The Mandrake Assignment is a spy thriller with an intriguing plot – full of twists and turns worthy of the best of the genre. Within the broad themes of tragedy, treachery and revenge, the story weaves together intelligence activities against the IRA in Ireland and against jihadist terrorists, the common thread being the illegal arms trade and its ruthless practitioners. John Hunter is an intelligence officer with the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. No longer on active operations, he monitors risks of nuclear proliferation, but an alarming new threat emerges which propels him back into an operational role. The Raven, an amoral arms dealer in Pakistan, is planning his most audacious deal yet and Hunter's expertise is required. But the response to personal tragedy on both sides complicates attempts to avert a major terrorist catastrophe. Hunter seeks the truth within a labyrinth of deceit, and the murky trail leads him from his quiet life in Kent to the teeming metropolis of Karachi and the deserts of Baluchistan. The Raven simply seeks bloody revenge. The clash of personal and political motives culminates in a shocking denouement. Much of the story’s action takes place in Pakistan, in the city of Karachi and in exotic locations in Baluchistan. The story also takes the reader to Ireland, Hungary, Holland and Austria. The author brings all these locations alive through his personal experience of them during a busy academic and commercial life. His inspirations as an author are Graham Greene and John Le Carre for their creation of atmosphere, Len Deighton for his clever plots and dialogue, and Frederick Forsyth for his sheer page-turning readability. He feels indebted to all of them for instilling in him his love for this genre of fiction.
A witty celebration of the great eccentrics who have performed dangerous scientific experiments on themselves for the benefit of humankind. Many scientists have followed the advice of the great Victorian doctor Jack Haldane to “never experiment on an animal if a man will do” and “never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.” He and his father inhaled poisonous gasses to test the efficacy of the prototype gas mask they had invented. When breathing gasses under pressure he suffered the smoking ears and screaming teeth of the title. The stories in Norton’s new book are astonishing, disturbing or absurd. The zoologist Frank Buckland made a concentrated effort to widen the nation’s diet by personally testing everything that crossed his path, from boiled elephant’s trunk to slug soup. Some medics deliberately contracted deadly blood diseases in the hope of finding cures. Then there was the surgeon who was fired and subsequently won the Nobel Prize for thrusting a catheter into his own beating heart.
In Controversy, Trevor Palmer fully documents how traditional gradualistic views of biological and geographic evolution are giving way to a catastrophism that credits cataclysmic events, such as meteorite impacts, for the rapid bursts and abrupt transitions observed in the fossil record. According to the catastrophists, new species do not evolve gradually; they proliferate following sudden mass extinctions. Placing this major change of perspective within the context of a range of ancient debates, Palmer discusses such topics as the history of the solar system, present-day extraterrestrial threats to earth, hominid evolution, and the fossil record.
WINNER OF THE MARSH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD (2019) A pioneering look at how climate change is affecting British wildlife – winners, losers, new arrivals and future prospects. There is no escaping the fact that the British climate is changing, and our wildlife is changing with it. In this remarkable account, Trevor Beebee examines the story so far for our plant, fungi and animal species. Warmer and wetter winters, combined with longer summers, have worked to the advantage of plants such as the rare Lady Orchid, and a whole range of insects. The UK is also hosting new arrivals that come in on the wing. But there is adversity, too. Alpine plants and seabirds – particularly Kittiwakes – are suffering declines as our countryside warms. Given the evidence so far, can we predict what the future holds for our British ecosystems? "Fascinating but frightening, compelling and concerning ... this book brings together all you need to know about how the climate is impacting wildlife." - Chris Packham
The Ecosystems series is the only source that offers a complete understanding of global ecology. Illustrated with beautiful full-colour photographs, each volume combines the "hard sciences," such as biology and chemistry, with history, economics, and environmental studies. Each ecosystem is presented in its entirety with details on its history, biology, wildlife, beauty, problems, and influence on culture. This interdisciplinary approach emphasizes the complex, interrelated nature of each biome - giving readers the most integrated portrayal of the natural world available. Each volume spans Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, and the Americas to present a particular ecosystem. Coverage offers a basic introduction to ecological concepts and demonstrates how these concepts influence the complex relationship between humans and the environment.
