On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of a Naturalist

Amazon.com

Passionate outdoorsman Stephen Bodio manages to pull off an important feat in these collected nature writings: he makes the natural world fresh and new. With a seemingly small detail or minor twist, Bodio takes us to the edge of wildness and beyond. Consider his musings on the fierce but seldom seen--and always inscrutable--goshawk, culled from a piece titled "Why I Love Goshawks": "...you may come around a corner of brush in the late afternoon to see a big young female gos sitting in the top of a willow, at eye level, no more than thirty feet away. Her streaked buffy breast glows in the bloody light; her eyes, still the pale yellow of youth, are on yours. She's waiting for you to flush a bird for her; using you, quite consciously, as her dog. We are not used to such arrogance." Bodio writes about other raptors, hunting, some of his favorite books--even a recipe for "reconciliation chili," a dish tailored to local tastes and designed to bring together the frequently warring factions in the American West, or wherever else people are too busy arguing about the land to sit down together over a hearty meal. These essays are not necessarily meant to be read in order; pick up the book, open it anywhere, and find yourself transported to the few remaining nooks and crannies where humanity is still a visitor.

Book Description

Thought-provoking essays on country, wildness, sports, falconry, literature, and food.

Customer Reviews:

A Unique and Stirring bit of Literature..........2006-01-22

Steve Bodio is one of my favorite nature writers, so I'll say I'm prejudiced. Yet the reason I am so impressed by his writing is that, besides his great love and knowledge of his subject, and the beautiful balance between his scientific, non-anthropomorphic attitude and touchingly personal bits,- Steve is a lyrical, artistic writer. What an exceptional combination! He is not afraid to deliver his Self, across the board, as far as I can tell. He's not writing for anyone but himself, really. And maybe the animals,or rather Nature. This book, like his others, does not fail to deliver the full banquet of naturalist type info, history, geography, and whatever else touches him most deeply, be it in the heart or mind or soul. You will come away with some of Steve's inspiration on reading this book; that's what I consider to be the true objective for producing art,to spread the inspiration. The world rarely sees such effective rendering in the genre Steve writes in.

Perceptive essays of the changing West and all its creatures.......1999-04-16

Stephen Bodio presents a compelling,thoughtful series of essays mostly about New Mexico and the western backcountry. This is the southwest one does not learn about from the tourist guides, nor the resort towns. I have walked thousands of miles of "Bodio Country" and his insights of the land and its people are quite poignant.

Book Description

Fodor's China "Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." -- The Chicago Tribune

"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions." -- Newsday

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over. Completely up-to-date, Fodor's Gold Guides are essential for any kind of traveler.

Insider info that's reliable and smart
Local experts show you all the things to see and do -- from top sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures,from sports to shopping, from nightlife to recommended walks.

Hotels and restaurants in all price categories
From B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to elegant restaurants, we list hundreds of detailed reviews that show what is distinctive about each place.

Practical info that's completely up-to-date
Useful maps and background information; key contacts; how to get there and get around; when to go; what to pack; local do's and taboos; costs, hours, and tips by the thousands.

Customer Reviews:

Adequate for a person with a tour group or businessperson........2001-06-05

Though an adequate guide for the general tourist, Fodor's excels as a business person's guide. The 'Doing Business in China' section in this guide, though brief, is excellent. Also the Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong sections are very good. Also helpful, Fodor has various proposed itineraries for several cities and regions found throughout the book.

I am a firm believer that any guide book worth its salt has to guide you with both words and quality maps. This guide has excellent dining and lodging maps for Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong but sadly stops there. Fodor's other regional maps are very helpful and the city maps clearly show you sites to visit.

Twenty writers have collectively compiled what amounts to a travel compendium on China. Thus the information can vary in helpfulness and accuracy. The chapter on Southwestern China, which includes a scant section on the Three Gorge Dam, states, "that when completed the dam is intended to supply one third of the nation's electrical power". One third!? If this were true (not) that would be more than would be equivalent to 35 nuclear reactors or nearly 70,000 megawatts of electricity. Closer reliable estimates place the projected output to 10% of China’s electrical power.

Insensitive and politically incorrect, Fodor includes the Republic of Mongolia in its guide for China! That would be like a guide on Florida including Cuba; offensive to any nation’s pride. Also irritating are the unwanted insertions of hard page advertisement for banks, calling cards and travel services. The purchase price of $... is more than enough for Fodor's to make a profit but it chooses to afflict its readers with protruding advertising to increase its profits. NOT!

