Intergenerational conflict is a perennial feature of society and capitalism. One side has the youth, the other side has the lion's share of the wealth, and the good things wealth can bring. In the last few years that friction has reached to dangerous heights. Call it war. And, like all war, it has the risk of doing severe damage. In this fiery polemic the author of the best-selling The War on the Old has switched sides, and now examines the conflict as it must appear to the young. For the first time since the Second World War, younger generations can expect less fulfilled lives than their elders. They may not be their `betters', but in the second decade of the twenty-first century they surely are better heeled. Traditionally society's way of controlling the young has been to send them off to war, or conscript them. They would either die, or learn `duty'. Now we send as many as 50% to university, from which they emerge encumbered with debt. As Orwell observed, there is nothing like debt for extinguishing the political fire in your belly. The War on the Young is lively, provocative and ranges wittily, and at times angrily, over many casus belli from the standpoint of the nation's young people. Things are not getting better. This is a timely and highly readable look at a ticking generational time-bomb.

Did you know that an "astronaut" is literally a "star sailor," that a thesaurus is, in fact, a "treasure trove" of words, and that someone who is "sinister" is actually just "left-handed"?

Have you ever wondered why English isn't considered a Romance language if 60% of our words are Latin-derived?

Did Shakespeare really invent 1,700 words, and if not, why the heck do we say that he did?

Why is the English language stuffed with so many synonyms?

Let's be real: English can seem pretty bonkers. And, well, sometimes it is. But through thorough thought and a pinch of curiosity, method can be found within the madness of our modern tongue-even within the disparate pronunciation of the words "through," "thorough," and "thought."

Derived from Germanic, Romance, Hellenic, Semitic, African and Native American languages, English contains multitudes. It has been (and continues to be) transformed by war and conquest, art and literature, science and technology, love and hate, wit and whim.

Useless Etymology takes readers on a time-traveling adventure to unlock the beauty, wonder, and absurdity within our everyday words, how they came to be, and the unexpected ways their origins weave a global, cross-cultural labyrinth of meaning.

Filled with fun facts and delightful discoveries, this is an enlightening read for anyone who wants to know more about why the English language works the way that it does.

DISCOVER HOW NEW TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE YOU HEALTHIER FOR LONGER

In Hacking Humanity, technology journalist Lara Lewington takes us to the cutting edge of scientific research to demystify how new innovations are transforming our healthcare for the better. Drawing us into the science behind the world’s healthiest people, from the Blue Zones to Silicon Valley, while experimenting with the new technology already available, she examines the real challenges ahead and how we can overcome them.

This holds the power to significantly increase the amount of time we spend living in good health – and may boost our lifespans in the process too.

Discover how you can harness the power of data to start improving and protecting your future health right now, and learn how the world’s leading experts are developing technologies that will help us all enjoy more of our lives in the years to come.

Bestselling author Philip Matyszak explores how the Greeks and Romans used magic, who performed it – and why. Magic was everywhere in the ancient world. The supernatural abounded, turning flowers into fruit and caterpillars into butterflies. Magic packed a cloud of water vapour with energy enough to destroy a house with one well-aimed thunderbolt. It was everyday magic, but it was still magical. Philip Matyszak takes readers into that world. He shows us how to make a love potion or cast a curse, how to talk to the dead and how to identify and protect oneself from evil spirits. He takes us to a world where gods, like humans, were creatures of space and time; where people could not just talk to spirits and deities, but could even themselves become divine; and where divine beings could fall from – or be promoted to – full godhood. Ancient Magic offers us a new way of understanding the role of magic, looking at its history in all of its classical forms. Drawing on a wide array of sources, from Greek dramas to curse tablets, lavishly illustrated throughout, and packed with information, surprises, lore and learning, this book offers an engaging and accessible way into the supernatural for all.

The Evolution of Consciousness brings together interdisciplinary insights from philosophy, neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science to explain consciousness in terms of the biological function that grounds it in the physical world. Drawing on the novel analogy of a house of cards, Paula Droege pieces together various conceptual questions and shows how they rest on each other to form a coherent, structured argument. She asserts that the mind is composed of unconscious sensory and cognitive representations, which become conscious when they are selected and coordinated into a representation of the present moment. This temporal representation theory deftly bridges the gap between mind and body by highlighting that physical systems are conscious when they can respond flexibly to actions in the present. With examples from evolution, animal cognition, introspection and the free will debate, this is a compelling and animated account of the possible explanations of consciousness, offering answers to the conceptual question of how consciousness can be considered a cognitive process.

