Peter Beaumont has been on the ground in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya as the 'Arab Spring' has blossomed. He has witnessed the uprisings in all their messy reality. In this ebook he explains what is going on in the region and explodes the myths that the uprisings can be interpreted as an easily explainable revolution.He draws linkages between the countries ruled over by authoritarian regimes that promise 'reform' which is actually impossible to deliver, the frustration and anger this h...

Drylands, which cover over half the world's area, have witnessed rapid development, exploitation and change with the discovery of mineral reserves, urbanization and population growth. Environmental management is critical to the conservation and sustainable use of resources. This comprehensive text offers a systematic study of the physical nature of drylands and the history of human response to and uses of these harsh landscapes. Detailed case studies, including urban as well as pastoral dr...

Structural Integrity and Durability of Advanced Composites: Innovative Modelling Methods and Intelligent Design presents scientific and technological research from leading composite materials scientists and engineers that showcase the fundamental issues and practical problems that affect the development and exploitation of large composite structures. As predicting precisely where cracks may develop in materials under stress is an age old mystery in the design and building of large-scale en...

Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues! After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction. Each issue features both established writers and up-and-coming authors who contribute fascinating philosophical insights on controversial topics like marriage equality, assisted suicide, the meaning of death, animal rights and defining your "purpose." It's time to go deep in search of truth! I...

Synopsis: A new technology allows the recording, playback, and sale of dreams.After Dinner Conversation believes humanity is improved by ethics and morals grounded in philosophical truth. Philosophical truth is discovered through intentional reflection and respectful debate. In order to facilitate that process, we have created a growing series of short stories, audio and video podcast discussions, across genres, as accessible examples of abstract e...

"After Dinner Conversation" Magazine - February 2021People Used To Die Every Day: A young man is caught in a lie to his partner; he has been illegally "sleeping" at night.Pandora's Dreams: A new technology allows the recording, playback, and sale of dreams.The Library Of Gromma: A young boy must protect the machine that preserves the memories of his grandmother and his community.

Named Top 10 "Best Lit Mags of 2023" by Chill SubsCarefully curated stories from After Dinner Conversation magazine to create a themed short story book about the philosophy and ethics of research. Perfect for classrooms and book clubs, each story is 1,500-7,000 words and comes with five suggested discussion questions.Story Summary ListThe Mind Reader: An outspoken bar patron runs an experiment to see if the wo...

Collective wisdom and expert insights on the management of challenging colloid cystsFew conditions provoke more consternation and controversy among neurosurgeons than colloid cysts, due to their proximity to critical neurovascular structures, broad range of clinical presentation, and the risk of sudden death from increased intracranial pressure. Colloid Cysts of the Third Ventricle: Natural History, Decision-Making, and Operative Management edited by renow...

Enjoy two traditional and beloved loved fairy tales known to many generations of children, presented in an entertaining and wonderfully appealing way with a full cast of characters.Beauty & the BeastBeauty is kind and loving, even though her two sisters tease her and her merchant father is too poor to buy her presents. All she wants is a rose—so when her father sees a beautiful rose bush in the grounds of the Beast's castle, he plucks a flower for her. But the Beas...

An eye-opening and vital account of the future of our earth and our civilisation if current rates of global warming persist, by the highly acclaimed author of ‘High Tide’.Picture yourself a few decades from now, in a world in which average temperatures are three degrees higher than they are now. On the edge of Greenland, rivers ten times the size of the Amazon are gushing off the ice sheet into the north Atlantic. Displaced victims of North Africa's drought establish a new colony o...

A fantastic voyage through 15,000 years of history that laid the foundations for civilisation as we know it by award-winning science writer Steven Mithen.Twenty thousand years ago Earth was in the midst of an ice age. Then global warming arrived, leading to massive floods, the spread of forests and the retreat of the deserts. By 5,000 BC a radically different human world had appeared. In place of hunters and gatherers there were farmers; in place of transient camps...

Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. And yet, though vital clues still remain hidden, scientists have over the last century transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows scientists' trail of discoveries about human origins, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies as well as their feats of skill and endurance. And he limns...