Even though this guide has a 2000 publishing date there is no Internet information. No list of cyber cafes and no website or email address for accommodations, even though most major hotels are Internet connected. And finally, there is no Chinese characters in the book, thus when you need to use a taxi there is nothing to point to as 99.9% of the taxi drivers speak zero English.

Basically, this guide would be adequate for a person with a large tour group or a business person visiting Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong, but there are better guides out for the general traveler (see my reviews of Lonely Planet China or Rough Guide China). Conditionally Recommended

A complete failure as a travel reference book........2000-12-20

I am an American student currently studying in China. I've been here for more than 6 months already and have done a fair amount of traveling, and have found this book to be of almost no help. The most important reason is that there are no Chinese characters anywhere in the book (which are necessary if you can't speak the language, because then you can at least point them out to chinese people who can then help you), and the pinyin romanization of the place names, which would ordinarily provide at least a way to communicate your destination to cab drivers, bus drivers, or whoever else, don't include any tone marks, making them useless to anyone not already intimately familiar with the location described. This effectively makes the book useless to anyone who is not fluent in both English and Chinese (who would be able to read the English description and then describe the destination in Chinese to a Chinese person). Also, the prices listed for food and lodging are unreasonably high. The lowest priced Beijing hotel listed is $75 US. This is absolutely ridiculous, as it is very easy to find hotels at less than half that price that are 3 stars or above, with western bathrooms, a/c, etc. Anyone using this guide to find places to eat and sleep will spend far more money than necessary. These are the most important reasons (out of many) why I cannot recommend this book to anyone. The only positive aspect of this book that I can think of is that it makes for interesting reading for anyone planning to go to China in the future. As a travel reference book, however, it is a complete failure. The book that I now use and that almost all of my classmates also use is the Lonely Planet. It succeeds in almost every place that Fodors fails. Although it isn't perfect, and in China, where things change fast, keeping updated is difficult, the Lonely Planet is still the best reference to have while traveling.

, not for the self guided tour.......2000-10-13

I am currently in China, after reading a review on Amazon decided to buy Fodor's instead of lonely planet, am sorry I did. The information in the book is of value if you are with a tour, or planning the overall itenerary but it is not to helpful when it comes to details. Most of the hotels and such are for the more upscale traveler, with out much for the budget or midrange traveler, I ended up borrowing Let's go China from a traveler who was leaving and I ask others I meet who have the lonely planet if I can read a bit. Also another problem is there are no chinese characters in the text, so you can't show the taxi driver where you want to go, and most haven't mastered reading the romanized chinese with the proper accent or inflection. If you are with a tour, maybe fodors is OK, but otherwise go with LP, it has picture too, Fodor's dosen't.

A Good Guide with One Major Flaw.......2000-10-07

I recently spent some time in China and happened to have a Fodor's China guide with me. It was extremely informative and quite helpful at times. However, it has one major flaw - the place names of the sites, restaurants, and hotels are written only in English. In order for the average taxi driver to understand where you would like to go, you need to have the name of the place written in Mandarin characters (just in case your heavily accented attempt to speak the language is incomprehensible to the driver). The largest obstacle in a foreign country is always the language barrier. If the guide had the place names written in Mandarin, it would be golden. As is though, it is still worth the money and time to buy and read.

Fodor's Vs. Lonely Planet.......2000-06-16

I recently traveled in China with Fodor's China. My travel companion had the Lonely Planet. China is not an easy country to get around in, but we found that Fodor's guide was more useful, easier to consult, well organized, and up-to-date. The Lonely Planet was not as well organized and not as updated. If you are planning a trip to China, I highly recommend this entertaining and useful guide.

Book Description

Cambridge Primary Geography has been specially written for the revised curriculum in geography at key stage 2. Each topic area covers the content of one locality or thematic study as outlined in the National Curriculum while developing a wide range of geographical skills and understanding. Cambridge Primary Geography is an enquiry-based course which provides enjoyable activities suitable for children of a wide range of abilities. Village life in India fulfils the requirement to study a contrasting locality and has been produced in conjuction with Actionaid. The Teacher’s Book provides the teacher with background information, a description of the work involved in each unit in the Pupil’s Book, a large number of photocopiable worksheets which support and extend the enquiry, suggestions for further and cross-curricular work, as well as advice on assessment and reporting.

