Death, Daring, & Disaster - Search and Rescue in the National Parks (Revised Edition)

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Get an inside story on what recently went wrong in Oregon

Reality check for the Great Outdoors

Left me wanting to know more

Compelling Gathering of Varied Narratives

Take it with Salt

Death, Daring, & Disaster - Search and Rescue in the National Parks (Revised Edition)
Charles R. "Butch" Farabee Jr.
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Disaster Relief | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Parks & Campgrounds | Food & Lodging | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Pet Loss | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon

Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park

Hey Ranger!: True Tales of Humor & Misadventure from America's National Parks

Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite

Park Ranger True Stories from a Ranger's Career in America's National Parks

ASIN: 1589791827

Book Description

An encyclopedic account of search and rescue in the national parks from 1870 to the present. New edition contains SAR from 1998-2004.

Customer Reviews:

Get an inside story on what recently went wrong in Oregon.......2007-01-10

A somewhat dry accounting, using newspaper clippings whenever available, of mishaps that casual (and quite often very experienced)hikers encounter in what commonly is believed to be safe National Parks. A very quick education in being prepared for the underestimated dangers of dehydration, hypothermia, and heat stress. It is not quite as good as "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon"or "Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park", both of which manage to get the message of being careful across in a much more narrative style. If you enjoy "Weather stories" on TV, these will all make for fascinating reading.
PS In the Oregon reference I am talking about the death of CNET editor James Kim, who left the relative safety of his car trying to get help for his family, and the three climbers on Mt Hood that perished shortly after. You will learn of countless expeditions that people insisted on undertaking because they were already there, even though the weather has changed drastically.

Reality check for the Great Outdoors.......2005-08-11

This book is a fine overview of the history of search and rescue in the parks from one of the professionals in the field. In addition to lots of historical information, it provides plenty of food for thought for anybody planning an outdoor trip. There are lots of lessons to be learned from the mistakes of others.

Left me wanting to know more.......2004-02-19

If you are interested in the subject matter, it would be hard not to enjoy this book. I was amazed at the number of bodies that had to be left in the parks because they couldn't be retreived for one reason or another. I was also surprised to learn how many planes had crashed onto the lands or into the mountains of national parks. There are also the things you would expect, such as falls from mountain climbing and people who get lost while hiking. It was sad to read about the rangers who risked their lives and became heroes to save others, only to read about some of them succumbing to the dangers of the park themselves later on in the book. Many of the stories made me wish there was additional information, because I wanted to know more about what happened to these people. Overall a very engrossing book.

Compelling Gathering of Varied Narratives.......2001-12-26

As the NPS's Chief National Emergency Services Coordinator the author spent many years in the search and rescue business. In the course of his career he had access to the original records and was able to select most dramatic and cautionary stories. Each covers at most a few pages but the reader will want to keep reading. Very hard to put down and a substantial amount of research and good writing.
Most emphasis is on the post 1940 period since WW II when the development of modern aerial search and rescue techniques, as pioneered in the armed services, influenced the postwar organization and methods. The Air Force became responsible for inland activities and the Coast Guard for the sea margins. Ground based searches remained the primary responsiblity of the big land management agencies such as the Park Service, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.

Take it with Salt.......2000-11-15

An excellent collection of decades of searches and rescues in National Parks all over the USA. Each search and rescue story runs from a paragraph to a page or two. Helpful photos are included for many of the stories, plus the book has great chronologies for each decade and a very good index. The author highlights National Parks' efforts - often ignoring, misconstruing, or discounting the efforts of other agencies involved in many of the search and rescues - a bias which occasionally mars this book.

Book Description

Fodor's new Pocket series gives you trusted coverage of major cities and resort areas around the globe - all in a trim, petit package. These are the ultimate all-in-one guides to fun-filled days and nights, packed with places to eat, sleep, play, and relax.

Fodor's Pocket Martha's Vineyard gives you: All the basics you need to help you decide what to see and do in the time you have; smart contacts and detailed practical information, including the scoop on public transportation, local holidays, what to pack and more; the very best dining and lodging in every price range; great recommendations for shopping nightlife, outdoor, activities, and essential side trips; and detailed maps with sights, restaurants, night spots, and hotels clearly marked.

