New Orleans Architecture Vol VII: Jefferson City

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Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and water, one of its most common expressions, is everywhere around us. Even so, write French ecologists Bernard Fischesser and Marie-France Dupuis-Tate, "The complete arsenal of modern physics has been put to work, but all of the mysteries contained in a simple drop of water have yet to be solved."

In a text that moves easily from the sublime to the mundane, the authors ponder some of those mysteries, first among them the origin of water on our home planet. (It may have arrived as ice particles chasing after passing comets, they suggest, but in any event, the amount of water now on Earth is probably about the same as it was at the dawn of time.) Along the way, they study the transformation of water in various states of matter, examine the water cycle and the many disruptions humans have introduced into it, and ponder several points that should excite widespread attention, such as the fact that nearly three-quarters of the planet's people do not enjoy adequate supplies of clean water, while a single golf course consumes enough water to support 5,000 humans. Their text accompanies more than 200 large-format photographs by landscape artist Hans Silvester, depicting water in all its guises. His lens captures tree-lined irrigation canals in Spain, terraced gardens in Indonesia, geysers in Iceland, and an abundance of water-dwelling creatures such as ducks, pelicans, and alligators.

Students of natural history and earth science, as well as art buffs, will enjoy this splendid, sometimes sobering book. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Hans Silvester's dramatic photographs of water in its various forms combine with a lyrical text on water's infinitely mysterious nature to produce a glowing tribute to this life-giving substance, which occupies about 70 percent of the earth's surface.

Silvester's spectacular photography of still and turbulent bodies of water, of geysers and glaciers, of clouds ready to burst and snow about to melt, are among the most sublime images of water ever gathered in one volume. Authors Bernard Fischesser and Marie-France Dupuis-Tate discuss the scientific properties and sources of water; reflect on water as a sculptor of the landscape; deliver a powerful environmental message about the dangers of polluting the Earth's water supply; and offer a rhapsodic appreciation for this elusive, omnipresent, ever-changing, and indispensable material that forms and animates every terrestrial being.

Book Description

In 1997 delegates to the third session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agreed by consensus to adopt the Kyoto Protocol under which industrialized countries would reduce their combined greenhouse gas emissions by an average 5.2% from their 1992 levels. To have any hope of achieving these emission reductions and averting global climate catastrophe will require a fundamental shift in the way in which energy is produced and the way it is used.

Inter-linkages examines the Climate Change Convention in the context of potential synergies and conflicts that could arise between it and the World Trade Organization, international investment agreements and private and contractual trade law.

Book Description

Economics Nobel laureates are the pioneers of the science of economics. They are the most brilliant products of the discipline and have made enormous original contributions to the field of economics, and oftentimes history, political science, business, and other subjects. Their works, struggles, successes and failures are fascinating, and readers are given a glimpse into each laureate's life, where and when they were born and raised, what schools they attended, and who influenced their intellectual development. Most importantly, each laureate's often complex corpus of work is described as succinctly as possible without losing the work's original flavor: what it contributed to the field, and how it was received by peers, and how it affected the world. A list of selected further readings concludes each entry, directing the reader to the primary and secondary works essential to understanding the works of these towering figures. Arranged chronologically by year of award, all 44 entries cogently explain the laureate's life's work in language even non-economists can follow. Economists interested in the intellectual history of their discipline, and professors and students of business will find Wahid's book a very useful resource when seeking out the basic outlines of the thoughts of the scholars who have shaped the fields of economic inquiry, practice, and research. Also, any student in the social sciences thumbing through this book will instantly recognize many currents of thought that have influenced the way scholars in their discipline approach their craft.

Frontiers of Economics: Nobel Laureates of the Twentieth Century, 1969-1999

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Frontiers of Economics: Nobel Laureates of the Twentieth Century, 1969-1999
Abu N. M. Wahid
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0313016992

Book Description

In order to understand today's Russia and former Soviet republics, it is vital to consider their socialist past. Caroline Humphrey, one of anthropology's most highly regarded thinkers on a number of topics including consumption, identity, and ritual, is the ideal guide to the intricacies of post-Soviet culture. The Unmaking of Soviet Life brings together ten of Humphrey's best essays, which cover, geographically, Central Russia, Siberia, and Mongolia; and thematically, the politics of locality, property, and persons.

