Sunshot: Peril And Wonder in the Gran Desierto (The Southwest Center Series)

Customer Reviews:

Essays on life, living, and an incredible desert.......2006-12-10

Of all the books my brother, Bill has written, I most love this one. SUNSTRUCK is about the area of the world on which he is an expert, a remote area of the Sonoran Desert, but more importantly, these are thought-provoking essays on life and living. Even if, like me, you don't usually read essays about the natural world I think you'll appreciate his writing style and world outlook. Bill shares anecdotes about the outdoor life, hiking, those he meets and gets to know in the desert (including la migra and people escaping the border patrol, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, bighorn sheep) that make the reader feel as if they are there with Bill at the moment of encounter.

So I hope you'll enjoy a book about a wondrous place in the world that few people visit, and even fewer understand: El Gran Desierto, the Devil's Highway. Yes, this review is written by the author's sister, but don't hold that against me. Given my proclivity to reading fiction, I might not have picked up this book if my brother hadn't written it. I am so glad I had the opportunity to enjoy his vivid use of language and to vicariously experience some of Bill Broyles' adventures in the desert.

Be careful...be very careful........2006-04-25

It is officially called El Camino del Diablo-The Devil's Highway. It's also known by a variety of other names best left out of this review. It stretches for some 130 miles of desert from Sonoyta, in Mexico's state of Sonora, to Yuma, Arizona, on the Colorado River. There is precious little permanent water and ground temperatures can, and do, reach 150 degrees and more. It includes parts of two national monuments, a national wildlife refuge, and a gunnery range in Arizona not to mention various intities in Mexico. The are can be explored via foot or four-wheel drive vehicle. It can be done. It's done every year by experts and fools, lots of fools, legal and illegal. Many don't make it. It is a killer. If you are intrigued by scorpions, drug smugglers, sidewinders, bandits, illegal aliens, rattlesnakes, sand storms, unbearable heat, lack of water, a military gunnery range, and a host of other unbelievable challenges this is the trip for you. I don't know of any typical travel or guide book that will prepare you for this trip but this book comes as close as any to providing one with a sense of what to expect and when to go. It is probably the very best book ever published about this special place. The author and photographer have a knack of presenting a highly readable, visually accurate account of the dangers and beauty that await the visitor to a place noted author Charles Bowden says "...we finally get to face ourselves because we are alone with life itself." I have done this trip in a four-wheel drive vehicle and can only say be careful...very careful. This is a must read both for the armchair traveler and boots on the ground type.

Desert and Mountain Plants of the Southwest

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Much better guides available
The True Review

Desert and Mountain Plants of the Southwest
Dorothy Van Dyke Leake , Benjamin John Leake , and Marcelotte Leake Roeder
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 080612489X

Customer Reviews:

Much better guides available.......2007-06-01

This guide attempts to cover too much territory. While the scholarship of the authors is undeniable, the book falls short of describing the most common species. For example, 6 pages are devoted to 10 species of fern, species relatively uncommon in arid regions of the southwest. The California Palm, a species uncommon in native populations, is afforded 2 pages. Variety is wonderful, but not at the expense of common species. Agaves and oaks, well represented in the southwest, have only one species each listed. The Arizona pine, very limited in distribution, is described, yet the very regionally common Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine is omitted. Some of the species descriptions are useful if you want to supplement other guides, but if you're looking for a useful guide to carry along in your travels, this isn't it.

The True Review.......2001-04-02

This book did an excellent job labeling and organizing plants in the southwest area. For those who do not know much about the plants in this area, or about plants in general, then this book is a good starters guide in this field. The information given about these plants are simple to understand but also in depth for those looking for more factual references. The pictures are accurate and well drawn, so these plants are easier identified. The authors of this book did a vantastic job describing with clarity and in depth descritpions of the wide-range of plants covering this area.

A synoptic flora of Mysore District: With an appendix of unani, ayurvedic, and trade names of drugs (International bioscience series)
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A synoptic flora of Mysore District: With an appendix of unani, ayurvedic, and trade names of drugs (International bioscience series)
R Raghavendra Rao
Manufacturer: Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006E7REM

Customer Reviews:

A practical book.......2001-01-10

The sub-title 'A tourist guide' describes exactly what this is. It's very practical, with information on what clothes to take, how to rent a car, tipping, visas, places of interest and places to stay. I've not (yet) been to Eritrea, but there is plenty of useful information here plus a little general background on history and culture.

Book Description

Lara gets even

They've all grown up together on a tiny island. They think they know everything about one another...but they're only just beginning to find out the truth.

