Population Growth, Resource Consumption, and the Environment: Seeking a Common Vision for a Troubled World

Book Description

At one time, when Antelope Valley real estate developers wanted a piece of the California land boom, they stuck oranges on the Joshua Tree and tried to pass them off as orange trees. This book is more than just a thoroughly-researched history of the Joshua Tree--one of the oldest living plants in the Mojave Desert. It's also reader-friendly and can be enjoyed by young and old alike. It has the distinction of being selected by such prestigious American libraries as the one at the New York Botanical Gardens and Harvard University. It is also among the refererence books at international libraries like the University of Copenhagen at Denmark.

Book Description

This book brings together in one volume selected important topics in craniofacial growth. Topics include: principles of skeletal growth; osteogenesis and its control; formation of the cranial base and craniofacial joints; prenatal development of the facial skeleton; growth of the mandible, nasomaxillary complex, orbit, cranial base, ear capsule, and cranial vault; bone remodeling; muscles; soft tissues; and blood vessels. Fundamentals of Craniofacial Growth contains detailed illustrations and extensive reference lists. Independently authored chapters provide comprehensive reviews encompassing both contemporary and historical perspectives. In addition to medicine and dentistry, contributors provide expertise from such diverse backgrounds as anatomy, biology, biomathematics, embryology, orthodontics, physical anthropology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Book Description

Light scattering is a very powerful method to characterize the structure of polymers and nanoparticles in solution. Recent technical developments have strongly enhanced the possible applications of this technique, overcoming previous limitations like sample turbidity or insufficient experimental time scales. However, despite their importance, these new developments have not yet been presented in a comprehensive form. In addition, and maybe even more important to the broad audience, there lacks a simple-to-read textbook for students and non-experts interested in the basic principles and fundamental techniques of light scattering. As part of the Springer Laboratory series, this book tries not only to provide such a simple-to-read and illustrative textbook about the seemingly very complicated topic of light scattering from polymers and nanoparticles in dilute solution, but also intends to cover some of the newest technical developments in experimental light scattering.

Analysis of Light-Scattering Data from Polymer Solutions (NASA TN D-5177), April, 1969

Average customer rating:

Analysis of Light-Scattering Data from Polymer Solutions (NASA TN D-5177), April, 1969
James A. Ryan
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KFCHSS

Acquainted with the Night: Excursions Through the World After Dark
Average customer rating:

Magic Journey from Dusk to Dawn

Not a favourite

Enjoyable but...

Gorgeous writing; inelligent and full of poetry.

Acquainted with the Night: Excursions Through the World After Dark
Christopher Dewdney
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Criticism | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Essays & Commentary | Science | Subjects | Books
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At Day's Close: Night in Times Past

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A Natural History, A

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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ASIN: 1582345996
Release Date: 2005-05-12

Book Description

In twelve chapters corresponding to the twelve hours of night, Christopher Dewdney illuminates night's central themes, including sunsets, nocturnal animals, bedtime stories, festivals of the night, fireworks, astronomy, nightclubs, sleep and dreams, the graveyard shift, the art of darkness, and endless nights. With infections curiosity, a lyrical, intimate tone, and an eye for nighttime beauties both natural and man-made, he paints a captivating portrait of our hours in darkness.

Customer Reviews:

Magic Journey from Dusk to Dawn.......2006-02-17

This highly unusual examination of the phases of night will ensure that never again will you be oblivious of them. The author begins with the three stages of twilight---civil twilight, nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight, and ends with first light, the beginning of dawn.

In between he takes you through all the phases humans have assigned to the hours: dinner hour, children's bedtime, fireworks festivals, ghost- walking hours. Then there are the natural ones, such as the hour the nocturnal animals come out, stages of sleep, the best times for astronomical observations.

He does this in a poetic and engaging way, for this is no dry recitation of facts. Each hour has its own delights, and he exults in celebrating them and saluting them.

My only caveat is that his 'hours' are based on a northern European/American rhythm of the day. For them, "It is 11 pm and a great many people are asleep"---but in Spain they are just sitting down to dinner! It helps to remember the great variety of human behaviors in just about everything.

Read this book and fall in love with night!