Bridging the strongest of Humphrey's work from 1991 to 2001, the essays do a great deal to demystify the sensational topics of mafia, barter, bribery, and the new shamanism by locating them in the lived experiences of a wide range of subjects. The Unmaking of Soviet Life includes a foreword and introductory paragraphs by Bruce Grant and Nancy Ries that precede each essay.

Book Description

From the Soul cuts away at the long-held stereotype that blacks can't parent. Instead, it celebrates great black parenting. This is a book that blacks have been yearning for, a work that honestly portrays the emotionally rich, intensely family-oriented experience of growing up black in America.

For a year and a half, Phyllis Harris interviewed black men and women about their memories of childhood. In particular, she wanted to capture their stories-stories that depicted the black family as a source of enormous love, resilience, support, and understanding, celebrating their strength through the best and the worst of times. Here are the voices of the sons and daughters honoring the parents-and grandparents-who instilled in them the strong sense of self, confidence, and integrity that have been the foundation upon which they've built successful lives.

From the Soul is a unique tribute-highly personal, candid, emotionally honest, and poignant-to the power of family, in which all readers will be inspired to see themselves. Illustrated with wonderful family photographs, here is a book that no reader, regardless of ethnic background, will ever forget.

Customer Reviews:

A Must-Read for all parents.......2004-06-01

This page turning tribute focuses on ten Black parents who were incredible role models for their children. At this time all are successful adults in various career fields. The author, Phyllis Y. Harris, a children's advocate in the New York City area interviewed mothers, fathers and children in order to show that self confidence, self respect and strong moral values should be instilled on the home front. The Black families came from a variety of economic classes and backgrounds, along with an array of settings. Some of the stories are set in urban cities, some in the rural south, as well as the Caribbean and overseas. After a year and a half of interviews, the novel shows that parental love, wisdom, emotional support and guidance are the prime guidelines for Black children to become successful adults in our society. The stories are tales of happy, sad, hard and good times. Every parent in America needs to read, then devour, comprehend and digest the significant messages of the poignant voices of the Black men, women, sons and daughters. It captivates the reader from start to finish. It inspires, encourages and transmits the fact that our Black children can all become successful and productive if and only when the parents are truly parents.

"From the Soul" is a dynamic book centering on the proud, extraordinary and well-defined legacy of the African-American family. Nikki Giovanni stated that the book hugs. I am in total agreement. However we, as Black parents need to hug it tight, real tight for the sake of our children.

Readincolor Reviewers
Emily Means-Willis

RIVETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Excellent read!.......2004-03-26

I JUST FINISHED THIS NOVEL. IT WAS EXHILARATING. The collection of short stories were all written interestingly and filled with deep compassion. I enjoyed this book and commend the author with a JOB WELL DONE. I am honored to know that some one speaks out on proud Black families that have accomplished goals in life basically because of parents that care, love and support. I just wish my family could have been included. For three generations, each of my maternal family members received their BA or BS degrees with most acquiring masters, PhD's, MD's, DDs's and JD's. I recommend this book to all present day parents who have children because a lot of parenting tips are offered.

Family Life.......2002-05-22

The essays included in this wonderful book, are stories of the values, instilled in the writers from family members. ... I am sure some of the stories will make you think of your own family life growing up.

Wonderful and Heart Warming.......2002-01-30

Phyllis Harris has done a remarkable job of capturing the love and commitment among family members in this book. While reading From the Soul, at times my eyes welled up with tears of both joy and sadness as I relived each individual's childhood with them. This is one of the best books I have read. I strongly recommend it

The Strengths of Families.......2002-01-29

This book shares the struggles and triumphs of families from all works of life. It touched my soul and helped me to appreciate the lessons I learned and the love I received from my parents, my brother, my extended family, and my friends. Once I started this book, I could not put it down.

