This book is about how minor life events & the choices we make as well as those made by our ancestors fuse with our inherited genes to mould us into individuals. What makes you so different to your siblings? Why do you vote a certain way remain faithful for twenty years believe in God love salads be heterosexual get cancer or depression dislike sport or never put on weight? Using fascinating case studies of identical twins Tim Spector draws gems from his exhaustive research project that has spanned twenty years to show how even real-life clones with the same upbringing turn out in reality to be very different. Based on cutting-edge discoveries that are pushing the frontiers of our knowledge of genetics he show us that
- contrary to recent scientific teaching
- nothing is completely hard-wired or pre-ordained. Challenging enlightening & entertaining Tim Spector explains theories such as why the Dutch have become the tallest nation in the world why autism is more heritable than breast cancer & what could cause a fit & healthy man to have a heart attack within weeks of his overweight heavy drinking heavy smoking identical twin. Conceptually he argues we are not just skin & bones controlled by our genes but minds & bodies made from plastic. This plastic is dynamic
- slowly changing shape & evolving driven by many processes we still cannot comprehend. Many of the subtle differences between us appear now to be due to chance or fate but as science rapidly evolves & explains current mysteries we will be able to become more active participants in this human moulding process. Then we can really begin to understand why we are who we are & what makes each of us so unique & quintessentially human.


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Profound & humane Amartya Sens Identity & Violence: The Illusion of Destiny" examines some of the most explosive problems of our time & shows how we can move towards peace as firmly as we have spiralled towards war. In this penetrating book Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen argues that we are becoming increasingly divided along lines of religion & culture ignoring the many other ways in which people see themselves from class & profession to morals & politics. When we are put into narrow categories the importance of human life becomes lost. Through his lucid exploration of such subjects as multiculturalism fundamentalism terrorism & globalization he brings out the need for a clear-headed understanding of human freedom & a constructive public voice in Global civil society. The hope of harmony in todays world lies in a clearer understanding of our sheer diversity. "" Identity & Violence" is a moving powerful essay about the mischief of bad ideas". (" The Economist"). " Impassioned eloquent & often moving " Identity & Violence" is a sustained attack on the "solitarist" theory which says that human identities are formed by membership of a single social group". (John Gray " Guardian"). " Rich in ideas...I would love to send it to Osama bin Laden & have his reply". (" Spectator"). " Sens moving & most personal book yet". (" The Times Literary Supplement"). " Stimulating.. .simple & persuasive". (" Financial Times"). " An accessible & exceptional humanitarian". (Jon Snow " New Statesman" " Heroes of Our Time"). Amartya Sen is Lamont University Professor at Harvard. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998. His other books published by Penguin include " The Argumentative Indian" & " The Idea of Justice"." ...

Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of a famous investigating family. In defiance of tradition she lives alone on the colourful Aventine Hill & battles out a solo career in a male-dominated world. As a woman & an outsider Albia has special insight into the best & worst of life in ancient Rome. A female client dies in mysterious circumstances. Albia investigates & discovers there have been many other strange deaths all over the city yet she is warned off by the authorities. The vigils are incompetent. The local magistrate is otherwise engaged organising the Games of Ceres notorious for its ancient fox-burning ritual. Even Albia herself is preoccupied with a new love affair: Andronicus an attractive archivist offers all that a love-starved young widow can want even though she knows better than to take him home to meet the parents... As the festival progresses her neighbourhood descends into mayhem & becomes the heartless killers territory. While Albia & her allies search for him he stalks them through familiar byways & brings murder ever closer to home. The Ides of April is vintage Lindsey Davis offering wit intrigue action & a brilliant new heroine who promises to be as celebrated as Marcus Didius Falco & Helena Justina her fictional predecessors. ...

Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of a famous investigating family. In defiance of tradition she lives alone on the colourful Aventine Hill & battles out a solo career in a male-dominated world. As a woman & an outsider Albia has special insight into the best & worst of life in ancient Rome. A female client dies in mysterious circumstances. Albia investigates & discovers there have been many other strange deaths all over the city yet she is warned off by the authorities. The vigils are incompetent. The local magistrate is otherwise engaged organising the Games of Ceres notorious for its ancient fox-burning ritual. Even Albia herself is preoccupied with a new love affair: Andronicus an attractive archivist offers all that a love-starved young widow can want even though she knows better than to take him home to meet the parents... As the festival progresses her neighbourhood descends into mayhem & becomes the heartless killers territory. While Albia & her allies search for him he stalks them through familiar byways & brings murder ever closer to home. The Ides of April is vintage Lindsey Davis offering wit intrigue action & a brilliant new heroine who promises to be as celebrated as Marcus Didius Falco & Helena Justina her fictional predecessors. ...

March 44 BC. Rome in all her glory has expanded her territories beyond the wildest dreams of her citizens led by Caius Julius Caesar -- Pontifex Maximus dictator perpetuo invincible military leader & only fifty-six years old. He is a man in command of his destiny who wields enormous power throughout the vast empire. However his god-given mission -- to end the blood-splattered fratricidal wars reconcile implacably hostile factions & preserve Roman civilization & world order -- is teetering dangerously close to collapse... His power is draining away. None of his supporters can stop the inexorably evolving plot against him & prophecy will explode into truth on the Ides of March & the world will change forever. This is political thriller laced through with all the intrigue & action surrounding one of the most crucial turning points in the history of western civilization. ...

Over 230 commonly used idioms are introduced in reading selections dialogues & activities. Their presentation helps learners incorporate common expressions into their everyday speech. Appealing illustrations keep students engaged as they explore idioms related to topics such as colors geography food & time. ...

Prince Myshkin returns to Russia from an asylum in Switzerl&. As he becomes embroiled in the frantic amatory & financial intrigues which centre around a cast of brilliantly realised characters & which ultimately lead to tragedy he emerges as a unique combination of the Christian ideal of perfection & Dostoevskys own views afflictions & manners. His serene selflessness is contrasted with the worldly qualities of every other character in the novel. Dostoevsky supplies a harsh indictment of the Russian ruling class of his day who have created a world which cannot accomodate the goodness of this idiot. ...

Presenting the Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington: Adventurer. Philosopher. Idiot. Karl Pilkington isn't keen on travelling. Given the choice he'll go on holiday to Devon or Wales or at a push eat English food on a package holiday in Majorca. Which isn't exactly Michael Palin is it? So what happened when he was convinced by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant to go on an epic adventure to see the Seven Wonders of the World? Travel broadens the mind right? You'd think so... Find out in Karl Pilkington's hilarious travel diaries. ' He is a moron. A completely round empty-headed part-chimp Manc.' RICKY GERVAIS ' He'd have been happier in medieval times in a village where you didn't travel beyond the local community.' STEPHEN MERCHANT ...

Idiotism examines the condition of society in late capitalism where the market logic of neoliberalism has become the new common sense taken as the model for the organisation & management of all aspects of social life. Using the Greek word idios meaning private Neal Curtis calls this privatisation of the world idiotism. Constructing a new vocabulary with which to understand contemporary society Curtis examines idiotism across the spheres of economics politics & culture drawing on the philosophy & political theories of Martin Heidegger Louis Althusser Franco Berardi Jacques Ranciere & Cornelius Castoriadis. Idiotism recasts our conception of the new neoliberal common sense presenting it as not simply a case of false consciousness but an ontological problem related to our being-in-the-world. ...

In contrast to the usual answers concerning what the Good News might be incendiary philosopher-theologian Peter Rollins suggests an alternative radical definition: you cant be satisfied life is difficult & you dont know the secret. Arguing that God has traditionally been thought of as a type of product that will make you whole remove your suffering & give you the truth Rollins contrasts this with an approach to faith that invites us to embrace suffering face up to our unknowing & fully accept the difficulties of existence. ...