Not a favourite.......2006-01-29

Last night I "finished" Acquainted with the Night: Excursions through the world after dark by Christopher Dewdney. I invoke the double quotation marks because I skimmed an awful lot of this book. That said, it did contain a great number of very interesting passages; I was greatly interested in the nocturnal animals, the stages of sleep, some of the astronomy etc. Much of the book is taken up by two-plus pages of waxing lyrical, that borders on purple, about the upcoming topic at the start of every chapter, and some of the most interesting fodder is reduced to what amounts to the listing of facts with little exposition. In these cases, we are being told many things we really already new. The section on mythology and others read like filler, and had a tenuous link to the topic at best anyway. Another problem was that the author intruded a little too much with very subjective (and, one might argue, ill thought out) comments. e.g. on the subject of famous insomniacs, the author comments on Marilyn Monroe:

Her pharmeceutical toolkit included Sulfathallidine, Librium, and the phenobarbital Nembutal. In the last year of her life it was thought she was taking up to twenty Nembutals a day. Although some acquaintances thought her death was suicide, the consensus was that it was brought about by an accidental overdose in combination with alcohol. In a sense, insomnia killed Marilyn Monroe.

I guess, in the sense that a guy with an itchy nose decides to scratch it with a chainsaw - you could say an itch killed the man. Hyperbole becomes nobody, least of all a non-fiction writer.

There are strange comments like this throughout the book. I'd say if you're interested in one area in particular, find a book on those subjects instead of this jack of all trades that barely gives enough time to any of the issues.

Enjoyable but..........2005-03-28

Ok, I did like this book. There were times, many times however, I wished it would drop the poetics and pick up the pace. There are many interesting FACTS in this book sprinkled through philosophy and poetics. Some of the potics just aren't that interesting to me. I'd say buy the paperback. It's a good decent book but not library worthy...read it and pass it on.

Chris

Gorgeous writing; inelligent and full of poetry........2004-06-20

As a night owl and poetry-lover, I was intrigued by the title alone. Dewdney's writing is gorgeous: at turns it's funny, poignant, and illuminating. It's easy to tell the writer is a poet. At the same time, it's full of fascinating trivia and pieces of knowledge, covering history, physics, literature, astronomy, psychology, and philosophy.

The Life and Times of Constantine the Great: The First Christian Emperor, Second Edition, 2003
Average customer rating:

Constantine - A Take Charge Guy!

A Masterful Treatment

A very good book about Constantine

remarkable

This Book Brings Constantine and the Era to Life

The Life and Times of Constantine the Great: The First Christian Emperor, Second Edition, 2003
D. G. Kousoulas
Manufacturer: Rutledge Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
Saints | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1887750614

Book Description

This is an enriched biography of Constantine the Great. Without compromising historical accuracy, it brings before the eyes of the reader as vividly as possible Constantine's fascinating life, filling in the gaps by exploring the ancient records in Greek and Latin and the findings of modern scholarship, reconstructing events or offering explanations to ancient riddles. It is astonishing how little the broad public in the West knows about Constantine. Yet, he is the man who gave a new direction to world history. One may wonder if Christianity would have survived if he had not embraced it with his imperial authority. Constantine's impact on our world is not the only reason for reading his story. His life is so rich in drama. excitement, tragedy, violence, intrigue and high adventure that the story can be as engrossing as a good work of fiction. "Prof. Kousoulas is a master story-teller."

Customer Reviews:

Constantine - A Take Charge Guy!.......2007-03-29

A very readable, informative book. I especially liked the author's description of the setting at the Council of Nicaea. It took place in huge cathedral, where all the bishops from the far-flung empire were assembled to consider which sacred documents should be included in the New Testament.
Here comes Constantine, crowned and dressed in a shimmering toga down the long aisle, as the bishops on either side humbly bow before him. He makes a short welcoming speech. Then he takes multiple scrolls which had been pre-submitted by the bishops, expressing their positions on many doctrinal disputes they were having among themselves. Constantine drops the scrolls one by one into a blazing cauldron, never saying a word about his action. But the message was clear to the assembled bishops -- they weren't in charge and Constantine was. Constantine sat in on many of the council deliberations over the next two months, and was not reluctant in expressing what he thought should be in the Bible. Over 100 documents were considered, and only 20+ made it into the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke made it into the New Testament by only one vote! Only 300 bishops attended. 1800 were invited. The majority were from the Eastern part of the empire. The Bishop of Rome did not attend.
After Nicaea, all the bishops of the empire were put on the Roman payroll, solidifying Constantine's position as the undisputed head of the church. He later referred to himself frequently as "The 13th Disciple."
I have never heard a word about Constantine from the pulpit of any church. But there's no question he was a pivital person in the formation of the early church and the Bible as we know it today.