"An excellent choice for people who want everything under one cover." - Washington Post

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Archaeology: Old World B.C (Science Service. Science program)

Manufacturer: Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0007023596

Product Description

Felix Barker, author & journalist, was the archaeological correspondent of the London Evening News. In travels all over Europe and the Middle East, Mr. Barker carried out research in the field at, among many other places, Mycenae, Pompeii, the Egyptian Pyramids, Leptis Magna in North Africa and the Lascaux caves in France. In 1961, he made a special visit to Greece for the Science Program. Mr. Barker wrote a series of studies on lost civilizations and how they have been rediscovered by archeologists. His most concentrated work was naturally centered around excavations in England and particularly Roman London. When the 1600 year old Temple of Mithras was discovered in the City of London in 1954, Mr. Barker was actually on site when a remarkable find - the head of the God Serapis - was made. Mr. Barker was a former Exchange Scholar at the Choate School in Connecticut.

Lost Cities of the Ancient World 5-Book Boxed Set! Folio

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Lost Cities of the Ancient World 5-Book Boxed Set! Folio

Manufacturer: Folio Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FAPPDM

Product Description

Beautiful substantial Boxed Set includes: Petra, Pompeii, Babylon, Knossos, & Troy! All housed in durable protective slipcover.

Troy and Knossos (Digging Up the Past (New York, N.Y.).)

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Troy and Knossos (Digging Up the Past (New York, N.Y.).)
Peter Hicks
Manufacturer: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Maple V By Example, Second Edition bridges the gap between the very elementary handbooks addressing Maple V and the reference books written for advanced Maple V users. Whereas the First Edition focuses on Release 2 of Maple V, the vehicle for the Second Edition is Maple V, Version 5. The new edition remains an appropriate reference for all users of Maple V but is of particular value to students, instructors, engineers, business persons, and other professionals first learning to use Maple V.

* Updated to be completely compatible with Maple V version 5
* Designed for Maple V beginners, as well as experienced users
*New applications from a variety of fields, with emphasis on biology, physics, and engineering, are included throughout the text
* Additional examples, especially in chapters one through seven, should make this edition even more useful to instructors, students, business people, engineers, and other professionals using Maple V
* Step-by-step instructions for all Maple V implementations

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Maple Reference.......2000-12-18

The book 'Maple V By Example' is an excellent book on Maple. It is very well written and provides a clear and easy to follow description of Maple V. The examples used in the book are well chosen.

One possible improvement would be to provide a summary of commands and function at the end of each section. Otherwise a very good job!

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Maple V by Example
Braselton , Abell
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHDXQ2

Book Description

TOO LATE THE PHALAROPE is set in South Africa, as well as its predecessor, CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY. And like that earlier novel, TOO LATE THE PHALAROPE uses the lives of ordinary people to illustrate the inhuman quality of South African apartheid.

Racial segregation is odious in concept, impossible in application. To prove it, Paton tells us the story of Pieter, a white policeman, who has an affair with a native girl. He is betrayed and reported, and thus brings shame on himself and his family.

Customer Reviews:

Good book.......2006-08-21

This book was very interesting and very easy too read. My only advice is DO NOT CHOOSE THIS BOOK FOR A RESEARCH PAPER!!! I found it close to impossible to find critical analysis on this book. I enjoyed the story though.

Too Late the Phalarope.......2005-10-27

A wonderful, wonderful, beautifully written book. It portrays with compassion, grace and understanding, the state of aparteid in South Africa.

High School Summer Reading.......2005-08-29

In 10th grade I had to read two books for Global studies and one book for english. For one of my Global books I picked "Too Late The Phalarope". It was a good book, so good in fact that I read it in one day during a car trip. I found the book to be a bit confusing because of the writing style but the plot of the story is what kept me reading. I enjoyed the book so much I will not mind having to go through it a second time so I can take notes on it! This is one book I will look forward to reading again, even if it is just to take notes!

Something different to read.......2000-12-02

In my junior year of high school, I was required to do a research paper on two books. I was looking for something different to read and write about and I came across Alan Paton's novels, "Cry the Beloved Country" and "Too Late the Phalarope". Reading these books, I am aware of the harsh realities of apartheid but was mesmerized by the literary input that Alan Paton wrote of his countrymen and South Africa. Peter was a travesty to himself and to his family. He had an affair with a native and caused a rift between his father and himself. He is forced to confront the reality of how people in society are treated. Frankly, I got a B for the research paper.

emotionally wrenching and beautifully written.......2000-09-23

This is the first time I have been so moved by a book that I have written a review of it. When I think of "the lieutenant" and his goodness, his sin, his longing - deep longing - for fulfilled love with his spouse or his father or his G-d, my heart aches. Because of his physical beauty and bearing, others have set him apart. Where is he at home? Not in either of his own homes, not in his own body or mind. Locked in the unforgiving and puritanical society of the Afrikaaners, the lieutenant is doomed to destroy himself and all around him. The characters are multi-layered, fully believable. His Aunt, as narrator, serves as the conscience of the times. She reveals herself as she details the downfall of the family and as she does, she and the captain question man's right to condemn self-righteously - when G-d condemns and then forgives.

Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and Too Late the Phalarope Tales from a Troubled Land (Monarch Notes)

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Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and Too Late the Phalarope Tales from a Troubled Land (Monarch Notes)
Alan Paton
Manufacturer: Monarch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Too Late The Phalarope

ASIN: 0671007203

Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and Too Late the Phalarope, Tales from a Troubled Land : Monarch Notes and Study Guides

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Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and Too Late the Phalarope, Tales from a Troubled Land : Monarch Notes and Study Guides
Connor P. (St. Peter's College) Hartnett
Manufacturer: Monarch Press.,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QML5ME

Call Me Lucky, Too Late the Phalarope, Time and Time Again, Heather Mary

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Call Me Lucky, Too Late the Phalarope, Time and Time Again, Heather Mary
Bing, Alan Paton, James Hilton, J.m. Scott Crosby
Manufacturer: The Reader's Digest Association Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4H3XE

Paton's Cry, the beloved country, and Too late the phalarope [and] Tales from a troubled land;: A critical commentary, (Monarch notes and study guides)

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Paton's Cry, the beloved country, and Too late the phalarope [and] Tales from a troubled land;: A critical commentary, (Monarch notes and study guides)
Connor P Hartnett
Manufacturer: distributed by Monarch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Too Late for Phalarope
Alan Paton
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Too Late Phalarope
Alan Paton
Manufacturer: Scribner's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Too Late Phalarope

Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0451019334

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TOO LATE THE PHALAROPE
ALAN PATON
Manufacturer: READERS UNION, JONATHAN CAPE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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TOO LATE THE PHALAROPE
Alan Paton
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Amazon.com

The voice of a vanished England speaks from the pages of Winston Churchill's evocative memoir of his first 30 years (1874-1904). The young Churchill inhabits a world in which men fight like hell in meaningless colonial wars--India, Egypt, South Africa--soldiering across the imperial map then extending the hand of friendship to their erstwhile enemy as if they were schoolmates at Harrow. Yet Churchill, born into a privileged family, was not an uncritical supporter of the Victorian status quo. He himself loathed Harrow; an especially amusing chapter skewers the school's emphasis on an irrelevant classical education and rote learning. A firm Tory, he considered himself a friend of the working class, and in 1899 campaigned for parliament with a Socialist colleague. Looking back from his vantage point of 1930, Churchill expresses the most attractive values of the English aristocracy--honor, loyalty, fair play--without giving the impression he wants to live in the past. The book's appeal also stems from its magisterial but colloquial prose. Anyone familiar with recordings of Churchill's rousing speeches during Word War II will hear in their minds' ears that growling timbre and unmistakably patrician accent as they read. Though he would have preferred the peace prize, My Early Life offers good evidence that Churchill's 1953 Nobel for literature was aptly awarded. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Here, in his own words, are the fascinating first thirty years in the life of one of the most provocative and compelling leaders of the twentieth century

Winston Churchill

As a visionary, statesman, and historian, and the most eloquent spokesman against Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill was one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. In this autobiography, Churchill recalls his childhood, his schooling, his years as a war correspondent in South Africa during the Boer War, and his first forays into politics as a member of Parliament. My Early Life not only gives readers insights into the shaping of a great leader but, as Churchill himself wrote, "a picture of a vanished age."

If you want to fully understand Winston Churchill, My Early Life is essential reading.

Customer Reviews:

Good gift idea.......2007-01-27

I got this for my grandfather for Christmas. He was POW during WWII, and was wanting to read about Churchill's POW experiences. A big hit!! My grandfather couldn't put the book down.

Delightful churchill.......2006-12-13

His writing is great; his stories are told in a refreshing, whimsical tone; and one gets the sense that he loves his life. Even though I was very familiar with the event of his life before reading this, I found it thoroughly engaging and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this extraordinary man.