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Village Life in India Teacher's Book

Manufacturer: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GLJUYA

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Social Science & Medicine, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Attention to dignity is thriving in health. However, much of this recent discourse ignores the broader scholarship pertaining to dignity. The purpose of this review is to synthesize a wide range of multidisciplinary writing in order to put recent discussions of dignity and health into a broader context. The review explicates two main meanings of dignity-human dignity and social dignity, and looks at how these two ideas are used in the arenas of human rights, law, social justice, bioethics, and clinical care, and suggests some implications of these meanings and uses for health research and advocacy.

Book Description

Shows how chemistry affects our lives.
* To emphasize the experimental basis of chemistry, chapters begin with demonstrations that readers can perform for themselves.
* Think, Speculate, Reflect, and Ponder sections include questions that ask readers to think critically about the connections between chemistry, society, and individual values.

Book Description

A monotone iterative technique is used to obtain monotone approximate solutions that converge to the solution of nonlinear problems of partial differential equations of elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic type. This volume describes that technique, which has played a valuable role in unifying a variety of nonlinear problems, particularly when combined with the quasilinearization method. The first part of this monograph describes the general methodology using the classic approach, while the second part develops the same basic ideas via the variational technique. The text provides a useful and timely reference for applied scientists, engineers and numerical analysts.

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The Amazing Quest Of Doctor Syn
Russell Thorndike
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Further Adventures Of Doctor Syn

Doctor Syn On The High Seas

The Shadow of Doctor Syn

Doctor Syn Returns

Doctor Syn A Smuggler Tale

ASIN: 1419152009

Book Description

Well, there's some good in most wicked men,' returned the Welshman, 'though I never found any in the leader of our smugglers. Tarroc Dolgenny has nothing to recommend him but a devilishly handsome face and a quick and daring brain. He is not even a faithful leader when his own interests are like to be thwarted, and he would as soon murder a follower as any enemy. The strange part is that, knowing his character, his men remain faithful to him.'

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THE AMAZING QUEST OF DOCTOR (Dr) SYN
Russell (Thorndyke) Thorndike
Manufacturer: Arrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0099064502

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The Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn
Russell Thorndike
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J2VNV4

Doctor Syn Collection of 7 Books: Dr. Syn; The Courageous Exploits of Dr. Syn; The Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn; Further Adventures of...;..Returns;...on the High Seas; The Shadow of Dr. Syn

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Doctor Syn Collection of 7 Books: Dr. Syn; The Courageous Exploits of Dr. Syn; The Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn; Further Adventures of...;..Returns;...on the High Seas; The Shadow of Dr. Syn
Russell Thorndike
Manufacturer: Arrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TZG8CK

Book Description

For the past thirty years, the United States government has secretly trained a select corps of military personnel in the art of "remote viewing" -- the psychic ability to perceive the thoughts and experiences of others through the power of the human mind....

Now, for the first time, Lyn Buchanan -- a world-renowned expert on remote viewing and its potential -- tells the complete, candid story of his experiences. Assigned for nearly a decade to a clandestine U.S. Army intelligence group, Buchanan trained military personnel who utilized their inherent psychic abilities as a data-collection tool during the Iran hostage crisis, the Chernobyl disaster, and the Gulf War.

In this incredible account, Buchanan tells how he was selected for his unique psychic abilities, and how he was transformed from an ordinary soldier into one of our nation's leading psychic spies. Working on top-secret government and military projects using "mental espionage" created permanent, life-altering changes within Buchanan. Now, after many years of analysis and interpretation, he reveals the techniques and mental exercises used to train remote viewers, and demonstrates that each of us carries a dormant psychic ability that we can explore and use ourselves.

For anyone interested in a hard, scientific look at the reality of psychic covert operations in the world today, or anyone who has ever wondered if he or she could have the inherent skills to become a remote viewer, this fascinating chronicle of life as a psychic spy will reveal the answers.

Customer Reviews:

Definitely worth buying, reading and thinking about.......2007-07-31

First part is a good read. One can get lots of useful concepts out of. The second part, the one gives clues and exercise on how one can jump start his/her remote viewing abilities is even much more useful. The exercises might appear difficult to do, or not really effective for the skeptics, but I can attest they work. I have had quite a bit of amazing results since I was able to "reinvent the wheel", a new (little) language made of symbols that we meet in every day's life that the Universe/God/Cosmic Consciousness can use to talk back to us.

