Best Designed Wellness Hotels II: North and South America, Caribbean, Mexico

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Best Designed Wellness Hotels II: North and South America, Caribbean, Mexico
Martin Nicholas Kunz
Manufacturer: Birkhauser
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 3929638878

Book Description

Outstanding buildings and stylish surroundings promote fitness and health in this selection of wellness hotels. The author has selected fascinating addresses which, not only offer an attractive spectrum of wellness activities, but also the finest architecture and design. Thus it is an unusual selection as most current examples orient themselves less towards aesthetically pleasing and holistic planning as primarily to decorated massage salons, saunas and swimming pools. The new series seduces the reader into a world of looking at beautiful details, and the harmony between colours and shapes, whether it be in the centre of pulsating large cities, on the Caribbean Islands, in the winelands of California, the Moyave Coast, in the forests of north America, in the jungle, the Mexican outbacks or at the end of the world in Patagonia.

Book Description

Michael Harker drove past old barns on gravel roads and blacktop highways for years. He generally dismissed them as obsolete outbuildings until November 1993, when he felt compelled to photograph a windmill in Clutier, Iowa. This single photograph launched him on a seven-and-a-half-year mission to document Iowa's barns and all they represent. The result is Harker's Barns: Visions of an American Icon.

Each of the seventy-five black-and-white images featured in Harker's Barns beautifully and heartbreakingly captures the glory and ultimate demise of one of rural America's most enduring icons. From square to round, wood to brick, Dutch to Swedish, occupied or abandoned, the barns documented in this stunning collection are a testament to a passing way of life that was once the lifeblood of Iowa and the Midwest.

Complementing Harker's photographs are vignettes by poet and writer Jim Heynen. Both whimsical and endearing, each vignette treats barns as organic and intelligent entities, reflecting the living history that can be found inside each rural structure.

Iowa's barns are disappearing and with them a way of life; Harker's Barns brilliantly documents their heritage for future generations. As Jim Heynen says, “A good photograph can maintain an old barn through blizzards and hail storms and tornadoes. It is the best support beam and wood preservative an old barn can have.”

Customer Reviews:

www.harkerphotography.com.......2005-04-05

The ophthalmology department at the University of Iowa is full of talented individuals. One of the ophthalmic photographers in our department is a historical photographer. Visit his website at http://www.harkerphotography.com to learn more about this outstanding artist who is preserving Iowa's history on film.

Harker states:

The images showcased here represent my philosophy as a citizen of Iowa and as a photographer. I am a documentary photographer whose main goal is to record Iowa's historically significant architecture from the 1800's before it disappears forever. My subjects are barns, one-room schools, courthouses, rural churches, banks, and houses from rural areas and small towns.

I work in large format black and white utilizing the scientific technique of Ansel Adams' Zone System to create images of outstanding technical quality. I draw my artistic abilities from my more than thirty year career as a professional photographer.

I intend to leave a lasting legacy in the annals of American Photography through my dedication to the people of Iowa - to visually preserve the early citizens' quality craftsmanship when they built these "cathedrals" of wood and stone.

My images are little time machines carrying forward to future generations of Iowans the dedication of their forbearers. People born a century from now will be able to look back in time to what was once glorious and real.

About Love.......2005-01-14

Thank whatever gods you worship for university presses. They undertake the publication of books, not because they expect them to be profitable, but because the books need to be published. "Harker's Barns" is such a book. It will never make a profit. It would probably have been too expensive for its creators to have self-published. And yet it deserves to be published, not just for what it tells us about barns or a vanishing agrarian society or even about the ways of photography, but for what it tells us about love.

The book consists of seventy-five black and white pictures of barns and other farm buildings. Those who care about black and white photography will admire the edge between peeling paint and dry wood and the texture of sun and wind bleached wood. They will also admire the sense of time hidden in some of the pictures. I am thinking of a photograph of a barn, obviously taken at the smallest possible f/stop, to get the depth of field needed to have the barn etched sharply from front to rear. And yet as a result of the long exposure necessary with this small opening, the weeds in front of the barn, blown about by a passing wind, are ablur.

This is a book about love, make no mistake. It is about the love of the photographer for his subject and what it represents in his mind, and it is about the death of a loved one. And it's about the love that many of the people who helped in the project must have felt for the subject, and perhaps for the vision of the photographer. And of course, it is about the love, perhaps unspoken and unacknowledged, of the farmer for his farm.

The photographer laments the gradual loss of the small family farm and expresses his hope that this book can somehow preserve it. And yet the photographer must know that this is a fatal economic disease from which there is no hope of recovery. The small Iowa farm that the author loves makes little economic sense in a modern society that requires efficiency in everything it consumes. Who of us will pay twice as much for a tomato from a merchant who tells us that such a price will support the farmer who continues to till the land in a way that makes no sense in an industrial society, but does so because that farmer wants to follow his heart rather than his reason?

