Managing Tourism in Cities: Policy, Process, and Practice

Book Description

This book examines the management issues raised by urban tourism development through a series of international case studies. An international author base covers a range of political, social, cultural, environmental, product development, visitor management and strategic development issues. A key theme to the collection is how the management of the development of tourism in major cities can affect local residents and industry players, Central to this are the effects of urban processes and administrative structures on this development. Contributors Gary Akehurst • Belinda Dodson • Katie Evans • C. Michael Hall Howard Hughes • Habibullah Kahn • Darryll Kilian • Trevor Mules Myra Shackley • John Tunbridge • Jan van der Borg. Students and researchers of tourism management, urban studies and geography will find this book provides insight into an important area Urban managers, planners, consultants and public sector agencies will find the case studies enormously useful in their work.

Book Description

Contains analyses that are designed to highlight specified subject areas or provide other significant presentations of budget data that place the budget in perspective. Includes economic and accounting analysis; information on Federal receipts and collections; analyses of Federal spending; detailed information on Federal borrowing and debt; current services estimates; and other technical presentations. Also includes information on the budget system and concepts and a listing of the Federal programs by agency and account.

Average customer rating:

You won't be disappointed

Big Rigs, Elvis & The Grand Dragon Wayne
Michael Perry
Manufacturer: Whistlers & Jugglers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Why They Killed Big Boy

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Truck: A Love Story (P.S.)

Population - 485 - Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren At A Time

Never Stand Behind a Sneezing Cow

ASIN: 0963169564

Book Description

Collected from publications as diverse as Esquire, Salon, Utne Reader, Orion, Troika and Road King, the essays in Big Rigs, Elvis & The Grand Dragon Wayne range through territory stretching from the Wyoming plains to the heart of Budapest. The itinerary includes stops in the basement of a burning building, a bunk room adjacent to a tenacious Central American prostitute, and a gospel shout in a granary. This is life observed from a country musicians tour bus, the cab of a careening Belizian sugarcane truck, and the back of a runaway cutting horse. Whether hitchhiking with truckers or simply writing to decline a handwritten invitation to a Ku Klux Klan rally, Michael Perry tells stories that are deceptively simple and abundantly wise.

Customer Reviews:

You won't be disappointed.......1999-11-24

Michael Perry's essays are some of the best pieces of writing I have read. His insights always ring true and his words dance across the page in a rhythm that is never disappointing. I'm hoping this author will have more for me read.

Book Description

Taking up the story where "The Beatles: A Diary" left off, this is a highly detailed chronicle of what each of the ex-Beatles did from January 1970 onwards. A fascinating, fully illustrated account of four individuals emerging from the straitjacket of pop music's greatest ever success story. (hardcover, b/w photos)

Customer Reviews:

Great Addition to the Beatles' Story.......2001-06-06

First let me say what a wonderful book this is. I bought it thinking of it as a reference, but ending up reading it cover to cover. There are many stories that run through the book, John, Paul, George, and Ringo's lives, for sure, but you can also follow the legal cases (I never knew Apple records sued Apple Computers, and got an undisclosed settlement!), the tours, the press bickering and the love fests in the press.

I found the organization exceptional. While an index would have been nice (maybe for future editions), I didn't really need it. My favorite activity while reading this book was to follow various threads from entry to entry. So, when John wrote a letter to Melody Maker, that is noted and you are directed to the subsequent dates to find out the response, etc. I found this to be fun and engaging. All in all, a wonderful book.

What a great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-04-11

I thought this book was a great read!. Its researched with great detail & passion from a writer who knows his stuff. I'd love to meet the writer, as I imagine that he could talk for hours about the Beatles & you wouldn't get bored!.

Best Beatles Book in 10 years!.......2000-04-15

This is the best book since Lewisohn's Day By Day book of the Beatles which cover 1962-1989. It picks up where he left off and gives us the most complete picture of the Beatles after the Beatles to date. Only a few mistkaes on dates and times, which hopefully will be corrected in the next edition. Buy it ASAP!

