The Sacred Earth: Writers on Nature & Spirit

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"This book is no substitute for being outside," writes the noted environmental activist David Brower in his foreword to this anthology of inspirational nature writing. For those who happen to be stuck indoors, this slender volume, composed of short prose excerpts from longer literary works, makes for a nicely vicarious experience of the wild. Jason Gardner, an environmental journalist and editor, takes the view that the natural world is sacred, whence his emphasis on the spiritual side of nature writing. The writings he has assembled reinforce that belief, touching on the beauty, strangeness, and life-changing qualities of wild places. Gardner draws on such works as Peter Matthiessen's quest-for-the-soul epic The Snow Leopard, Edward Abbey's back-to-the-land manifesto Desert Solitaire, Gary Snyder's self-exploratory treatise The Practice of the Wild, and Terry Tempest Williams's religiously charged collection of essays An Unspoken Hunger. Most of the selections will be familiar and perhaps unsurprising to regular readers of contemporary nature writing; Gardner might have ranged a bit farther afield to bring in lesser-known voices (and voices from spiritual traditions outside of northern Europe). Even so, his book makes for a useful companion to slip into an office desk drawer or glove compartment--if not the backpack pocket David Brower would surely prefer. --Gregory McNamee

Customer Reviews:

A Marvelous Reminder of Great Nature Writing.......1998-11-14

Gardner's small treasure of spirited selections from some of the flat-out best writers on the planet (who just happen to write richly about the natural world, among other things!) is perfect and welcome. A compact and elegant volume, small enough for the reader to carry anywhere and writing grand enough to carry the reader anywhere!

An anthology worthy of the name.......1998-10-24

Jason Gardner's anthology presents a eloquent argument for nature writing--writing that explores how the power of the outdoors works on the soul-- to be accorded a more central place in the American literary landscape. The passages are short, but are thoughtfully arranged into sections--experience,texture,practice and belief, that speaks to that part in all of us that looks to the woods for a meaning that isn't easily defined and can't be found at Starbucks or on a hurried camping trip over a long weekend. The old, gravelly voices of Emerson, Thoreau are here, as well as Whitman's exulted one. But, the strongest part of the collection are new voices--some now established (Rick Bass, Barry Lopez);others less well-known but equally compelling (C.L Rawlins, John Haines). Surpising voices too. Louise Erdrich's passage about a religion of grass is just great literature. Small enought to fit into a day pack, Sacred Earth lets everyone in--this is no erudite tome.Its words affect you in a visceral way that is a lot like sitting under your favorite tree and listening to the woods shift.

Book Description

The six counties of Northern Ireland and three from the Republic make up the ancient province of Ulster. Discover the magnificent cathedrals o f Armagh, the eerie statues of White Island, the famous walls and gates of Derry, redolent with its turbulent history, and natural wonders like Antrim's glens, the world-famous Giant's Causeway and the plunging Donegal coastline. This book includes intelligent, revealing insights into history, politics, religion, and culture. It gives you the best-value, with discerning listings of where to eat, stay, shop and play. In addition, Cadogan's North of Ireland lends practical, reliable advice on crafts, music, historic houses and gardens.

Customer Reviews:

The best guide..........2001-06-27

Having travelled extensively in Ireland, lived there for a number of years & married an Irishman, I have read more than my fair share of guides to Ireland. This one is outstanding. It is conise, informative, easy to use and well balanced between enjoying the wonderful bits of Ireland while still being clear eyed. The accomodation & food recommendations are limited but good, and it's easy enough to get the full guide from the Tourist Agencies- and recommendations from the AOL bulletin board.

North of Ireland.......2001-01-31

I've visited Ireland several times, and own more than a few travel guides. This is the best of the bunch for northern Ireland - the old Ulster region. It has historical facts, lots of recommendations for places to see and things to do - not just the major sights like Giant's Causeway, but off the beaten path places, too. Lodging recommendations are included but certainly not extensive... other sources of B&B recommendations would be handy. Other than that this book has it all in a handy, packable size. For my trip this year, this will be the only travel guide I carry with me!