Churchill at his most human.......2005-09-14

This 372 page long book would be good, but no more, if it wasn't for the first 40-or-so pages, which are a gem. The book covers the first 30 years of Churchill's life and the first forty pages cover his childhood. Although Churchill had a miserable childhood - his father was distant, his mother more interested in lovers than in her son, and he was bullied at boarding school - Churchill narrates his story with unsurpassed wit and without any hard feelings for the ones that failed him. Some passages, like the description of how he was grappling with the beast called maths, are just hilarious. The first forty pages alone make this book a must read. In the rest of the book, the most interesting part is the story of Churchill's capture by the Boers and escape. You don't need to be interested in Churchill, the statesman, to like this book. Here he is at his most human and disarming.

A Window to the Past.......2005-09-03

Definitely a good read! Churchill recounts his early years with subtle wit and elegant style. Even the battle scenes kept me interested, which was an unexpected surprise. A good view into the life of a middle-class British soldier before the World Wars.

The "Adventure Tale" portion of Churchill's life........2005-06-16

Before the cigar-chomping, top-hat-wearing portly gentleman hit the scene, there was a young man who nearly flunked out of school, chased war around the world, played polo, participated in the world's last meaningful cavalry charge, was a war correspondent, and escaped imprisonment as a POW in the Boar War. Churchill got around plenty before settling down in Parliament and this is Churchill's own account of that part of his life.

Churchill's writing is quite engaging, and the book takes his exciting life and brings you into it. As good as autobiography gets.

Customer Reviews:

Highway of Invasion........2004-02-24

In most histories of the War with Mexico, the part played by the Santa Fe Trail is given only a passing glance. So is the part played by the State of Missouri. In this well detailed book, William Y. Chalfant sets the record straight.

Stretching 800 miles through Indian country from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail played many parts during the western campaign of the War with Mexico: invasion thoroughfare, resupply route and strategic asset. The conquest of Mexico was a difficult military operation, made more difficult yet by the lack of communication, the vast distances involved, the logistical requirements of not one but two invasion campaigns and the necessary protection required to secure the Army's economic pipeline.

Mr. Chalfant does a very credible job of detailing the evolving role of the Santa Fe Trail and the US Army's response to defending this important lifeline during the Mexican War.

Dangerous Passage: The Santa Fe Trail and the Mexican War.......2000-12-04

Mr. Chalfont has provided a truly an outstanding and original contribution to knowledge on the Mexican War of 1846-1848. Often under reported by many authors who concentrate on the more famous actions south of the Rio Grande, the campaign to secure the Santa Fe Trail was crucially important to President Polk's wider efforts at expanding the boundaries of the United States. Presaging by decades the later Indian Wars, the Santa Fe Trail between 1846 and 1848 saw some of the first concerted efforts by the US Government to utilize its military forces in the preservation of an economic pipeline. The author has also avoided the tendency of many "specialists" to present his research as a litany of dull facts. He has opted instead to relate history as a sequence of connected narratives that succeeds in conveying the flavor of the times as well as the historical substance. Replete with excellent photos and maps, I highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in this important conflict.

Book Description

"By far the most helpful, entertaining, up-to-date and accessible treatment of the energy-economy-environment problematique available." --John P. Holdren, Scientific American

A fiercely independent and irresistibly entertaining look at the economic, political and technological forces that are reshaping the world's management of energy resources, Power to the People has been hailed as "as good a manifesto for the new energy world as you will find." (Fred Pearce, New Scientist). The Economist's Environment and Energy correspondent, Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran sees great opportunity in the energy realm today, and he documents an energy revolution already under way.

From the corporate boardroom of a Texas oil titan who denies the reality of global warming, to a think tank nestled in the Rocky Mountains where a visionary named Amory Lovins is developing hydrogen fuel-cell technology that could make the internal combustion engine obsolete, Vaitheeswaran gamely pursues the people who hold the keys to our future. Avoiding the traditional divide that pits free markets against the wisdom of conservation and the need for clean energy, Power to the People debunks myths without debunking hope.

