The Secret Language & Remarkable Behavior of Animals

Amazon.com

Author Janine M. Benyus transforms the rather scholarly discourse of animal communication into a tome that is clear and engaging--making this the perfect book for animal lovers of all ages. Benyus, a zookeeper and an expert on animal behavior, has spent years researching and studying the body language and verbal communication of zebras, lions, bald eagles, giant pandas, and dolphins to name but a few. The early chapters of her book take the form of a simple primer--with short but fascinating information on DNA, the role of habitat in the animal kingdom, feeding, predatory behavior, and the many forms of animal communication. The author then guides us on a worldwide journey, exploring the quintessential animals of each continent with a detailed look at the behavior of each species. You'll discover, for example, that gorillas signify their superiority by growling--so it's probably best to stay away from a grumbling gorilla! Learn why giraffes like to lick each other; what a crocodile is signifying when it lifts its spout; and how a peacock defends its territory. The Secret Language and Remarkable Behavior of Animals is illustrated throughout with ornate pencil drawings by Juan Carlos Barberis, a former artist for the Museum of Natural History in New York. --Naomi Gesinger

Book Description

Illustrations by Juan Carlos Barberis * The definitive inquiry into the secret communication and behavior of animals for animal-lovers of all ages. * The behavior and body language of animals such as the Giant Panda, Gray Wolf, Nile Crocodile, Plains Zebra, African Elephant and Bald Eagle are brought to life through 200 illustrations. * Organized just the way exhibits are set up at the zoo, the text provides in-depth explanations on how to determine and interpret the social, familial, interactive and private behavior of these animals. * Janine M. Benyus, a knowledgeable zookeeper, draws from extensive research of animal behaviorists and explains why and how these creatures scratch, run, bathe, preen, stretch, yawn, play and eat, court their mates, confront one another, give birth to young and keep them fed.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Have!!.......2001-12-28

This book is an excellent addition to both the professional and nonprofessional. The details in it are superb. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the study of animal behavior.

Comprehensive guide.......2000-07-08

This is by far the best book I have read on animal behaviour as it covers every aspect of about 20 species lives' in great detail and with simplicity of language, which makes it a great read for every animal enuthsiast. It contains avid description of animals' habits, from eating to sleeping to sexual behaviour, and why certain species behave the way they do. I suppose the only slightly disappointing aspect of this book is that it contains no photography whatsoever, although it does hold a good amount of illustrations. I was also not in favor of the fact that the author based much of her explanations on the theory of evolution. Otherwise, I think the book is successfully interesting and comprehensive.

This One's A Winner!.......2000-06-18

This book contains information on the behavior of 20 completely different species from 5 extremely diverse locations. I liked the way it was organized, with many charts and great detailed information. It touches on so many subjects in detail, yet the information it holds is as valuable as if it was contained in 20 separate books. Wrote in a way any amateur to animal science can understand, I hold this book as invaluable.

Book Description

No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go. In this completely up-to-date guide our experts who live in Thailand give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do — from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun. Fodor's Thailand shows you hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges — from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special. The Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice — from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency. Plus, web links and mix-and-match itineraries make planning a snap.

Book Description

The Hollywood where Sammy Santos lives is not one of glitz and glitter, but a barrio at the edge of a small New Mexico town. In the summer before his senior year, Sammy falls in love with the beautiful, independent, and intensely vulnerable Juliana. Sammy's chronicle of his senior year is both a love story and a litany of loss, the tale of his love not only for Juliana but for their friends, a generation from a barrio: tough, innocent, humorous, and determined to survive.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful book.......2006-01-05

I really enjoyed this book, but I think its a shame that they are marketing it as Young Adult. This is a book that deserves a wider audience than just teens, as many adults will be able to relate due to the era.