The Western World: A Narrative History, Prehistory to Present (2nd Edition)

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The Western World: A Narrative History, Prehistory to Present (2nd Edition)
Anthony Esler
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0134956230

Book Description

This comprehensive yet streamlined narrative history of the Western world brings the stories of ordinary people as well as famous leaders and events to life. This book offers exceptionally broad social and geographical coverage highlighting the global setting of Western history and emphasizing the effects of the West's repeated encounters with the non-Western world.

Heraldry -- Ulster and North American connections: Being the text of the inaugural Sir William Scott memorial lecture delivered by Conrad Swan on 2nd December, ... Belfast (Sir William Scott memorial lecture)

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Heraldry -- Ulster and North American connections: Being the text of the inaugural Sir William Scott memorial lecture delivered by Conrad Swan on 2nd December, ... Belfast (Sir William Scott memorial lecture)
Conrad Swan
Manufacturer: Ulster-Scot Historical Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0901905062

Book Description

Once upon a time that was not so very long ago, a family was described as a man, a woman, and their offspring. That was what families were. These ten stories talk about families the way they really are.

Siblings coping with their younger brother's overdose. A girl terrified of her older sister's dual personality. A boy trying to adjust to his life with two mothers. A father visiting his son on death row. These are stories of today's families -- fractured, blended, at risk, non-traditional, and some that are even still nuclear.

Noted anthologist Michael Cart asked celebrated young adult authors the question "What does 'family' mean today?" The ten stories in this anthology provide some illuminating -- and sometimes surprising -- answers. Here family is defined by the connections between all kinds of people -- and the necessary noise they make.

Customer Reviews:

Good collection.......2006-03-11

I picked up Necessary Noise while standing in a local bookstore and starting reading the story, "The Visit" by Walter Dean Meyers. In fact, I read most of it, and then rushed home to order it from Amazon. Yes, it's a sad story, but it appeals to most of my students. I teach in a low socio-economic urban school district in south Texas. Unfortunately, the majority of my students have experience with a relative being in jail and/or prison. I put the book out for SSR time with a recommendation that "The Visit" is an outstanding story. By the end of the week, so many of my 9th grade students had read the story that they asked if we could have a book circle discussion of it. It's hard to believe, but my students really thought they hated reading back in August. I have finally conviced them that when you find the right book or story, reading is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

These stories are important to everyone........2004-07-27

Fifty years ago, unconventional families were ignored. The media liked to pretend that the only families that existed consisted of two parents, two kids, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence. Today, we know about and see all kinds of families, from those with two mothers to those where the kids have to run the house.

Ten of the best authors in teen literature have contributed stories on families that run from the caring to the dysfunctional. Walter Dean Myers writes about a father who visits his son on death row. Emma Donoghue never shows the parents of her story's streetwise characters, but their presence is felt. In the verse style of WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW, Sonya Sones writes about a sister with a scary dual personality. Love, rivalry and devotion are shown in many ways --- between mothers, fathers, children, brothers, and sisters.

If you only have ten minutes here or there to catch a quick read, NECESSARY NOISE is the perfect choice for you. All of the stories are easy to read, but none of them are superficial. The clean, talented writing and range of emotion and styles will give you plenty to think about. It doesn't matter what kind of family you have, because the themes that run through these stories are important to everyone.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft

Necessary Noise.......2004-02-03

What is normal when it comes to families? Our society likes to picture families as functional and unbroken units that ideally consist of a mother and father {married}, with a certain number of children. Although what society would like to see and what is realistic is very different. The eye-opening novel, Necessary Noise, edited by Michael Cart, shows todays' families as they really are. In the ten young adult stories, a variety of characters deal with their fractured and dysfunctional families, whether they be their entire community or very best friend. Among the accomplished writers in this book are Lois Lowry, whose story Snowbound proves a laugh-out-loud tale about a relatively normal family that is astounded when their once preppy college daughter, comes home with her grotesque and lazy boyfriend who seems to have turned them into non-mammal eating hippies {vegetarians.} Walter Dean Meyers' chronicle Visit is a depressing story about a fathers' visit to his son on death row. This heartfelt story follows their last conversations, final memories, and feelings of deep guilt and shame. Personally, I found this book too splendidly truthful to resist. Therefore, I couldn't help but devour the pages one moving story at a time. Through evey volume a feel of realism shone bright, as did the emotions of hate, love, and confusion. Consider picking up this extraordinary novel for a closer look at families in a whole new manner.