Book Description

Warless Societies and the Origin of War employs a comparative ethnographic analysis of warless and warlike hunting and gathering societies to isolate distinctive features of peaceful preagricultural people and to develop a theoretical model of the origin of war and the early coevolution of war and society. Examining key Upper Paleolithic cave paintings and burials that document lethal violence, Raymond Kelly's illumination of the transition from warlessness to warfare in several specific locales in Europe and the Middle East confounds understandings of the origin of war prevalent today.

Kelly addresses fundamental questions concerning the trinity of interrelationship between human nature, war, and the constitution of society: Is war a primordial and pervasive feature of human existence or a set of practices that arose at a certain time in our recent prehistoric past? Are there peaceful societies in which war is absent and, if so, what are they like and how do they differ from warlike societies? Do the critical differentiating features pertain to child-rearing practices, to modes of conflict resolution, to social and economic inequality, to resource competition, or to the constitution of social groups?

As the conclusions of such an inquiry are central to our conceptions of human nature, the book will interest a wide range of readers, from those curious about the origins of collective violence to those studying the roles social institutions play in society.

Raymond C. Kelly is Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan.

Customer Reviews:

A valuable study.......2007-07-26

First let me say that the four stars are for the content rather than the readability of this book, which is aimed at other professional anthropologists. It is a very valuable study, very much in line with the recent works of Lawrence Kelley ("War Before Civilization")and Keith F. Otterbein ("How War Began")and other scholars.

The good news is that contrary to the "killer ape theory" of forty years ago, modern anthropological analyses prove that the human race has no genetically transmitted "instinct" to wage war. Humans share with chimps a genetic tendency toward aggression. But "aggression" does not always equal war. Kelly emphasizes that although nonliterate societies can and do wage deadly wars, there is little evidence for war in the very early prehistory of Homo sapiens. This seems to show that, in theory at least, war is not an ineradicable form of human behavior. It results from social forces and not from our DNA.

The bad news is that Kelly's prose is, as other reviewers have said, typically dry and academic. Fortunately it isn't laden with impenetrable jargon. It's just very tedious in the way that too many professional publications are. If Kelly had made the book friendlier for the general reader, I'd have given it five stars.

Excellent theory of the origin of war.......2005-10-25

This is an outstanding reference for those seeking to understand how war came about and especially whether all societies were and are prone to war. Kelley presents a rigorously logical exposition of the notion that war is relatively recent and a result of social organization. All societies kill, but only those that are segmented and labeled appear to engage in large scale planned violence. Sometimes his conclusions are counterintuitive - as when he argues that, rather than scarcity, it is abundance that leads to war: "...it is under the latter circumstances that that a society can afford to have enemies for neighbors." While the prose can be somewhat dry at times, the reader is rewarded with numerous thought-provoking insights that are missing in watered down accounts of war intended for the general audience.

Dry but interesing content.......2003-04-21

I agree with the previous review in its critic: the book is arid. I could not finish it: I started with the first forty pages and I jumped till the end. Books are to be read: if they are deadly boring, nobody will read them, therefore they will be used for nothing.

However, I had the feeling that the author, in order to defend his ideas, has taken great pains to define precisely the term "war" and to construe a statistical base of warfare in primitive societies. So I am no expert to judge whether his thesis are right or wrong, but at least, he did it in a scientific way. Stadistics are similar to a laser knife in modern surgery: it alone does not save lifes, but without it, no way.

Other books written in a far more interesting way that I would recommend to read are the following:"How War Began" by Keith F. Otterbein; "War before Civilization. The Myth of the Peaceful Savage", by Lawrence Keeley; and "The Origins of War. From the Stone Age to Alexander the Great", by Arther Ferrill.

Unreadable prose.......2003-03-08

This book is impossibly jargon-filled. The author writes as if addressing a tenure committee. Consider this sentence from the introduction: "Defining war and delineating the boundaries between war and other partially similar phenomena raise important issues with regard to both classifying hunter-gatherer societies in terms of the presence and frequency of warfare and ascertaining the point in a sequence of conflictual events at which war has begun." After reading this sentence how many readers will proceed any further? I would recommend Richard Keeley's War Before Civilization as a concise, forceful argument full of vivid examples written in plain English for the general reader.

