From Wireless Light to Radio One and Two

If one were to travel in time between 1951 and 1992 without being aware of it, one would see little resemblance between the 1951 BBC Light Programme and Radio One or Radio Two post-1992. However, despite these differences, the 1951 BBC Wireless Light Programme and the post-1992 Radio One and Two are essentially the same radio station.The changes over the years have been gradual and incremental, with no closures or creation of new stations. The most distinct change occurred on September 30th, 1967, when the names changed to numbers and the Light Programme split into two.

Attention Control

In Attention Control, Alexandr provides readers with essential tools to maintain awareness. He explores the reasons behind memory deterioration, the feeling of ‘Groundhog Day,’ and the onset of dementia, offering strategies to combat these issues. This book is a step toward clarity and mindfulness, ensuring that you don’t drown in the daily routine of life.

Surviving the Asylum

In this raw and poignant memoir, Michael recounts his harrowing journey through the psychiatric system and his struggle to find purpose after losing custody of his beloved autistic grandson.

After a suicide attempt lands him in a geriatric psychiatric ward for the third time in recent years, Michael finds himself cut off from the outside world and the grandson he raised for three decades. Facing abuse and isolation, he contemplates ending it all.

But a lifeline appears in the form of his vocal coach and support worker, who encourage him to channel his pain into art. As Michael discovers new passions in singing, painting, and poetry, he forges an unexpected friendship with a fellow patient that reignites his will to live.

This powerful story of resilience and reinvention shows how creativity and human connection can offer hope even in the darkest of times. Michael’s journey reminds us that it’s never too late to find a new voice and a reason to keep singing.

In Search of the Lost Eros

In Search of the Lost Eros is a meditation on love and its challenges in our modern times. This book pairs literary and philosophical quotations from many renowned authors with the author’s own reflections trying to create a framework for contemplation on the predicament of love today.What is love, really? What is the cosmic Eros that ‘moves the sun and the other stars’? Is this the same love that forms the essence of our deepest being? Is falling in love a form of madness? Is love blind or visionary? Does it inevitably cause suffering? And what about marriage – must we stay together at all costs until death do us part? What are the challenges of sexuality today? What distinguishes erotic art from pornography?These are some of the questions this essay seeks to explore, offering answers that are necessarily incomplete, while hoping to inspire readers to gain their own insights into these inexhaustible topics.Mystics of the major spiritual traditions have always maintained that our spiritual essence is love and that we ultimately cannot lose it. Yet, many modern individuals feel that genuine love is missing from their lives. This book aims to make a modest contribution to rediscovering some of the lost Eros that we all so ardently long for.

The Role and Risks of Assumptions in Physical Science Modelling

This book questions the extent to which some physical scientists may have unintentionally misused the English language to varying degrees, in arriving at theories that are presented to the world as being statements of fact about the universe.The book focuses primarily on large- and small-scale extremes i.e. cosmological theories and quantum theories. It deals with the core concepts of ‘time’ and ‘space’ as they are presented in the theories under consideration.As a demonstration of the sensitivity of the outcome of physical modelling to the assumptions made, the book presents an alternative cosmological model based on some altered physical assumptions that see the much-vaunted inconsistency between General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory, disappear.

Maxamillion the Great

Drawing on countless real-life stories from his embattled life, Maxamillion the Great is a captivating and moving autobiography told in the only way it could be, through the eyes of his beloved owner, author Barbara Goodier.

Taking the reader through the lows of his joyless puppyhood into the highs of his new found family, it persuades us to revisit the idea that miracles really do exist and sometimes even more than once.

Creative in its narration and affecting in its story, it will move you to re-evaluate what is important in your own life, will make you cry when you least expect it and lay bare the unbreakable bond between a dog and his mum.

A Womb With a View

This book delves into the life of the Church of England at a near grassroots level during a period of seismic change. It seeks to capture the essence of experimental ministry during a time of national uncertainty. While it doesn’t provide definitive answers, it explores various possibilities with honesty and humour. The narrative shares the joys and challenges of parish ministry in diverse settings: from the heart of a bustling city to the serene depths of rural Wensleydale, from a sprawling inner-city housing estate to the hills and coastlands of Cumbria. It enthusiastically engages with ecumenical matters and approaches interfaith diversity with a certain naivety.

“Here are the workings out of a practical theologian – a priest working across disciplines, and most powerfully working with and alongside communities.”

– The Ven. Chris Burke, Archdeacon of Barking.

“He created a platform to build on of the largest centres for social action and community activity in the country… Malcolm is courageous beyond belief and a true advocate of his faith and belief in human kind.”

– Mark Law MBC. Chief Executive, BARCA, Leeds.