Michael Cart, editor Necessary Noise: Stories about Our Families as They Really Are.(Book Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

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Michael Cart, editor Necessary Noise: Stories about Our Families as They Really Are.(Book Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine
Lauren Adams
Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on July 1, 2003. The length of the article is 360 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Michael Cart, editor Necessary Noise: Stories about Our Families as They Really Are.(Book Review)(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Lauren Adams
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2003
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: 79 Issue: 4 Page: 452(1)

Article Type: Book Review, Young Adult Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are

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Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are
Michael (EDT) / Noruzi, Charlotte (ILT) Cart
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

This book, the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No. 146 ‘Gut-Liver Interactions: Basic and Clinical Concepts’, held in Innsbruck, Austria, on March 11-12, 2005, brings together gastroenterologists and hepatologists both at a clinical and a basic scientific level. Topics have been structured in such a way to be of interest to both clinicians and basic scientists. The main focus of the book is to highlight the role of the immune system in gut and liver diseases and potential interactions of the gut and the liver respectively. Special emphasis is based on the importance of the gut flora in intestinal and also in liver diseases. The role of NOD2 is one of the very best examples demonstrating the importance, not only in inflammatory bowel diseases, but also diseases well beyond this barrier.

Such intense interactions between gastroenterologists and hepatologists, as shown through this book, might boost and stimulate scientific ideas and research in other unexpected areas.

Book Description

Explains what is known about the effects of sulphuric acid mist when it comes into contact with humans.

Major Hazards Monograph Series: Thermal Radiation, Sulphur Trioxide Oleum and Sulphuric Acid Mist, Hazardous Substances on Spillage, Explosions in the Process Industries, Phosgene (Monograph)

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Major Hazards Monograph Series: Thermal Radiation, Sulphur Trioxide Oleum and Sulphuric Acid Mist, Hazardous Substances on Spillage, Explosions in the Process Industries, Phosgene (Monograph)
Institution of Chemical Engineers
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

A complete and practical guide to WCDMA/UMTS cellular network deployment.

After introducing the network architecture of such a system, the WCDMA (UMTS) Deployment Handbook defines the coverage and capacity concepts associated with the dimensioning and design phases. Progressing to a discussion of the main system parameters associated with network optimization and detailing optimization techniques for the main services supported by UMTS, and includes the specifics of indoor deployment and HSDPA networks evolution.

Covers all stages from planning to optimization with sufficient details as required on a day-to-day basis, and thorough reference information for the reader who wants to understand the concepts in more detail
Relevant for daily tasks: The approach taken in this book is similar to the work flow of network planner and optimization engineers, allowing such personnel to easily find the relevant information
Written by the company which made CDMA a household name: QUALCOMM was the first company to use CDMA technology for cellular application and is a technical leader in this domain
Based on industry feedback: All the contributors to this book have been working in direct interaction with WCDMA operators, throughout the world, since the early days of WCDMA commercial deployment
Looking to the future: This book addresses the next level of challenge that WCDMA operators will face - deployment of indoor systems and HSDPA

Book Description

Telecommunications has had a major impact in all aspects of life in the last century. There is little doubt that the transformation from the industrial age to the information age has been fundamentally influenced by advances in telecommunications. Optimization problems are abundant in the telecommunications industry. The successful solution of these problems has played an important role in the development of telecommunications and its widespread use. Optimization problems arise in the design of telecommunication systems and in their operation. The Handbook of Optimization in Telecommunications brings together experts from around the world who use optimization to solve problems that arise in telecommunications. The editors made an effort to cover recent optimization developments that are frequently applied to telecommunications. The spectrum of topics covered includes planning and design of telecommunication networks, routing, network protection, grooming, restoration, wireless communications, network location and assignment problems, Internet protocol, World Wide Web, and stochastic issues in telecommunications. The editors’ objective is to provide a reference tool for the increasing number of scientists and engineers in telecommunications who depend upon optimization in some way. Each chapter in the handbook is of an expository nature, but of scholarly treatment, and includes a brief overview of the state-of-the-art thinking relative to the topic, as well as pointers to the key references in the field. Specialists as well as nonspecialists should find this handbook stimulating and helpful.

