Tom Hanks is a beloved star for many movie fans. He appeared in plenty of blockbusters including Splash, Big, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and all of the Toy Story movies.He started out performing in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Ohio during the year 1977. Later, he would move to New York City to try his hand at acting. Tom Hanks then starred in a TV sitcom called Bosom Buddies, which would lead him to even more successful films.Tom Hanks became an American icon. He i...

In the 16 year span of Taylor Swift's professional career, she has seen success, failures, and drama galore. From her humble beginnings in suburban Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee and New York City, Swift has become a household name around the world. She has seen hundreds of award nominations and wins, as well as record-shattering albums, singles, and music videos.Though she started as a musician, Swift's career has taken her down many creative paths including songwriting, acti...

ONE OF 2015'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE MAIL ON SUNDAY.A hard-hitting, passionate and well-researched book about the conflict between driven grouse shooting and nature conservation in Britain, with a foreword by Chris Packham.Driven grouse shooting, where flocks of Red Grouse are chased by lines of beaters so that they fly over lines of 'guns' that shoot the fast-flying birds, is a peculiarly British fieldspor...

Devoted to birds and wildlife since childhood, Mark’s early scientific research at Oxford, Aberdeen and the RSPB provided a solid background for his management, ambassadorial, and political lobbying activities which were to follow – and his larger than life, yet quietly humane personality has provided the final tools in his own, unique, nature conservationists’ toolbox. In this book, Mark mixes a great many stories from his professional life at the RSPB with personal anecdotes and passiona...

Everything you didn’t know about the avian world: a fascinating compendium showcasing the extraordinary wonders of birds, illuminated with exquisite ornithological illustrations, prints, and drawingsHumans share the Earth with more than 10,000 species of birds and have always been enchanted by them. Birds can be a sign of the changing seasons, a symbol of freedom, or simply a breathtaking vision of beauty.Remarkable Birds approaches these fascinati...

The story of Passenger Pigeon, and what we can learn from its demise 100 years ago.September 1st, 2014 marked the centenary of one of the best-documented extinctions in history – the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being the commonest bird on the planet 50 years earlier, the species became extinct on that fateful day, with the death in Cincinnati Zoo of Martha – the last of her kind.This book tells the tale of the Passenger Pigeon, and of Martha, and o...

Wales, a land of rolling hills, ancient castles, and enduring myths, holds a unique and deeply significant place in the history of the British Isles. While the familiar tales of dragons, heroic kings, and legendary battles captivate the imagination, there exists a far richer, more intricate narrative waiting to be explored—one filled with stories of resilience, creativity, and a steadfast cultural pride that has endured through centuries. Echoes of the Dragon's Land invites readers on an e...

This book examines how journalism can overcome harmful institutional issues such as work-related trauma and precarity, focusing specifically on questions of what happiness in journalism means, and how one can be successful and happy on the job.Acknowledging profound variations across people, genres of journalism, countries, types of news organizations, and methodologies, this book brings together an array of international perspectives from academia and practice. It suggests that th...

In the quiet village of Wick, where life is usually simple and peaceful, something dark and sinister is lurking beneath the surface. When Amelia’s best friend, Isla, suddenly vanishes; her very existence erased from memories and social media, Amelia and her cousins are thrown into a modern-day fairytale, where danger and magic hide in plain sight.The Vanishing Pact is a spellbinding blend of old-world enchantment and modern technology. When Amelia and her cousins uncover the truth ...

Violence and Politics points out a paradox of contemporary political violence: it appears to be growing in scope and complexity even in this era of unprecedented democratic and economic growth. These essays cover a number of timely issues including pro-life terrorism, hate crimes, Islam's connection (or stereotyped connection) to violence, rape as a war crime, ethnic conflicts, and violence against those protesting for civil rights for women, gays and lesbians and blacks. Contributors cros...

How and why did our most acclaimed birdwatchers take up birding? What were their early experiences of nature? How have their professional birding careers developed? What motivates them and drives their passion for wildlife? How many birds have they seen?Mark Avery and Keith Betton, passionate birdwatchers and conservationists, interview members of the birdwatching community to answer these and many other questions about the lives of famous birdwatchers. They take you behind the sce...

What does God really require for eternal life? And what can we say, for sure, that the thief believed?It came as a realization, as a result of these questions, that everything we know about salvation has to go through the thief on the cross. For those coming to Him and those now living to please Him, the Lord requires no more than is absolutely necessary. Through this book, discover the many examples of God's grace and mercy to even those who fell well short in their beliefs or beh...