NECESSARY COMPANION.......1999-12-16

From John and Paul's last photo together to John's statement of a possible Beatle reunion; this book has it all on the four muscicians who continue to influence the musical world. Keith Badman details all the relevant events of the post-Beatles' lives which is a must for any true Beatle fan!

Every Little Thing.......1999-12-13

If you need to know every activity each Beatle has participated in from the minute Paul announced he was leaving the group, until the present time, this is the book for you. It's a diary, plain and simple, which lists day by day appearances, meetings, concerts, interviews, record releases, etc., many of which were obscure until now. If you're looking for narrative prose about the solo Beatles, look elsewhere. This book definitely has the most detailed account of John's final day, and the other Beatles' reactions. It has a few rare photos; a must have for true Beatlemaniacs.

Book Description

This original and engaging book investigates American television viewing habits as a distinct cultural form. Based on an empirical study of the day-to-day use of television by working people, it develops a unique theoretical approach integrating cultural sociology, postmodernism and the literature of media effects to explore the way in which people give meaning to their viewing practices. Accessibly written and at the cutting edge of cultural studies and television research, this book is essential reading for students and academics in cultural studies, television research, media and communication studies.

Download Description

This original and engaging book investigates American television viewing habits as a distinct cultural form. Based on an empirical study of the day-to-day use of television by working people, it develops a unique theoretical approach integrating cultural sociology, post modernism and the literature of media effects to explore the way in which people give meaning to their viewing practices. While recognising the power of television, it also emphasises the importance of the social and political factors which affect the lives of individual viewers, showing how the interaction between the two can result in a disengagement with corporately produced culture at the same time as an appropriation of the images themselves into people's lives.

Customer Reviews:

this ethnography of television viewers is long overdue!.......2001-02-22

this book details the practices of television viewers and their distinct cultures, explicating the ways in which television holds power - and the ways it doesn't. lembo integrates his empirical findings into contemporary theory, providing challenging ideas for those studying contemporary culture in any form.

I think the publisher calls it "valuable" - I call it essential.

Average customer rating:
Thinking Through Television: The First Six Years of the Skills Essential to Learning Project
Robinson K. Sloan
Manufacturer: Agency for Instructional Television
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Special Education | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960324410

Customer Reviews:

Awesome book!.......2000-06-09

This book has real life stories about police, paramedics, and firefighters. The police stories talk about crimes and they tell how they go after the criminal to catch them. The paramedics talk about them rescuing people from accidents and taking them to the hospital. The firefighters stories are pretty self-explanitory, they talk about them fighting fires and usually rescuing people. This book is based on the hit TV show Rescue 911 and is really worth getting if you have any interest in heroic and exciting stories. I would recommend this book to everyone that likes to read! It's an awesome book.

Book Description

MICROSOFT WORD Version 2002 INSIDE OUT is the foremost reference to Word version 2002 for PC "super users" and enthused home users alike. Complete in one volume, this book provides a thorough overview of the most-used features and functions of Microsoft's popular word processing program. The book provides the information advanced users really need. It delivers comprehensive information about Word tools for writing and editing, formatting, page design and publishing, data handling and automation, creating Web, and more. The book concludes with extensive information about how to share documents over a network, track document changes, send documents electronically, manage collaborative projects, and convert documents. Throughout the book you'll find a wealth of timesaving Word tips and tricks, troubleshooting techniques, and indexes, plus a CD-ROM that holds an electronic version of the book's text, handy Web links, sample macros and code, tutorials, utilities and additional third party software. This is the authoritative handbook you'll keep by your computer and use whenever you're stuck or stumped!

Customer Reviews:

Microsoft Word 2002 Inside Out.......2006-07-03

A thorough and well organized treatment of Word 2002 - that is also very useful to people with Word 2000. With pictures of dialog boxes and clear instructions for procedures, the book has been a great help. I don't need to just sit down and read it, I can easily find the section covering the skills/procedures that I need.
I tutor for SeniorNet Horowhenua and found so many interesting functions covered in the book that it has given me the content for 3 interesting Workshops for my students in the first week of use.

