is the divine spiritual counterpart of a soul. In life we can find a person who feels like the ‘other part’ of us, and these connections continue in the spiritual realm.Twin flames don’t have to be male and female or in a romantic relationship, but they are always two souls who complement each other’s journey.Example Cards with Meanings on Them:· Archangel Michael— Trusting Heaven You are safe. Angels stand close. Surrender your concerns and allow a miracle to occur.· Gaia—Earth Connection Be mindful of the planet. Come back to Earth. Stay grounded.· Isis—Magic Manifesting Your dreams, visions, and goals are becoming reality. Stay focused.· Lord Ganesh—Infinite Abundance Obstacles are being removed. Spiritual support and connections are increasing.This beautiful oracle deck is a rainbow bridge that allows you to connect directly with these loving beings in heaven so that they can share their healing messages and wisdom with you.

Read more less

New York Times Bestseller“Just because everything appears to be a mess doesn’t mean you have to be one. Mark Manson’s book is a call to arms for a better life and better world and could not be more needed right now.” — Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the EnemyFrom the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope. We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle; to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different countries.In Everthing Is F*cked, Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.

Read more less