Lara gets even with Kate because she can't bear to watch Kate stealing Jake. Kate's been searching for the boy who rescued her at Ben's party and now it seems she's about to find him. Can Lara dream up a scheme that will lead Kate straight to the wrong guy?

Customer Reviews:

A Aws0me bo0k........2000-10-05

I just want to say "Making Out" is my favroite series, and if Katherine Applegate ever stopped making "Making Out" book's, I'd die. Anyways I'd only read half of the book, but it is really good so far, Lara is gettin pissed at Kate cause she likes Jake. Zoey (ughhh) and Lucas are gettin futher apart, Claire and Aaron are tryin to get there parents to brake up. I just wanna say., that I think Claire and Laucas should get back together, they were a good couple. =]

A Book To Be Read.......1999-11-29

In found this book to be full of emotions. Lara was really having a tough time over the Jake ordeal and with Jake liking Kate this is becoming impossible. It is SOOOOOOOOOO obviousthat the relationship between Lucas and Zoey is falling to pieces. Thenthere's the decessed relationship between Nina and Benjamin.Ireally thought that Clare and Aaron were very cruel to their parents but i wouldn't want to give anything away. I really and truely thought this was a very good book like many of Katherine Applegate's book

A must read book!!!!!!!.......1999-09-28

I'm not going to give away TOO much, but I DO have some comments. I really want Aaron and Claire to get back together. Even if he is an @$$hole, their still made for each other. It's also totally obvious that she's going to confess about the letter. You can tell that Zoey and Lucas are going to break up for the millionth time. They break up and make up in every book. I'm wondering whether Aisha is going to choose Christopher or David.(I don't really care) But if she does choose Christopher, her past "experiences" with Jeff are going to haunt her. It's also totally obvious that the truth will come out about Lara's scheme. Jake and Kate are totally going to get together. Now the important topic, my favorite characters, BENJAMIN AND NINA!!!! Nina finally came to her senses and realized that there was nothing for her on Catham Island. But when everyone finds out she's gone, they'll totally freak! ESPECIALLY BENJAMIN!!!!!(Can you tell that I want theses 2 to get back together or what?) All in all, it was an awesome book! Read the whole series! I can almost guarrantee that you'll love it!

This is probably the best book I have read in the series........1999-09-15

Trying my best not to give everything away this was a great book. I think that this book is a great lead up to the next book Two-Timing Ashia. Applegate gets more into the relationship of Ashia and David and there is a suprise at the end. I'll just let you decide.

Will Kate ever find her love?.......1999-06-22

Not if Lara has anything to do with it! This book makes a good read as it continues the many subplots in this series. For example, the crew get their college acceptances and Ben and Nina's breakup blues continue. Claire and Aaron continue to plot against their parents pending marriage and I guess you'll have to read this book to find out if they are successful. However, the sexual tension between those two is still there, as is between Aisha and the Physics geek, David. I guess Aisha's forgotten that she has a boyfriend! Poor Jake is unlucky in love after being turned down by Kate who was unknowing he was her rescuer at Ben's party. Will Kate and Jake ever get it together? Enter Lara, the girl who is willing to do anything to keep Kate from her crush, Jake, even if she has to use her siblings or friends to do it. Her scheming has some not so pretty consequences that leads into the next book, Two Timing Aisha.

5 Titles By Katherine Applegate Making Out Series (14-18) : 14. Aaron Lets Go 15. Who Loves Kate? 16. Lara Gets Even 17. Two-Timing Aisha 18. Zoey Speaks Out

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5 Titles By Katherine Applegate Making Out Series (14-18) : 14. Aaron Lets Go 15. Who Loves Kate? 16. Lara Gets Even 17. Two-Timing Aisha 18. Zoey Speaks Out
Katherine Applegate
Manufacturer: Avon Flare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Making Out | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000V7MPA0

Product Description

multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

Book Description

Scarcity of water has brought about a number of structural, behavioural, physiological and ecological adaptations in amphibians inhabiting seasonally xeric habitats. This book describes structural and functional adaptations of key organs such as skin, kidneys, bladder, lungs and ovaries. Behavioural responses to high temperatures mainly involve thermoregulation and the selection of optimal temperatures and humidity. Special emphasis is placed on physiological adaptations: water, electrolyte, nitrogen, and thermal balance and their endocrine control are treated in detail. Development and metamorphosis, larval competition for food resources, and reproductive strategies are only a few of the exciting topics in the chapter on ecological aspects.