Social conflict, social structure and processes of culture change.(Warless Societies and the Origin of War & Deadly Landscapes: Case Studies in Prehistoric ... Review): An article from: American Antiquity

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Social conflict, social structure and processes of culture change.(Warless Societies and the Origin of War & Deadly Landscapes: Case Studies in Prehistoric ... Review): An article from: American Antiquity
Stephen Plog
Manufacturer: Society for American Archaeology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Antiquity, published by Society for American Archaeology on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 3983 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Social conflict, social structure and processes of culture change.(Warless Societies and the Origin of War & Deadly Landscapes: Case Studies in Prehistoric Southwestern Warfare)(Book Review)
Author: Stephen Plog
Publication: American Antiquity (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Society for American Archaeology
Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Page: 182(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of American independence, at Sinclairville, N. Y., July 4, 1876, in the sixty-eighth year of the settlement ... address by Obed Edson. With an appendix
N. Y Charlotte
Manufacturer: Cornell University Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mid-Atlantic | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1429735562
Release Date: 1876-01-01

Product Description

This volume is produced from digital images from the Cornell University Library New York State Historical monographs collection.

Benjamin Franklin, electrician, in celebration of the two hundredth year of the nation he helped found.

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Benjamin Franklin, electrician, in celebration of the two hundredth year of the nation he helped found.
Bern. [FRANKLIN] DIBNER
Manufacturer: Burndy Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TOREGA

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Benjamin Franklin, Electrician: in Celebration of the Two Hundredth Year of the Nation He Helped Found
Bern Dibner
Manufacturer: Burndy Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NV9FX4

Benjamin Franklin, electrician: In celebration of the two hundredth year of the nation he helped found (Publication / Burndy Library)

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Benjamin Franklin, electrician: In celebration of the two hundredth year of the nation he helped found (Publication / Burndy Library)
Bern Dibner
Manufacturer: Burndy Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WSUKDW

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General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006EAN4I

CENTENNIAL HISTORY Of ERIE COUNTY, NEW YORK; Being its Annals from the Earliest Recorded Events to the Hundredth Year of American Independence.

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY Of ERIE COUNTY, NEW YORK; Being its Annals from the Earliest Recorded Events to the Hundredth Year of American Independence.
Crisfield. Johnson
Manufacturer: Printing House of Matthews & Warren,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYP13E

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Centennial History of Erie County, New York; Being Its Annals From the Earliest Recorded Events to the Hundredth Year of American Independence
Crisfield Johnson
Manufacturer: Heritage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 0788421158

Product Description

This county history is chronologically arranged. Numerous residents are mentioned. It has been converted to electronic text in such a way that the original pagination, and the original index, have been retained. However, the file is all electronic text and can be searched electronically also.

College Hill;: A photographic study of Brown University in its two hundredth year

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College Hill;: A photographic study of Brown University in its two hundredth year
William Gerold
Manufacturer: Brown University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The enchanted years;: A book of contemporary verse, dedicated by poets of Great Britain and America to the University of Virginia on the occasion of its one-hundredth anniversary;

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The enchanted years;: A book of contemporary verse, dedicated by poets of Great Britain and America to the University of Virginia on the occasion of its one-hundredth anniversary;
John Calvin Metcalf
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

An Exhibition: One Hundred Fine Prints in Celebration of our Hundredth Year as Fine Print Dealers 1874-1974

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An Exhibition: One Hundred Fine Prints in Celebration of our Hundredth Year as Fine Print Dealers 1874-1974

Manufacturer: Kennedy Galleries, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000SMNPNY

Product Description

Illustrated, priced catalog. 100 black and white illustrations.

Book Description

The fascinating story of the hidden world of bird-breeding, of contentious ideas in 1920s Germany, and of two amateur scientists who unwittingly managed to be decades ahead of their time.

