The Facts Of Life And Death

From the CWA Gold Dagger Award–winning author of Blacklands: A “gripping, unsettling” thriller about a young British girl coming face-to-face with evil (Bella). On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, England, vulnerable women have become the victims of a series of shocking crimes. Forced to strip naked and then call their families to say goodbye, they are the losers in a madman’s cruel and deadly game . . . At the age of ten, Ruby Trick knows little of the horrors of the world. Her fears are much closer to home: school bullies, the dark forest that surrounds her crumbling house, and the threat of her parents’ divorce. When her father joins the hunt for the killer terrorizing their seaside town, Ruby tries to help in the hopes of keeping him close. But she soon learns that real evil is much scarier than the things that go bump in the night. “Bauer at her best . . . The true heir to the great Ruth Rendell.” —The Mail on Sunday “The novel lingers in the mind like an unwelcome guest, albeit one with a dark sense of humor . . . Powerful, compelling reading.” —The Spectator “Belinda Bauer’s thrillers are always compelling, always original, always brilliant. I will rush to read anything she writes.” —Mark Billingham “Blends a murder mystery with a blackly comic look at the gradual erosion of ‘normal’ family life. You won’t want to put it down.” —Bella

Clearly shows how the cults and parapsychology have modified the death experience & stripped it of meaning. It answers concerns such as: What is the cultic view of death: soul-sleep annihilation or conditional immortality? Is modern death research unbiased? Are all near-death episodes the positive experiences researchers would have us believe? Why do near-death experiences frequently represent initiation into the world of the occult? Is there any evidence for reincarnation? This book exposes the errors in the cultic/occult view of death & helps readers separate "the facts" from fiction.

The book aims to revitalise the interdisciplinary debate about evolutionary ethics and substantiate the idea that evolution science can provide a rational and robust framework for understanding morality. It also traces pathways for knowledge-based choices to be made about directions for future long-term biological evolution and cultural development in view of adaptation to the expected, probable and possible future and the ecological sustainability of our planetary environment The authors discuss ethical challenges associated with the major biosocial sources of human variation: individual variation, inter-personal variation, inter-group variation, and inter-generational variation. This book approaches the long-term challenges of the human species in a holistic way. Researchers will find an extensive discussion of the key theoretical scientific aspects of the relationship between evolution and morality. Policy makers will find information that can help them better understand from where we are coming and inspire them to make choices and take actions in a longer-term perspective. The general public will find food for thoughts.

Patrick Gale's THE FACTS OF LIFE is a mesmerising, epic yet intimate novel of love, music and the life events that stay with us forever - perfect for any reader of Armistead Maupin, or E M Forster 'Absorbing . . . deftly characterised, deeply involving and relevant' The Times German composer Edward Pepper escapes to England just before the war begins in earnest. Struck with TB, he is recuperating in hospital when he meets Sally, a young doctor who has battled her way through medical school, despite the opposition of her parents. They fall in love and marry, settling in the fenlands of East Anglia. Years later, Edward watches as his grandchildren trip up against life and death, and realises that patterns can repeat themselves, bringing both pain and unexpected discovery.

Our love of life makes the inevitability of death very difficult to accept. Death is a comprehensive examination of that inevitable and universal human experience. To better our understanding of death--and so perhaps fear it less--the book explains the biological processes and the different causes of death, and examines the human perceptions of death throughout history and across cultures. Death is abundantly illustrated with masterpieces of art, paintings and sculptures and their representations of death, as well as abundant diagrams that explain the science of death. It methodically explores the biological limits of life, the rituals of death and describes the events surrounding the loss of life, using the most current research and medical analyses. Chapters cover diverse topics associated with death. They include: Consciousness and the soul How the body dies Terminal illness and dying slowly Methods of death Poisons, deadly animals and plants Flu pandemics, the new viruses Unsanitary conditions and deadly diseases Murder and execution Euthanasia and ethics Creatures from beyond the grave Violent and dramatic deaths Cheating death. Death is sprinkled generously with humor and the wisdom of the great thinkers. Reflecting on our philosophical, scientific and spiritual understanding of death, it speaks to our visceral fears and allows us to better appreciate life.