A Masterful Treatment.......2007-01-08

This book is a very easy read, but the more you turn the pages, the more you realise the sheer volume of research that Kousoulas has put into it. And that is the beauty of this book: it is masterful for both its simplicity of style and depth of research. This is a rare balance that is hard to achieve, but Kousoulas has done it. This is not like a stuffy textbook; it is more like a simple biography. However, a section at the back which lists the original sources in quasi-footnote style will satisfy the more academically inclined, and demonstrates that Kousoulas' work comes with significant reading and historical acumen. Kousoulas does the work of an historian with precision, careful sifting, and honesty. Anyone can read this book, from the interested layperson (it's an ancient 'rags to riches' tale) to the tertiary student (there's plenty of stuff to chase up here in the library). It is also a great example of good historical method at work. The content takes you from the days of Constantine's father (Chlorus) through all the stages and aspects of Constantine's life. It concludes with a brief survey of the reign of Constantine's sons who succeeded him. At the end of this book, you will have a very good appreciation for this giant of the ancient stage. Thoroughly recommended!

A very good book about Constantine.......2006-12-22

I curiously picked out this book about Constantine because I wanted to know a bit more about a man that shaped Christianity, yet so little is taught about him in the U.S.

I found the book to be a good read that will give you a basic overview of Constantine's life, the state of the Roman Empire as well as Christianity.

remarkable.......2006-12-10

This history writing at its best. Simply put, it is one of the best history books I have ever read (and I have read hundreds). It is an easy read and written in the narrative style.

Unfortunately, learning about a subject is not what every reader is looking for, as evidenced by the comments of the reviewer who gave this book one star. I am always baffled when people criticize a product or book for doing exactly what it states it will do. Kousoulas cleary says in the beginning of the book that this biography is meant for the masses, intentionally not scholarly (more on that in a moment), and that the reader should look elsewhere for a more in-depth and "scholarly" treatment of the subject. Yet, the reviewer gives the author one star for DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE AUTHOR SAYS IS HIS INTENT. It is like criticizing a refrigerator for not heating your food or an automobile for not flying.

If I want a giant thousand-page, multi-volume opus about Constantine filled with footnotes, is intentionally written in an obscure venacular, and can devote several months to the book, I will buy it. But, as a person who must work, has multiple interests, and is curious about history, I simply do not have the time to devote to the type of book described in the last sentence, which is why Kousoulas' book is perfect. The one-star review is unwarranted and undeserved.

If you want an obscure book written in an obtuse style, written not for people to learn about the subject but to impress other professor colleagues, than this book is not for you. Learning has never been on the agenda of the people who teach in research universities anyway, as evidenced by the poor knowledge of history by most Americans. If you are interested in learning about Constantine, and want to have fun while doing it (people learn more when having fun, by the way), than this book is for you. Throw your college textbook away and pick this up.

This Book Brings Constantine and the Era to Life.......2006-11-28

I researched at least 7 books on Constantine (including several by Ramsay McCauley) prior to recommending this one for my book club. This is by far the most balanced and readable of them all. Most of the others that are on Amazon are overly academic screeds written by professors doing intellectual one-upmanship with each other. One got terribly into an impassioned religious argument that Constantine did indeed undergo a mystic conversion in order to refute the skeptics.

Kousoulas does a terrific job. First, he is a solid scholar on Constantine and the Roman era. Second, even though he is a player in the Eastern Orthodox church, he gives a very balanced view of Constantine's conversion and is not afraid to say that Constantine over-played his hand in trying to settle feuds between quarrelsome clerics.

I can't say enough about this book. It brought Constantine to life as I was hoping and I learned tons.One of the best books I've read in the past year or two.

