The glory days of Welsh rugby seem long ago now. Mortifying defeats, threatened strike action, institutionalised sexism, racism and homophobia in the WRU, bad financial management – this book examines key events from the 1980s to today which have brought Welsh rugby to its present crisis. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

Do you want a simple and practical method to counter Black's kingside fianchetto defences after 1 d4? A line that takes the initiative from a very early stage and creates difficult practical problems? If so, then The Harry Attack (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 h4!) is for you. At first this looks like some sort of joke or, at the very least, a weird outlandish line. Aren't we all taught to focus on development and control of the centre in the early stages? What's 3 h4 got to do with that? Perhaps surprisingly, this is a very difficult line for Black to counter effectively. This applies not just in practical play but also theoretically, where it is far from straightforward for Black even to find a route to equality. And when Black gets it wrong they are often on the receiving end of a very unpleasant miniature. You may be thinking that surely the best chess engines can show how to counter this line? No! One of the unexpected features of leading engine play is their enthusiasm for shoving the h-pawn up the board and they fully concur that 3 h4! is a very decent move for White. Many leading players have taken the hint and 3 h4 is frequently seen at elite level. Richard Palliser and Simon Williams (the GingerGM) provide a thorough guide to this fascinating line. They show how to adapt when Black chooses a King's Indian set-up, a Grunfeld set-up, a Benoni set-up or even plays in Benko style. The Harry Attack is easy to learn and is perfect for unsettling players steeped in the theory of their favourite Indian defences.

Most chess openings have been around for centuries; the first book on the Ruy Lopez was written in 1561. Not so the Jobava System. This is a thoroughly modern opening that has only achieved prominence in the last decade or so. It is named after the Georgian chess visionary Baadur Jobava, a highly imaginative and creative grandmaster. The Jobava System is based around the opening moves 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bf4. For many years this was considered to be a quiet and unassuming backwater of chess theory. No longer!Thanks to the efforts of Jobava and others this system has been honed into a fierce attacking weapon. As this opening is so new the correct defensive methods are not well understood. This makes the system extremely dynamic and dangerous.In this book, Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) delves deep into the Jobava and offers up a complete repertoire based on this exciting new system. The advantages are clear: - There is very little existing theory- Black cannot play safely on "auto-pilot"- It is fresh and it's fun!Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Jobava System.

Obesity is a global public health problem of crucial importance. Obesity rates remain high in high-income countries and are rapidly increasing in low- and middle- income countries. Concurrently, the global consumption of unhealthy products, such as soft drinks and processed foods, continues to rise. The ongoing expansion of multinational food and beverage companies, or 'Big Food', is a key factor behind these trends. This collection provides critical insight into the global expansion of 'Big Food', including its incursion into low-and-middle income countries. It examines the changing dynamics of the global food supply, and discusses how low-income countries can alter the 'Big Food'-diet from the bottom-up. It examines a number of issues related to 'Big Food' marketing strategies, including the way in which they advertise to youths and the rural poor. These issues are discussed in terms of their public health implications, and their relation to public health activities, for example 'soda taxes', and the promotion of nutritionally-healthier products. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Public Health.

Based on case histories from nine Third World countries, this book examines the successful cooperation between private agribusiness firms and small farmers to increase agricultural production and income in developing countries.

Based on case histories from nine Third World countries, this study examines the successful cooperation between private agribusiness firms and small farmers to increase agricultural production and income in developing countries. In such ventures, small farmers are organized around a core private company that buys their output and provides manageria

Relations between the biological and social sciences have been hotly contested and debated over the years. The uses and abuses of biology, not least to legitimate or naturalize social inequalities and to limit freedoms, have rightly been condemned. All too often, however the style of debate has been reductionist and ultimately unfruitful. As we enter an age in which ultr-Darwinian forms of explanation gather momentum and the bio-tech revolution threatens a 'Brave New World' of possibilities, there is urgent need to re-open the dialogue and rethink these issues in more productive ways.

