Arena Books – förlag

War has blighted the security and happiness of humanity from time immemorial, but when two hundred years ago the colonies in North America broke away from British rule and established the United States, it was seen as a hopeful promise for the peoples of the world. A new democracy had been launched wherein all (or at least, the majority) were deemed to be created equal in respect of their rights, and were citizens and not subjects, in a land of self-confident individualism, which was not only free of the hereditary-based authoritarianism of the Old World, but more significantly, seemed destined to live at peace with the great nation states beyond their frontiers.It was a nation where government was minimised to ensure freedom in the spheres of commerce, religion, and private life, but the ideals of universal concord were not so easily to be achieved by either the efforts of this new people, or by the world at large. The good intentions of humanity were soon found to clash with the psychology and social realities of human interaction.The democratic instinct is not necessarily a universal attribute of humanity. Our minds may be attracted to the ideals of justice, equity, and freedom, but another sinister tendency, the lapse into authoritarianism, or the longing for the charismatic, sets up an opposing force in the body politic. There is an inseparable divide between the practicality of democracy and the triumph of captivating leadership. True freedom and the Superman cannot coexist within society.The lesson of history is that power too often attracts the wrong kind of candidate. Democracy too often mutates into the rule of demagogues, and that in turn leads to conflict and war. It is well to remember that Hitler rose to supreme leadership via the democratic process. This book looks at the careers of infamous psychopaths who eventually seized the leadership of their countries. It examines the reasons for seeking high office, and considers the stresses inherent in political leadership which may lead to disaster for entire regions or even on a global scale.The book presents the democratic model in its ideal form as the Palace of Crystal, and shows how modern democracies fall short of the ideal, beguiled by the cult of personality. The price of democracy is eternal vigilance. Charisma degrades the democratic ideal and weakens the democratic bastion against war.

This ambitious work which took the better part of a decade to produce will be essential reading for all serious defence study students, and of absorbing interest to military professionals and lay people concerned with the future of warfare and all aspects of response to military attack.Its ultimate aim is to demonstrate that the advent of Cyberwarfare has pushed traditional legal thinking regarding the regulation of forcible action beyond traditional boundaries. It attempts to do so by critically analyzing specific characteristics which are inherent to Cyberwarfare such as stealth, speed, untraceability, the availability to State as well as Non-State sponsored agents, their defiance of traditional borders, and an unprecedented potential for destruction, all of which have played a major role in making obsolescent traditional legal norms relied upon for the effective regulation of the use of force. It follows from the above that no defence system can be effectively regulated, especially one as new and unconventional as Information Warfare, unless all its specific aspects are explored as deeply as possible. The best means to achieve such a purpose have been deemed to be through the inclusion as well as the careful analysis of as many real life examples of Information Warfare operations as possible in order to illustrate the special nature of Information Warfare and its various individual features. The examples compiled for inclusion have been selected not on the basis of being the most recent, but on the basis of their factual background being as fully known as possible. Consequently, this book has been constructed around the concept of legality, starting with a section outlining currently existing legal norms of individual self-defense, then applying those norms to Information Warfare Operations including a presentation of existing international legal instruments with provisions applicable to Information Warfare which could serve as additional essential guidelines for a future legal framework specifically crafted to regulate the use of force in cyberspace. Last but not least this book sets a paradigm with regard to Cyberwarfare as well as with other methods of warfare which escape the boundaries of the traditional State monopoly of the use of force. It ultimately shows the extent to which traditional legal thinking, which is shaped around the premise of regulating typical forms of State forcible action, when faced with such methods of warfare is totally obsolete.