Timeless and Authentic.......2005-08-02

"We have plans. Then something happens." Sammy has plans: to go to college, to get out of the barrio, to love Juliana. Although Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood takes place in the Hollywood barrio of Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1968/69, it is a timeless story of teen hopes and fears, love and loss, and what it is like to grow up poor and of color. Sammy, called The Librarian by his friends for his scholarly ways, falls in love with Juliana the summer before his senior year. By summer's end, she has died tragically and senselessly, and Sammy "[doesn't] care. Not about anything. Not anymore." But despite his anger and the pain of his loss, the demands of his friends and his family only increase in his senior year and Sammy is pulled into their lives. These are real teenagers, who drink, party, take drugs, have sex, swear, push the limits of school administrations and the law. Sammy agrees to be campaign manager for Gigi who is running for student body president on a platform of "shakin' up the school." Some of his friends face the draft and service in Vietnam, and everyone knows that poor Hispanic boys of Hollywood come back in pine boxes. Two friends are brutally beaten for being gay. One friend dies of heroin addiction. His father is injured in an automobile accident. Things happen.
Sammy maneuvers through the minefields of student elections, drugs, protests, racism homophobia, and loss and finds a resiliency he doesn't know he has. Like all teenagers, he thinks his life will start when he gets to college. But he is deeply involved in the life of Hollywood. Saenz has found an authentic voice in Sammy who is full of the angst and confusion of all teenagers but is also perceptive, sensitive and compassionate. This is a beautifully realized story of what it meant in 1968 to grow up in the barrio. Today, teens growing up in the ghettos face the same problems Sammy and his friends faced.

A Remarkable Book with an Unforgettable Voice.......2005-01-08

This novel covers a year in the life of a Hispanic teenager living in a Florida barrio in the late sixties. The voice of Sammy, the main character, is authentic and his personality is vivid and lovable. I was rooting for him from page one through the end.

The author also captures the flavor of the barrio and Sammy's high school through wonderful portrayals of Sammy's girlfriend Juliana, his Hispanic and Jewish friends, his caring family, and his next door neighbor. They practically step off the page.

Finally, the book, through portrayals of Vietnam soldiers, school protests, and diminishing hemlines, makes the late sixties come alive.

Sammy and Juliana is a wonderful novel.

Richie's Picks: SAMMY & JULIANA IN HOLLYWOOD.......2004-12-04

In 1968, during the summer preceding his senior year at Las Cruces High School in southern New Mexico, seventeen-year-old Sammy Santos hooks up with Juliana Rios. The powerful and achingly tragic story Sammy recounts of Juliana and that summer is but a mere preface in this stunning ode to growing up in the barrio--a neighborhood that some joker has named Hollywood. I alternately laughed, cheered, and cried as Sammy and his Hollywood friends encounter the prejudices, the Church, the hormones, the War, the drugs, the violence, the music, the aspirations, and the dress code, while making their way through that year both inside and outside of the barrio. If I had to choose a single "top" book from the 200+ new books for teens that I've read in 2004, SAMMY & JULIANA IN HOLLYWOOD would be the one.

Couldn't put it down.......2004-09-28

This is a book I highly recommend. I got it in the mail on Sat and finished it by the next day.
It can be at times very depressing to read, in that Catcher in the Rye type of way. The difference is that Sammy isn't born into a life of privelege, and his obstacles extend beyond his own wonderings. His immidiate world is filled with economic and social harship.
Sammy goes through so much that you can't even imagine what else could possibly happen, but you want to be there with him when it does. It is very honest, vivid and well-written. My only negative criticism: there's a part that seems to be chronologically out of order...I was a lit major in college, so I am very picky.

Book Description

About 950f all known animal species are invertebrates. Knowledge of their sexual, reproductive and developmental biology is essential for the effective management of species that are economically useful to man, or are harmful to him, his crops or livestock.