First hand knowledge: This book is the real deal!.......2006-09-28

Trying to describe the process of remote viewing and how it truly works takes someone who is a gifted writer. Lyn Buchanan does just that in a very masterful way. Many who read this book go on to study Controlled Remote Viewing with Lyn's company, P>S>I and find that his claims in the book are not fabricated, but easily replicated in a lab setting. While Remote Viewing in and of itself can be considered very abstract, Lyn Buchanan expresses the nuances and brain processes of it in a very clear way. Although other military men participated in this project, Lyn Buchanan seems to have the best grasp of what remote viewing truly is and what can be done with it. I highly recommend the book -- it is a great read.

Remote Viewing is REAL, Lyn Buchanan on the other hand............2006-02-20

I'd like to start by saying that, while this book is informative for anyone new to the subject, it is hardly the best. It does provide an interesting backdrop to the topic of remote viewing, because it was the US military who really formalized the process that is used today. But if you want a more wholistic approach to the subject, I'm sure there are better books out there.

Secondly, I believe that Lyn Buchanan job is to dissemenate at least some level of disinformation, because:

A) he says in the book that remote influence is not possible, but Ingo Swann and others say it is. Being told that something is not possible discourages people from trying it, and will also make it more difficult to acheive because you've been 'primed' to believe that it isn't possible.

B) In this book and in his subsequent books, he maintains the mantra that the US government has terminated Remote Viewing studies. To believe that, you'd have to be a fool.

C) Military service is like smoking; Nobody every really quits.

On the upside, I actually had my very first and completely unintentional Remote Viewing experience while reading this book. I was about half way through the book and had come across some paragraphs that were descibing what it was like to be emmersed in the 'remote target'. Many of the desciptions I found to be very similar what it feels like to be in a lucid dream, another area of conciousness I am facinated with.

I thought to myself, 'I'd like to try to remote view something in this reality while in a lucid dream.'
Then I thought 'Well if I was going to do it, what target would I choose?'
My next thought was 'I guess I'd read the last word in my roomate's bedside journal, because I don't know what's in it and it changes every night'
My next thought was(and I'm not sure why I thought this) 'IF I were be in a dream right now performing the session, the word I would find would be 'it'.

After that brief pause from reading the book, I went back to reading. I didn't think anything more of the word I had chosen because I didn't think I had actually done anything; I was merely thinking outloud.

When I got home later that day, I found myself in my roomates room using his computer (because mine was not working). I glanced over at his journal and thought. "Hmmm, i wonder...."

I picked it up, opened it to the last page, and the last sentence on the last page was 'That day was the happiest day of my life, I am so glad I was there for it.'

Needless to say, my interest has been peaked.

Past Time for the Truth .......2005-08-20

Excellent book by an actual participant of a secret program I learned of in the 1960s as a young Army wife. Only problem is Buchanan sides too much with the military and doesn't tell all that was done to some psychics. For a closer version of the truth, read Psychic Warrior by Brian Moorehouse.

Couldn't Put It Down.......2005-05-14

Read it even while walking the dog. This book is an excellent overview of one pioneer's experiences. It is good for beginners who wonder what this is all about and also for experienced remote viewers who will be able to glean a bit more about techniques used in higher (non-taught) Stages. I have learned that I am not made of "the right stuff" for advanced remote viewing; it is a "martial art". But if I were to venture further into this wondrous world, I would want Lyn Buchanan for my guide.

Average customer rating:

Easy Read on a Complex Subject

Good, but a bit dissapointing

Excellent Book!

Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to A.D. 1700
Erik Hildinger
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia

The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars= Historia Mongalorum Quo s Nos Tartaros Appellamus: Friar Giovanni Di Plano Carpini's Account of His Embassy to the Court of the Mongol Khan

The Turks in World History

The Mongols (The Peoples of Asia)

The History of the Mongol Conquests

ASIN: 0306810654

Book Description

Now in paperback: The first and only military history of the nomads who wreaked havoc on Asia and Europe for more than two millennia.