The reform of the financial-industrial infrastructure cannot be undertaken without considering fully the political culture in which it exists. But such reforms can only best be initiated from within the capitalist system itself by those most technically competent to effect necessary change, and hence this book calls upon the business community to take such an initiative.Whilst the first volume of this work traced the development of the new majority and its potential readiness to promote desired change; and whilst the second volume laid out the theoretical basis for Social Capitalism and a new political consciousness; the third and final volume is concerned with the policies and practicalities of a Social Capitalist world. Part I of the present volume is concerned with the international dimension, and especially the Third world, and the need for its internal capitalisation and redefining the benefits of free trade, and the priority of environmental questions. Parts II and III are concerned with strategies for national prosperity on the macro-economic level in advanced industrial economies, and Part IV considers the reforms of the business enterprise in successfully integrating the common aims of employers and employed.Part V is an exercise in the critique of Rentier capitalism, comprising an exposé of 43 leaders of major corporations, and Part VI concludes the work with a summary and analytical declaration of Social Capitalist values and aims. As this book clearly demonstrates, a free and democratic world cannot be achieved or maintained without the successful establishment of a Social Capitalist society which seeks to maximise the individual ownership and control of the means of production, distribution and exchange.Under different pseudonyms, Robert Corfe is also the author of 3 autobiographical works: Death In Riyadh (Geoff Carter) describing his life as a businessman in the Middle East in the 80s; My Conflict With A Soviet Spy (Eddie Miller) relating his adventures in Finland in the mid-60s; and, The Girl From East Berlin (James Furner) an epic novel relating his love affair in the old German capital at the end of the 50s.

How can Marxism help us understand the contemporary environmental situation? How can Marxism help greens respond to this situation? Marxism and Environmental Crises answers these questions by claiming that Marxism offers a uniquely useful means to understand the various environmental crises that affect the contemporary world. The strength of Marxism, the author claims, lies in its ability to comprehend why capitalism produces environmental crises at this point in history, and why the effects of environmental crises fall most heavily upon those already in the worst social and economic position.The author argues that contemporary developments of Marxism offer the most effective way for greens to engage with political economy, and with material social production on a deeper level. Marxism demonstrates that capitalism is unique, no other social form is quite like it because of its process of expansion, of infinite growth in a finite world. The book argues that the contradictions of infinite expansion in a finite environment has led to successive waves of dispossession, as capital attempts to seize control of production and nature by the imposition of markets as mediators between societies and their environments.The author then calls for greens to re-engage with the critique of capitalism and with a politics of struggle for control of production, as a means to socialize the interaction of human societies and their environments.

In the nineteenth century a new needlework style ‘Art Embroidery’ gave rise to major commercial ventures of the time. The significance of these ventures is explored, particularly the contribution made by women employed in this industry. Auditing their working practices, then relating this to our understanding of gender history. These ventures stimulated the commercial side of embroidery in the late nineteenth century, by mobilising commercial activity through numerous agencies, department stores, depots and charitable institutions. A craft became a major industry, and in examining these important developments, the organisational structure of these enterprises, their marketing techniques in relationship to their predominantly female workforce, will be evaluated. The theme of business enterprise is a conduit which runs throughout, yet the work is not intended as an economic history, rather business history, as social history. The growth and development of ‘Art Embroidery’ in Britain circa 1870-1890 will be explored giving special consideration to the support received from the art establishment in designing for and educating embroiderers. Initially designing for the massive church building programme being conducted in Britain, the immense popularity of medieval and oriental designs employed in this work, lead also to a demand for secular work. As with all art, design changes are a derivative of social and political changes. These deterministic style changes were reliant upon imperialism, Said’s notion of ‘the other’, but perhaps more interestingly upon white man’s burden of manifest destiny, illustrated by Liberty department store. Finally, the decline of the embroidery business in the British Isles will be examined as work was sent overseas chasing cheaper labour in the colonies.Aiming to make a contribution to our understanding of the embroidery business, the book shows the dynamics shaping development and the role of women employed in the industry. In particular the economic significance of the embroidery business to female employment in the nineteenth century will be revealed, as it has been hidden from view, mainly due to employing outworkers, a hidden workforce. Though a social history, the thesis will demonstrate this hidden workforce made a contribution to the British economy.