Chapters by leading experts in the field
Covers much of the up to date research in an informative and highly useful fashion
Covers all parts of recent progress in vitellogenisis

Amazon.com

"This is the time of real butter," writes Suzanne Finnamore in The Zygote Chronicles, her fictional journal of pregnancy. In fresh, fed-up language, Finnamore (Otherwise Engaged) captures the universal truths of pregnancy that can seem almost insultingly personal when they happen to you. Finnamore sings the joys of whole cream dairy products, but the blues make themselves heard as well. The narrator, an advertising executive, frets about her credibility at work. "I'm a little worried that I won't have any authority left when I get big and have Pamela Anderson breasts. I may have to compensate in some way. I may have to start carrying a hammer." Women have always been funny about pregnancy, and Finnamore gets all that black humor down on paper. It should be noted, however, that the narrator's grousing can wear a bit thin, given her station in life (she laments giving up her Miata for an SUV). Even so, The Zygote Chronicles should take its place alongside Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions as essential reading for the intelligent breeder. --Claire Dederer

Book Description

Suzanne Finnamore's universally applauded Otherwise Engaged followed one woman's whirlwind ride from diamond ring to altar. The Zygote Chronicles is her singular take on the next leg of the journey -- a riotous and poignant novel in journal form that takes us from conception to delivery room. Through the voice of a whip-smart, sass-talking everywoman Zygote reveals the unsettling and uproarious truth about pregnancy and the prospect of motherhood. The Zygote Chronicles will resonate for any woman who has even briefly considered motherhood. The strange purgatory of pregnancy has been a fact of life since Eve ate the apple, but never has it been recounted in such brilliant, hilarious detail.

Customer Reviews:

Fun and Realistic.......2006-04-28

I enjoyed reading Finnamore's experiences. She is brutally honest about pregnancy's ups and downs and laugh out loud funny.

Loved reading during pregnancy........2006-02-02

I enjoyed reading this book during pregnancy. I would laugh out loud many times and my husband started thinking I was going crazy. Easy read. Read in a few hours.

Short book, but how is it fiction.......2005-06-04

I picked up the "Zygote Chronicles" thinking that it was a chick-lit character that has a baby. But it is clearly a menior about the writer's own experiences. It was okay, but it not that great and it was little for a lot of money.

Really lousy attempt at depth and humor.......2005-04-27

This is the kind of garbage they teach you to write in college--imitations of what's on the shelf right now, only "smarter," which really just means "condescending to those not born with a silver spoon in ultrawhite Marin County." But you shouldn't be surprised--the authoress also writes a blog which is just as bloated with self-absorption (even if she wants to pretend this is a novel: novels have PLOTS, honey). Bypass this and read some Dorothy Parker instead

Great, if short, book.......2005-03-25

I will echo another reviewer's comments and mention that the copyright page says "fiction," but this is clearly a memoir. This is the story of a woman who is pregnant, told to her unborn child. The child's name is Pablo Finnamore Friedman.

Along the way, the author advises the baby on how to treat women, fills him in on family history, and memorializes her eating habits - carrot cake, Stouffer's macaroni and cheese, the saltier and fattier, the better. On a more serious note she talks about how pregnancy purges her of cynicism, makes her feel new and childlike again.

Finnamore is a very funny, talented writer who doesn't shy away from awkward truths. Recommended.

Amazon.com

In 1986, a Palestinian terrorist shot author Laura Blumenfeld's father. More than a decade later, Blumenfeld, a reporter for The Washington Post, decided to find the man who tried to kill her dad; she also wanted to learn about vengeance. “I was looking for the shooter, but I also was looking for some kind of wisdom,” she writes. “I wanted to master revenge.” Blumenfeld interviews a variety of people, from religious figures to assassins, about the meaning of revenge. The heart of the book, though, is her own journey to find the man who pulled the trigger. First she locates his family and learns vivid details about his life--he was a standout in his public-relations course at the University of Bethlehem. Blumenfeld's own emotions aren't far from the surface of this narrative. When she meets the shooter's own father, for instance, she asks herself: “Am I supposed to shoot him now?” Finally she begins a creepy correspondence with the gunman, who is in prison. Their letters back and forth are oddly compelling--at first the shooter doesn't know her real identity, though she eventually reveals it. In the end, Blumenfeld says her quest helped her find hope in a dangerous world, even as the final words of her book reflect upon September 11 and its immediate aftermath, when so many other Americans longed for their own vengeance. --John Miller

Book Description

Laura Blumenfeld's father was shot in Jerusalem in 1986 by a member of a rebel faction of the PLO responsible for attacks on several tourists. Her father survived, but Blumenfeld's desire for revenge haunted her. This is her story -- and a fascinating study of the mechanics and psychology of vengeance.

