Lifestyle & Religion

Do black holes form links to other universes or are they the mothers of new Big Bangs? Is rising global population with improved standards of living the implicit cause of environmental catastrophe? Can religion and science ever be compatible?

These questions and many more are explored in Keeping up with Time. Dr Anisur Rahman, a retired nuclear safety specialist, has compiled 43 of his previously published articles on science and technology, global issues and religion. Intending to challenge readers’ perceptions of truth and reality, the author presents scientific theories, technical data and historical facts in a highly readable style.

The individual articles are short and thought-provoking, with complex topics explained clearly and concisely, using verified facts and unbiased analysis. The book is complemented by over 60 photographs and illustrations.

Scientific topics range from Newton to Einstein and include black holes, quantum mechanics and gravitational waves.

Global issues include the writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Nelson Mandela’s life story, climate change, and a discussion of Orwellian dystopia.

Religious topics include science and Islam, religion and morality, and the brutality of religious fanaticism.

Issues relating to the partition of India and Bengal and the creation of Pakistan and later Bangladesh are also discussed.

Covering a wide range of subject matter and current affairs, Keeping up with Time will doubtless inspire lively debate and further study among its readers.

Unearthing Community Happiness creates the link between strong communities and the prevention of violence on our streets and suggests ways in which we can all contribute to creating harmony in a world that sometimes feels overwhelmingly troubled. Jan explains how, through her life experiences and witnessing other cultures, she has come to realise that society’s obsession with material things is a damaging force, and she demonstrates how that can alter our perceptions of what really matters.

The ideas she promotes in this book are for changes in direction towards lives which are more people and community focussed. If we are open to her thoughts, we can all make these changes, whether small or large. The changes can be as simple as joining a gardening group, walking with friends, reading to an older neighbour or cooking together. It is all about community, that often-overused word, but one which sums up what can lead to happiness, for ourselves and for others.

Unearthing Community Happiness talks of ways in which we can, if we are lucky, create something out of nothing. Jan describes projects with which she has been involved over many years, and also projects that have taken off in Wiveliscombe, Wellington, and beyond. What makes most of these initiatives special is that they are entirely community-based, with volunteers from all strands of society coming together to help, innovate, inspire, and involve.

Newcomers to the area speak about the great community they have moved into, without perhaps taking on board that it is the people who live here who are making the ideas happen.

This book was produced for the Australian Homeless Charity On My Feet.

“For six months it was wonderful. And then he changed and started to hit me. Sometimes so badly that I would pass out. I guess it’s the same with all domestic violence cases. You think you can help. You think it’s your fault. And he promises to change.” Fast forward five years and, of her involvement in On My Feet, she says:

“I could write a book on how On My Feet has helped me grow. I have become a better person, a person who believes in herself, a person who is growing friendships, a person who pushes past her anxiety and negative thoughts. A happier person and a more confident person.”

Non-Fiction

In this age of cultural awareness, it has become imperative to identify oneself with his culture as well as his spoken dialect.

This is necessary especially in a volatile country like Nigeria where the majority ethnic groups are preponderant over their minority counterparts and in so doing, reducing these groups to mere irrelevance. The persuasive inference one can draw from this, therefore, is that if these ethnic languages are left unused or sparsely used, they will fizzle out in the near future, and we will be worse for it.

Waghiaghaz’Edo in this respect, is a useful guide to learning the Edo, one of the minority tribal languages in Nigeria. It introduces readers to its alphabets, consonants as well as its pronunciation. In fact, call it a succinct appraisal of the cultural as well as ancestral heritage of the Edo people and you are not far from it. This book is a captivating work for his ethnic Edo tribe so much so that when you flip its first pages, you are spellbound to read it through to the end.

Author Osazuwa Ọmede, a reserved and knowledgeable gentleman, is an historian, writer, photography enthusiast and a film producer based in the United Kingdom. He has deep interest in the preservation of the rich cultural heritage of his ancestral Ẹdo tribe and her people.