How can Marxism help us understand the contemporary environmental situation? How can Marxism help greens respond to this situation? Marxism and Environmental Crises answers these questions by claiming that Marxism offers a uniquely useful means to understand the various environmental crises that affect the contemporary world. The strength of Marxism, the author claims, lies in its ability to comprehend why capitalism produces environmental crises at this point in history, and why the effects of environmental crises fall most heavily upon those already in the worst social and economic position.The author argues that contemporary developments of Marxism offer the most effective way for greens to engage with political economy, and with material social production on a deeper level. Marxism demonstrates that capitalism is unique, no other social form is quite like it because of its process of expansion, of infinite growth in a finite world. The book argues that the contradictions of infinite expansion in a finite environment has led to successive waves of dispossession, as capital attempts to seize control of production and nature by the imposition of markets as mediators between societies and their environments.The author then calls for greens to re-engage with the critique of capitalism and with a politics of struggle for control of production, as a means to socialize the interaction of human societies and their environments.

This ambitious work which took the better part of a decade to produce will be essential reading for all serious defence study students, and of absorbing interest to military professionals and lay people concerned with the future of warfare and all aspects of response to military attack.Its ultimate aim is to demonstrate that the advent of Cyberwarfare has pushed traditional legal thinking regarding the regulation of forcible action beyond traditional boundaries. It attempts to do so by critically analyzing specific characteristics which are inherent to Cyberwarfare such as stealth, speed, untraceability, the availability to State as well as Non-State sponsored agents, their defiance of traditional borders, and an unprecedented potential for destruction, all of which have played a major role in making obsolescent traditional legal norms relied upon for the effective regulation of the use of force. It follows from the above that no defence system can be effectively regulated, especially one as new and unconventional as Information Warfare, unless all its specific aspects are explored as deeply as possible. The best means to achieve such a purpose have been deemed to be through the inclusion as well as the careful analysis of as many real life examples of Information Warfare operations as possible in order to illustrate the special nature of Information Warfare and its various individual features. The examples compiled for inclusion have been selected not on the basis of being the most recent, but on the basis of their factual background being as fully known as possible. Consequently, this book has been constructed around the concept of legality, starting with a section outlining currently existing legal norms of individual self-defense, then applying those norms to Information Warfare Operations including a presentation of existing international legal instruments with provisions applicable to Information Warfare which could serve as additional essential guidelines for a future legal framework specifically crafted to regulate the use of force in cyberspace. Last but not least this book sets a paradigm with regard to Cyberwarfare as well as with other methods of warfare which escape the boundaries of the traditional State monopoly of the use of force. It ultimately shows the extent to which traditional legal thinking, which is shaped around the premise of regulating typical forms of State forcible action, when faced with such methods of warfare is totally obsolete.

Given its features as a modern mass medium and thus closely related to the nation, cinema has rightly been regarded as a privileged site for putting forward contesting representations of national identity, or in short, as a main area in which narratives of national identity are negotiated.What do films such as Amores Perros or Traffic say about Mexican identity? In what way could Bread and Roses or The Crime of Padre Amaro be part of its transformation? This book looks at representations of "e;Mexicanity"e; in Mexican cinema and also in Hollywood throughout the 20th century and beyond, arguing that the international context plays at least as important a role as ethnicity, religion and language in the construction of images of the national self, although it is seldom taken into account in theories of national identity.The Mexican film may reveal much about Mexican society, e.g., Traffic and the prevalence of drug trafficking, Bread and Roses, and the problems of migration; Amores Perros, in relation to metaphors of the nation as an extended family; The Crime of Father Amaro, in discussing the changing position of the Catholic Church; and Herod's Law, a scathing critique of the political system that dominated Mexico for the best past of the 20th century.Throughout, the book emphases the contingent nature of hegemonic representations, and our ongoing need to tell and to listen to - or indeed, view - stories that weave together a variety of strands to convincingly tell us who we are.

