pocket issue

Middle East Conflict

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 41 mins)
• By Nathaniel Price
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Richard Lyddon, Stephen Pacey, and others

Do you know your Hamas from your Hezbollah? What is the fighting about? Does the conflict encourage Islamic terrorism? Can there be peace in the region?

Middle East Conflict tackles the big questions in a pithy pocket guide. In under 110 minutes, you can sound knowledgeable when others don't.

Pocket Issue, Al Qaeda: The Current Threat

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 46 mins)
• By Paul Cruickshank
• Narrated By Lucy Price-Lewis, Richard Lyddon, Lisa Coleman, and others

Frequent claims of foiled plots; tighter monitoring of suspects and stronger global terror laws. On the flip side, a new safe haven emerging for terrorists in Pakistan; stories of terror cells springing up throughout North Africa; numerous recruits from Europe's leading universities willing to sign up to the cause. Are Al Qaeda and its affiliates, responsible for the horrific attacks in New York, London and Madrid, finding it hard to be the force they once were, or should we be bracing ourselves for the next outrage?

Pocket Issue, Big Brother: Who's watching you?

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 38 mins)
• By Joseph O'Neill
• Narrated By Lucy Price-Lewis, Richard Lyddon, Lisa Coleman, and others

Cameras that can see through your clothes at 80 paces; council tax rising to cover increased CCTV needs; suggestions that Internet Service Providers should monitor customer usage in the comfort of their own homes; plus ID cards, fingerprint and eyeball recognition on the horizon. In the 21st century is there anywhere to hide? And if not, should there be? Big Brother: Who is watching you? twitches the curtain and takes a hard look at our increasingly hi-tech, zero privacy society.

Pocket Issue, Drink & Drugs: Culture of Excess?

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 29 mins)
• By Amanda Eleftheriades
• Narrated By Lucy Price-Lewis, Richard Lyddon, Lisa Coleman, and others

Drink & Drugs: Culture of Excess? checks in and asks if there is a quick fix. How is Britain handling societal drugs and alcohol usage? And how does this compare with abroad? Are we so different in our indulgence to the seemingly more civilised Europeans?

Out of the Pocket

• UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 6 mins)
• By B. E. Stanfel
• Narrated By Dan Kassis

Though separated by thousands of miles, the two men form a bond as Mercer provides support to Ahmed in his struggles to provide food for his family, and Ahmed helps Mercer learn how to survive without his dad. High school English and history teachers could use Out of the Pocket as a median to teach about the Iraq war while analyzing themes, symbolism, and character development. The best way to teach history is to tell a story.

Out of the Pocket

• UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 49 mins)
• By Bill Konigsberg
• Narrated By Joshua Swanson
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped.

Global Warming

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 37 mins)
• By Nathaniel Price, Caspar Romer
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Richard Lyddon, Stephen Pacey, and others
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

What is global warming? Is the world really getting hotter? Is it our fault? What might happen and are we too late to act?

Our best-selling backgrounder, Global Warming, tackles the big questions around climate change. In only 120 minutes, this pithy pocket guide will quickly get you up to speed on the world's biggest issue.

Pandemics: Bird Flu, MRSA - Should We Be Worried?

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 53 mins)
• By Mary Alexander
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Richard Lyddon, Stephen Pacey, and others

Bird flu has reached the shores of the UK, and MRSA cases have spiralled in our hospitals. Is a human bird flu pandemic a real possibility? What about MRSA - can it be controlled? Should the UK be doing more to prevent infectious diseases, or does it call for a global solution?

Pandemics takes a look under the covers and finds out if a major outbreak of an infectious disease is a real cause for concern.

Food: What Are We Really Eating?

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 36 mins)
• By Mary Alexander
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Stephen Pacey, Richard Lyddon, and others

What's causing our current high food prices? Is organic food really better for us? Do we care about Fairtrade or food miles? Should we buy locally or from the supermarket?

Eating has been described as the "most political act we do on a daily basis", with our choices affecting our health, landscape, climate, and economy. Food: What Are We Really Eating? lifts the lid on food production and the dizzying array of food choices we face each time we shop.

The Energy Crisis

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 18 mins)
• By Nathaniel Price
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Richard Lyddon, Stephen Pacey, and others

Oil is running out, fossil fuels pollute - so which way should the UK turn to fuel our future? Is the Uk right to be investing in nuclear power, or should we rely on renewable energy sources? The Energy Crisis tackles the big questions in a pithy pocket guide, helping you to sound knowledgeable when others don't.

Fat: Are we eating ourselves to death?

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 44 mins)
• By Mary Alexander
• Narrated By Lisa Coleman, Richard Lyddon, Stephen Pacey, and others
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Rising obesity is causing life expectancy to fall for the first time in centuries, costing the NHS £3. billion a year. So why we are fatter as a nation than we have ever been before? Is obesity a choice or an illness? And why is childhood obesity at epidemic levels? Fat: Eating ourselves to death? Looks at the complex recipe of modern life that leads to obesity and our options for reversing this trend, from individual to national action. Pocket Issue slims down the issue to give you some answers.