While plotting to infiltrate her father's shooter's life, Blumenfeld travels the globe gathering stories of other avengers. Through interviews with Yitzhak Rabin's assassin; members of the Albanian Blood Feud Committee; the chief of the Iranian judiciary; the mayor of Palermo, Sicily; the Israeli prime minister; priests; sports fans; fifth-grade girls; prostitutes; and more, she explores the dynamics of hate -- and the fine line that sometimes separates it from love.

Ultimately, Blumenfeld's target is more complex than the stereotypical terrorist she'd long imagined. In a surprising twist, she gets revenge, but not according to traditional expectations. She discovers a third way, a choice beyond "turn the other cheek" or "an eye for an eye." And with it she answers the age-old question: what is the best revenge?

Customer Reviews:

Revenge - A Story of Hope.......2007-02-02

Researched info. and ideas on taking revenge.
Makes one sit back and think.
Trouble putting the book down because I had to find out what was going to happen. Yes, suspensful!
A good book to read for anyone. If one is feeling revengeful, it would be helpful to read this book.

Excellent insights into a very complex problem.......2006-09-24

I really enjoyed this touching narrative. The insights into a Palestinian family were great and the reader learns a lot about the best of Arab culture. We also learned about Jewish culture as well and it's strong points. Laura did something unprecendented and her story is superb.

I do think Laura is a little too self-centered. My experience is that peace comes from being able to put yourself in others shoes and showing genuine empathy ( not sympathy ). I would have liked to see Laura show she can understand Palestinian's point of view. Might is not right and money can not buy freedom. All people have humanity that should be respected. The books shows this which is good.

A hopeful odyssey through the minefields of vengeance.......2006-06-19

How does one begin to describe a book that is at once a courageous odyssey of the mind and heart, an educational primer on the taking of revenge, a cornucopia of vivid personalities, an examination of the morality behind the world's responses to outrage, a journalistic investigation of a crime, a peek into familial dynamics, and a penetrating in-depth look into the soul of its author--warts, neuroses, and conflicted yearnings all on prominent display. "Revenge: a story of hope" by Laura Blumenfeld (a reporter for the Washington Post), is all of these things, as well as being a riveting, emotional, occasionally hilarious page turner. The story is set in motion in 1986 when the author's father is shot by a terrorist as he walked the streets of Jerusalem. Though not seriously injured, this act wounded his daughter's sensibilities deeply. A college student at the time, she wrote a poem about the incident, addressed to the terrorist that ended with a promise for revenge:

". . . this hand will find you--I am his daughter."

This unsettling idea remained in the back of her mind, needling her, until 12 years later she and her new husband moved to Israel for a year, setting in motion her inchoate plan to exact retribution. Plan? More like an ill-focused need or desire in search of a goal. She proceeded to read what she could get her hands on about the subject of vengeance, while taking trips all over Europe and the Middle East talking to individuals who had lost loved ones to acts of vengeance, to individuals who had taken revenge, to purported experts on the subject, to religious and philosophical leaders, to heads of State, to strangers on the street, to friends, to family, and finally to the shooters family. Along the way she meets a would-be avenger for the Holocaust who planned to poison tens of thousand of random Germans in an act of collective revenge--who nonetheless thought the idea of personal vengeance to be criminal. She interviews Anez abu Salim, a Bedouin Tribesman, who achieved revenge by composing a poem recounting how his wife had betrayed him. She slips into the holy city of Qom, Iran while in disguise (not at a little risk to herself, being Jewish, foreign, and a woman) to ask a Grand Ayatollah whether, according to precepts of Islam, she was entitled to revenge. All of this is fascinating reading, giving the reader a clear sense of how far man has yet to travel before finding a balance between the competing needs of retribution, compassion, and order--a distance so great that the book might have left a despairing taste--if not what lies at the heart of this volume. It is the author's personal journey that ultimately buoys this work, propelled by an earnest openness and accessible prose, as we follow her through some surprisingly neurotic detours while her thoughts slowly coalesce into an idiosyncratic plan of action--a form of "revenge" that is almost as surprising as it proves cathartic and profoundly moving. I can hardly conceive of an individual (outside of the odd terrorist) who will not find this odyssey through the desert of despair to an oasis of reconciliation and hope utterly compelling.