Highly recommended.

Book Description

Introduction by Ambassador Monteagle Stearns. Taken hostage by Congolese rebels at the U.S. Consulate he headed in Stanleyville, Michael Hoyt provides the first inside account of the 1964 seizure of the American consulate staff and their one hundred and eleven days of captivity. Their survival and eventual rescue offer a gripping story of courage and frustration, survival and sadness of lives lost. The first time that American diplomats have been held hostage since the Barbary pirate days of the 1800s, these events, as described by the author, present valuable lessons both for the future conduct of hostages and the policies to deal with their taking.

The book chronicles their day-by-day ordeal as communist-backed rebels held them in confinement at the central prison in Stanleyville and elsewhere, including even the women's toilet at the airport terminal. Throughout the period they lived in terror, several times being led to what they believed was their execution and somehow surviving a final desperate attempt by the rebels to gun them down when Belgian paratroopers, flown in by American C-130s, arrived to rescue them. While helping readers appreciate the intensity of the drama as it unfolded, Hoyt is remarkably objective in his account. His description of the final moments of sheer terror before they were saved is unforgettable. Presented in cooperation with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.

Customer Reviews:

Memoirs from new head of the American Consulate in the Congo in Volatile 1964.......2007-03-03

The then new head of the American Consulate in the Congo writes his well- documented and dignified personal recollection of consulate staff being imprisoned, beaten, threatened by cannibals, hopping to escape the knives being hurled at their feet and sentanced to death almost weekly in the uprisings of 1964. One day they would be locked in a filthy, tiny womens bathroom, crowded, trying to sleep upright to the sound of shooting outside. One day they were dignitaries transported to a luxury hotel, then the next day they were hostages sleeping on boards in prison. All depended on relations and sympathies of whoever held the moment's power. Chaos reigns. Diplomatic rights and privilege only work occasionally and the captured are dependant upon whatever help comes from personnel at other consulates, people in various factions they worked with before capture, missionaries, and the saner elements of warring factions. With limited and sporatic communication they have no idea if their superiors are aware of the seriousness of the situation. Their own relentless efforts at negotiation have limited effect.

The first third of this harrowing tale is almost unreadable with military memos, uncertainty about what the political situation was and indecision or technical inability to respond. Hoyt attempts to stay clear headed and analytical amidst every source he talks to relaying often contradictory or seemingly absurd information. When orders were sent for civilians to evacuate many never received the orders and others refused to leave, not realizing how volatile and life-threatening Stanleyville would quickly become.

Interspersed are surreal war images such as a naked, young, dark girl lying on an officer's white sheets or captives being ordered to eat an American flag but not being able to chew it.

Once memos can't be quoted the events become much more readable and engrossing. Footnotes are fascinating with references such as Eartha Kitt calling the rescue of the hostages another example of whites killing blacks.

Aware and unaware of what is transpiring outside the prison/consulate/hotel walls, written from daily notes kept during the revolt. Hoyt documents his account, with reflection and trying to stay scrupulous about differences of opinion or memory.

From a consulate's viewpoint, the book is a careful documentation of political revolt.

Amazon.com

While many political journalists largely considered the second term of Bill Clinton's presidency in terms of his romantic interludes, Edward Timperlake and William C. Triplett II follow up on one of the more controversial scandals of the 1996 reelection campaign. The Democratic National Committee was eventually forced to return $2.8 million in illegal contributions, much of it from foreign nationals, and much of it brought to the party by fundraising executive John Huang.

Huang originally represented U.S. interests for the Riady family, a powerful family of Indonesian businessmen with close ties to the Communist Chinese government. James Riady had been a "Friend of Bill" since 1977, and the two authors all but insinuate that the Riadys "scouted" Clinton--whether as an unwitting dupe, a sleeper agent, or merely an exploitable opportunist is never quite clear--and helped underwrite his bid for the White House. Why? So they could get John Huang a Commerce Department appointment... one that came with a top-secret security clearance.

Timperlake and Triplett gather together an astonishing--and largely convincing--mass of evidence that the Clinton-Gore administration "has made a series of Faustian bargains and policy blunders that have allowed a hostile power to further its aims in Washington." In addition to the potential security breach represented by Huang, they document numerous policy decisions that risk strengthening the technological and military power of Communist China, power that might well be used against the United States in the future.