Microwoft Word Pretty Good.......2006-02-17

Found this book to be helpful although, at times, it forgets to include a key step. I use in conjunction with the online help of the software. I am working on software manuals that are 200+ pages and I could not be handling without the extra information provided in the book.

I liked this one a lot.......2004-11-05

I heartily recommend this book for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of Microsoft Word. Other than a bare mention of Visual Basic for Applications the coverage is very complete. The material is clearly presented and the authors patiently explain each procedure step by step. The layout of the text with numerous screen shots and hints, tips, et cetera in side-bars is excellent. Although the authors assume familiarity with past versions of Word, anyone like me who is new to Word but has had a lot of experience with another word-processor (WordPerfect for me) should have no trouble in learning Word from this book.

ms word users encyclopedia of functions.......2002-03-14

The cd that accompanies the book is worth the purchase price - but also makes the printed version archaic. Too bad to waste paper on publishing the huge book when the cd is much easier to use and once it's on your system it can be referred to in a couple of clicks of the mouse!

Excellent Resource.......2002-03-14

This book has just about everything you need to prepare for the MOUS certification. I love that the book explains just about every detail there is to word. It taught me some very useful tricks with Word. I do have one gripe I wish the section on VBA was a little longer. But overall I think that this is a great book.

Average customer rating:

Good ground work poor writing

Good but Dispassionate

a great story / a disappointing book

Get the names right!

1/8 Bravo Co. Mom

Fallujah, with Honor; First Battalion, Eighth Marine's Role in Operation Phantom Fury; Expanded 2nd Edition
Gary Livingston
Manufacturer: Caisson Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah

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ASIN: 192872406X

Product Description

Fallujah, With Honor, is a battle book depicting the role that the First Battalion, Eighth Marines played in Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Novemeber 2004. This book follows LtCol Gary Brandl's Marines push up the "belly of the beast" as part of the Sixth Batttalion attack on the insurgency in Fallujah. Author, Gary Livingston interviewed 68 Marines and shares their personal accounts of the battle.

Customer Reviews:

Good ground work poor writing.......2007-01-31

The writer of "Falluja with honor" has done a great job in collecting eye witness reports from a lot of the soldiers from 1/8 Marines.
BUT it is a pitty that the author does not know how to put all the collected information in to a coherent book. The book is a mess. the same story is told over and over again by the different eye witnesses. The author makes no effort in making the book readable.
The only reason i finished the book was because I think the story was exiting. It was quite a strugle to get through.
If you want a book about falluja buy "no true glory".

Good but Dispassionate.......2007-01-09

This is a well written and enjoyable book. However, I had just read a few days before, We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder With the Marines Who Took Fallujah and what a difference. You could tell that this book was primarily written from reading mission reports and letters. Those segments just didn't have any color to them and were not material to suck you into the book. There were definitely some segments that appear to have come from personal interviews and they were definitely more colorful and interesting.
This book is a worthwhile read if you're going to read a few books on Fallujah, but if you had to chose one, pick We Were One. The guy was there and the writing is just much more passionate and engaging.

a great story / a disappointing book.......2006-08-30

Why can't the author get it right ?

The Marines of 1/8 fought with bravery, skill, and courage. Why can't the author take the time and effort to get his facts right, or get the names right ? Surely in his effort to quickly get a book on Fallujah on the market, he can take the extra time to do as good a job in his writing as did the Marines in their fighting. There are some excellent books coming out now about Fallujah; this is not one of them.

Get the names right!.......2006-07-14

I bought this book, because I personally know people in the 1st Battalion 8th Marines. I really enjoyed how the author used real names and interviewed the Marines. Getting to read quotes from Marines I know really enstilled a sense of pride. I liked reading about people I knew and officers I had heard mentioned in converstaion. However, many facts in the book were incorrect. Some of the names were incorrectly documented, and companies that were present in some of the situations were not mentioned. The book is also seems very repetitive. As I was reading it, I kept thinking, "Have't I already read this?" The author may not have gotten some of the facts right, but he did a great job in portraying the perspective of the Marines in Operation Phantom Fury.