A fascinating story.......2004-11-01

Laura Blumenfeld writes a fascinating story of her personal search for revenge after her father was shot in the head by a Palestinian terrorist in the Old City of Jerusalem. Her father, a rabbi, was a tourist. He was targeted for reasons that were unknown.

Blumenfeld spent many months speaking with the family of the incarcerated terrorist, presenting herself as a journalist, which is in fact her actual occupation. She managed to communicate with the terrorist himself, as well.

Though her father was able to forgive and release his attachment to the incident, Blumenfeld remained obsessed with the attack. She visited Albania, where revenge has been codified over 2,000 years of sanctioned practice; in Sicily, where the Mafia have established revenge as a tool for establishing and maintaining power; and in Iran, where Muslim tradition includes revenge as a part of its legal system.

Most fascinating to the reviewer, as a psychotherapist, is her personal odyssey of sorting out her relationships with her father and mother, and how this interdigitated with her resolution of her search for revenge.

This is an excellent, readable exploration of many facets of the issues surrounding vengeful feelings and their resolution.

Humanity, Courage, Forgiveness, and Hope.......2004-07-09

[Audio edition, abridged] As a work of fiction, this nicely bridges the psychological drama and the suspense novel, and proves you can write an interesting tale without explosions, betrayals or mayhem.
While perhaps not as well crafted as Fuentes or Marquez, the author creates a disarmingly flawed heroine, who nonetheless becomes endearing. The theme of "is the world essentially good or bad?" is well dramatized, and the climactic courtroom scene as suspenseful and dramatic as a prime-time thriller. A "ripping good yarn", especially considering the themes of family values, hope and peace.
It will be interesting to see what further works this author creates, and how her craft progresses.

Average customer rating:

REVENGE

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0641590547

Product Description

In 1986, Laura Blumenfeld's father was shot in Jerusalem by a member of a rebel faction of the PLO responsible for attacks on several tourists in the Old City. Her father lived, but Blumenfeld's desire for revenge haunted her. This is her story. Traveling to Europe, America, and the Middle East, Blumenfeld gathers stories and methods of avengers worldwide as she plots to infiltrate the shooter's life. Through interviews with Yitzhak Rabin's assassin; with members of the Albanian Blood Feud Committee; the chief of the Iranian judiciary; the mayor of Palermo, Sicily; an Egyptian heroin smuggler; the Israeli prime minister and the military chief of staff; priests; sports fans; fifth-grade girls; and prostitutes, among others, she explores the mechanics and the psychology of vengeance. But ultimately it is a journey that leads her back home -- where she is forced to confront her childhood dreams, her parents' failed marriage, and her ideas about family. In the end, her target turns out to be more complex -- and in some ways more threatening -- than the stereotypical terrorist she'd long imagined. A rare, ambitious, personal, and intellectual tour of dark urges often denied, Revenge: A Story of Hope is a beautifully written story about family, loyalty, and home, about the personal passions behind public events, and about the thin line between love and hate.

Average customer rating:

Revenge A Story of Hope
Laura Blumenfeld
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUICLU

Customer Reviews:

In der Sache J. Robert Oppenheimer...........2005-12-17

This book was originally intended to be a TV drama, I believe. I don't remember if it got made, but it doesn't change the fact that the written work is excellent.

