Showing results by narrator "Richard Aspel" in All Categories

Vast, diverse, dynamic, and turbulent, the true nature of Africa is often obscured by its poverty-stricken image. In this controversial and gripping guide, Tom Young cuts through the emotional hype to critically analyse the continent’s political history and the factors behind its dismal economic performance. Maintaining that colonial influences are often overplayed, Young argues that much blame must lie with African governments themselves and that Western aid can often cause as much harm as good.

The father of modern philosophy, Descartes is still one of the most widely discussed philosophers today. Putting rationalism above all else, he sought to base all knowledge of the world on a single idea: "I think, therefore I am." This introduction expertly summarises his thoughts on the dualism of mind and body, his proofs for God’s existence, and his responses to scepticism. Explaining how his life informed his philosophy, Bracken demonstrates the philosopher’s enduring significance.

Rad de La'rel is a street urchin who yearns to be a guide to adventurers in the rift caves of Quentaris. But before he can claim his birthright, he must escape the Thieves' Guild and the notorious Vindon Nibhelline with the help of his friend Tulcia. Only then will he be proclaimed the greatest guide since his ancestor, the legendary Nathine de La'rel.

The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons is one of the most pressing security threats of the 21st century. From Sudanese refugees hunted by gun-toting militias to air passengers targeted by shoulder-fired missiles, no one is safe from this deadly scourge. Providing a gripping overview of these cheap and easily obtainable weapons, the threat they pose in the wrong hands, and strategies for reining them in, this guide is required listening for anyone wishing to fully understand one of today’s key threats.

With over two billion adherents, Christianity is the world’s largest religion. However, with a multitude of denominations, and varying opinions on many central tenets, it can be difficult to obtain a balanced overview of this complex faith. Best-selling author Keith Ward provides a unique and authoritative introduction to Christianity that will reward both the curious and those seeking a deeper understanding of their religion.

Journalism today is moving faster than ever before. With web 2.0, blogging, huge media conglomerates, 24-hour news-networks, and tight legal frameworks, this introduction investigates the role of journalism in the digital age. With priorities shifting, do journalists still strive for truth or are they solely concerned with “infotainment” – driven by sales and ratings? This captivating guide explains the history of journalism, its everyday workings, and the ethical dilemmas that modern journalists face.

This audiobook is packed with common sense, original insights into human change management and practical advice about money matters. Seven ordinary people, addicted to bitching about their struggles to make ends meet, and convinced that their lives will never be much more than sheer slogs, enroll in a personal-development course that changes their lives.

Andrew Kinnear has dreamt of becoming a ship's engineer and traveling the world. But as his apprenticeship at Dalrossan Dockyard begins, he quickly realizes there is much more to his dream that he's bargained for. There are unwritten rules in his new workplace that he will break at his peril, a fearsome pecking order, and strange rites of initiation.

Tomorrow begins right here as we embark on an enthralling and jargon-free journey into the world of computers and the inner recesses of the human mind. Readers encounter everything from the nanotechnology used to make insect-like robots, to the computers that perform surgery and, reminiscent of films like Terminator, computers that can learn by teaching themselves. Assuming no technical expertise whatsoever, author Blay Whitby steers a careful course through this futuristic world, revealing the pervasive impact of AI on our daily lives, in addition to discovering the biggest controversies to dog this fascinating field.

Brian Hanna doesn't hate the Catholics. Even though, in the eyes of the Loyalists, he's got good reason - having been left disabled since infancy by the IRA bomb that killed his parents. What he does hate is the mindless bigotry that justifies the bloodshed on both sides, and the way that men of violence manipulate people to further their cause. But can Brian break free from the beat of the drums?

Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg is a leading authority on teenage behavior. Surviving Adolescents is the sensible, sanity-saving guide every household needs. Young people today enter puberty earlier than ever before and leave home later. The good news is that teenagers aren't impossible to live with, especially if parents adopt the common-sense strategies set out in this book.

Chatsworth is no ordinary duck. He can: read an encyclopedia at a single glance, eat toast faster than you can butter it, save Mr. Piccoli's pet shop from financial ruin without ruffling a feather, and solve mysterious crimes in the blink of an eye. And he's a whiz at making friends, too. Chatsworth, a duck for our times!

The Northern Ireland conflict is one of the most protracted, bitter, and complex campaigns of terrorism the Western world has ever seen. Since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the region has come a long way, finally achieving a hard-won peace. Yet hostility between Unionists and Nationalists is as strong as ever, communities remain divided, and sectarian violence is rife. Edwards and McGrattan’s balanced introduction skilfully dissects the “Troubles” to offer fresh perspectives on their complicated history and legacy.

Lydon Hall is a house full of character, as the estate agent's literature claims. But its many interesting features should surely not include a corpse in the elegant drawing-room? Is this death the suicide it appears to be? The investigation centres upon a tight-knit village community. Both the glamorous French widow of the deceased and the man who lives rough on the moor after a mental breakdown seem to know more about this death than is at first apparent.

Detective Inspector January David has always put his professional before his private life, but the two worlds are about to clash horrifically as he visits his latest crime scene. He is confronted by a lifeless figure suspended ten feet above a theatre stage, blood pouring from her face into a coffin below. This gruesome execution is the work of an elusive serial killer. Three women from three different London suburbs, each murdered with elaborate and chilling precision. And as January stares at the most beautiful corpse he's ever seen, he detects the killer's hallmark.

Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Ian McPhedran takes us to the heart of the RAAF through personal accounts of fighter pilots’ bombing raids over Iraq, of hi-tech spy planes over Afghanistan, of the operational nerve centre of the Middle East war, and of the men and women who deliver humanitarian aid across the world. This is the compelling narrative, in the RAAF’s 90th year, of its aircraft, leadership, traditions, and personalities at a time of rapid change.

Berlin in autumn: Christine Starlight lives in an artists' colony with her lover Jude, whose patience and beauty have eased her battle with chronic pain. But Christine begins to be haunted by childhood recollections of a little girl's disappearance and the flapping of a blackbird's wings. Then her world is rocked by the return of a childhood friend... Mayfridh rules over a land where a wolf is the queen's counsellor, fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf and mortals feel no pain.

Jonathan Ford, childless at 43, moves restlessly through other people's lives. From Australia to Europe he pursues a series of ill-fated relationships with the vulnerable and the insecure. In turn he is pursued by his past, whose echoes he finds all around him: in Danielle, a young French poet condemned to perpetual childhood; in the ageing Violet, wickedly irreverent even as she struggles through her days alone in a council flat; in the flawed genius of the painter Malcolm Richardson; in many lives, ordinary and extraordinary, that he changes in the profoundest ways.

They kill without mercy. Disappear without trace. They are The Two. And now the stakes are raised once more for Detective January David. 5 lie dead, brutally murdered - the first taken on the night of Halloween and as autumn bleeds into winter more ritualistic murders are discovered. January must battle his demons, for in his mind lies the clue to stopping a ruthless murderer. But his worst nightmares have literally come true when he discovers there's not one, but two twisted killers on the loose.

When high-flying Sydney lawyer Cass Meredith is appointed head of a state inquiry into a child pornography racket, she sees it as an opportunity to clean up the city. But she doesnt count on ex-Vice Squad detective John Carrigan - with his reputation for taking bribes and liking underage girls - being made her second-in-command.