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  Roman Civil Wars of the 3rd and...

  Editors Charles River

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  The 50 years following the assassination of Severus Alexander on March 19, 235 CE has been generally regarded by academics as one of the lowest points in the history of the Roman Empire. This stands in stark contrast to the previous 150 years, which included the reigns of the Five Good Emperors and has been universally praised as one of the high points of the empire. Severus Alexander was the last of the Severan emperors, and the subsequent years of crisis (235-285 CE) were characterized by a series of short reigns, usually ending in the violent death of the reigning emperor. 
  At the same time, this period of time also saw the empire beset by threatening forces on all sides. The Romans faced a newly resurgent Persia in the east, as well as significant forces from German tribes on the Rhine and Goths along the Danube. The various conflicts would result in the unprecedented death of a sitting emperor in battle, which took place in 251 with Emperor Decius, and Emperor Valerian was captured in 260 CE.  
  Diocletian's reign would see reforms put into place to achieve the desired end of the Imperial Crisis, and several of the emperors before him may well have had the ability to manage the reform process, but the army’s power and willingness to use and abuse power ensured that few of them truly had a chance to really make their marks. It was the worst period in the history of the Roman Empire to that point, even as it forced the Romans to deal with belligerent foreign powers and problems created by the emergence of increasingly powerful and populous provinces. 
  The pressures created by population growth, both within the empire and outside of it, have been thoroughly researched, but more recently, issues created by climate change have also commanded attention.

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  Urban Economics and Policy - The...

  Lyric Vale

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  Cities are complex economic organisms, pulsing with intricate networks of human activity, capital flow, and systemic interactions that define our modern social landscapes. In the dynamic realm of urban economics, every street corner, housing development, and land transaction tells a story of economic forces, policy decisions, and human aspirations that collectively shape the growth, opportunity, and challenges of urban environments. This comprehensive exploration delves into the multifaceted world of Urban Economics, Housing and Urban Policy, and Urban Land Markets—revealing the sophisticated economic mechanisms that transform cities from mere geographical locations into vibrant, evolving economic ecosystems. 
  The narrative of urban economic development is a profound journey through the intersections of policy, market dynamics, and human potential. By examining the strategic frameworks that govern urban land use, housing accessibility, economic development, and spatial economic patterns, this book uncovers the hidden economic architectures that determine how cities grow, prosper, and respond to changing social and economic pressures. Readers will navigate through the complex terrain of urban economic theory and practice, exploring how local and national policies, real estate markets, infrastructure investments, and global economic trends interact to create the economic DNA of our urban environments. From understanding land valuation and housing affordability to analyzing the economic implications of urban design and development, this exploration offers a comprehensive lens into the economic forces that continually reshape our urban landscapes.

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  The Drop - How the Most...

  Anonymous

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  In this revelatory and original book, award-winning author of the acclaimed surf memoir On a Wave illuminates the connection between waves, addiction, and recovery, exploring what surfing can teach us about the powerful undertow of addictive behaviors and the ways to swim free of them. 
   
  Addiction is arguably the dominant feature of contemporary life: sex, gambling, exercise, eating, shopping, Internet use—there's virtually no pleasurable activity that can't morph into a destructive obsession. For Americans under the age of fifty-five, the leading cause of death is drug overdose. But there is another side of addiction. 
  In some instances, the very activities that can lead to addiction can also lead out of it. As neurologists have recently discovered, surfing is a kind of study in the mechanism of addiction, delivering dopamine to the ""pleasure"" center of the brain and reshaping priorities and desire in a feedback loop of narrowing focus. Thad Ziolkowski knows this dynamic intimately. A lifelong surfer, he has been surrounded by addiction since his boyhood. In this unique, groundbreaking book, part addiction memoir, part sociological study, part spiritual odyssey, Ziolkowski dismantles the myth of surfing as a radiantly wholesome lifestyle immune to the darker temptations of the culture and discovers among the rubble a new way to understand and ultimately overcome addiction.  
  Combining his own story with insights from scientists, progressive thinkers and the experiences of top surfers and addicts from around the world, Ziolkowski shows how getting on a board and catching a wave is a unique and deeply instructive means of riding out of the darkness and back into the light. Yet while surfing is his salvation, its lessons can applied to other activities that can pull us free from the lethal undertow of addiction and save lives. 

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  The Gospel Crux - The Hidden...

  J K Vaidyan

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  The Gospel Crux is a fresh look at the teachings of Jesus in the context of their Hebrew origins.The current versions are not working. If they were, the world around us would not keep going to pieces every now and then. Lost in translation, disoriented through cultural appropriation and transmitted across millennia, the versions handed down to us are both enhanced and redacted, far removed from its original context and blurred by the passage of time.Hebrew is a language rich in metaphors and literary devices like synonymous parallelism and hyperbole that emphasize and reinforce key messages. It does not easily lend itself to translation into Greek, Latin or English. The Gospel Crux re-interprets Hebrew words and metaphors used by Jesus to explore what his teachings would have meant to those hearing him firsthand. Words and phrases like Gospel, Heaven, Hell, Love, Soul, Holy Spirit and Eternal Life take on new meanings when viewed from this frame of reference.A key example is the command to love your neighbor as yourself. When asked “who is my neighbor”, Jesus relates the parable of the Good Samaritan. All the characters are strangers to each other. Love does not show up in this parable. Acts of service and of going the extra mile for a stranger are our takeaways. Jesus tops it up with the instruction to go and do likewise.This brings us to the concept of self. “Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.” This is our understanding of what Jesus had said. “Deny yourself” is not two words. “Deny your Self” has three words. And the cross is the execution stake of self-negation. When all of this is read and understood together it reveals a well-kept secret of Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Lao Tzu’s philosophies. That our “I” is a story we tell ourselves.Through this alternate rendering of the words of Jesus, The Gospel Crux explores how we can find the peace of God that surpasses all understanding in our lives; the truth that will set your “I” free.

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  Homer's Iliad and Odyssey - A...

  Alberto Manguel

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  A worldwide exploration of the history, purpose, and inescapable influence of the Iliad and the Odyssey that will inspire listeners to think anew about Homer's work 
   
   
    
  No one knows whether Homer was a real person, but there is no doubt that the epic poems assembled under his name are foundations of Western literature. The Iliad and the Odyssey—with their tales of the Trojan War, Achilles, Odysseus and Penelope, the Cyclops, the beautiful Helen of Troy, and the petulant gods—have inspired us for over two and a half millennia and influenced writers from Plato to Virgil, Pope to Joyce, and Dante to Margaret Atwood. 
   
   
    
  In this graceful and sweeping book, Alberto Manguel traces the lineage of Homer's poems. He examines their original purpose, either as allegory or record of history; surveys the challenges the pagan poems presented to the early Christian world; and looks at their reception after the Reformation through the present day. In this revised and expanded edition, Manguel ignites new ways of thinking about these classic works.

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  Albert Einstein: A short...

  5 Minutes, 5 Minute Biographies,...

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  Albert Einstein, the genius behind the relativity theory: Life and works in a short biography! Everything you need to know, brief and concise. Infotainment, education and entertainment at its best!

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