Nature

Ellis, Richard No Turning Back eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Nearly every species that has lived on earth is extinct. The last of thedinosaurs was wiped out after a Mount Everest-sized meteorite slammedinto the earth 65 million years ago. The great flying and marine reptiles areno more. Before humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge some 15,000 yearsago, North America was populated by mastodons, mammoths, saber-toothedtigers, and cave bears. They too are MIA. The passenger pigeon, once themost numerous bird in North America, is gone forever.

In No Turning Back, renowned naturalist Richard Ellis explores the lifeand death of animal species, immortalizing creatures that were driven toextinction thousands of years ago and those more recently. He documentsthose that were brought back from the brink, and most surprisingly, he revealsanimals not known to exist until the twentieth century -- an antidoteto extinction.

Macfarlane, Robert The Wild Places eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

"An eloquent (and compulsively readable) reminder that, though we're laying waste the world, nature still holds sway over much of the earth's surface." -Bill McKibben Are there any genuinely wild places left in Britain and Ireland? That is the question that Robert Macfarlane poses to himself as he embarks on a series of breathtaking journeys through some of the archipelago's most remarkable landscapes. He climbs, walks, and swims by day and spends his nights sleeping on cliff-tops and in ancient meadows and wildwoods. With elegance and passion he entwines history, memory, and landscape in a bewitching evocation of wildness and its vital importance. A unique travelogue that will intrigue readers of natural history and adventure, The Wild Places solidifies Macfarlane's reputation as a young writer to watch.

Ellis, Richard TUNA eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

"An artful, detailed account of the tuna, and an entreaty that this not be its swan song."
--Kirkus

"Timely, balanced, and passionate."
--Library Journal

"Anyone who relishes this seafood will think twice after digesting Ellis's cautionary tuna tome."
--Booklist

"With all the authority and grace for which his writings are renowned, Richard Ellis offers up an impassioned plea to protect and save one of the deep ocean's loveliest creatures. His scrupulously considered view--that our very modern craving for sushi and sashimi have caused us to love the endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna unwisely and much too well--needs to be firmly remembered."
--Simon Winchester, author of The Map that Changed the World

"If there is any hope for the endangered, majestic bluefin, it lies in Richard Ellis's extensively researched, carefully written, and beautifully illustrated call to action."
--John McCosker, Chair of Aquatic Biology, California Academy of Sciences

"Our foremost contemporary ocean chronicler, Richard Ellis, offers here an impassioned plea to consider the grandeur–and the tragic demise–of the swiftest, strongest fish that migrate across our water planet. While fully documenting the unique biology and fascinating history of the tuna species, Ellis casts clear light on the practice of 'tuna ranching' aimed at keeping humans sushi-supplied despite the disappearance of wild bluefin populations. This is nature writing at its best, from the heart."
–Dick Russell, author of Eye of the Whale and Striper Wars

"Richard Ellis is surely the most vivid, thoughtful and loving recorder of the splendors and travails of the ocean. This time he has cast his net wide and come up with a riveting story of the heartless destruction of the 'wildest, fastest, most powerful fish in the sea.' This glorious, angry book made me weep, but gave me a lot of insight and even a ray of hope."
--Joe MacInnis, author of Breathing Underwater: The Quest to Live in the Sea

"Richard Ellis has long been the indisputable champion among writers of the sea and its creatures. In Tuna: A Love Story, his best book yet, he takes us from the succulent red square of maguro to the tragic truth about giant bluefin tuna that will forever change the way we order a meal in a sushi bar."
--Brad Matsen, author of Fishing up North: Stories of Luck and Loss in Alaskan Waters

"Eminently readable and reliably authoritative, Tuna: A Love Story, is one of the best 'single'-fish species books ever written."
–Tim M. Berra, author of Freshwater Fish Distribution

"By far, the most comprehensive, documented and balanced analysis on the fate of Tuna I have read so far."
–Roberto Mielgo Bregazzi, CEO, Advanced Tuna Ranching Technologies

World Bank, Weather and Climate Services in Europe and Central Asia: A Regional Review (Adobe Reader) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Weather and Climate Services in Europe and Central Asia is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. Worldwide, the accuracy and value of weather and climate services are rising, bringing great economic benefits. However, many national hydrometeorological services in Europe and Central Asia are in decline. As a result, these potential gains are often missed. Much more could be done to mitigate weather disasters, support the productivity of smallholding and commercial agriculture, conserve energy, and promote safe aviation and transport by road and rail. Although capacity deficiencies are serious, they could be remedied significantly by relatively modest-but sustained-investments. Chapter 1 describes the worldwide growth in weather forecasting skill, presents principal issues and questions in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), and sets out the study's organization. Chapter 2 assesses the needs of the key sectoral clients of the national hydrometeorological services in the region. Chapter 3 addresses ECA's natural weather and climate issues: vulnerability to transboundary weather events, extreme weather, variable weather, and projected climate change. Chapter 4 presents the forecasting workflow, and then presents key regional and national capacity gaps. Chapter 5 discusses ways to estimate the economic benefit of existing and upgraded forecasting capacity. This study is part of an ongoing Regional Working Paper Series sponsored by the Chief Economist's Office in the Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank.