The nomadic peoples of central Asia-Huns, Bulgars, Magyars, Mongols-are still known to us for their legendary fighters Attila, Genghis Khan, and Timur Lenk (Tamerlane), as well as for their feats of calculated brutality. (Timur Lenk would leave piles of severed heads in his conquered cities; another tribe sent nine sacks of ears to their khan.) Less studied is the remarkable effectiveness of their battle techniques: for two thousand years, these horse-archer armies were an unstoppable force to sedentary peoples, be they Romans, Crusaders, Chinese, or medieval. Erik Hildinger introduces the most important of these raiders as well as a host of other tribes and examines in detail their tactics, strategies, and weaponry-a form of highly mobile and defensive warfare that even armies of today can learn from.

Customer Reviews:

Easy Read on a Complex Subject.......2006-02-25

This book covers great spans of time and geography and illuminates little discussed, but important and interesting, stretches of history. I found it an easy read, despite the complexity and many characters.

The only downside is that more detailed maps, and perhaps a timeline, would have been useful.

Good, but a bit dissapointing.......2006-02-03

A very nice general history of the steppes, but I was a little disappointed with the fact that it only covered the well known peoples and empires. For instance, no mention of the Tobas or Khitan Liao and only a passing reference to the Uighur and Qara Khitan. The aging of material he references also shows its head sometimes, with reference to the knights of Christiandom use of stirrups allowing couching of the lance (their saddle was far more important), and the Mamlukes using their steppe skills in archery (they used the Persian draw). He also stated the Sarmatians were the only steppe peoples to use a ferocious charge, but several others did too including the Toba.

But it gave a very good introduction to the warriors of the steppe. I would definitely recommend it to those who know a bit about the Mongols, but seek to learn a bit more. With those who know of the Toba, this book probably would not tell you anything you did not know.

Excellent Book!.......2005-12-24

This one of a kind book was incredibly hard to put down. It covers the history, culture, and tactics, and weapons of the nomadic warriors. It explains nomadic pastoralism, how clan politics affected warfare, and the "cult of personality" so often seen in the Steppe People (Atilla and Ghengis Khan are two famous examples). It was very well researched, and extremely well written. Anyone with an interest in Central Asia, Ancient or Medieval warfare, or just history in general will enjoy the book.

Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.

Average customer rating:

Teenager Interested in History
Excellent Overview
Good reading
Steppe Peoples - Tactics and Warriors
Outstanding. Buy this book!

Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.
Erik Hildinger
Manufacturer: Sarpedon Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1885119437

Amazon.com

The Scythians, Huns, and Mongols--some of history's fiercest fighters--get their due in this creative book by Erik Hildinger. Nobody has previously attempted to capture the military history of the various nomads who mounted their horses and wreaked constant havoc on both Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. Their remarkable archery skill and sturdy horses combined again and again to create an almost unstoppable force that well-organized but sedentary armies could not overcome. Only their inability to create political institutions in the wake of conquests prevented these people of the steppes from building empires. Finally, the advent of firearms made their highly successful methods of attack obsolete. Their legacy, however, is well rendered on the pages of Warriors of the Steppe.

Customer Reviews:

Teenager Interested in History.......2003-02-09

This was an amazing book! Everyone should read it. I may be a teenager, but I am really interested in history, and this book was so informative and cool!

Excellent Overview.......2000-12-10

Hildinger's history of the Warriors of the Steppe makes one wonder why one of the various tribes did not conquer Europe. It reminds one that Europe played a minor, or at least not as important a role, as one might of learned.

The book is straight forward and describes the military tactics that allowed the Steppe Warriors to beat all in their path. What is most interesting is the constant flow of superior warriors for almost two thousand years and the inability of the rest of the world to defeat them. The only thing that led to their demise was the invention of firearms which allowed defenders to obtain the firepower necessary to defeat them,

The book is not an extensive history on any of the tribes or nations, whether they be the Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Turks, Mongols, or Tatars. In that sense the book is limited. However, it is an excellent overview for one who wishes to get a start.

Good reading.......2000-09-09

This is a well-written and researched book.

It outlines the history of nomadic raiders including the Scythians, Parthians, Sarmatians, Huns, Bulgars, Turks, Mongols, Tatars who fought against Greece, Rome, Byzantium, China, Russia, Ukraine, and the Ottomans. Hildinger maintains that raiding sedentary peoples was necessary for survival of horse-mounted warriors. They were made extinct by rifle toting infantry.

