The autobiography of the fastest man of all time and a superstar whose talent and charisma have made him one of the most famous people on the planet. Whether you know Athletics or not, and even whether you know sport or not, chances are you know Usain Bolt. The fastest man on the planet, not just now but ever, Usain has won the hearts of people everywhere with his mind-blowing performances and…
EVERY SINGLE MOMENT IS A CHANCE TO TURN IT ALL AROUND. Are you happy? It may be the wrong question. Most of us think we are relatively happy, while at the same time knowing that we could be happiermaybe even a lot happier. Ordinary people and the finest philosophers have been exploring the question of happiness for thousands of years, and theories abound. But this is not a book of theory. Resi…
Some people still like King Leopold II of Belgium. In 2015, the city of Brussels planned to celebrate the king with “un hommage sur la place du Trône, devant la statue de Léopold II” (a tribute at the place du Trône, in front of the statue of Leopold II),3 a large equestrian monument that sits just outside the Royal Palace along the capital city’s inner ring road.4 The event was meant …
The study of signs, portents observed in the physical and social worlds indicating the will of supernatural agents and the course of future events, was undoubtedly important in all ancient cultures. The first written evidence for a concept of sign, however, comes from cuneiform texts of ancient Mesopotamia.
"Reach into this trickbox of memory and rummage around: you may find a tiny spaceship, or perhaps a signpost, a parade, a raised fist, an entire museum. The essays in Trickbox of Memory: Essays on Power and Disorderly Pasts draw on literary criticism, post-qualitative inquiry, new materialism, and political activism to dismember and reanimate the field of memory studies. In the trickbox, concep…
In recent international literature addressing the history of twentieth-century archi-tectural theory, the year 1968 is often seen as a decisive moment, giving rise to a “new” architectural theory. From that moment onwards, less emphasis was placed on the aesthetics of architecture, and more on its critical potential. Increasingly, and also from that moment onwards, architectural theory beca…
Insects and closely related arthropods are the dominant and most diverse forms of terrestrial and aquatic (non-marine) animal life on the planet. Other than marine systems, insects occupy every conceivable environment and habitat on the Earth. Crustaceans and Annelids (worms) are the dominant and most diverse groups of animals in marine systems. T…
In last year’s introduction to the Factfile I looked forward to the prospect of emerging from the Covid pandemic. How desperately mistaken that prediction has proved to be. Once again, for prisoners and their families, the pains of imprisonment have been terribly amplified by the restrictions imposed to prevent infection. Prisons have relaxed more slowly, and tightened up more quickly, than t…
The processing of plant ingredients for food has characterized the genus Homo, with the grinding, fermentation and cooking of plant ingredients improving their nutrient intake and leading to increases in brain-size, improved population sustainability, and cultural development (e.g. Stahl 1989; Wrangham 2009). Plants have fed human societies since Palaeolithic times and th…
This open access book brings together a collection of cutting-edge insights into how action can and is already being taken against climate change at multiple levels of our societies, amidst growing calls for transformative and inclusive climate action. In an era of increasing recognition regarding climate and ecological breakdown, this book offers hope, inspiration and analyses for multi-level …