The drama follows the security clearance hearing. Kipphart took the official transcripts and melded some people together into one, rearranged the order, shortened the list of witnesses to produce one work that showed both sides of the argument. Because of the way it was pieced together, I myself couldn't decide if I sympathised with Oppenheimer or believed he was wrongfully accused. The moment one side got the upper hand, it would be the other side's turn to state its case.

Perhaps one negative point is that it's hard to say Kipphart truly "wrote" this, as so much is taken from historical fact. His artistic touch is visible through what exactly is shown, not the content. He chooses to show these arguments, the ones he believes are the most important.

My favorite part is Oppenheimer's monologue at the end, although that was freely invented by Kipphart. It's one of the few things that can be easily attributed to him.

I enjoyed this work, and I would recommend it to everybody.

Book Description

Use award-winning software to analyze and critically evaluate real data with RESEARCH METHODS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE: USING MICROCASE® EXPLORIT. This workbook includes a Windows version of MicroCase® ExplorIt, a user-friendly program that makes it easy to manipulate and learn from actual data without getting bogged down in complicated statistical software. Over two dozen research-quality data files are included in this package, along with fourteen exercise worksheets (one per chapter) that let you see the real impact of the concepts they study.

Customer Reviews:

A top notch introduction to social science research methods.......2007-04-21

I can't improve on Dr. Charlie Leonard's review so let me simply ratify his well chosen words. Le Roy and Corbett put the student in the driver's seat with powerful but easy-to-use software, an excellent assortment of data sets, and for the most part well crafted assignments that nicely complement the research design topics discussed in their textbook.

This book is not worth it........2005-10-20

This is the worst methods book that I have ever seen. Not only are the examples vague, the explanations are useless. Most of the calculations that they force students to do are done by SPSS or Excel automatically. MicroCase is worthless as well, insofar as demonstrating what can be done in the real world with statistical modeling. Do yourself a favor and use Pollack's book instead.

Understanding the "Science" in Political Science.......2000-04-06

Microcase's workbook explains, in simple terms, how political scientists use statistics and the scientific method to explain political and social phenomena. The workbook in itself is a terrific accomplishment. The hands-on exercises, however, are what really bring the concepts home to the reader/student. Using real social and political data, Microcase leads the user through real statistical explorations. It's a great tool for teaching, makes a good independent-study course, and would be an excellent way to learn a little about the "science" in poli sci on one's own.

Book Description

Sigurd F. Olson (1899-1982) was one of the greatest environmentalists of the twentieth century. A conservation activist and popular writer, Olson introduced a generation of readers to the importance of wilderness. He served as president of the Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association and as a consultant to the federal government on wilderness preservation and ecological problems. He earned many honors, including the highest possible from the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, and Izaak Walton League.

Olson is perhaps best known, though, for his many books that express the wonder, awe, and peace he found in the wilderness, including the nature classics The Singing Wilderness, Listening Point, and Reflections from the North Country. While these books have greatly influenced subsequent environmentalist movements and writers such as Annie Dillard and Barry Lopez, a major portion of Olson's wilderness writing-much of it originating as speeches-has been relatively inaccessible, scattered in a number of magazines and obscure books over a period of more than fifty years, or never published at all.

The Meaning of Wilderness gathers together the most important of Sigurd Olson's articles and speeches, making them available for the first time. The book also contains an introduction and chapter-by-chapter commentary by Olson's authorized biographer, David Backes, that help the reader discover the various facets of Olson's wilderness philosophy and their development over time. A lively look at the evolution of one of environmentalism's greatest figures, The Meaning of Wilderness will be essential reading for Olson fans, historians, and outdoors people around the country.

David Backes is the author of A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson (Minnesota, 1997), winner of the 1998 Small Press Book Award for biography. Backes is also the author of Canoe Country: An Embattled Wilderness (1991) and The Wilderness Companion (1992).

Customer Reviews:

The Meaning of Wilderness.......2001-12-20

I am buying this book for my husband for Christmas. He has the entire rest of the Olson collection, and I know that this will certainly complement that. I would highly recommend any or all of the collection. Especially to anyone interested in the true spirit of the north,and all it symbolizes and embraces. Excellent work!!

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