Handbook of CDMA System Design, Engineering and Optimization

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Accessibility to Students

Handbook of CDMA System Design, Engineering and Optimization
Kyoung Il Kim , and Members of Technical Staff
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0130175722

Customer Reviews:

Accessibility to Students.......2000-06-27

From what I understand (which is limited, since I am not an ECE student, but administrator), this text has been somewhat difficult to grasp by our students. That is, the material is written at a level of post-graduate accessibility. Still, it is the most widely requested text by our professors, and we would hope that Amazon.com would continue to stock it so our overseas students can order it more readily.

The Ultimate Modem Handbook: Your Guide to Selection, Installation, Troubleshooting, and Optimization

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Mr. Lewart knows his stuff!

The Ultimate Modem Handbook: Your Guide to Selection, Installation, Troubleshooting, and Optimization
Cass R. Lewart
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Peripherals | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Mr. Lewart knows his stuff!.......1998-12-29

My job frequently involves troubleshooting modem communications problems, and I've found that the information in Mr. Lewart's book valuble again and again. Not only is the book packed with valuble information, the author's writing style makes it easy to read too.

If you're expected to help people with their modems, The Ultimate Modem Handbook will answer all those questions that you've wondered about modems, but couldn't find the answers to by either reading modem manuals, surfing the Internet, or talking with other techie-people.

Book Description

In 1810, while still at Eton, Percy Bysshe Shelley published Zastrozzi, the first of his two early Gothic prose romances. He published the second, St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian, a year later. These sensationalist novels present some of Shelley's earliest thoughts on irresponsible self-indulgence and violent revenge, and offer remarkable insight into an imagination that is strikingly modern. This new Broadview Literary Texts edition also brings together the fragmentary remains of Shelley's other prose fiction, including his chapbook, Wolfstein, and contemporary reviews both by Shelley and about his work.

Zastrozzi, A Romance (Collected Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley)

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Percy and Mary

Zastrozzi, A Romance (Collected Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley)
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Manufacturer: Classic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
ASIN: 074262112X

Book Description

Zastrozzi, Shelley’s first published novel, is a work of pure Gothic fantasy, offering many glimpses of the author’s nascent poetic genius. Zastrozzi, the arch–villain of the tale, is sworn to avenge the wrongs done to his mother. Prepared to go to any lengths to execute his horrific plans, he enlists the help of the willing Matilda. Together, they vow to destroy Verezzi and Julia, the subjects of their wrath, and embark upon a fateful chain of events that can lead only to catastrophe. Foreword by Germaine Greer.

Customer Reviews:

Percy and Mary.......2005-09-09

I have recently been exploring the fiction of Mary Shelley; reading 'The Last Man' at the moment. So when I saw this short novel by Percy Shelley - her husband, but written before he had met her - I had to read it. I was also intrigued that the anti-hero of Percy's novel was named Matilda, a name Mary later used in one of her short novels ('Matilda', which may be autobiographical). For much of this novel I rated it at a 2 - but the ending did lift the rating. As far as prose is concerned I believe Mary was a far better writer than the youthful Percy.
There is a puzzling relationship in this novel - that of the character whose name identifies this novel - Zastrozzi - and Matilda. But it concentrates on Matilda and her irrational passion for Verezzi - on and on it goes. Totally distracting me from the other issue. Shelley is entirely successful at this for me - obscuring the ending. But he was much less successful in sustaining the impetus of the novel, and keeping me interested.
It is a novel worth reading, although I see no relationship between Percy's Matilda and Mary's - could Mary have possibly seen herself so negatively if her Matilda is indeed autobiographical? Perhaps it is so - although it doesn't read that way to me - Mary's 'Matilda', that is. 'Zastrozzi' is also quite short, so it's not really a labour to read.

other recommendations:
'Matilda' by Mary Shelley
'Caleb Williams' by William Godwin (Mary's father)

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