1/8 Bravo Co. Mom.......2006-06-20

My son is very open with what went on there so I knew about a lot of things that are in the book. I was very interested in reading about the battle from the start and what the other marines experienced. I followed the articles from the NY Times and the internet while the battle was going on. Gary did a great job on this book. He really tells their story. I'm very sorry for the losses the 1/8 had but I'm also very thankful that my son came home.

Book Description

Germany’s Colonial Pasts is a wide-ranging study of German colonialism and its legacies. Inspired by Susanne Zantop’s landmark book Colonial Fantasies, and extending her analyses there, this volume offers new research by scholars from Europe, Africa, and the United States. It also commemorates Zantop’s distinguished life and career (1945–2001).

Some essays in this volume focus on Germany’s formal colonial empire in Africa and the Pacific between 1884 and 1914, while others present material from earlier or later periods such as German emigration before 1884 and colonial discourse in German-ruled Polish lands. Several essays examine Germany’s postcolonial era, a complex period that includes the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany with its renewed colonial obsessions, and the post-1945 era. Particular areas of emphasis include the relationship of anti-Semitism to colonial racism; respectability, sexuality, and cultural hierarchies in the formal empire; Nazi representations of colonialism; and contemporary perceptions of race. The volume’s disciplinary reach extends to musicology, religious studies, film, and tourism studies as well as literary analysis and history. These essays demonstrate why modern Germany must confront its colonial and postcolonial pasts, and how those pasts continue to shape the German cultural imagination.

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Germanys Colonial Pasts
Eric Ames
Manufacturer: UNIV OF NE + PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q1OUX6

A visitable past: First American literary images of Germany and their twentieth century counterparts

Average customer rating:

Interview by proxy
Every Day Life
Educating and entertaining.

A visitable past: First American literary images of Germany and their twentieth century counterparts
Hans Galinsky
Manufacturer: Oberlin College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

ASIN: B0006DI5SA

Amazon.com

Ruth Gay's writing traverses the paths of history from the microcosm of personal memoir to millennial histories of peoples and nations. In The Jews of Germany, she traced one and a half centuries of Jewish life in Europe. In Unfinished People, Gay describes the lives of Jewish immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe and the process through which they forged new cultural identities in America. The materials for Gay's examination of Jewish life range from historical essays to personal remembrances. Short vignettes describe the role of Yiddish theater, the changing fashions of dress and family life, and her studied opinions on Jewish-American history and identity. Her opinions are sharp and her exposition is lucid and informative.

Book Description

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, a seminal work of history on immigrant Jewish life in early twentieth-century New York. Nearly three million Jews came to America from Eastern Europe between 1880 and the outbreak of World War I, filled with the hope of life in a new land. Within two generations, these newcomers settled and prospered in the densely populated Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods of New York City. Against this backdrop, Ruth Gay narrates their rarely told story—a unique and vibrant portrait of a people in their daily trials and rituals—bringing alive the vitality of the streets, markets, schools, synagogues, and tenement halls where a new version of America was invented in the 1920s and 1930s. An intimate, unforgettable account, Unfinished People is a singular act of expressing in words the richly textured lives of a resilient people.

Customer Reviews:

Interview by proxy.......2000-08-04

If you were too young and/or stupid to interview your grandparents from "the old country", here's your chance to learn about what it was like for them to emigrate to a strange new country while still a teenager. Thoroughly readable, informative, and enjoyable. Will enhance your respect and deepen your love. You will see pieces of your own family, your own history

Every Day Life.......1998-10-16

I am not Jewish. I do not have any Jewish friends. I live in Kentucky and I doubt that there is any Jewish people within miles of me. I wanted to find out more about their culture. This book was excellent. It dealt with the issues that I wanted to know about the every day ones. What they wore, what they ate, their household customs. I enjoyed reading how they were scared to send their children to camp. I liked the part where the women were always cleaning and to have bed bugs was the ultimate shame.