Meet one William Fennyman. Born in 1908 in rural North Dakota, William is a person torn between gazing back to the past and looking to the future. After the loss of his father in the trenches of WWI, William and his family move in with their abusive Uncle George. Yet a violent incident soon leaves his older brother, Phillip, badly injured, and William is thus sent in his stead to a far off private school: Turnbrook Academy. At Turnbrook, William’s constant bullying and sense of isolation begin to change his outlook on life for the worst, especially with regards to his new and frightened perception of memory and the past. As the years go by and he grows into a man of his own, however, he slowly begins to understand that growing up is nothing without the memories we create along the way. Rich in metaphor and chalk full of lived-in characters and beautiful dialogue, “The Scent of the Queengrass” applies eternal philosophical questions to a starkly intimate portrait of a boy coming to terms with what it means to live alongside the constant motion of time itself.
The entirety of the British Civil War has never been covered in a single volume--until now. While it is usually seen as an English conflict, Royle paints the picture on a large canvas to show that it engulfed the entirety of Great Britain. While the war began as the result of the Scots' unwillingness to accept Charles I's prayer book, their obstinacy inspired the Irish Catholics to rise against their English and Scot oppressors with the result that fourteen years internecine fighting was to be the norm for these islands. This is grand narrative military history at its best and a monumental achievement.
This atlas provides students and scholars with a broad range of information on the development of the Ancient Near East from prehistoric times through the beginning of written records in the Near East (c. 3000 BC) to the late Roman Empire and the rise of Islam. The geographical coverage of the Atlas extends from the Aegean coast of Anatolia in the west through Iran and Afghanistan to the east, and from the Black and Caspian Seas in the north to Arabia and the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean in the south. The Atlas of the Ancient Near East includes a wide-ranging overview of the civilizations and kingdoms discussed, written in a lively and engaging style, which considers not only political and military issues but also introduces the reader to social and cultural topics such as trade, religion, how people were educated and entertained, and much more. With a comprehensive series of detailed maps, supported by the authors’ commentary and illustrations of major sites and key artifacts, this title is an invaluable resource for students who wish to understand the fascinating cultures of the Ancient Near East.
Against the backdrop of an alienating, technologizing and ever-accelerating world of material production, this book tells an intimate story: one about a community of woodworkers training at an historic institution in London’s East End during the present ‘renaissance of craftsmanship’. The animated and scholarly accounts of learning, achievement and challenges reveal the deep human desire to create with our hands, the persistent longing to find meaningful work, and the struggle to realise dreams. In its penetrating explorations of the nature of embodied skill, the book champions greater appreciation for the dexterity, ingenuity and intelligence that lie at the heart of craftwork.
Sustainable Healthcare sets out a vision for medical care of high quality, manageable cost and low impact on the planetary systems which sustain us. In tackling the major challenges of our age, such as resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and climate change, health services can play a central role, moving from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution. Sustainable Healthcare explores questions such as: What is the relevance of sustainability in healthcare? How does climate change threaten human health? How can we create low carbon care pathways? How can healthcare organizations deal better with their waste? How can death and dying become more sustainable? How can we engage ourselves and others with this agenda? Written by an international team combining clinical, educational, practical and policy expertise in sustainability and health, this book provides a synopsis of our current predicaments, and explores some of the emerging solutions. Containing case studies and resources for further information and action, Sustainable Healthcare is a practical guide to making healthcare more sustainable for all healthcare professionals, managers and students. "Once in a while one comes across a book that makes a deep impact. Sustainable Healthcare is such a book and very timely in the context of modern healthcare and developing green policies.... The book is clear in ideas of critical thinking, scientific evidence and practical suggestions for transformative action.... An additional strength in this book are the summary key papers and reports including key points from the chapters. In addition, there is a comprehensive list of references in each chapter.... The authors cut through the jargon and challenge the rhetoric of both fear and denial.... The authors give examples of how we can engage with sustainability such as, diet and exercise, prescription management, contraception management and family planning and end of life care.... The book provides useful sources, references and key actions for individuals, healthcare organisations and policy making departments." —A review by Prof Davinder Sandhu, Postgraduate Dean, Health Education South West, Severn Deanery, UK
The incarceration of French and American prisoners of war in Dartmoor Prison, at a time when Britain was at war with both its traditional enemy and the young nation of former British colonies, was a dark and unusual episode. Acts of cruelty and degradation were countered by defiance and a spirited loyalty by the prisoners to their respective countries. Much of the story is told firsthand by those who were there, against a background of warfare and glorious victories on all sides. The author relates how a barren landscape that was (and is) subject to the worst of winter weather was transformed into a thriving township by one very determined man, Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, and why such a place was chosen to build a prison. The design and construction of the prison are described, as are the experiences of the men held in the harsh, overcrowded conditions of Dartmoor. From May 1809 to February 1816, 271 American and more than 1100 French prisoners of war died in confinement.