Ecophysiology of Desert Arthropods and Reptiles (Adaptations of Desert Organisms)

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Ecophysiology of Desert Arthropods and Reptiles (Adaptations of Desert Organisms)
J.L. Cloudsley-Thompson
Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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Ecophysiology of Desert Reptiles

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0121245764

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Ecophysiology of Desert Reptiles
Sydney D. Bradshaw
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHW2VO

Book Description

The purpose of this book is to provide an introduction to the concepts of statistical analysis of data for students at the undergraduate and graduate level, and to provide tools for data reduction and error analysis commonly required in the physical sciences. The presentation is developed from a practical point of view, including enough derivation to justify the results, but emphasizing methods of handling data more than theory. The text provides a variety of numerical and graphical techniques. Computer programs that support these techniques will be available on an accompanying website in both Fortran and C++.

Customer Reviews:

All new but just as good.......2004-07-26

This book seems to have been completely rewritten by the new author, only keeping the outline of the original, and it's for the better. The writing is as careful as the original, and as economical, so you have to master the early chapters or the rest is hopeless, as things start off slowly but quickly become difficult. It begins by considering the error in a single measurement, and proceeds to estimating errors derived from curve fitting. A few nuclear decay experiments provide examples throughout, and the author insists on calculating many quantities manually, even though in practice it would never be done that way. Some background topics like matrix algebra appear in the appendix too.

misprint and misleading!!.......2004-05-27

There are lots of misleading in Ch. 3. - Specific error formulas. See the original Bevington's 1st ed., and compare the formulas. I think this misleading should be corrected. Standard deviation is ALWAYS positive!!..

Great Book.......2002-05-22

I make measurements frequently and this book is great for providing the background to analyze your data.

I took undergraduate level statistics and it never really gave the practical applied background in how to analyze data. It merely presented concepts and presumed you knew how and why to apply them. This book is very good at helping you to understand the how and why.

I have read a number of other statistics book in search of the practical applied information provided in this book and did not find it in the other books.

The writing is clear and consice. There is enough background provided for even those unexposed to statistics.

I have not tried the software. Most of the formulas are easy to apply and can be implemented in simple programs or spreadsheets in very little time.

In short, I recommend this book to anyone making measurements of any kind.

"Updated" classic, but still vintage '92.......1998-01-06

Robinson's second edition continues the late Bevington's tradition of clear and concise writing, making this book a priceless reference for scientists. Robinson has added discussions of modern problems such as resolving closely-spaced peaks in a spectrum. The new version also adds chapters on Monte Carlo techniques and maximum-likelihood analysis, both powerful tools for data analysis made possible by better computers.

The chapter structure has been modified considerably, so those who have grown comfortable with the first edition over the past decades may not be able to find things as easily. Other than that, most of the weaknesses are computer-related. Much has changed even since 1992.

Robinson added an appendix on graphical presentation. This sounds promising but is a pretty trivial discussion of when to use linear or logarithmic axes and the advantages of a historgram. Might be useful for a very young student, but these days playing with such things is easy in any graphing program.

Many of the computer code snippets have been removed. Most of them were only a few lines of code with lots of comment lines anyway. The codes that remain have been moved from the main text to a densely-packed appendix, which makes them more difficult to study while reading the text.

The codes themselves have been updated from old FORTRAN to a structured language, but I would have preferred C or FORTRAN 90 over the chosen PASCAL. The latter may be useful for undergraduate students, but I've never seen a PASCAL compiler in a working physics lab.

The included disk is a now-obsolete 5.25" floppy. I had to hunt for a machine that could read it and copy over to a 3.5" disc. The text claims repeatedly that the disc has both FORTRAN 77 and PASCAL routines on it, but my copy only has the PASCAL.

In the end, it's the textual content that is important, and this book is a fantastic basic discussion of data analysis and statistics for students and a great reference for the practicing scientist.

A classic returned!.......1997-10-31

Bevington's first edition of this book dates to the late 60's when Fortran ruled the world. I was crushed when I lost my copy in the mid 70's and am delighted to find he's written a modern updated edition!

Data Reduction and Error Analysis fro the Physical Sciences

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Data Reduction and Error Analysis fro the Physical Sciences
Philip R. Bevington
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000EG5QD

DATA REDUCTION AND ERROR ANALYSIS FOR THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES

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DATA REDUCTION AND ERROR ANALYSIS FOR THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
PHILIP ROBINSON, D.KEITH BEVINGTON
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGIM8M

Average customer rating:

Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
Philip R. Bevington
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG5852

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