Normally the text that accompanies a book of photographs is an unnecessary garnish, designed to fill space. But Jim Heynen is a poet, and his words are short and pithy and help us to look at the subject from a slightly different viewpoint. For example, he says "Windows in a round barn follow the light of the seasons, thus giving a sense of agreement with nature."

Even if you don't like black and white photography, even if you don't like farms, the very idea of this book may appeal to you. For it is clearly a work of love, and perhaps the reader can learn to love like the photographer.

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Best Practices in Business Process Reengineering and Process Design Benchmarking Report with the Future Role of IT
ProSci Research
Manufacturer: ProSci Research
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MIS | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1930885075

Book Description

Two hundred forty eight companies from 44 countries participated in the 1998-1999 Reengineering Best Practices study, and contributed lessons learned from their projects. Topics covered in the study report include: top 10 success factors for reengineering teams, how to select a reengineering methodology, tools used by companies during their reengineering process, engaging top management, the top 10 biggest management mistakes, how to select an effective team, business case criteria, how to get project funding approval, effective change management and communication techniques, most important steps in business process reengineering, roles of consultants and how to select them. The types of industries represented include manufacturing, customer service, education, health care, R&D, government and distribution. The report also provides information on what processes are being reengineered,and what processes are targeted for reengineering in the future.

This report also includes the Future Role of IT in Business Process Reengineering, where 205 companies assess the future role of IT in major change initiatives. The future role of IT study includes: IT's most imporant contribution to reengineering projects, the #1 competency IT needs for the future, key CIO strategies to make IT departments sucessful, how operational managers and staff rate IT's performance, mistakes that IT and their operational counterparts should avoid during major change initiatives and critical differences in perspective between IT and operational groups.

Book Description

Noted TV and radio host of "The Mortgage Minute," Roger Schlesinger puts his practice on paper in this unique look at home finance. The End of Boring Books on Home Finance is a book that illustrates the nuances associated with home finance, and how the average American is not utilizing their mortgage to the fullest.

Book Description

The concept of the Main Battle Tank emerged from the Centurion Universal tank that was developed at the end of World War II. Development of its successor began as early as 1951. The Chieftain incorporated significant innovations including a reclining driver position and two-piece ammunition for greater survivability. The tank entered service in 1967 and was the heaviest armed and armoured MBT within the NATO alliance. The Chieftain saw combat during the Iran-Iraq War, with the Kuwaitis during the 1990 Iraqi invasion and with the British Army during the Gulf War of 1990–91 as special-purpose variants. This book explores the design, development and operation of one of the most influential vehicles used in modern warfare.

Customer Reviews:

the chieftain was the best tank during it's prime.......2007-06-02

This is a good book on the Chieftain, which was probably the best tank in the world during a good part of its service life. Its one bad downside was its L60 engine, a more ill-chosen powerplant for a tank is hard to think of. This engine, for some odd reason, was developed from the Junkers two-stroke engine that powered the German Ju-86P high altitude bomber of WW2! This book covers the L60 saga well, and this is an interesting part of the Chieftain story. Another book on the Chieftain that is worth having if you can find it (it was published in 1979) is "Chieftain" by George Forty, which is a more comprehensive book (128 pages), and goes more into development and details, but does not cover the history of the Chieftain as recently as the Osprey book.

A great start, but would be better with more combat history........2003-11-26

I liked this book for the simple reason that it is the only one thus far published which contains decent color side plates of the Chieftain main battle tank. So far there have been only two other publications (the long out of print "Fotofax" edition by Simon Dunstan, and the current and well done "Chieftain" by Bob Griffin) dedicated to this the most powerful and sophisticated MBT in the world from the late 60's to early 1980's (and one that would do justice to this day to any of the current generation of MBT's). I was hoping this one would fill in some of the holes that the other two left. I would have liked to read more about Iran's use of the vehicle in combat in the 1980 to 1988 Iran-Iraq War (including details of how many they lost) which this book really does not cover at all, simply stopping at analyzing the variants sold to the Iranians. To be totally fair, accurate information on Iran's use of her armor in the Iran-Iraq war is very difficult to come by, due to the political situation that has obtained there since 1979. It would have been nice to have a color plate of an Iranian Chieftain as well as some photos of them as well, since they were one of the most important users of the tank (they had as many as the British Army itself as of 1980). It would also have been nice to see some more on Kuwait's use of the tank during the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and the subsequent liberation of that country.