This is a book of stories. Tales of women who have ‘made it’. Ordinary women with extraordinary careers. You would not have known it from their histories; some of them even looked as though they were being groomed for failure. All of them are moving and inspiring.As I collected these tales, some of my old ideas about developing both men and women at work began to shift. We have not been looking for some important qualities when choosing our leaders and therefore we have not been spotting and developing our talent in the best possible way.This book tells the story and looks at some of the most striking themes they seem to have in common, it changed my life and my thinking around my own organisation and the work it does.It is a book for developers of people and recruitment professionals. It is a book for parents rearing the leaders of tomorrow.It is a book to make you think.This is a book for men and women with ambition for success and happiness. The two are not exclusive.

Jacob de Vries, arrives from Holland with his wife, Cristeen, and daughter, Katja, to a remote part of East Anglia to undertake the drainage of the swamps and meres of Oxay Fen. In doing so he is unaware of walking into a mêlée arousing political passions which divide the community.The great project ahead – in continuing the work of Vermuyden forty years earlier – in transforming an ancient landscape and way of life, is financed by the landowners, led by John Warburton. But the village people see this as the theft of their fowl, fish, and eels, and their very livelihood, and are determined to oppose those who call for change.For John Warburton and his friends, the work is essential for the recovery of what they regard as theirs. The prize is the realisation of fine pasture and rich fields. In this situation a drama is played out involving night raids, arson, and the suspicion of witchcraft, and the tension is not subdued by the arrival of the militia.Foremost in the resistance is Clara, the fearsome blacksmith, who gains an unexpected ally in Emms, the vicar, the latter who refuses to reject the evidence of his own eyes as ancient artefacts and even a body emerge from the diggings. Another dissident is John Sylam, a childhood friend of Clara, and then one of the drainage partners begins to doubt the wisdom of the venture, and fears the effect it may have on the wider community.Kayja, too, has her different problems, as her heart is perturbed by several young men in the neighbourhood, and then a skating disaster and nature takes its own revenge in a devastating climax. This is a magnificently poetic and atmospheric novel describing the fens and fenland life in the 1690s. The authenticity of the tale is brought alive by the descriptions of the environment with its mists and distant horizons, its characters and their dialogue, in a way which few historical novels are able to match.

In the nineteenth century a new needlework style 'Art Embroidery' gave rise to major commercial ventures of the time. The significance of these ventures is explored, particularly the contribution made by women employed in this industry. Auditing their working practices, then relating this to our understanding of gender history. These ventures stimulated the commercial side of embroidery in the late nineteenth century, by mobilising commercial activity through numerous agencies, department stores, depots and charitable institutions. A craft became a major industry, and in examining these important developments, the organisational structure of these enterprises, their marketing techniques in relationship to their predominantly female workforce, will be evaluated. The theme of business enterprise is a conduit which runs throughout, yet the work is not intended as an economic history, rather business history, as social history. The growth and development of 'Art Embroidery' in Britain circa 1870-1890 will be explored giving special consideration to the support received from the art establishment in designing for and educating embroiderers. Initially designing for the massive church building programme being conducted in Britain, the immense popularity of medieval and oriental designs employed in this work, lead also to a demand for secular work. As with all art, design changes are a derivative of social and political changes. These deterministic style changes were reliant upon imperialism, Said's notion of 'the other', but perhaps more interestingly upon white man's burden of manifest destiny, illustrated by Liberty department store. Finally, the decline of the embroidery business in the British Isles will be examined as work was sent overseas chasing cheaper labour in the colonies.Aiming to make a contribution to our understanding of the embroidery business, the book shows the dynamics shaping development and the role of women employed in the industry. In particular the economic significance of the embroidery business to female employment in the nineteenth century will be revealed, as it has been hidden from view, mainly due to employing outworkers, a hidden workforce. Though a social history, the thesis will demonstrate this hidden workforce made a contribution to the British economy.