Anaerobic Bacteriology: Clinical and Laboratory Practice, Third edition discusses the importance of the non-sporing anaerobic bacteria as a significant cause of infection in man. This edition updates the anaerobic methodology, systematics, and ecological and pathogenetic associations of the non-sporing anaerobes. The descriptive bacteriology of the non-clostridial anaerobes and clinical syndromes produced by them in man are also considered. Other topics discussed include the anaerobic jar, inoculation of media, and antibiotic susceptibility testing of anaerobes. The histotoxic clostridia of infected wounds, anaerobic cocci, and infections related to the gastrointestinal tract are also elaborated. This text likewise covers the uterine gas gangrenous infections and other clostridial infections. This book is a good source for medical practitioners, clinicians, and medical students concerned with anaerobic bacteria.
Complex Contracting draws on core social science concepts to provide wide-ranging practical advice on how best to manage complex acquisitions. Using a strong analytical framework, the authors assess contract management practices, suggesting strategies for improvement and ways to avoid the pitfalls of managing contracts for large and sophisticated projects. An in-depth analysis of the US Coast Guard's Deepwater program is included to illustrate ways to respond to real-world contracting challenges. This high-profile and controversial case consisted of a projected 25-year, $24 billion contract through which the US Coast Guard would buy a system of new boats, aircraft, communications, and control architecture to replace its aging fleet. The authors explore the reasons why this program, launched with such promise, turned out so poorly, and apply the lessons learned to similarly complex contracting scenarios. This engaging and accessible book has broad applicability and will appeal to policymakers, practitioners, scholars and students.
Originally published in 1947, it is the essential purpose of this book to investigate attitudes of leading Elizabethan and Stuart statesmen, ask whether witchcraft was of any importance in seventeenth-century English history, or even influenced the Great Rebellion. The reader is placed in possession of the more pertinent passages from the arguments used to support or discredit belief in witchcraft.
Crime reporter Charlie Foster teams up with his friends Professor Ian Robertson MD (retired) and John Drake SAS (retired)to try and solve the mysterious reappearance of the legendary 'Spring-heeled Jack'. In the meanwhile, Detective Inspector Fred Tingwell is busy dealing with a murderer who is intent on shortening the lives of prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London. The murderers actions have a striking similarity to 'Jack the Ripper' of old. Together, with his old mate Fred Tingwell, Charlie Foster & Co try to solve the riddle which is 'Spring-heeled Jack' and the perplexing case of the new Whitechapel murderer. All the while, Charle's powers grow...
Everything—from the mundane (the pencil) to the catastrophic (the atom bomb)—has an origin, but often it’s not what we expect. A few things you may not have known: • Gandhi was married at age thirteen! • Chinese fortune cookies are an American invention and were not eaten in China until the 1990s when they were advertised as “Genuine American Fortune Cookies.” • Bayer lost the trademark for aspirin (which they had held since 1897) as part of the reparations Germany was forced to pay after World War I. • The original idea for the electric chair came from an American dentist. For aspiring mindblowers and wanna-be know-it-alls, The Book of Origins is a treasure trove of trivia and fascinating facts guaranteed to entertain and enlighten.
In a frontier society full of colourful characters in early nineteenth century New Zealand, Jacky Marmon, more commonly known as Cannibal Jack, was more colourful than most. Jumping ship off the New Zealand coast, he first lived among Ngäpuhi at the Bay of Islands, where he acquired five wives and served his chief as a trader and white priest. Joining Hongi Hika's great Musket Wars campaigns against the Tamaki and Kaipara tribes, he claimed to have served as Hika's personal war tohunga. He survived to settle in the Hokianga from 1823 and was involved in Hone Heke's Flagstaff War of 1845. In this biography of a wonderfully curious character, the author of the bestselling Pakeha Maori traces Marmon's life and times, drawing on his own knowledge and research as well as on Marmon's own – not always reliable – personal accounts.