Bishop, Holley Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Keyer, Zach Wilderness Survival Tips (Mobipocket) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

The Dangers of the Wilderness
Learn the common dangers of hiking, or being lost, in the wilderness

What to Do Before Planning a Wilderness Trek
Learn how to plan a trip so you have the best chance to avert disaster

What to Do if You Are Lost Without Emergency Supplies
Find out how to care for yourself and others if you DON'T have supplies

How to Survive In a Vehicle
Check out how to best make use of a vehicle if you're trapped or can't drive.

How to Build a Fire in the Wilderness
Learn the basic skill of starting a fire when you need it

How to Help Rescuers Find You
Learn common mistakes that make it hard to find you - and what you SHOULD do

Survival Tips for Winter Weather
Learn the special survival tips you'll need during winter weather

Survival Tips for Summer Weather
Find out how to survive in summer weather

What to Wear When Hiking in the Wilderness
Protect yourself in advance by wearing the RIGHT clothes in the wilderness

What Emergency Supplies You Should Carry
Find out the basic emergency supplies you should have on hand

Best Food and Water Supplies to Bring
Get tips on the best way to feed and hydrate yourself on a wilderness trip

How to Find Food and Water if You Don't Have Any
Learn the important skill of finding food and water in an emergency

How to Prepare a Shelter in the Wilderness
For fun or emergency - learn how to build a shelter

What Youll Also Get

How to Treat Minor Injuries in the Wilderness
Learn how to deal with minor injuries when you're far away from help

How to Face Your Fear if You Are Lost in the Wilderness
Learn the danger of letting fear take control and how you can stop it

Keyer, Zach How To survive and Love Your Camping Trip (Mobipocket) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

"How to Survive Your Family Camping Trip

Camping can be difficult - especially if your kids are used to spending a lot of time with friends or in front of the TV or computer. Everyone will need to adjust, but you can make it easier if you plan ahead. How do you do that? Ask these questions...

Where will you go? What do you need to take? What can you do for excitement? How will you set up camp? Find out all the answers in...

How to Survive (and Love)
Your Family Camping Trip

What Kind of Camping Will You Do?
What camping suits your family's style? Out in the rough? Camper van touring? Something else?
Where Will You Go Camping?
Where you go can make or break a camping trip - finding the right facilities and points of interest will define your experience.
What Equipment Will You Need?
You'll never hear the end of complaints if you forget equipment needed to get set up and make camp. Do it wrong and you might just be heading home a bit early.
How to Plan for a Long Distance Camping Trip
Trips far from home require a good check list and planning - here's some help.
What to Take for Emergencies
Whether you're hiking or lounging by the lake, you'll not want to forget these essential items in case of emergency.
How Will You Feed the Family on a Trip?
Special diet? Young children? Don't plan on finding all your food at the site - here's how to plan a critical element of your family's trip.
What Safety Information Should You Know?
Away from the safety of home your children can get into a lot of trouble. Get the answers to some important questions on safety.
What to do if Someone Gets Lost
Proper safety can help prevent anyone from getting lost, but if the worst should happen you'll want them to take the right steps to get found - FAST!
Fun Camping Activities for Kids
Early mornings and late nights - what are you going to do with the kids without a TV or computer? Here's some great ideas!
How to Help Your Kids Settle In
Depending on your kids and their ages you might find the first night or two difficult for settling in. Find some great tips that will make everyone's life easier!
How to Set Up Your Campsite
First things first- what's the best way to set up so your camping trip gets off to the right start?
Campfire Safety Tips and Instructions
One of the biggest concerns for parents is children and fire - find out how to deal with campfires in the safest manner so it's a highlight of the trip.
Food Storage Safety Tips and Instructions
Bad food means a bad vacation. Don't spoil the fun - find out how to safely store food on a camping trip.

What Youll Also Get
Exploring Beyond: Backpacking and Hiking with Kids
For the real camping experience nothing beats backpacking and hiking, but families must consider everyone's abilities - here's how to tailor the trip to your kids' needs.
Other Activities: Biking, Boating and Horseback Riding with Kids
What else can you do to ensure the whole family has fun? Here are some great ideas and suggestions.

Keyer, Zach Your Guide To Successful Gardening All Year (Mobipocket) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Guide to Successful Gardening All Year

The information you need to select, plan, plant and care for your garden is here in a simple guide that will take the mystery out of creating a beautiful garden. Surprise your family as your green thumb brings to life a gorgeous garden. Whether youre planning a big garden or a little one, the information in Guide to Successful Gardening All Year! can help you plan a garden that will THRIVE!

