Ранним утром 1 сентября 2004 года из рощицы на одном из холмов Сунженской гряды в путь вышел отряд из 31 мужчины и двух женщин. Вышел, чтобы совершить самый кровавый акт террора после трагедии 11 сентября в Нью-Йорке. Эти люди захватили школу №1 в Беслане и убили 344 человека. Российские официальные органы как могли тормозили поток сведений о событиях. Махровым цветом расцвело памятное с советских времен искусство дезинформации. Те же сведения, что доводили до общественности прокуратура, спецслужбы, армейские и милицейские чины, отражали прежде всего стремление скрыть от чужого глаза собственные промахи. Журнал "Шпигель" предпринял попытку восстановить хронологию этих событий, включая и их предысторию. Так возникла хроника кровавого злодеяния в Беслане. Она повествует о том, что происходило в те первые дни сентября 2004 года на Северном Кавказе, в регионе, который следовало бы причислить к очагам острейших из кризисов, сотрясающих сегодня мир

Если приглядеться к статистике природных аномалий хотя бы за последние два-три года, станет очевидно: наша планета пустилась во все тяжкие и, как пугают нас последователи Нострадамуса, того и гляди «налетит на небесную ось». Катаклизмы и необъяснимые явления следуют друг за другом, они стали случаться даже в тех районах Земли, где люди отроду не знали никаких природных напастей. Не исключено, что скоро Земля не сможет носить на себе почти 7-миллиардное население, и оно должно будет сократиться в несколько раз с помощью тех же природных катастроф! А может, лучше человечеству не доводить Землю до такого состояния?

Великие пирамиды, Висячие сады Семирамиды, Фаросский маяк, Парфенон, собор Парижской Богоматери, Эйфелева башня, храм Христа Спасителя… Мир до сих пор о них слагает легенды, восхищенно изучает, поклоняется как святыням… Перед вами – пестрый калейдоскоп чудес, созданных мастерством человеческого гения. Но эти, на первый взгляд, разрозненные части мозаики складываются в удивительную цельную картину тысячелетней истории человечества.

Two sharply contrasting views of China exist today. On the one hand a rising superpower predicted to have the largest economy in the world by mid century, on the other hand a brutal, anachronistic and authoritarian regime, a threat to geo-stability and to the economies of the industrial world. So which China is the real China? Randall Peerenboom addresses this question by exploring China's economy, political and legal system, and most controversially, its record on civil, political and personal rights in the context of the developing world. Avoiding polemic and relying on empirical evidence, he compares China's performance not with first world countries such as the US and UK but with other middle income countries and highlights the often hypocritical stance of an international community which demands standards from others that it does not match at home. He also critically evaluates the benefits of globalisation and democratisation and the normative values of the West set against Beijing's determination to retain its cultural and political integrity. This book seeks to bridge the gap in understanding about China and to create a firmer foundation for mutual trust, while recognising that there are inevitable risks in a shift in global power of this magnitude that will require hard headed pragmatism at times where interests collide.

The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman these are the names of the elusive beasts that have caught the eye and captured the imaginations of people around the world for centuries. Recently, tales of these "monsters" have been corroborated by an increase in sightings, and out of these legends a new science has been born: cryptozoology the study of hidden animals. Cryptozoology A to Z, the first encyclopedia of its kind, contains nearly two hundred entries, including cryptids (the name given to these unusual beasts), new animal finds, and the explorers and scientists who search for them. Loren Coleman, one of the world's leading cryptozoologists, teams up with Jerome Clark, editor and author of several encyclopedias, to provide these definitive descriptions and many never-before-published drawings and photographs from eyewitnesses' detailed accounts. Full of insights into the methods of these scientists, exciting tales of discovery, and the history and evolution of this field, Cryptozoology A to Z is the most complete reference ever of the newest zoological science.

Vol. 1 : Mammals. - 320 p.

In Natural Ethical Facts William Casebeer argues that we can articulate a fully naturalized ethical theory using concepts from evolutionary biology and cognitive science, and that we can study moral cognition just as we study other forms of cognition. His goal is to show that we have "softly fixed" human natures, that these natures are evolved, and that our lives go well or badly depending on how we satisfy the functional demands of these natures. Natural Ethical Facts is a comprehensive examination of what a plausible moral science would look like.Casebeer begins by discussing the nature of ethics and the possible relationship between science and ethics. He then addresses David Hume's naturalistic fallacy and G. E. Moore's open-question argument, drawing on the work of John Dewey and W. V. O. Quine. He then proposes a functional account of ethics, offering corresponding biological and moral descriptions. Discussing in detail the neural correlates of moral cognition, he argues that neural networks can be used to model ethical function. He then discusses the impact his views of moral epistemology and ontology will have on traditional ethical theory and moral education, concluding that there is room for other moral theories as long as they take into consideration the functional aspect of ethics; the pragmatic neo-Aristotelian virtue theory he proposes thus serves as a moral "big tent." Finally, he addresses objections to ethical naturalism that may arise, and calls for a reconciliation of the sciences and the humanities. "Living well," Casebeer writes, "depends upon reweaving our ethical theories into the warp and woof of our scientific heritage, attending to the myriad consequences such a project will have for the way we live our lives and the manner in which we structure our collective moral institutions."

In Proving the Unprovable, Professor Slobogin has done the undoable; he has produced a probing critique of the legal rules for admitting expert mental health testimony that had me turning the pages as if it were a suspense novel. After trenchantly analyzing current stands for admissibility, he suggests innovative approaches to protect the reasonable contributions that mental health experts can make. I doubt that any expert, no matter how experienced, who reads this book will view his or her task on the witness stand in quite the same way again.

A New Yorker cartoon depicts a pair of Puritans in stiff collars, doublets, and cloaks leaning over the rail of the Arbella as it made landfall in the New World. One says, “My immediate goal is to worship God and celebrate His Creation, but long-term, I plan to get into real estate.”