“I found this lovely book quite a nostalgic read, because it reminded me of the church into which I was ordained nearly 40 years ago. I also found it deeply moving, endearingly honest, and at times profoundly inspiring. Malcolm - who is a natural entrepreneur – manages to tackle some very serious subjects without ever taking himself too seriously and he enables some powerful reflection on the meaning of ‘success’ in ordained ministry without trying to provide to many answers. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.”

– James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle.

Don't Give Up on Your Dreams

We all know that life is difficult, but no-one begins on that journey without having dreams and ambitions. As we get older and encounter experiences, we suffer failures and setbacks and events beyond our control begin to determine our destiny. This is when most people are tempted to give up on their dreams and develop different belief systems. In this Ted Talk, Dr Patrick Treacy shows us how he reframed obstructions in his life as opportunities by holding onto his dreams. His challenges dealing with a HIV positive needlestick as a doctor in a period where there was no cure, becoming a prisoner of Saddam Hussein while visiting Halabja before the outbreak of the Gulf War, and smuggling cars in order to fund his way thorough medical school when Margaret Thatcher's new government policy deprived him of his educational grant. Thankfully, he never developed AIDS and he left Iraq to pursue his dreams of becoming a Flying Doctor. he tells us that when giving up on your dreams is tempting, that is the time when you need to pursue them more than ever. He shows us not to have any regrets – and not to live in the always thinking about what might have been. One must find a lesson in every failure and apply it to discover your ultimate purpose in life and connect every decision you take back to that purpose.

God and Our Dirty Socks

God and Our Dirty Socks is a captivating exploration of everyday life, encompassing both the humorous and the poignant. From marriage and family dynamics to grief, loss, and the challenges of IVF treatment, this book delves into a wide array of topics, reflecting the intricate tapestry of human experience.Each of the 41 chapters offers unique insights, concluding with a thoughtful reflection and a prayer. Readers may turn to this book during times of stress or uncertainty, seeking solace and guidance. Whether seeking calm, reflection, or simply a moment of respite, God and Our Dirty Socks offers a comforting presence on the bedside table, inviting readers to explore its pages and discover a sense of clarity, hope, and inspiration. May this book bring peace of mind, serenity of spirit, and a renewed appetite for life.

Prayers, Petitions and Pleas

Prayers, Petitions and Pleas is a book for anyone who is curious about prayer, just starting out in their faith, or a seasoned Christian. By examining a series of prayers from the Bible, this book will help you explore different prayers you can say when you most need to speak to God.

Discussing the theme of each prayer and how that relates to the challenges we face today, this book will hopefully gently guide you on your faith journey, whether it be taking the first tentative steps or as one who has trod the path of prayer many times.

So, no matter your circumstance or depth of belief, this book will hopefully give you a fresh insight into what you can pray, petition and plead for and help you grow closer to the Lord.

Addicted

Humans are biologically hardwired to alter their mental state, drugs are the pathway, and America is their biggest consumer. From antiquity to modernity, use and prohibition have gone hand in hand. Addicted raises the curtain to expose the lies and fill in the blanks behind America’s failed 50 year war on drugs and makes sense of the quagmire of misinformed laws and policy, blending Miller’s investigative journalism with historical narrative.

In addition, Miller tells the story of nature’s three primary psychotropic plants and the history of government efforts to suppress them: Papaver Somniferum, the opium poppy, the drug of Asian mystery, which provides opium and its derivative alkaloids morphine and heroin; Erythroxylum Coca, which provides the cocaine of all night parties and glamor; and Cannabis Sativa, L., the historical intoxicant of rebellion and counterculture. These plants convert soil, water, nutrients, CO2, and light into complex chemical substances, which can elevate, intoxicate, and even heal.

Addicted unravels the institutional mechanism that fuels the war’s self-perpetuation, its abject failure, and its deplorable byproduct of racial injustice. The stories in Addicted feature a diverse cast of heroes, villains, and bureaucrats as well as all the post-Nixon Presidents who failed in their version of the war.

The Governor General Cleaned My Shoes

“Even before I was born, I was trying to do things my own way. I made life difficult for my mother, Jess, who was confined to bed for the last trimester of her pregnancy. I had disappointed my father, Geoff, by insisting that I be born a day earlier than his birthday, and I had mercifully waylaid their plans to call me Elizabeth.”

So begins my story that has me watching rockets going up at the Woomera Rocket Range, beating the boys at marbles (and winning the prized milky white marble with coloured orange waves), nearly being run over in a toilet, swimming with a snake on my way to inspect a very dead horse, setting tongues wagging in Canberra in a Commonwealth car and eliminating plastic bananas from Australia’s entire eastern seaboard. And yes, the Governor General did clean my shoes.