A history of how humans developed our capacity for conversation—and what might happen now that computers are catching up. Trevor Cox has been described by The Observer as ""a David Attenborough of the acoustic realm."" In Now You're Talking, he takes us on a journey through the wonders of human speech, starting with the evolution of language and our biological capability to speak (and listen), and bringing us up to date with the latest computer technology. Language is what makes us human, and how we speak is integral to our personal identity. But with the invention of sound recording and the arrival of the electrified voice, human communication changed forever; now advances in computer science and artificial intelligence are promising an even greater transformation. And with it come the possibilities to reproduce, manipulate, and replicate the human voice—sometimes with disturbing consequences. Now You're Talking is the fascinating story of our ability to converse. It takes us back to the core of our humanity, asking important questions about what makes us human and how this uniqueness might be threatened. On this illuminating tour we meet vocal coaches and record producers, neuroscientists and computer programmers, whose experience and research provide us with a deeper understanding of something that most of us take for granted—our ability to talk and listen.
This reference offers an analysis of the issues and theoretical construction behind sport organisations. The practical case studies and profiles illustrate how the theory and knowledge can be applied to realistic examples. There is also information on strategic alliances and research in sports management.
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Trouble in the workplace - whether it is bullying, harassment or stress - is always in the headlines. Yet, in many discussions, the research and statistics that are cited prove unreliable. This book summarizes the largest specialist research programme on ill-treatment in the workplace so far undertaken. It provides a powerful antidote to half-truths and misinformation and offers a new way of conceptualizing trouble at work, moving the discussion away from individualized explanations - and talk of 'bullies' and 'victims' - towards the workplace characteristics that cause trouble at work. The biggest problems arise where organisations fail to create a workplace culture in which individuals really matter. Paradoxically, these are often the organizations which are well-versed in modern management practices.
Town and Country Planning in the UK provides one of the most authoritative and comprehensive accounts of British planning history, institutions, legislation, policies, processes and practices. This 16th edition has been substantially revised and re-organised to provide an up-to-date overview of the planning systems in the four nations of the UK, supported by analyses, interpretations, illustrations and examples from planning practice. The new edition features: details of the legislative and policy changes since 2015 and discussion of their implications, including the early stages of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, 2023 discussion of environmental policies and programmes and the impact of Brexit on environmental regulatory landscape in Britain changes to climate change and resilience policies, notably the government’s ‘Net Zero’ agenda and their implications for planning updates to the substantive issues in plan-making, especially the responses to the shortage of affordable housing and the development of major infrastructure changes to the processes involved in plan-making and development management an expanded and revised chapter on design to include the growing significance of public health in the built environment major revisions to the chapter on rural planning revisions of the text on planning theory especially in relation to management of conflicts over the use and development of land extended discussion of politics, professionalism and participation in planning The 16th edition of Town and Country Planning in the UK is an ideal starting point for those who are studying or working in the planning field, and for other professionals who need to locate their work in the planning context.
Each chapter begins with a discussion of its composer's song-output and of the poets and poetry he sets, and goes on to give an account of the influences on him and the hallmarks of his style; the songs are then discussed in detail, focusing on the major works. The text is illustrated with musical examples and there is a comprehensive bibliography and index"--Jacket.
This is a superbly entertaining overview of the Church of England over the last fifty years. The image of Sung Evensong may seem timeless, but the patterns of Anglican worship have changed continuously. Beginning with the great Victorian modernisers who stamped their taste on music as much as church buildings, we are taken on a memorable and entertaining musical tour that takes in: the impact of the Wesleys, the publication of "Hymns Ancient & Modern", the great organ builders, Willis and Walker, Vaughan Williams and the "English Hymnal", the Royal School of Church Music, The hymn writing explosion and the electronic age. All this and more presented here in Trevor's inimitable and sharply observant style.
This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Oakham & the surrounding Villages have changed and developed over the last century.
This is a sophisticated introduction to constitutional law, and a rich blend of discussion of Supreme Court decisions and theories that drive constitutional debates. Analysis of cases illustrates theories of constitutional justice, and probing consideration of leading theories illuminates the deeper stakes of disputes and judicial rulings."-Richard Fallon, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School.