Book Description

The way in which humans articulate identities, social hierarchies, and their inversions through relations with animals has been a fruitful topic in anthropological and historical investigations for the last several years. The contributors to this volume call attention to the symbolic meanings of animals, from the casting of first-year students as goats in medieval universities to the representation of vermin as greedy thieves in early modern England. But the essays in this volume are also concerned with the more material and bodily aspects of animal-human relations, like eating regulations, aggression, and transplanting of animal organs into human beings (xenotransplantation).Modern biologists have increasingly problematized the human-animal boundary. Researchers have challenged the supposedly unique ability of humans to use language. Chimpanzees and gorillas, it has been argued, have learned to communicate using American Sign Language. In addition, some scientists regard the sophistication of modes of communication in species like dolphins and songbirds as undermining the view of humans as uniquely capable of complex expressions. As studies of nonhuman primates threaten to compromise the long-held assumption that only humans possess self-awareness. The question becomes: How can one firmly differentiate human beings from other animals?Contributors include Piers Beirne, Richard W. Burkhardt, Jr., Mary E. Fissell, Paul H. Freedman, Ruth Mazo Karras, Susan E. Lederer, Rob Meens, John H. Murrin, James A. Serpell, and H. Peter Steeves.Angela N. H. Creager and William Chester Jordan are associates of the Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies, Princeton University.

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easy to use

CT Bird Guide

great little book!

Birds of CT Field Guide Review

Well organized, nice photos, but White-tailed Ptarmigan missing

Birds of Connecticut Field Guide (Field Guides)
Stan Tekiela
Manufacturer: Adventure Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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The Guide to Colorado Birds

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National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Colorado (NG Field Guide to Birds)

ASIN: 1885061935

Product Description

Learn about and identify birds using Stan Tekiela's state-by-state field guides. The full-page, color photos are incomparable and include insets of winter plumage, color morphs and more. Plus, with the easy-to-use format, you don't need to know a bird's name or classification in order to easily find it in the book. Using this field guide is a real pleasure. It's a great way for anyone to learn about the birds in your state.

Customer Reviews:

easy to use.......2007-06-24

I love this bird book. It is divided by color and very easy to use. The Stan's notes section has interesting facts and useful information. The photos are close up and very helpful when identifying a bird.

CT Bird Guide.......2007-06-14

This book is easy to use, well-organized, beautiful photos, chuck full of information. I highly recommend it for the novice bird watcher.

great little book!.......2007-04-08

I bought this because we recently moved to the Rocky Mountains about 50 miles NE of Denver (9000 ft elevation), and there were many different kinds of birds that would visit our feeder. This book really helped me in identifying all the birds I've seen so far, and it also describes what kind of nesting the bird does, migration patterns, interesting facts about the bird, and general overall description. It is also sorted by the color of the bird for fast ID. The photographs are large and clear, and the bird's info is always on the page next to the photo. I am looking forward to purchasing the author's other 2 books on Colorado mammals and plantlife. I would reccomend this book for anyone living in or visiting Colorado, and is interested in birds!

Birds of CT Field Guide Review.......2006-08-31

Great book. Lots of pictures to differentiate between male and female birds (and also a description of immature birds). I found this book to immensely helpful in identifying birds in my backyard. It was everything that I was looking for in a book on CT birds.

Well organized, nice photos, but White-tailed Ptarmigan missing.......2006-04-20

Great birding book, however the "White-tailed Ptarmigan" and one other bird found in Colorado (can't recall the species) is missing. Waiting for the author to release a corrected edition.

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Connecticut Birds
Joseph D. Zeranski , and Thomas R. Baptist
Manufacturer: UPNE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Birding Book Society. The first assessment of Connecticut birds in 75 years, this volume comprehensively catalogs occurrence and distribution, and summarizes population trends.

Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut (Bulletin / State Geological and Natural History Survey of Co)

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Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut (Bulletin / State Geological and Natural History Survey of Co)

Manufacturer: Connecticut Department of Environmental Prote
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0942081056

Finding Birds in Connecticut: A Habitat-Based Guide to 450 Sites

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Finding Birds in Connecticut: A Habitat-Based Guide to 450 Sites
Dave Rosgen , and Gene Billings
Manufacturer: Gene Billings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0965270807

Connecticut Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist)

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Connecticut Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist)
Waterford Press
Manufacturer: Waterford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1889903795

Book Description

The Pocket Naturalist card is a pocket-sized, folding card which provides simplified, easy-to-use reference to what everyone should know about familiar plants, animals, and natural history. Maps are included to highlight prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions. Every card is laminated so that it is waterproof and practical for use in the field. This card highlights over 100 of Connecticut's most common breeding birds and familiar migrants.

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