Debating Biology takes a fresh look at the relationship between biology and society as it is played out in the arena of health and medicine. Bringing together contributions from both biologists and sociologists, the book is divided into five themed sections:

- Theorising Biology draws on a range of critical perspectives to discuss the case or 'bringing back' the biological into sociology.
- Structuring Biology focuses on the interplay between biological and social factors in the 'patterning' of health and illness.
- Embodying Biology examines the relationship between the lived body and the biological body
- Technologizing Biology takes up the multiple relations between biology, science and technology.
- Reclaiming Biology looks at the broader ethical and political agendas.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this timely volume will appeal to a wide audience within and beyond the social sciences, including students, lecturers and researchers in health and related domains.

Relations between the biological and social sciences have been hotly contested and debated over the years. The uses and abuses of biology, not least to legitimate or naturalize social inequalities and to limit freedoms, have rightly been condemned. All too often, however the style of debate has been reductionist and ultimately unfruitful. As we enter an age in which ultr-Darwinian forms of explanation gather momentum and the bio-tech revolution threatens a 'Brave New World' of possibilities, there is urgent need to re-open the dialogue and rethink these issues in more productive ways.

Debating Biology takes a fresh look at the relationship between biology and society as it is played out in the arena of health and medicine. Bringing together contributions from both biologists and sociologists, the book is divided into five themed sections:

- Theorising Biology draws on a range of critical perspectives to discuss the case or 'bringing back' the biological into sociology.
- Structuring Biology focuses on the interplay between biological and social factors in the 'patterning' of health and illness.
- Embodying Biology examines the relationship between the lived body and the biological body
- Technologizing Biology takes up the multiple relations between biology, science and technology.
- Reclaiming Biology looks at the broader ethical and political agendas.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this timely volume will appeal to a wide audience within and beyond the social sciences, including students, lecturers and researchers in health and related domains.

What do we mean by 'gender' and how does this relate to health?
How is 'biology' best understood?
What does a focus on the division of labour bring to our understanding of health work?
Is (gender) 'equity' in health possible?
How have developments such as the resurgence of emotions and the new genetics affected these and other social relations at the turn of the century?
These are just some of the questions addressed in Gender, Health and Healing in which a whole range of issues are brought together and connected to emerging concerns in contemporary life such as the new genetics and transformations in biomedical knowledge and practices. It offers a challenging assessment of gender relations and embodied practices across the public/private divide, using health and healing as paradigmatic examples.
This thought-provoking volume lies at the intersection of gender studies, the sociology of health and healing, health policy, the critical analysis of scientific knowledge and the current debates around the body, health and emotions. Bringing together new and leading scholars in the field, it provides a unique critical overview of contemporary debates in health care for an interdisciplinary readership.

What do we mean by 'gender' and how does this relate to health?
How is 'biology' best understood?
What does a focus on the division of labour bring to our understanding of health work?
Is (gender) 'equity' in health possible?
How have developments such as the resurgence of emotions and the new genetics affected these and other social relations at the turn of the century?
These are just some of the questions addressed in Gender, Health and Healing in which a whole range of issues are brought together and connected to emerging concerns in contemporary life such as the new genetics and transformations in biomedical knowledge and practices. It offers a challenging assessment of gender relations and embodied practices across the public/private divide, using health and healing as paradigmatic examples.
This thought-provoking volume lies at the intersection of gender studies, the sociology of health and healing, health policy, the critical analysis of scientific knowledge and the current debates around the body, health and emotions. Bringing together new and leading scholars in the field, it provides a unique critical overview of contemporary debates in health care for an interdisciplinary readership.

Obesity is a global public health problem of crucial importance. Obesity rates remain high in high-income countries and are rapidly increasing in low- and middle- income countries. Concurrently, the global consumption of unhealthy products, such as soft drinks and processed foods, continues to rise. The ongoing expansion of multinational food and beverage companies, or 'Big Food', is a key factor behind these trends. This collection provides critical insight into the global expansion of 'Big Food', including its incursion into low-and-middle income countries. It examines the changing dynamics of the global food supply, and discusses how low-income countries can alter the 'Big Food'-diet from the bottom-up. It examines a number of issues related to 'Big Food' marketing strategies, including the way in which they advertise to youths and the rural poor. These issues are discussed in terms of their public health implications, and their relation to public health activities, for example 'soda taxes', and the promotion of nutritionally-healthier products. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Public Health.