Media has a great influence on the perceptions and opinions of the public throughout varying areas, particularly for crimes, investigations, and trials. People receive information about these key events through some form of media, and the way the facts are represented is crucial to what people will believe. To fully understand the sway media has on public opinion, further study is required. Cases on Crimes, Investigations, and Media Coverage examines famous crime cases and the media coverage that surrounded them including film, television, and wider media coverage of major crimes, such as murders, the investigations that followed, and the subsequent trials. Covering critical topics such as press coverage, television, biases, news, perceptions, and film, this reference work is ideal for criminal justice professionals, forensics specialists, criminal justice advocates, journalists, media professionals, psychologists, sociologists, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Changes to energy behaviour - the role of people and organisations in energy production, use and efficiency - are critical to supporting a societal transition towards a low carbon and more sustainable future. However, which changes need to be made, by whom, and with what technologies are still very much under discussion. This book, developed by a diverse range of experts, presents an international and multi-faceted approach to the sociotechnical challenge of engaging people in energy systems and vice versa. By providing a multidisciplinary view of this field, it encourages critical thinking about core theories, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and policy challenges. It concludes by addressing new areas where additional evidence is required for interventions and policy-making. It is designed to appeal to new entrants in the energy-efficiency and behaviour field, particularly those taking a quantitative approach to the topic. Concurrently, it recognizes ecological economist Herman Daly's insight: what really counts is often not countable.

For Profit and For Good opens up for critical examination a sector of higher education that surprisingly is rarely scrutinized in depth: the corporate institutions that have made up the fastest growing sector of US higher education in this century. It explores in detail the development of one such institution, Walden University, from its emergence out of the social turmoil and progressive education movement of the 1960s, through the succeeding decades, characterized by changes on every front. It looks frankly at the impact of these forces on the university's original mission and describes the university's response to them. It investigates the idea of whether the resources and incentives of being for-profit have changed higher education in a way that benefits not only investors but also learners, their workplaces, and the larger community. Business models of management, technological developments, and changes in an ever-evolving society are issues every university faces and seeing how this institution grappled with them will be instructive. Fundamentally, this book addresses the essential ethical question of whether the for-profit sector in higher education adds value, and, if so, what that added value might be. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of the history of education, alternatives in higher education, the economics of education, education administration, reform and new developments in higher education, online learning, and policy studies in education. It is also relevant for policy makers and other managers in edubusiness.

In this book, Richardson’s research spans a decade and two cities - Sydney, Australia and Montreal, Canada - focusing on three metro-style rail infrastructure case study projects: one ongoing, one failed and one upgraded after reaching fifty years of age – to build an irrefutable case that the news media is highly influential to policy, and that these influences are complex, messy and changing. News Media Influence on Rail Infrastructure Policy offers scholars and industry practitioners in the arenas of policy analysis, politics and media communications a method for astutely guiding large-scale projects through the complex and changing landscape of 24/7 news media. It is underpinned by empirical research that identifies and endeavors to close a considerable gap in current understanding and practice. This gap represents a failure to recognise and respect mediatization – the many powerful influences impacting a policy arena that has drawn the ire of the news media. The result of this failure is ineffective communication that does little to advance the policy piece and, in the worst instances, leads to policy immobilisation or poor policy decision-making. Drawing significantly on Actor­–Network Theory, Richardson identifies the influential actors and alliances at play when policy is subjected to media discourse, and he proposes a framework for tracing and managing them. In doing so, he demonstrates that such a framework is not only vital for the successful negotiation of policy and projects in the media, but also to an (r)evolutionary recasting of public, expert and media actors in the development and decision-making process.

Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and relationships, (sex) and health education (R(S)HE) are often undervalued in school and are frequently seen as an add-ons. But when taught well, PSHE and R(S)HE can enhance not only other subjects but strengthen school safeguarding, develop pupil well-being and improve pupils’ progress and resilience in learning. Underpinned by a range of contemporary research and illustrated through examples of classroom practice, the expert team of teacher educators look at a range of curriculum areas and contemporary issues to explore how PSHE and R(S)HE education can enhance other curriculum areas. As well as showing how pupils’ life skills can be developed, they also explore how teachers’ understanding of how PSHE and R(S)HE can be implemented without additional planning or expensive resources. The book takes an inclusive understanding of both diverse families and relationships throughout. Topics covered include: -social media, online presence and critical literacy skills -mental health coping strategies -plastic reducing -topical, sensitive, controversial issues (TSCIs) Covering the whole primary spectrum from Early Years to Key Stage 2, case studies from each phase are included within each chapter to help practitioners to relate the material to their own classroom. Points to consider for your setting are included and guidance on further reading provides reliable direction for additional information.