Educating and entertaining........1997-09-29

I read this book to better inform myself on the every day lives of the Jewish immigrants. I am searching my husband's Jewish ancestors and was pleasantly educated during the course of the book on the lives of these immigrants in New York City; their every day comings and goings, customs, work places, religious practices and the heavy influence their "pre-immigration" lives had on their new situations.

Average customer rating:

Non-Elementalism As A Paradigm.

Brilliant

Disappointing

all they want to do is remake science

Thorough

The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World (Penguin Press Science)
Jack Cohen , and Ian Stewart
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Chaos & Systems | Mathematics | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140178740

Customer Reviews:

Non-Elementalism As A Paradigm........2003-07-11

Jack Cohen with Ian Stewart in "The Collapse Of Chaos" attempt to show how Science must evolve. Theories such as Chaos, Quantum mechanics, Relativity, etc., require a new paradigm(methodology, worldview, etc., after Thomas Kuhn(1962)) as a way of organizing 'reality'. However since they have not been able to formalize a system(like many before them) involving emergent(Lao-Tse(c.600B.C)- whole is not the sum of the parts) phenomena, they have instead resorted to analogies, images, examples, discussion, etc.
Cohen with Stewart appear to recognize self-reflexiveness, that content has context for example; non-identity(an abstraction, anything, etc., is not the 'same') though only through diversity- natural selection as contextual; non-allness(cannot have 'all' abstractions, anything, etc) via the fact that DNA conditionally only directly codes for protein synthesis, further not even indirectly for 'all' the characteristics of the organism, instead context(nurture; mother's genes, hormones, etc; environmental factors like temperature, etc; etc) has a major role; related to non-allness, non-universality: laws are not eternal truths but context-dependent(relative) upon our method of investigation(for 'reality' has a tendency of throwing up facts['filtered' out] that does not fit our laws);etc. Though Cohen with Stewart are not aware that our current inadequate methodology traces back to Aristotle(c.350B.C.), further that just such a Non-Aristotelian paradigm(the foregoing as part) got introduced by Alfred Korzybski(1933). Unfortunately, Cohen with Stewart finally falter with non-elementalism(interchangeable, equivalent, reversible, etc., functional[non-linear-asymmetry-non-additive], packets, etc., emergent, holism), their main thrust.
Science has tended to explain complexities(actualities: the sheer multiplication of possibilities due to the 'interactions' of huge quantities) by finding deeper underlying simplicities(the consequence of the operation of simple rules on another level: simple 'causes' produce predictable complex 'effects'), as the laws of nature, etc., such that any large-scale simplicities (from complexities) that we observe, represent the underlying simplicities(simple 'causes' produce simple 'effects', despite complexities involved) becoming visible on a higher level, for example the spiral form of galaxies. Termed 'reductionism'('atomism', 'elementalism': Latin elementum, to 'analyse', 'atomize', etc.,- divide to the indivisible parts, the non-separable, contextually interchangeable whole(s) from part(s); etc), this represented Science's greatest achievement- where the complexity of one level becomes 'analysed' to a simplicity on another level. For example, that the 'interactions' of a range of fundamental 'particles'(-waves-fields) can account for the chemical 'elements', further how they 'react', bond, etc.
However this answer is no longer convincing. Chaos theory(for example, butterfly 'effect':"sensitive dependence on initial conditions") suggests that simple 'causes' can produce complex unpredictable 'effects', for example Mitchell Feigenbaum's(1979) number, the basis of Benoit Mandelbrot's(1977) Mandelbrot fractals, etc.; different from the underlying rules. Whereas complexity(Stuart Kaufmann's Anti-chaos) theory suggests the opposite: complex 'causes' can produce simple 'effects'. Echoing 'conventional reductionist' Science current findings that inside the great simplicities of the universe we find not simplicity, but over-whelming complexity. Here Cohen with Stewart introduce the terms complicity(defined as functioning as accomplice; becoming complex) representing chaotic systems, along with simplexity(defined as "comprising a single part"; "process involving simple features arising from a system of rules") representing anti-chaotic systems.
Though 'reductionism' appears occasionally great for quantitative mathematical calculations involving content. Our understanding of external large-scale functionings remains instead mostly descriptive, geometric, qualitative, etc.,- emergence involving context. Charles Darwin's(1859) principle of natural selection for example has no agreed upon laws, equations, etc., from which natural selection can become derived. Therefore Cohen with Stewart came to realize that emergent simplicities represent structural patterns created by external constraints, that collapse an underlying sea of random fluctuation- chaos. However though holism would thus appear as the obvious alternative to 'reductionism', yet it is not what Cohen along with Stewart want: "It considers a system as a unit and often ignores its context". Nevertheless though this may appear true for example, Kurt Goldstein's(1934) "organism-as-a-whole", other formulations have intermeshed context(equivalent to Korzybski's(1933) self-reflexive premise), again from Korzybski's(1933) Non-Aristotelian system:"organism-as-a-whole-in-an-environment". But before that we had Edgar Rubin's(1915) "reversible figure(s)-ground(s)" of Gestalt 'Psychology'; which can explain for example Mandelbrot's fractal as a holistic process.
Now the problem remains as to how to formulate this emergent process. Firstly our theories as 'generalized-universals' destroy facts, therefore we must formulate them as packets of reversible content(s)-context(s) relative uncertainties. Secondly we must mathematically bridge quantitative(content) with qualitative(context) phenomena as relative uncertainties. Mathematics as the Science of patterns(otherwise function of values), is not another 'reduction' but a language with which we can gain insights into how patterns arise. However Cohen with Stewart in the end fail to see the interchangeability of functional non-additive-asymmetry-non-linearity as mathematical emergence, which finally must have blocked their understanding. Though further diverse insights may well have assisted.
Nevertheless despite these flaws, Cohen along with Stewart have made a magnificent effort, for not many would have made it as far as they have.

