Have you ever bought something you didn't really want, agreed to do something you didn't really didn't want to do, or lost an argument because you let your words be twisted and used against you? Have you ever felt that those faces on TV, those in authority in politics and industry, might be not quite telling you the whole truth, that they could be holding something back? It might be the government, your boss, a politician, a colleague at work, a family member or a slick advertising campaign. Manipulation as a means of controlling or influencing human behaviour is now a constant at all levels...

The Axarquia is a small, remarkable corner of Andalusia in Spain. It has witnessed some of the most culturally cataclysmic events of the last 40,000 years of European history, such as the arrival of the first modern human beings in Europe, the invasion of the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and most recently, the Christians. It is a bountiful area with fertile soils and a good climate. However, it is not always an easy place. In just a few years the climate of the area can fluctuate from abundance to drought. The geography of the region makes access very difficult; to this...

For any traveller crossing Spain it is soon obvious that every region has its own distinctive culinary specialities. Look a little closer and we realise that every province also has its own specialties. Indeed, when we really begin to dig deeper, we find that most villages also have their own very particular recipes. This high degree of culinary diversity may come as a nice surprise to many a jaded palate. Sadly, in much of the industrial world we are accustomed to bland, standardised and utilitarian food. Even at times like Christmas, when good food should be central, few really local...

Machiavellian Management - A chief executive's guide Based on Machiavelli's "The Prince," this modernisation describes what modern capitalists need to know to be able to get and hold onto corporate power. Machiavelli's original notorious and amoral guide was written for one of the Medici princes. It was probably one of the world's first management books. Following in Machiavelli's steps, this new "chief executive's guide" leads us through all the important skills recommended in acquiring, defending and extending control over your organisation. It deals with many of the subjects which confront...

Global food is not a nice business. Farming is no longer the gentle vocation of previous generations, food production is not the artisan craft of past centuries, retailing is not the friendly personal service of our grandparents' generation - these concepts are gone, swept away by the Big Food corporations and the mechanics of global industrial food production and distribution. These days, along with the arms, oil and pharmaceutical industries, Big Food is one of the most powerful, unethical monopolies on earth. With its history in transatlantic slave trade, the food industry maintains the...

Traditional democratic structures in the Western world are coming under increasing pressure. A combination of political corruption, voter apathy and attacks on the rights of the citizen are being driven by authoritarian tendencies not seen for generations. In turn, this is being stoked by an artificial climate of fear, choreographed as a narrative of external terrorist threats and war against yet another "evil empire." Much of the decision-making of government has been bought or hijacked by big business, whilst a whole generation of citizens has become increasingly cynical about the probity...