This is a Royal murder mystery set in the early 15th century. England''s princes are portrayed as born in a ''Bear Pit,'' their lives a ruthless struggle for power. This book explodes the romantic myth of the age of chivalry. Betrayal and rebellion, murder and revenge, Hopkin ap Griffith ap Rhys has seen it all. He has served many masters and betrayed them all.In the aftermath of the battle of Agincourt, Hopkin is summoned to the presence of the victorious King Henry, who has a special commission for the Welshman. Amongst the few English dead is the Duke of York, whose corpse holds a secret which threatens King Henry''s rule.Hopkin is charged with the task of finding the truth about the Duke''s suspicious death, a task for which he is uniquely suited. A former rebel, he is well acquainted with the enemies of the new King.Witness the diversity of Medieval Britain through Hopkin''s eyes: a pagan, he casts a critical eye over the corruption of his age, and introduces us to the towering characters of the period; among them King Henry the Fifth, Sir Henry Percy (''Hotspur'') and Owen Glendower, amongst others. Follow Hopkin''s adventures from the outbreak of the Glendower revolt to the battle of Agincourt and beyond - the story of a turbulent period.

This book is a road map for human survival from a scientific perspective. A sense of responsibility for future generations is essential and our aim should be to avoid unnecessary war, human suffering, and further harm to the environment. Male aggression and arrogance have been allowed to hold women in subjection for too long and this has led to untold disasters in history. The first culprit is to be found in the Y gene for masculinity and male hormones responsible for the more regrettable gender characteristics. Over a long period, selection pressure seems to have favoured a deranged form of evolution, which has been responsible for male brutality and encourages confrontational situations to mutate into armed conflict with tragic consequences for us all. In contrast, crucial genetic, hormonal and brain differences, with the added factors of pregnancy, lactation and child rearing, have made women not superior to men but quite different. Hence the civilizing influence of women may be our only hope in the future. In 2-3 decades, with more women in top jobs in politics and business, we may be able to divert successfully resources from war to peace and global security. The beating of “swords into ploughshares” has always been the ideal of humanity, but now at last, science and the transformation of social values may achieve what has eluded us in the past.The aim of this book is therefore to identify the root causes of war. Irrespective of gender, age, colour or nationality death is the ultimate and worst event to affect any human being. During the past 6,000 years, humans have been involved in numberless bloody conflicts arising from revolution, social and economic problems, excessive population, differing political ideologies, religious differences and dictatorial madness, in every corner of the earth. The manifold misery of death, pestilence, and famine which accompanies war has always been a reminder of its uncompromising evil, albeit to little avail in changing human attitudes. Why do intelligent humans behave so stupidly? This book not only seeks to answer that question but to present a panacea for the future.

Erika Schroll, a small girl, growing up in the picturesque town of Saaz, discovers the way of the world and her own nature amidst the turmoil of a World War and its devastating consequences. Always being accompanied by her mother, Josefine, she feels safe in spite of the family''s sudden deportation with millions of compatriots to the recently destroyed Germany.In East Germany, by now was part of the Russian Sector, the country having been divided up by the allies, Erika and her mother spent 9 months in an overcrowded refugee camp, whilst her fatally sick sister, Liesl, was being nursed in the hospital in the town of Freiberg/Saxony. The long, enforced march across the Ore mountain range, dividing Czechoslovakia from Germany, had done irreparable damage to her already dysfunctional heart valves. After two years of starvation and ill health and the worst winter for centuries, their physical condition became critical.At that time, Erika''s father, Ferdinand, found his family through the efforts of the Red Cross and helped them escape to the American West Sector. Josefine and the two girls had to cross the border from East Germany to Bavaria in the Western Zone illegally, while Ferdinand took their few belongings as hand baggage on the train. In No-mans-land, Josefine and the children were shot at by East German border guards. Nonetheless, Josefine felt that the risk of walking on was worth taking as the family would anyway have starved to death in East Germany. She succeeded and after many obstacles found her husband across the border.In order to obtain ration cards for his family, Ferdinand intended to leave them temporarily in a refugee camp in Regensburg, Bavaria, only to be told by the camp commandant that Josefine and the children had to be sent back to East Germany by train the next morning due to the lack of space for more people.Ferdinand decides to take the family to his elderly parents, who had also been deported (this time more humanely) to a small village in Bavaria. At last, the family was safe, but many obstacles and losses had to be overcome before a tolerable life could begin. The dramatic attempts of other close relatives to escape the life-threatening chaos all around them are interwoven into the main story, while the background is the roller coaster of political events and history in the making.