It is more important than ever to share best practices with emerging leaders in the social services and education fields, as leaders and students need to understand the practical application of policies and theories. This book will address the recurring theme of leadership development, collaboration with communities and the importance of diverse teams to bring about systemic change and large scale reforms. Leadership Reflections can be used as a guide to provide important insights and tools that can be used by a diverse group of leaders and students in the social services and education fields. Recent events in this country are exposing more people to the disparities and inequities that exist for black and brown people. These disparities have to be addressed with a variety of different strategies. This book addresses one such area; the urgent need to reduce these disparities and dismantle the systemic obstacles that continue to stand in the way of families, children and communities thriving.

Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, John Oliver, and Jimmy Kimmel—these comedians are household names whose satirical takes on politics, the news, and current events receive some of the highest ratings on television. In this book, James E. Caron examines these and other satirists through the lenses of humor studies, cultural theory, and rhetorical and social philosophy, arriving at a new definition of the comic art form. Tracing the history of modern satire from its roots in the Enlightenment values of rational debate, evidence, facts, accountability, and transparency, Caron identifies a new genre: “truthiness satire.” He shows how satirists such as Colbert, Bee, Oliver, and Kimmel—along with writers like Charles Pierce and Jack Shafer—rely on shared values and on the postmodern aesthetics of irony and affect to foster engagement within the comic public sphere that satire creates. Using case studies of bits, parodies, and routines, Caron reveals a remarkable process: when evidence-based news reporting collides with a discursive space asserting alternative facts, the satiric laughter that erupts can move the audience toward reflection and possibly even action as the body politic in the public sphere. With rigor, humor, and insight, Caron shows that truthiness satire pushes back against fake news and biased reporting and that the satirist today is at heart a citizen, albeit a seemingly silly one. This book will appeal to anyone interested in and concerned about public discourse in the current era, especially researchers in media studies, communication studies, political science, and literary and cultural studies.

In the United States, elite colleges and universities have largely been reserved for wealthy, predominantly white Americans, closing off access for students of colour. Statutory laws have embedded discriminatory tactics into the admissions process, resulting in students of colour remaining underrepresented at top-tier universities. Discriminatory practices mandate the need for institutions to prioritize diversity through affirmative action. If legal battles against affirmative action create bans on the policy, many colleges and universities will remain predominantly white institutions. This book takes an historical look at the pivotal role affirmative action has played in higher education. It examines the admissions process through the eyes of a beneficiary of affirmative action and is the first text to share insights on the role eligibility plays in allowing universities to consider race in admitting applicants. Detailed are the different types of affirmative action and how some colleges and universities use the policy as a tool to consider race and ethnicity as part of a holistic evaluation of applicants. This work makes the case that race-conscious admissions practices remain necessary in the fight for racial equity in higher education.

A deep dive into the new era of digital content production and distribution In the twenty-first century, the platforms that both create and host content have become nearly as important as media itself. Companies such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have attained a massive hold on the public imagination and have become an almost ineluctable part of people’s everyday lives. While the workings of media distribution had until very recently remained inconsequential to the average consumer, the recent popularization of various online platforms has made the question of distribution immediate to everyone. Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines provides a timely examination of the multifaceted distribution landscape in a moment of transformation and conceptualizes media distribution as a complex site of power, privilege, and gatekeeping. These tensions have local, national, and global consequences on the autonomy of creative workers, as well as on how we gain access to, engage with, and understand cultural products. Drawing on original research into distribution practices in industries as diverse as television, film, videogames, literature, and adult entertainment, each chapter explores how digitization has changed media distribution and its broader economic, industrial, social, and cultural implications. Bringing together experts from around the world and across the media industries, Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines presents a vast array of critical approaches and illustrative case studies for understanding the factors that have an impact on the way media travels and moves throughout our digital lives.

Through an array of detailed case studies, this book explores the vibrant digital expressions of diverse groups of Muslim cybernauts: religious clerics and Sufis, feminists and fashionistas, artists and activists, hajj pilgrims and social media influencers. These stories span a vast cultural and geographic landscape—from Indonesia, Iran, and the Arab Middle East to North America. These granular case studies contextualize cyber Islam within broader social trends: racism and Islamophobia, gender dynamics, celebrity culture, identity politics, and the shifting terrain of contemporary religious piety and practice. The book’s authors examine an expansive range of digital multimedia technologies as primary “texts.” These include websites, podcasts, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube channels, online magazines and discussion forums, and religious apps. The contributors also draw on a range of methodological and theoretical models from multiple academic disciplines, including communication and media studies, anthropology, history, global studies, religious studies, and Islamic studies.