Long before Dolly the Sheep or bioengineered corn, there was the Red Canary-the first organism to be manipulated by genetic technology, back in the 1920s. The effort to produce a red canary invoked all of the deep issues that troubled genetic engineering decades later: the nature of genes and how they work, the specter of eugenics, and the relative roles of nature and nurture in determining what an organism is. Behavioral ecologist Tim Birkhead describes how a sweet-voiced green bird discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1300s became a craze in Renaissance Europe, how breeders gradually turned its green plumage to yellow, and how a pair of German scientists used the first bit of gene technology in the 1920s to produce an almost-red canary. But the true red canary would not come until the 1960s, when British scientists successfully bred one, and genes alone would not be sufficient to create one. A Brand New Bird is a compelling tale of a fascinating episode in the history of genetics.

Customer Reviews:

Book Review.......2005-10-25

Sometimes more is less. That is how I felt about this book. Mr. Birkhead's entertaining story on how two German bird lovers attempt to create a red Canary would have made a perfect long (maybe two part) magazine article. But instead he chose to write this book.
Birkhead tells the story of how, back in the 1920's, Hans Duncker and Karl Reich conducted experiments with Red Siskin and Canary hybrids with the goal of transferring the Siskins red plumage genes into the Canary.
In addition to telling the details of the creation of today's Red-factor Canary, Birkhead gives the reader much insight into the history of bird keeping and breeding in general. For example, the reader learns the importance of German aviculture in creating different cage bird varieties; The history and evolution of other Canary breeds; Insight into how mutations occur and are perpetuated by animal breeders.
I am recommending this book to all bird breeders of different mutations. The book would be an appropriate addition to a Red-factor Canary breeder's library. The book should be interesting to anybody interested in how different breeds occur and are perpetuated by animal breeders.

A FASCINATING ACCOUNT OF CANARY BREEDING!.......2004-09-28

This book is fantastic!! I couldn't put it down. It's not just about developing the red factor canary as one might think from the title. It is a history from the beginnings of canary keeping, Victorian times, and before, and up to the present in Germany, England, France, all over the world. You can read a thousand books on canaries and not have a fraction of the information here with truth and clarity. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in bird history, cage bird breeding and keeping of canaries and finches. Tim Birkhead does an excellent job of telling the story and did a tremendous amount of research to present this fascinating true history.

Tim Birkhead (2003): A Brand-New Bird.......2003-12-15

"A Brand-new Bird" is the entertaining story of how two German bird lovers spent most of their spare and life time experimenting to create a red canary. Hans Duncker (1881-1961) and Karl Reich (1885-1970) had in common a keen interest in bird breeding. Duncker, however, had been the more academic of both and is considered as one of the first avian geneticists. Reich on the other hand had highly praised skills in rearing and cross-breeding captive birds. He had been one of the very few breeders holding a strain of canaries singing Nightingale songs. Both conducted many experiments to hybridize Red Siskins and canaries for getting the formers "red-plumage-genes" into a canary brood. In the end they actually never succeeded beyond an orange plumage of their canaries, and it was later up to the Englishman Jack Swift to breed a truly crimson red canary. Nevertheless, Duncker and Reich did some amazing pioneer work towards the understanding of inheritance in birds.
Besides the main story Tim Birkhead skilfully draws a historical overview on bird catching and bird song contests, explains the etymology of bird trappers' jargon, gives many details on the early domestication of canaries, illustrates pre-war Germany, but also analyses well Duncker's involvement in Nazi thoughts and Eugenics. The book is well and thrillingly written. One actually wonders how so many facts and different aspects were possible to be included without loosing the red line towards the climax at the end of the book. This is a truly entertaining and informative book not only for bird breeders, ornithologists, geneticists and academics, but also for anybody with an interest in human culture and time history. It also remains the only modern book so far to stress bird keeping and its major influence on the understanding of ornithology and general biology, respectively.

Frank Steinheimer, Ornithology - Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.

This page is messed up.......2003-10-09

I clicked onto Tim Birkhead's book A Brand New Bird, but half the information on this page is about a book by Alfie Kohn published in 1990. Amazon folks, would you please get this right?

Crimson chimera.(History)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist

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Crimson chimera.(History)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist
Abigail J. Lustig
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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