In recent years the ideal of achieving sustainable rural development has become a key dimension of EU, national, regional and local policy. Whether this ideal is achievable in the near future to any substantial degree is by no means certain. By examining a range of experiences from both the north and south of Ireland, this book asks what the...

In Future Cities, three authors - futurists, urban experts and systems architects - consider how the demands of the 21st Century will reshape the places where half of the world's population lives. From the history of urban development to the challenges of climate change and terrorism, they show how technology advances have shaped cities...

Until recent times medical science could do little to prevent or cure life-threatening diseases that claimed young lives and made infant mortality commonplace. But today those 85 and over form the most rapidly growing percentage of the population. While death from infectious diseases has been widely controlled, only two of the current top 10...

People have been getting paid to clown around for centuries. What’s stopping you? The medieval court jester has been replaced by the stand-up comedian, but there are many other career avenues for those with a unique sense of humor. You can turn your talent for making...

During the past five to ten years, a variety of tools has been developed in the disciplines of both gene engineering, and molecular and structural biology. Some of these advances have permitted scientists not only to identify and characterize genes, but also to target these genes by disruption, thus eliminating their function in living...

Now that so many of us are online and web tools are becoming user-friendly, we’re experiencing a profound change in the way we form relationships and build communities. After years of hype, the Internet is truly transforming the way we find everything from jobs, dates, clients, and support groups, to political allies, social causes,...