He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Oil and Gas Management from Plymouth University.

Some of his creations include: Wrong Desire (a movie), Odumamwẹn (a movie) as well as a Book entitled ‘Business and Privileges in Nigeria.’ Mr Ọmede is the Founder/President of Osazuwa Ọmede Multimedia based in the United Kingdom.

He is also a co-creator of Africa Couples Connect and the Osazuwa Ọmede Smile Project (an NGO). He is a reserved gentleman of ample knowledge.

Non-Fiction

Early in the 2020 pandemic, author Steven Mason, seeking inspiration to help cope during the Covid-19 crisis, began to examine the lives of some of the great personalities from history. After considerable research, he discovered that many of these individuals had overcome significant adversity on their path to success. After sharing these stories with others, he was inspired to write this book.

The Adversity Formula: Inspirational Lessons from History reviews the lives of thirty remarkable characters from history to see how they dealt with adversity. The book goes onto provide a formula that readers can themselves apply to their own lives. Selected mainly from the 20th Century, the fifteen men and fifteen women, include scientists, entrepreneurs, humanitarians, politicians, entertainers, sports stars and war heroes.

The list contains well-known names like Stephen Hawking, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney but also features lesser-known profiles of Virginia Hall, Irena Sendler and Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor who, after his experiences in the concentration camps, developed a therapy to find meaning and purpose in adversity.

The book looks at the adversity these greats faced, what they achieved despite it, but also, how they dealt with adversity, often using it to their advantage. Their coping mechanisms are summarised in five characteristics for each individual and packaged into a general formula for tackling life’s problems. The conclusion found within these pages is that it is often how people respond to adversity, that can determine successful outcomes.

The Adversity Formula: Inspirational Lessons from History will be particularly relevant to those interested in self-development, especially during difficult times, as well as those with a love of history. The book offers hope in the face of life’s major challenges.

Author Steven Mason is a licensed insolvency practitioner by profession, one in which he has seen his fair share of distress during the pandemic. Living in Manchester, England, he is a married father of five. Outside work, he enjoys and values time with his family, his love of sport and especially, his love of history. He has a BA (Hons) degree in International History and Politics from The University of Leeds and a Graduate Diploma in Law from Manchester Metropolitan University.

This book is his first and as well as using the subject to help people cope with challenging situations, he hopes to make history relevant to a broad audience, including those not usually interested in the past and the lessons that can be learned from it.

The Road from Kharkiv: A Journey of Pain in Pursuit of Love, God and Sense is a story of the author’s spiritual development as she dealt with a life-threatening situation of extreme adversity.

At first hand, Katheryna Fedorova and her family faced the terrifying experience of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Based in Kharkiv, the family decided to leave their home and flee westwards to find safety from the bombing and the fighting.

Katheryna and her family commenced their long trip, beginning an uncertain, stressful and challenging odyssey. Taking up offers, often from well-meaning strangers and unknown organisations, received from her extensive network of contacts on social media, the family found refuge in various places in Ukraine, Romania and Austria.

Throughout the trip, Katheryna’s faith kept her going and helped her look after her family while still assisting other people along the way. Through it all, Katheryna’s spiritual views and beliefs evolved as her interactions with others presented the opportunities for life lessons to be learned.

The Road from Kharkiv: A Journey of Pain in Pursuit of Love, God and Sense will appeal to those interested in spiritual and personal development; how to deal with adversity; the philosophy of life; and those keen to read a first-hand experience of the Ukraine-Russian war.

BIOGRAPHY
From Ukraine, Kathryna Fedorova is an English teacher, life coach, businesswoman, photographer, writer and poet. Before the war, she ran her English school in Kharkiv for twelve years. Now, she runs it online from Austria where she is living with her husband and three children. Through her spiritual and religious beliefs and her views on life philosophy, she is committed to her mission of helping others to make their lives better. She has published three books in Ukraine.

This book is her first in English.