This is a timely and important work in presenting pointers which could be significant in helping regenerate the sad state of British politics. This is not only a clearly written book, the arguments of which are supported by many reliable authorities, but more significantly, the author draws on his practical experience in the hard graft of contemporary political life.British democracy is in the doldrums. Until the 2001 General Election voter turn-out since the end of the Second World War averaged 77%. However in 2001 it fell to 59%, and in 2005 it was a mere 61%.This book demonstrates that one European country, namely Switzerland, has a direct citizen-based democratic structure which could at least in part be beneficially incorporated into our representative parliamentary system. The ideas of the author are clearly motivated by his own patriotism linked to a broader understanding of international institutions, and his proposals are designed to strengthen our democracy, not to denigrate it.The book illustrates the essence of Swiss democratic methods in simple and clear language. It compares the relative significance of local government in both Britain and Switzerland. There are practical examples of how everyday issues are dealt with in both nations. Participating in the democratic process of our country, and seeking tangible results from our votes is the only sensible response in the face of national disillusionment.

At school in the late 1960s a Ghanaian fellow pupil brought to Richard Laister’s attention the historic links between the West Indies, West Africa, the Atlantic slave trade, and the Voodoo religion. Forty years later, the author slipped away to explore these historic connections. In this book he describes a series of extended journeys above the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, focussing on Voodoo as a lens through which to observe the traditional ways of life still practised in this part of the world.Ghana, Togo, Burkino Faso and Benin remain, so he discovers, hardly touched by Western tourism and the cultural steamroller of globalisation. Arriving in Accra, Richard is welcomed by a retired colonel of the Ghanaian army, who is the first of several West Africans he meets to lament the passing of colonial rule.The Colonel provides a rare opportunity to attend a Voodoo funeral, where the corpse, dressed as a bride, is seated upon a throne to receive her guests. Here the author first discovers, Legba, god of entrances, crossroads, mirrors, and sunlight – a divine messenger, trickster, and Janus-faced herald of joy and terror.The funeral is a prelude to a series of adventures, in which comical and macabre incidents combine to form a unique West African mix. In every village the author finds sacrificial altars dedicated to Legba, who emerges as a universal object of veneration.From Ghana, Richard busses north to Ouagadougou, and then to Benin, heartland of Voodoo, where he receives a blessing from a powerful sorcerer. He survives a riot in Lome, Togo, in which there are many casualties, only to visit the President of the Republic’s palace – a mysterious mock French chateau, whose owner has not crossed its portal for 20 years due to a curse.The author’s odyssey through West Africa leads him to question rational interpretations of reality, reminding us of Scipio Africanus who more than 2,000 years ago declared, “Out of Africa, always something strange emerges!”