The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This 1861 volume contains a translation, preceded by an introductory essay, of a narrative by Pedro Sim n (b. 1565) describing perhaps the most notorious of the many sixteenth-century expeditions of European soldiers of fortune into the unexplored areas of South America. A band of quarrelling and murderous booty-hunters, motivated by reports of the fabulous wealth of the Inca empire and legends of the golden land of El Dorado, was led by Lope de Aguirre, whose cruelty and treachery themselves became legendary.

Few major artists have aroused the ire and adulation of successive generations as persistently as Richard Wagner. He was the centre of controversy during his lifetime and yet, when he died, he was the most idolized man in Germany. The situation has not changed much since then. Simon Williams explores the reasons for this adulation and antipathy by examining an aspect that may be a fundamental cause for this radical division in the reception of Wagner's work, the phenomenon of heroism. Williams analyses this heroism as a function of Wagner's theatre and music, beginning with a definition and examination of the concept of the heroic. The book also discusses all thirteen stage works by Wagner and the phenomenon of heroism and Wagner's adaptation of the figure of the Romantic hero. Williams offers a theatrical, musical, and cultural re-evaluation of one of the most enduring figures in the arts.

The Black Lion is a thoroughly modern counterattacking system that is a nightmare to face. This wild and aggressive line attempts to take away White's initiative from a very early stage and is guaranteed to throw your opponents off balance. The Black Lion is essentially a contemporary and aggressive interpretation of the Philidor Defence (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6). The Black Lion starts with a slightly different move order, 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3, and now the lion family splits into two different animals: the risky lion (3...Nbd7) or the tame lion (3...e5). Both treatments are thoroughly investigated in this book. Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is the ideal guide to explain how to whip up an extremely dangerous attack using either treatment. Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and the Black Lion suits his style perfectly. His commentary and annotations are always instructive and entertaining. * The Black Lion is an unusual and dangerous system with little established theory. * White cannot rely on simple, safe moves as such a strategy is liable to be overrun. * The Black Lion is fun and exciting to play!

Covering German-language theatre from the Middle Ages to the present day, this study demonstrates how and why theatre became so important in German-speaking countries. Written by leading international scholars of German theatre, chapters cover all aspects of theatrical performance, including acting, directing, play-writing, scenic design and theatre architecture. The book argues that theatre is more central to the artistic life of German-speaking countries than anywhere else in the world. Relating German-language theatre to its social and intellectual context, the History demonstrates how theatre has often been used as a political tool. It challenges the idea that German theatre was undeveloped in contrast to other European countries in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, provides a thematic survey of the crucial period of growth in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and discusses modern and contemporary German theatre by focusing in turn on the directors, playwrights, designers and theatre architecture.

This is an illustrated history of the performance and reception of Shakespeare's plays on the German stage from the English Comedians in the late sixteenth century to the First World War. Simon Williams argues that the vision of Shakespeare first articulated by critics of Sturm und Drang and romanticism was only realised in practice with the productions of Max Reinhardt in the early twentieth century. The book focuses on the classical period of German literature and theatre, when Shakespeare's plays were first staged in Germany in a relatively complete form, and when they had a potent influence on the writings of German drama and dramatic criticism. Important contributions to the critical reception of Shakespeare in the late eighteenth century are discussed. Professor Williams describes the steady increase in productions of Shakespeare's plays during the nineteenth century, paying attention to textual adaptation, actors' interpretations of leading roles and, in the latter part of the book, to the influence of the rise of the director on Shakespearean performance. A subsequent volume by Wilhelm Hortmann discusses Shakespeare production in Germany from the early twentieth century to the present day.

Few major artists have aroused the ire and adulation of successive generations as persistently as Richard Wagner. He was the centre of controversy during his lifetime and yet, when he died, he was the most idolized man in Germany. The situation has not changed much since then. Simon Williams explores the reasons for this adulation and antipathy by examining an aspect that may be a fundamental cause for this radical division in the reception of Wagner's work, the phenomenon of heroism. Williams analyses this heroism as a function of Wagner's theatre and music, beginning with a definition and examination of the concept of the heroic. The book also discusses all thirteen stage works by Wagner and the phenomenon of heroism and Wagner's adaptation of the figure of the Romantic hero. Williams offers a theatrical, musical, and cultural re-evaluation of one of the most enduring figures in the arts.