The Story of the 60th Australian Infantry Battalion during 1916, including the Untold Account of the Needle Trench 10, and the Investigation to Identify the Soldier from This Group Buried in a Grave without a Name
The Story of the 60th Australian Infantry Battalion during 1916, including the Untold Account of the Needle Trench 10, and the Investigation to Identify the Soldier from This Group Buried in a Grave without a Name
This book is a thorough and thought provoking account of the first year of existence of the 60th Australian Infantry Battalion. Interspersed with Divisional, Brigade and other Battalion’s perspectives are the personal views of officers and other ranks relating to events and places. Included in the story is an investigation into a previously untold account of a group of soldiers called the “Needle Trench 10” who were killed by a single artillery shell on the 26th November 1916. For more than 100 years the identity of one of these soldiers, buried in the Guards’ Cemetery at Lesboeufs, France, has been lost to time. A document, filed in the archives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Maidenhead, England, for over 100 years and only coming to light in 2021, has finally enabled this soldier’s possible identity to be established. Also revealed in the same document is the initial burial location of another soldier, wounded by the same artillery shell, and dying later that day whilst on his way to receive medical treatment. Woven throughout the book are the human stories of the battalion’s soldiers, including biographies of those killed on the 26th November, with many of the details provided by the descendants of these soldiers. The investigation details how a simple “bookkeeping” entry resulted in families, and descendants of ten of the eleven soldiers who died on the 26th November, being provided incorrect details concerning their deaths. This error has been perpetuated in official documents, publications, online resources, and inscribed in stone since this time.
Mammalian sociobiology is a rapidly advancing field which has made enormous strides in the last ten years. The last major monograph on the subject (Ewer, 1968) was published sixteen years ago, and there is a need for this information to be examined in terms of modern sociobiological theory. My approach throughout is evolutionary and is therefore directed strongly towards research which throws light on the ways in which mammals behave in their natural environments. I have tried to cover as wide a range of mammalian species as possible, although, in some cases, the only data available were obtained from captive individuals. The coverage of this book is not a reflection of the volume of literature published on different species, as I have tried to avoid undue emphasis on the social behaviour of primates and laboratory rodents. I have made scrupulous efforts throughout to avoid an anthropomorphic approach to mammalian behaviour. Terms such as 'strategy', 'evaluation' or 'choice' do not therefore imply conscious planning, but are used neutrally in the way in which they would be applied to a chess-playing computer. In the case of mammals, the programmer was natural selection. While I am fully aware that human beings are mammals, any detailed consideration of human social behaviour lies outside the scope of this book. However, the book may provide a complementary text to those interested in that subject.
Immortal Longings: FWH Myers and the Victorian search for life after death is the first full-length biography of Frederic W.H. Myers, leading figure in the Society for Psychical Research and friend and associate of Browning, Gladstone, Ruskin, Tennyson, Swinburne, Henry James, Prince Leopold and other influential Victorians. The book offers a fascinating insight into a key period in the development of Victorian thought. Among many things it covers: 1. Extraordinary Phenomena Myers investigated extraordinary phenomena, much of which is still reported today: out of body experiences and astral projection, near death experiences, poltergeists, gurus like Madame Blavatsky claiming strange powers, mediums both private and public, and haunted houses (for example, the giant warrior haunting a chateau near Heidelberg, the Cheltenham Ghost that was seen by a considerable number of people, and the odd doings at Ballechin House in Scotland which caused a scandal in the press. 2. Life After Death Investigations Myers believed he had virtually proved life after death by a) the link he thought established between hundreds of apparitions and living or dead human beings b) the messages that the outstanding mediums Mrs Piper and Mrs Thompson gave him from his first great love Annie and his intimate friend and co-worker Edmund Gurney which contained information the medium could not know and was delivered in a way highly characteristic of the personality concerned. 3. Automatic Writing Some researchers have claimed that he has returned after death and proved his continued existence through the automatic writings of a number of mediums in England, America, India. These writings continued for thirty years. 4. Romance & Suicide There is also love, tragedy and jealousy in Myers' life. His first great love Annie, a married woman, committed suicide and Myers' wife, a rather possessive person, tried to prevent any detail about this being made public after his death, even though the relationship was platonic. This inhibited the work of researchers who were trying to verify the 'post-mortem' communications from Myers, since, for many years, they could not check the facts. 5. Credibility Myers researches led him to forming a view about human personality and psychology which Aldous Huxley has said is much richer than Freud's.
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