Based on the real events of a major industrial accident in a West Suffolk town in August 1871, this is a tale of love, lust, greed and jealousy, all of which are curious and capricious agents in directing human behaviour … yet it is a wholly different agent which directs the final act of this drama.Before the disastrous explosion on that fateful August day, the inhabitants of this Suffolk market town could look back with certain self-satisfaction at their prosperous thriving industries, all based on agricultural success. All seemed normal with people in their proper place in the traditional almost feudal class structure, which is dominated by one family, the powerful Bullard clan. But look closer and there are grounds for concern: unusually hot weather and lack of rain, the belief among many that Judgement Day is at hand, and the influence of an extreme religious sect which has mushroomed in the neighbouring countryside.The Felgate family appear at first sight as typical: Robert holds a responsible position as foreman of a department in Bullard’s Gun-Cotton factory, and is intent on bettering himself, perhaps by even becoming Works Manager. Eliza, his wife, works as a seamstress, putting by her savings for her three surviving children. Work-worn, she is increasingly dependent on laudanum obtained from her son, Frank, who works for the town’s apothecary, and has fallen under the influence of a charismatic religious sect. Physically handicapped, he is a disappointment to Robert, and the dislike is mutual.Whilst Lizzie, the elder daughter is involved in a difficult love-choice in deciding her future, her father embarks on a dangerous flirtation with the governess at the town’s School for Young Gentlemen. When this is discovered by Frank he hatches an increasingly hysterical plot, and inveigles his younger sister, Susan, an intelligent but rebellious girl, to assist him in the conspiracy. The outcome of this raises the question as to the cause and responsibility for the disaster which is to hit the town in August 1871.

The Son and the Heir is an epic adventure story set on an island in an imagined world where rival households compete for survival and supremacy. The story follows the fortunes of four main characters – Juscius, Adonis, Rabica and Pluvius – in a time of social and political upheaval, as the mutually suspicious Households of the island gradually advance towards war. It focuses on the efforts of these characters as they attempt to reconcile their personal relationships, political convictions and Household allegiances in the face of conflicting loyalties and intense political and social pressures.Troubled by personal loss, the young lord of the largest house, Juscius Latman, has converted to a rising new religion propagated by his mentor, Zeuorox, but the latter has entered into a compromising political alliance with the lord’s oldest friend, the merchant Ruperis, with the aim of advancing their mutual interests. With the prospect of the age-old balance of states thrown into chaos, Juscius’ rival, Adonis Gatan, seeks to resist, only to find his political professionalism challenged by the rise of the young upstart.Rabica Lewerix, the son of the third largest house, is a troubled heir, unable to accept his destined future role in a political system he despises. Caught between political dissatisfaction and the emotional turmoil of his rejection by a young noblewoman, he embarks upon a journey of escape with the aim of freeing himself from all burdens – a journey that leads him to his seeking to understand not only the purpose of his own life, but the purpose of all existence on the island. As the efforts towards diplomacy break down and the conflict explodes, Rabica and Pluvius are propelled towards self-discovery, while Latman and Gatan prepare for battle. This is a book which will be enjoyed by fans of The Lord of the Rings, and other works which fall into a similar genre to Tolkien or C.S.Lewis.

This is a thought-provoking life-enhancing book addressed to ordinary men and women in the 21st century, that helps resolve a broad spectrum of moral dilemmas. Through the presentation of familiar dialogue, and a realistic yet poetic narrative, the author introduces a discussion of the greatest ethical issues of our age. His core thesis is explored through the Bully/Anti-Bully principle in reaching what may be found to be incontrovertible truths.There are philosophical problems that every one of us grapples with, e.g., abortion, injustice, euthanasia, infidelity, ‘just’ wars, blackmail, murder, theft, rape and torture. It is the problem of who started it, who reacted, who over-reacted, who was rich and had power and influence, who was poor and never had a chance.Surprisingly, or maybe not, at the heart of this there is only ONE philosophical issue. A concept so central to all our lives that it is far too important to leave only to academic philosophers, politicians, priests and pundits. In the words of the author, "listen, come closer. I have only one story to tell, but it is the only story - all other stories are but gilded versions, permutations of a story as old as time, as old as our time upon this earth, the time of the humans. Older than the Koran, older than the Bible or the Talmud, older than the Tao Te Ching, the Pali Canon or the Upanishads, older than Abraham, Adam or Noah, this is the oldest human story ever told: the Story of Morality."His concluding words raise one of the great questions of our time when he writes, "It is the job of all Religions to bow their knees and doff their hats to Morality, not the other way round. One of the functions of Religion is to serve morality. It is never the function of Morality to serve Religion. Morality is the older partner."