The world's population is increasing; but its supply of water is not. Empires have grown and declined due to discovery and exhaustion of their water sources, and now the West is at last catching on to the fact that abundance of water can no longer be taken for granted. For the last fifty years, wars have been fought over oil; for the next fifty, they may be fought over water (in fact, some local wars already have been). Remarkably, this new book is the first to bring together the ecological, geographical, political and scientific aspects of water. Its author, Professor Paul Younger, is one of the UK's leading experts on water - a substance of which we consume 150 litres of a day, and in its bottled form are willing to pay more for than for petrol.

THE IDEA OF A WORLD OF 10 BILLION PEOPLE, MOST OF WHOM WILL BE LIVING IN RAPIDLY EXPANDING CITIES, CAN BE A TERRIFYING PROPSECT. Add to that the effects of climate change and the scarcity of water, energy and food, and it sounds like a bleak future. Without innovation and human ingenuity, it might be, but necessity is the mother of invention, and Homo sapiens is a resourceful species. By 2030 it is predicted that between 80-90% of the world's population will be living in cities. Tackling the challenges will be complicated by pressure to develop solutions that are sustainable and include climate change mitigation measures. Despite the difficulties, some cities are already tackling the problems, policies that are emerging to meet these challenges and highlights innovations that are currently being explored. This book explains the issues that will face rapidly growing cities in the next 20 to 30 years, and how, building on sustainable practices already being introduced around the world, cities can and will grow and flourish.

Energy is probably the defining topic of our age. Uncertainty over the long-term availability of some hydrocarbons and nuclear fuels are increasingly prompting volatility in energy prices on world markets. Meanwhile, no serious scientist doubts that the unabated atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide associated with traditional forms of energy use are (at very least) exacerbating natural variations in climate in undesirable ways. For either reason or both, few commentators of any stature argue that "do nothing" is a credible option in the world of energy management. The technical challenges are legion; yet energy is just as much a socio-economic issue. Surprisingly, there are no authoritative books giving an overall introduction to energy for general readers, students, engineers, geographers or architects, offering adequate coverage of the scientific, engineering, environmental, social and economic dimensions in a single, reasonably-sized and easily-readable volume. The book proposed here seeks to fill that gap. All That Matters about energy. All That Matters books are a fast way to get right to the heart of key issues.

There is a strange disconnect between the scientific consensus and the public mind on intelligence testing. Just mention IQ testing in polite company, and you'll sternly be informed that IQ tests don't measure anything "real", and only reflect how good you are at doing IQ tests; that they ignore important traits like "emotional intelligence" and "multiple intelligences"; and that those who are interested in IQ testing must be elitists, or maybe something more sinister. Yet the scientific evidence is clear: IQ tests are extraordinarily useful. IQ scores are related to a huge variety of important life outcomes like educational success, income, and even life expectancy, and biological studies have shown they are genetically influenced and linked to measures of the brain. Studies of intelligence and IQ are regularly published in the world's top scientific journals. This book will offer an entertaining introduction to the state of the art in intelligence and IQ, and will show how we have arrived at what we know from a century's research. It will engage head-on with many of the criticisms of IQ testing by describing the latest high-quality scientific research, but will not be a simple point-by-point rebuttal: it will make a positive case for IQ research, focusing on the potential benefits for society that a better understanding of intelligence can bring.

A searing, poignantly rendered collection of stories chronicling the lives of ordinary people battling the forces of love and loss, from "one of the great unsung writers of our time" (Colum McCann). In fifteen beautifully wrought stories—ranging from occupied Czechoslovakia to California’s Central Valley to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest—Mark Slouka explores moments in life when our back is to the wall. One of the most forceful American writers of his generation, Slouka captures the depth and emotional range of an array of characters—from a young boy attempting to shield his father from painful memories in "The Hare’s Mask" to a lonely man whose beloved dog inexplicably begins to sprout razor blades from her skin in "Dog." Whether battling the end of desire, the fact of injustice, or death itself, the men and women in these stories are doing everything possible to tighten their grip on life. In "Crossing," a father hoping to compensate for his failures finds himself facing his past while fording a river with his young son on his back; in "Conception," a young couple frozen by the possible end of their marriage is offered an unexpected way back; in "Half-Life," a proud, aging shut-in finds her resolve tested by an extraordinary visitor determined to shatter her solitude. Like its title, All That Is Left Is All That Matters consoles us with life’s tender humor and unexpected moments of redemption in the face of heartbreak, tragedy, and dislocation.

When a megastore grocery chain threatens to shut down the new boutique bakery Chloe Lawson's worked so hard to establish, she's furious. Her life may not be picture-perfect, but her custom cakes and pastries are becoming the talk of Boise, and she'd like to keep it that way. Chloe needs a champion, and handsome, widowed John Moretti turns out to be it. A high-powered lawyer whose two rebellious teenagers are the only people he doesn't seem able to impress, John is shocked to find himself fighting for Chloe's little cause, much less falling for her. But once he samples her home-baked charms, he's hooked—and determined to make her a permanent part of his family.

Modern Western European culture would have been impossible without the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. The disciplines of philosophy, drama, history, art, and mathematics all owe an immense debt to these two Mediterranean cultures. At the same time, there are aspects of this legacy that are less worthy of celebration. Slavery went hand in hand with democracy. The pursuit of beauty coexisted with breathtaking acts of brutality. Ancient writers have been used to support everything from colonial expansion and the trade in human flesh to the rejection of female franchise. Women suffered for centuries at the hands of doctors who were guided by bizarre notions found in ancient gynecological treatises. This book attempts to address two questions. Firstly, what are the distinctive features of the cultures of Greek and Roman that separate them out from other ancient civilizations? Secondly, why have these cultures been so influential on subsequent societies? It is this dual focus that makes this book distinctive. This book is not just about Greece and Rome. It is equally about why Greece and Rome mattered to people in the past, and why they should matter to us today. Each chapter in the book begins with a story or an incident that is designed to illustrate these themes. The first three chapters of the books (Homer, Athens, and Rome) are intended to give a chronological overview of the period. They will orientate the reader to the key places, actors, and historical trends. The remaining chapters focus on some of the most important and influential aspects of Greco-Roman culture.