Grandmaster Simon Williams was taught the English Opening at the age of six and 1 c4 was his weapon of choice until long after he became an International Master. For this new work, he teamed up with acclaimed theoretician International Master Richard Palliser to explore his old favourite. 1 c4 remains an excellent choice for the club and tournament player. This book focuses on the set-up popularised by the sixth world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, the so-called Botvinnik formation with 2 Nc3, 3 g3, 4 Bg2, 5 e4 and 6 Nge2. This system is compact but still aggressive and rewards an understanding of plans and strategies rather than rote memorisation of moves. In Opening Repertoire: The Iron English leading chess authors Simon Williams and Richard Palliser guide the reader through the complexities of this dynamic variation and carves out a repertoire for White. They examine all aspects of this highly complex opening and provide the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A dynamic and easy-to-play repertoire for White * Complete coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!

A practical guide to using gouache in botanical painting, by a leading botanical painter.Gouache is an opaque water-based medium, often called body colour, that produces crisp and vibrant paintings, and is becoming increasingly popular in botanical painting. Leading botanical painter, Simon Williams, specializes in painting in gouache and this is his first book.Botanical Painting in Gouache is full of practical advice on all aspects of using the exciting medium of gouache and contains many step-by-step demonstration paintings. In addition to the sumptuous flower paintings there are also sections on painting butterflies, birds and exotic and unusual plants from the rainforest.

Two great books from the Everyman Chess Library, The New Old Indian by Alexander Cherniaev and Eduard Prokuronov and The New Sicilian Dragon by Simon Williams, brought together in one volume. The Old Indian Defence is considered to be a sound way for Black to meet 1 d4. Some might argue that it is steady rather than spectacular, but is this reputation totally deserved? Grandmaster Alexander Cherniaev strongly disagrees, and in this book he introduces ambitious and aggressive ways for Black to play in the main lines. He constructs an improved version of a repertoire he has himself utilized with great success against grandmaster opposition. Using illustrative games, he studies the fundamental tactical and positional ideas for both sides, and also covers what to do if White avoids the Old Indian. This book tells you everything you need to know about playing the New Old Indian. Grandmaster and well-known Sicilian Dragon expert Simon Williams takes a totally fresh look at this famous opening. Concentrating on his favourite Dragadorf Variation, Williams constructs a cutting-edge repertoire for Black, one which is perfect for the modern Dragon player who wishes to cause his opponents maximum problems in the opening. Drawing upon his considerable experience and using illustrative games, Williams covers the key tactical and positional ideas for both players, and highlights crucial modern day themes such as the importance of move orders. The Sicilian Dragon is a highly popular opening, ideal for players of all levels. It enjoys such a great appeal because it leads to fascinating and fun-to-play positions in which both players regularly attack each other's kings with a complete lack of inhibition.

Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) is passionate about the Dutch Defence. He has played it all his life, knows it inside out and is considered one of the world's leading experts on this very dynamic Black counter. In this book he shares his extensive knowledge, holds nothing back and carves out a formidable repertoire for aggressive black players.The great thing about the Dutch is that it solves several opening problems with Black. What to do against 1 d4? Play 1...f5! How to counter the English (1 c4)? Play 1...f5! again. What about the transpositional Reti Opening 1 Nf3? Yep. You've guessed it. Play 1...f5! Get the f-pawn to f5 and then plan to follow up with ...d6 and ...e5, creating a dynamic central pawn wall. If White doesn't counter accurately (and many players won't) this lays the foundations for a powerful middlegame kingside attack. The Killer Dutch Rebooted is a swash-buckling opening that favors the brave and fearless chess player.- A dangerous system where Black can easily whip up a deadly kingside attack.- Latest updates on Dutch theory.- Plans against all major variations and sidelines.Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Killer Dutch.

Are you tired of playing the same old openings again and again? Perhaps it's time for a change. This book features three opening experts who get together to take a look at the Dutch Defense, one of Black's most ambitious answers to 1 d4. It presents the Dutch defense in a different light.