Brilliant.......2002-09-25

I loved this book. I have never seen such a huge compilation of ideas from so many different topics compiled into one place. Not only that, but all the topics interlink to show the obvious as well as subtle connections. I especially like the fact that throughout the book, the authors manage to show numerous points of view, but without trying to force the reader to fall into any specific belief. I'll admit that not all the ideas are original in this book, but that fact is even stated within the book. For a second-year chemical engineering major such as myself, this was a real inspiration for thinking "out of the box", and really made me think about some of the "knowns" tought in science. A deffinite must. I have several friends in line to borrow this book already!

Disappointing.......2001-05-07

Not terribly impressive. The first two thirds of the book offer no new ideas, the authors just rehash material you'll find elsewhere. This part of the book spends *far* too much time on the subject of evolution and DNA in my opinion, perhaps because one of the co-authors is a biologist. How about cosmology or neurology, for example - both important fields in which low-level interactions give rise to high-level emergent behaviour ?

The final third of the book also fall a little flat, IMHO. The authors' grand insights seem trivial and unoriginal. One idea in particular seems to be 'borrowed' without acknowledgement from Douglas Hofstadter's amazing "Godel, Escher, Bach" : that a message and its context are inseparable (remember the dialogues with records and record players ?) I came away feeling distinctly un-enlightened.

One aspect that really annoyed me is the use of the awful hybrid words "simplexity" and "complicity", used to describe two quite different concepts. Every time they're used, the reader is left struggling to remember which word is which. I wish the authors had aimed for clarity, rather than playing silly word-games.

And finally, I have to mention the appalling design of the UK edition of this book. The type is far too small, and the cover (white text on bright yellow) is unreadable. There's a quote on the cover from Terry Pratchett, and his name is so prominent it honestly looks as though HE wrote the book. It is possibly the worst jacket design I've ever seen.

