Showing results by narrator "Liam Gerrard" in All Categories

Does the real world, defined as a world of objects that exist independent of human interests, concerns, and cognitive activities, really exist? Jan Westerhoff argues that we have good reason to believe it does not. His discussion considers four main facets of the idea of the real world, ranging from the existence of a separate external and internal world (comprising various mental states congregated around a self), to the existence of an ontological foundation that grounds the existence of all the entities in the world.

Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Greece and you had to start a new life there. What would you see? How would the people around you think and believe? How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? What work would be available, and what help could you get if you got sick?

Drawing from an incredibly rich trove of global data, this groundbreaking book reveals that human progress has been slowing down since the early 1970s. Danny Dorling uses compelling visualizations to illustrate how fertility rates, growth in GDP per person, increases in life expectancy, and even the frequency of new social movements have all steadily declined over the last few generations.

The Financial Times Guide to Strategy is your unbeatable reference on strategy. It offers an incisive overview of both corporate level and business unit level strategy, an A to Z of the world's leading strategic thinkers, and introduces the key strategic tools and techniques you need to develop your own strategy. Based on long experience and on conversations with leading strategists around the world, Richard Koch helps you discover each critical step in creating, delivering, and understanding successful strategy.

Before she left she carved a number in blood on his chest. But why the number 2, if this was her first murder? A woman stalks London. She kills at will. Her targets are men who have wronged her, or have they? What is behind her hatred and why is she keeping count? DCI Cook and his team know who she is, at least after she has killed the first four, but the woman disappears in plain sight. The pressure's on to stop her, but she's always one step ahead.

Mussolini has rarely been taken seriously as a totalitarian dictator; Hitler and Stalin have always cast too long a shadow. But what was a negative judgement on the Duce, considered innocuous and ineffective, has begun to work to his advantage. As has occurred with many other European dictators, present-day popular memory of Mussolini is increasingly indulgent; in Italy and elsewhere he is remembered as a strong, decisive leader. Mussolini in Myth and Memory argues against this rehabilitation.

The study of geometry is at least 2500 years old, and it is within this field that the concept of mathematical proof first arose. To this day geometry remains a very active area of research in mathematics. This Very Short Introduction covers the areas of mathematics falling under geometry, starting with topics such as Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, and ranging to curved spaces, projective geometry in Renaissance art, and geometry of space-time inside a black hole. Throughout, Maciej Dunajski outlines the role geometry plays in the broader context of science and art.

Join Moss Matthey as he recounts his uplifting journey from the confines of a fundamentalist Christian cult to an empowering Pagan coven. Weaving his lived experiences with a gentle introduction to Witchcraft, Moss explores what differentiates Paganism from cults and high-control religions, inviting you to shed oppressive spiritual experiences and find support.

Among the cities within the kingdom of Taldrisa, it was every 16-year-old's dream to wake up and see a notification that they had received a link to the System. Such a thing granted access to a Calling that would allow them to utilize the Mana in the world and create magic, forever changing their lives for the better. In a world that consists of five different races, as a human, Ashryn Tolman was one such young man. Unfortunately, the path laid out before him is anything but simple.

The influence of the comic book has never been greater, from movies to streaming and beyond, but the journey comics took from little-regarded kids' magazines to literary prize-winning books and global franchises turned on a highly unusual group of writers and artists. Few would have expected a small gathering of British comic book fans and creators in the early 'seventies to be a global cultural pivot-point, but this was the start of a disparate movement of punks, dropouts, and disaffected youths who reinvented a medium and became the imaginative heart of a global success story.

There are many stories of the legendary Irish hero Finn MacCool, or Fionn mac Cumhaill. Liam Gerrard brings together some of the most well-known in this treasure-trove of Irish folk tales and short stories. Chief among them is the well-loved "Finn & The Scottish Giant", telling the tale of how the Giant's Causeway came into being. Gerrard has adapted and edited over 40 short stories of Irish and Celtic folklore. So sit back, relax, and enjoy hearing the stories of the legends that have been passed down through generations over thousands of years.

When a pagan priest is unearthed in Ireland 1,500 years after being entombed, archaeologist Caitlin O'Connell is convinced it's the find of the century. The body is in perfect condition. In fact, if scientific data hadn't proved otherwise, she would swear he hadn't been interred more than a few hours.

The Sellsword knows an opportunity when he sees one. When he rides into the border city of Aldreth, he can tell that the power struggle between two feuding wizards needs a solitary spark to ignite into all-out-war. As he sets the corrupt paladins and demonic adepts against each other, he's not surprised when the blood begins to flow.... But after the alluring duchess catches his eye, the Sellsword puts himself in harm's way to protect her and the innocent people of Aldreth. To save the noble few, spells and blades won't stop the Sellsword from leaving a swath of carnage in his wake....

Information is one of your organization’s most important resources, and keeping that information secure is vital to your business. This handy pocket guide is an essential overview of two key information security standards that cover the formal requirements (ISO27001:2013) for creating an information security management system (ISMS) and the best-practice recommendations (ISO27002:2013) for those responsible for initiating, implementing, or maintaining it.

Companies with the best cultures generate stock market returns of twice the general market and enjoy half the employee turnover of their peers. Their staff innovate more, deliver better customer service, and, hands-down, beat the competition. These companies outperform and disrupt their markets. Build It has found these rebels and the rule breakers. From small startups to global powerhouses, this book shows that courage, commitment and a people-centric mindset, rather than money and resources, are what you need to turn an average business into a category leader.

Fully updated and revised for today's practitioners, this lost underground classic is packed with more than thirty-five lessons and wisdom for both seekers and teachers. Miles Batty presents information on the history and tools of the Craft, spellcasting, ritual procedures, the Wheel of the Year, the principles of Wiccan belief, the four cornerstones of magick, and more. You'll start with the fundamentals and progress through many facets of witchcraft, from divination to ritual construction and etiquette.

Timothy Venning's series of alternative histories explores the pathways of British events from the Anglo-Saxon Age to the English Civil War. In this volume, he presents an in-depth analysis of the Tudor period. Venning discusses the fateful moments at which history could easily have taken a different turn. In a fascinating series of "what if" scenarios, Venning presents a detailed look at the possible and likely results. While speculative, the scenarios are all plausible and rooted in a firm understanding of actually events and their context.

Given the turbulence of the world we now live in, clear and effective leadership has never been more important. But equally, there has never been greater pressure on leaders to perform and to provide inspirational leadership for their teams and organisations. If people are to step up into challenging leadership roles and succeed in inspiring others, their first priority must be to find ways in which to discover that inspiration for themselves. The Inspired Leader will help them to do just that.

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas in Five Staves when he was 31. Now with numerous adaptations for film, television, radio, stage - and indeed in audio - it has become an essential part of Christmas for many. Raconteurs Audio has created this collection to include Dickens’ two Christmas novellas, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, as well as some of his lesser known short stories with a Christmas theme.

Long before they can talk, babies communicate their experience of the world through laughter and tears. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion. Dr. Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist who decided to change that. For six years Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project, collecting data, videos, and stories from parents all over the world. He learned that laughter and smiles are of central importance at the start of life, defining our cognitive and emotional development.