Book Description

1996 was Bill Clinton's re-election and the Chinese Year of the Rat. In this explosive book, Timperlake and Triplett deliver the detailed evidence that could bring down the Clinton presidency.

Customer Reviews:

I Was Left With More Questions After Reading This Book.......2007-10-17

If you are looking for a resource that covers the variety of Bill Clinton's character flaws, this is not it. This book concentrates almost exclusively on the Clinton/Gore China connection. So if you're looking for a few juicy Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, or Monica-gate tidbits, you will be sadly disappointed.

While I suspected that a lot of what this book reveals is true, I felt that it fell somewhat short of making a convincing argument. Don't get me wrong, the authors present a lot of evidence to support their claim. But I remain puzzled that if such evidence is as authentic as the authors claim, then why have Bill Clinton and Al Gore not been indicted for their crimes?

Another problem about this book is that it was written in the late nineties before the end of Clinton's presidency. There are a few chapters added to this edition that takes us up to just before the 2000 elections. At that time, such questions would've been pertinent and the obvious motives for writing such a book would be evident. But now 7 years later, with nothing transpiring regarding these claims, I am left questioning how convincing the charges actually were.

The authors explain some of this in the text such as how Janet Reno was compromised by extending her term as Attorney General providing she thwarted an independent investigation of the Clinton/Gore - China scandal. And the descriptions of how Bill and Al controlled the FBI and other investigative branches to maintain their power grip on the country are very believable. But how could the Republicans, with all that was at stake in the 2000 elections, allow this to go virtually unnoticed? Were they complicit in it themselves? Did they have other 'baggage' with which Clinton was able to manipulate them? Or were they just plain inept?

In any event, the book does document a lot of incriminating evidence about China-Gate. Their research is extensive and covers many aspects of how China was able to compromise U.S. security using Bill Clinton and Al Gore as their 'connection'. It definitely makes you think twice about putting another Clinton in the White House (Hillary is depicted as complicit in this matter as well). I just feel that I was left with more questions unanswered after reading this book than before.

Clinton's Corrupt Presidency.......2005-12-01

I found this book very disturbing. It shows how corrupt the Clinton/Gore adminstration really was. It also shows how the "liberal press" kept these facts from the American people, and how he put his own agenda above the security of our nation, that he was sworn to protect. I would like to see those responsible brought to justice and tried as traitors. This is well written and backed up with facts when available. Anyone who thinks he was such a great president needs to read and learn the truth.

Homeless Dude.......2005-04-22

As a kid, I often took bikerides that took me past the Watergate Hotel. Every day, outside the hotel, there was this homeless-looking dude who distributed pamphlets with the same name as this book.

a rat book.......2005-02-09

lots of sensationalism, unfunded accusations, paranoid and bias. no wonder it's only worth a few cents.

Are there no patriots in the Secret Service, the CIA, or FBI.......2005-01-12

I read the hard cover as a gift when it first came out. Now I've read it a second time. That's when the dry read starts jumping off the pages at you. It is well documented (must be true) and raises the following questions:
1.Why were the authors not dealt with by the Arkansas cops?
2.Is it the donuts and fringe benefits that prevent G-Men from taking extreme measures when confronted with imminent threat to U. S. survival?
3. How come the McArthur Foundation didn't track down the patriots at McDonnell-Douglas and give them major financial awards for their selflessness?
4. Are we just living in a great big global paradise for political elites where Chinese communist elite kids, children of Arab Sheaks and future fat cats of America go to prep schools in New England; and limited wars like the current one, along with North Korean goose steppers serve merely as props to keep the American masses off balance and paying taxes? Read this book twice and see if you don't come up with similar questions

Book Description

Hardbound. The Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics examines the current theory, and samples current application methods for natural resource and energy economics. This third volume of the Handbook deals primarily with non-renewable resources. It analyzes the economics of energy and minerals, and includes chapters on the economics of environmental policy. The Handbook provides a definitive source, reference, and teaching supplement for use by professional researchers and advanced graduate students. The surveys summarize not only received results but also newer developments from recent journal articles and discussion papers.

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