Customer Reviews:

Wrong about Electric cars, half right about fuel cells, interesting about micropower plants. Free Energy will be the next boom........2007-06-17

The next big boom will be free energy. Vijay, people want free energy and not cheap energy. Tesla proposed free wireless energy for the world which never happen. Micropower offers cheap distributed energy, not free energy. The motionless Electromagnetic Generator is a technology makes possible distributed free energy in massive quantities. Alternatives like ethanol, solar, wind, and fuel cell are expensive and produce insignificant amounts of energy. Why offer a marginal increase in available energy? People want free energy. The usage of this energy would be limited to their creativity, boundaries of logic, and available capital. Image a world where the consumer uses a 1,000 fold more energy and higher quality energy producing higher quality standards of life. People want more control of the energy generation and consumption behaviors. Technology stagnation can no longer be an adequate reason for high energy prices. Nuclear power will provide more energy. Utility companies had wait for regulatory permission to build the plant, factor in costs to finance monies, billions of dollars borrowed that raised the rates. Between 1969 and 1984 the rates rose 60 percent.

"Small is profitable", by Amory Lovins, is quoted, "Thus the grid linking central stations to remote customers had become the main driver of thoses customer's power costs and power-quality problems-which became more acute as digital equipment required extremely reliable electricity. The cheapest, most reliable power, therefore, was that which was produced at or near the customers..." Fuels cells have niched in reliable electricity near the customer, small power plants located near the customer. Fuel cell technology has been used to provide megawatt power for companies, provide backup power for computers, and small electronic devices. Fuel cell technology for automobiles, buses, and trucks remain cost prohibitive until the cost per kilowatt drops below 30 cents a kilowatt, it will be infeasible. Fuel cell technology for transportation does not make sense. "Progress has come only in fits and starts, but the trend is clear: the era of monopolization, centralization, and overregulation has started to give way to market forces in electricity." Micropower has been given a chance to blossom, prices are determined by markets not monopolies, and energy is serve the needs of ordinary people. "Forward -looking firms are already developing microgrids that can electronically link together dozens of micropower units, be they fuel cells or wind turbines." For example, Hydrogren uses 400 kilowatt, air-cooled phosphoric acide fuel cells to generate multi-megawatt systems, 6 - 30 megawatts.

However, centralized power production failed in providing free energy. Decentralized power produce is the solution either in the form of local community energy production using power micro generators or off the grid power generation, such as, home generators or home power plants.

Providing internet to poor nations does not remove poverty. Free energy removes poverty but providing increased mechanical work and logic to grow food, manufacture products, and entertain. Over a half a billion people have no access to electricity. Micropower is an attractive option, in such places. "One significant advantage of micropower is that is call allow generator owners to become producers as well as consumers- selling surplus electricity back to the grid when they do not need it."

Electric vehicles make the car an appliance. "Who killed the electric car" is a compelling story about how GM distorted customer demand statistics to scrap the EV1. Consumers wanted the EV1. The EV1 used Ovonic advanced battery technology to provide cruising speeds for adequate distances. EV hybrids could combine hydrogen reforming, battery, and an combustible engine. Even more significant are cars that run on water or air. EV1 cost 60 cents a mile to operate.

Vijay's book suggests that modern cars emit less population; gas will be the preferred choice of fuel for the next fifty years; energy is the biggest market in the world; fuel cells are doomed; electric vehicles failed to create customer demand; environmental green house crisis emphasis will emerge in politics and in the media; and micropower will not mean the end of giant power plants, instead, it will mean cheap power to areas without power. Vijay sees super Enron, "As energy markets liberalize, on-line energy-trading markets develop, and individual consumers win the right to select their energy suppliers, some people even see the emergence of virtual utilities. Microgrids would allow such firms to combine the individual efficiency of the micropower plants with the market power that is gained by bundling together their collective generating capacity."

Excellent writing from one point of view.......2006-09-25

Power to the People does present a particular point of view. Many people do not like to read books on very political topics like this unless it matches their view. I guess I'm that way as much as anyone, maybe more than most.

But while I do not agree with all that Vijay Vaitheeswaran says, I did enjoy this book. It's thoughtful, but entertaining. Cleverly written, but perceptive. Some of the comments that stick in my mind may not be the most important points in the book. (Vaitheeswaran's account of when he met Cindy Crawford and she said "the three words men most want to hear" was pretty funny.) But the thoughts in the book as a whole all hang together. They persuade, if not necessarily convince.

Contrast this with Internal Combustion, by Edwin Black, a book that I also read recently. His book draws on a wealth of research. And I agree with many of the principles he builds up from the facts. But Black's book ultimately does not hang together. Black draws basic conclusions from the facts that the facts do not support. The book's faults pull it down.