I really admired Ian Stewart's earlier books, but my advice is to avoid this one.

all they want to do is remake science.......2001-04-09

This is a witty and at times brilliant book. The authors argue that the reductionist approach to science, which has flourished over the last 300 years, for a more holistic or contrextual approach. In the reductionist approach, scientists have choped problems into manageable bits - lab experiments or discreet mathematical problems - that eventually they assume will be fit together into a coherent whole. Nature in this view functions as a vast machine they can reduce and separate into its component parts.

TO prove their point, the authors embark on a dazzling tour of biology, chemistry and physics. But something is missing say the authors. What we know, they claim, are tiny islands in a sea of ignorance; it is self limiting as the larger questions get neglected. It is the causes of simplicity, they say - the order that suddenly emerges - that researchers should explore.

So, they conclude, it is time for a new set of questions. Unfortunately, just when we expect something new, it is here that the book gets a bit vague, with the authors falling back on anecdotes and speculation. They try to coin a new vocabulary ("simplexity" for the old and "complicity" for theirs); offer some diagrams of what they want, including an odd picture of mixing smoke with a unicorn head; and they harp on strange and abrupt conclusions, such as the importance of squid fat to the evolution of the human brain. But they do not offer a coherent new paradigm.

An uneven effort, but fun and very funny at times.

Thorough.......2001-02-17

The title of this book is slightly misleading, as it implies it is about chaos, complexity and simplicity.

In fact the first half of the book is a guided tour of biology, chemisty and physics. Covering how these great sciences got where they are today, from Newton to Darwin, DNA to the lattice structure of diamonds.

The second half then presents a new way to look at science. Rather then delving inside something to find underlying rules, we should view things in context.

For example, traditionally the law of gravity is seen as the underlying principle that explains planetary motion. Cohen and Stewart argue that it is just a rule (of thumb?) that fits the facts, and that there is no LAW of gravity.

It seems a subtle distinction, but on reading this book it is quite an important one, and it has certainly given me a different view of the world.

Very intelligent and always interesting, this book is written for the layman and is always at pains to explains matters thoroughly and use every possible analogy to help get ideas across.

This book is worth twice the money for the first half alone - a perfect primer for those interested in science, but who dont want to get technical.

Cohen and Stewart are high level experts in their respective fields, and yet they write simply and lucidly, resulting in a desire to read further.

Average customer rating:
The Collapse of Chaos : Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World
Jack; Steart, Ian Cohen
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0014024675

Average customer rating:
The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World
Jack; Stewart, Ian Cohen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ0JBC

Average customer rating:
THE COLLAPSE OF CHAOS: DISCOVERING SIMPLICITY IN A COMPLEX WORLD.
Jack and Ian Stewart. Cohen
Manufacturer: NY, Viking, 1994. 495 pp., illus. Fine copy of first edition in dust jacket.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDZ4Q2

Book Description

The story of California is the story of water, and no book tells it better than this opulent, exuberant, thoughtful collection of photographs and text. With full-color photos throughout, Water and the Shaping of California presents the natural history of water in California, and explores the forces of nature--flood and drought--and society--gold, grain and growth--that led to the water projects that created the California we know today and the conflict over competing uses.

Water and the Shaping of California features literary works by some of California's best know authors including Mary Austin, Joan Didion, John McPhee, William Saroyan, Gary Snyder, Kevin Starr, and John Steinbeck. Duotone photographs and illustrations along with excerpts from old journals and magazine articles by William Henry Brewer, Clarence King, John Muir, Mark Twain and others paint a picture of the California of yesterday.

Water and the Shaping of California is a large, capacious book, in which water is viewed both intimately and at the same time with an enlarged perspective that enables the reader to come away with a greater sense of the history of the state and the problems and opportunities we face.

Customer Reviews:

An outstanding, specialized, illustrated regional history........2000-09-05

This documentary on California's water history provides both an important state guide and a history featuring literary works by some of the state's best-known authors. Politics, economics, and social issues blend in this presentation which includes 148 color photos, 58 duotone photos, and 15 line drawings to make for a lavish display of facts.

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