Hildinger is at his best when recounting the defensive tactics used victims of the horsemen. Regretfully, he does not detail the fighting tactics between the Tatars and the Cossacks. His best description is how Roman infantry fought the Parthians.

Steppe Peoples - Tactics and Warriors.......1999-11-27

Erik Hildinger once again hits the mark with his latest book "Warriors of the Steppe". His prose makes this an enjoyable read. If you want to know about the people of the steppe and how they achieved success against their sedentary counterparts, this book will start you on that journey. The book initially deals with a generalization about nomadic peoples and their tactics. It then delves into specific historic groups ranging from the Scythians to the Manchu. While the book is well written, its broad nature as an introductory tract will more than likely whet your appetite for more. I am sure that in the future Mr. Hildinger's excellent writing skills in this subject area will be put to good use in writing specifically about any one of these peoples.

Outstanding. Buy this book!.......1999-11-09

As a university lecturer in military history I am constantly looking for good books for my students (both civilians and army officer cadets) to study. Hildinger's book is marvellous, and I recommend it to my students as an example of how warfare should be analysed and history should be written.

Book Description

China is by far the world's leading producer of pirated goods--from films and books to clothing, from consumer electronics to aircraft parts. As China becomes a full participant in the international economy, its inability to enforce intellectual property rights is coming under escalating international scrutiny.

What is the impact, Andrew C. Mertha asks, of external pressure on China's enforcement of intellectual property? The conventional wisdom sees a simple correlation between greater pressure and better domestic compliance with international norms and declared national policy. Mertha's research tells a different story: external pressure may lead to formal agreements in Beijing, resulting in new laws and official regulations, but it is China's complex network of bureaucracies that decides actual policy and enforcement. The structure of the administrative apparatus that is supposed to protect intellectual property rights makes it possible to track variation in the effects of external pressure for different kinds of intellectual property.

Mertha shows that while the sustained pressure of state-to-state negotiations has shaped China's patent and copyright laws, it has had little direct impact on the enforcement of those laws. By contrast, sustained pressure from inside China, on the part of foreign trademark-owners and private investigation companies in their employ, provides a far greater rate of trademark enforcement and spurs action from anti-counterfeiting agencies.

Customer Reviews:

IP in China, a primer.......2006-06-14

Andrew Mertha's book made my life harder. Deep in the writing of a paper on Chinese intellectual property, I received word that his book was available days before a deadline. That alone makes him a target of my ire. But ultimately, my research benefited from this book.

Mertha weaves a tale that utilizes anecdotes and current research to show how government policy towards IP in China is changing while cultural notions of IP remain unformed. Laws are enforced, but only from the top down. Does this mean China is failing at enforcement? Not fully. What it means, according to Mertha and my own research, is that China is only now becoming convinced that IP has any positive benefits for its own development, now that Chinese nationals are themselves begin to become creators and owners of property and ideas they want to protect. The government might yield to pressure from the international community to enact laws, but real change, when IP is recognized to have benefits for China, will only occur as the Chinese become more savvy creators, writers, and inventors.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in the engaging, if highly academic, field of intellectual property.

Book Description

Featuring sixty-two accessible selections--from classic articles to examples of cutting-edge original research--Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works addresses both of the principal areas of inquiry in the field: the exploration of morality from an environmental perspective and the analysis of the current state of our environment. Aiming to determine what issues really matter, the first section of the book responds to such questions as: What is value? What types of things have value? Is the value of a human being fundamentally different from the kind of value we find elsewhere in nature? What role do consumer goods and services play in a good life? and Is there room for environmental consciousness in a good life? The second section turns to the question of what it would take to solve our environmental problems. It strives to go beyond the "hype" to present informed perspectives on the true nature of those problems and investigates important questions like: What is causing or exacerbating these problems? and What solutions have been tried? The selections present philosophical, biological, and social scientific approaches to the major issues. Environmental Ethics features first-hand descriptions from people who have actually been involved in such projects as wildlife management in Africa, ecofeminist initiatives in India, and radical activism on the high seas. It also provides up-to-date data on population issues and community-based wildlife initiatives. Ideal for undergraduate courses in environmental ethics, environmental issues, and applied ethics, this unique text will also be a helpful resource for graduate students and professors, as it retains most of the footnotes from the original articles.

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