All in all, while I agree with much of what others see as faults in Power to the People, my opinion of the book as a whole could not be higher. It's a gem.

Has no solutions.......2005-04-05

I expected something completely different when I read this book. I was expecting that this book would tell about different ways that the future would get energy to the people.

This book is nothing like that the first two thirds of this book is a diatribe on how everybody is using energy the wrong way. It tells that innovation and micro power is the wave of the future and condemns all government subsidies for energy. He does not explain why we will be going to micro power but says that's the way it is going to be.

I have to say I started reading this book and put it down for a while for the racist remarks throughout the book. It is told from an Indian viewpoint where he makes snide remarks about the British saying that the British East Indian Company was the ultimate in evil. He makes condescending remarks about the Americans not being smart enough to have back-up generator in Silicon Valley whereas in Bangalore India they have them.

He is obviously against nuclear power by making outrageous remarks about nuclear wastes not being safe for 100,000 years. I read nuclear renewal and the waste from the newer breeder reactors is a couple of 100 years and they will reduce that as time goes on.

He is all for the fuel cell and the book is very well written. He doesn't say how we are going to get the hydrogen that we will need and talks endlessly about the Kyoto Protocol like it was the only peace of legislation that mattered on global warming.

I thought there would be new ideas and processes for the future like biomass or solar chimneys. There is nothing new or insightful this book seems more like a list of grievances.

Something to look forward to.......2005-02-26

I almost didn't read this because of the title. In this day and age with many seemingly on the edge of reason I thought it was somewhat of an incendiary title.

I'm glad I did check it out - I loved it. This man is a seriously talented writer. The material is dense. Very dense. Lots of dates, places, people, times and tragic, infuriating, maddening events. It is rendered readable with Mr. Vaitheeswarans method of inserting ironic humor into the text just when your eyes start crossing.

I enjoyed the way he presented all of the sides that he perceives and the pros and cons for each one. Talking about the environment is a very emotional issue for some and I thought that he covered all of the bases well without making it sound like one particular answer is written in stone.

We have, at our fingertips such wonderful scientific advances. The trick will be to put them to use to solve the problems, not create more down the line from here. I think he pointed that out very well.

Wets Your Appetite, But Leaves You Wanting More.......2004-10-27

This book is as excellent an introduction to the topic of the future of energy as any book on the market. This statement, however, is more a reflection of the lack of alternatives to Power to the People as it is of the book's own strengths. To be certain, it is a well-written and smartly researched book. One would expect nothing less from a writer from The Economist. It's strongest point is to so thoroughly make the case for why the energy sector must change in the next decades. The pollution and inefficiency that the modern subsidization of the carbon-based energy economy creates harms global welfare. However, its greatest weakness is to skimp on the details as to how the energy sector should transform itself. This book does not go into how solar energy works, or what government policies concerning wind energy should be. In fact in doesn't even survey the prospects for renewable energy, by say, arguing that solar cells are the future. Rather it puts forth a well reasoned case that the days of carbon-based fuels must end, and that governments must stop the carbon subsidy and research alternatives. End of story. In fact its most interesting chapters don't concern energy at all but have to do with reconciling the philosophies of capitalism with those of environmentalism, as task that the author does quite well. A good starting point for those interested in the future of energy, but if you're looking for more specific forecast of how global energy production will or should be composed in the future, look elsewhere.

Power to the People: How the Coming Energy Revolution Will Transform an Industry, Change our lives, and Maybe Even Save the Planet

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Power to the People: How the Coming Energy Revolution Will Transform an Industry, Change our lives, and Maybe Even Save the Planet
Vijay Vaitheeswaran
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X6ZJI4

Customer Reviews:

Komodo, The Living Dragon.......2000-06-30

Dr. Edward J. Maruska states (in the forward of this book) "The Komodo Dragon is one of the most Charismatic of living reptiles." Unfortunately little information is available to the adult layman, like myself, about this interesting being. "Komoto, The Living Dragon" helps nibble away at this absence and offers a well written expose on this large predator. The book is written in very understandable pose and relates many facts for those of us that like a little more than a picture and caption. The Komoto dragon, like many of Earth's creatures, is threatened by man's expansion across the globe. The book chronicles how the Indonesian Government and captive breading programs around the world will help protect this treasure for all of us. "Komoto, The Living Dragon", will help a lot of interested people better understand one of Earth's most amazing creatures.

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