Heres what else you learn in

Guide to Successful Gardening All Year!
(and Creating the Garden of Your Dreams)

What Type of Garden Do You Want to Grow?
Big or Small? Fast or Slow growing? How much time invested? These types of questions will help you create the right garden for YOU.
What are Zones and How Do They Affect Your Choice of Plants?
Will your plants survive? Know how to choose the right plants for YOUR zone and make gardening more productive and LESS work!
What is the Best Time to Plant Your Garden?
For optimum growth and longevity you need to know WHEN the best time is to plant your garden.
What are the Essential Tools for Gardeners?
Just getting started? What tools will you need to maintain and grow a beautiful garden?
Tips for Creating a Low Maintenance Garden
Love gardens but lack time? Here is the information you need to create a low maintenance garden that suits your lifestyle.
Tips for Planning your Landscaping
Before you plant or dig, design the landscape that will make the most of your gardening skills.
Ideas for Planting a Spring Garden
Gardens for those who love to see the first signs of spring in their garden.
Ideas for Planting a Summer Garden
Great ideas for those who entertain in their garden all summer long.
Ideas for Planting an Autumn Garden
How to keep your garden beautiful right into the fall.
How to Create a Garden that Changes with the Seasons
Want a garden that changes the scenery season to season? Here are the tips you need to make an all-year garden!
How to Prepare Your Soil for Beautiful Gardens
Dont miss this crucial step for creating a beautiful and thriving garden!
How to Select Healthy Bulbs and Seedlings
Knowing how to pick the RIGHT bulbs and seedlings will help you avoid disappointment when nothing grows.
Pruning Tips to Keep Your Garden Glorious
Help your garden look its best (and stay healthier) by learning how to prune your plants.

What Youll Also Get

How to Deal with Pests and Rodents in your Garden
What to do when pests and rodents are ruining YOUR garden.
How to Spot Disease in your Garden and What to do When You Find It
Simple tips for keeping your plants healthy and disease free!

Get Ready, Get Outside and Get GROWING!

Yes, YOU can have the most STUNNING garden on the block! You can share your love of the outdoors and nature with passersby as well as when entertaining your friends and family. Youll also enjoy the peace and contentment only gardeners know when you spend time alone cultivating your garden.

So take the next step to creating the garden of your DREAMS. For less than the cost of a new set of gardening shoes you can Download Guide to Successful Gardening All Year! right now!

Bolin, Robert, Stanford, Lois NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

This book concentrates on the social aspects of disaster, focusing on the most expensive disaster to date in US history, the Northridge earthquake of 1994, to examine the facets of vulnerability and post-disaster recovery strategies.

RHINO W/GLUE-ON SHOES eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Tough Guy Hondo by Barb Wolfe, DVM, PhD

Chimps are a disgusting, violent society,” advised my colleague as I contemplated the group of thirteen in front of me. This was early in my career and as the new veterinarian at the North Carolina Zoo in 1997, I didn’t know much about chimpanzee behavior. I stood watching the peaceable group in silent disagreement. A two-year-old wobbled by with a towel on her head. Two juveniles were donning socks for fun, while others poked at bits of food with sticks or bulldozed piles of straw around in circles with their lanky arms. I was marveling at my good fortune. I had a great job—and my first task of the day was to meet the chimp keepers and learn about these amusing animals in their care.

Punctuating that thought, a low howl began in the room, growing rapidly into a crescendo of hoots and screams. The keeper beside me said softly, “Just hold still.” I searched the group for the source of the noise. Hondo, the dominant male, was looking directly at me, bobbing up and down menacingly, while the rest of the group darted frantically about whooping the equivalent of a chimp-language emergency signal. Suddenly, Hondo bounded from the back of the enclosure, launched himself onto the mesh between us, and spat what felt like an ocean of water in my face. I didn’t hold still. I reeled involuntarily backward, stumbled on a pile of hoses, and ended up propped against a wall—soaked, horrified, embarrassed, and not entirely sure that I couldn’t catch Ebola virus from captive chimp spit.

It had never occurred to me that zoo animals would resent their vets. We are hardwired to love animals. We spend our whole lives plotting this career, scooping up clinic poop as kids, getting good grades even in the classes we hate, and volunteering our way through life long beyond the time when our childhood friends are having kids and buying houses. All to get to this glorious station: Zoo Vet. Then we find out that most animals can smell a vet coming before the truck rattles into the driveway, and will prepare their most unwelcoming demeanor. If they have limbs capable of hurling something, they will find something to hurl. If they can emit a nasty smell, they will be at their smelliest when you get there. And those with teeth and loud voices? Well, despite the thickest steel bars between you, being four feet from a lion that has just received a dart and is standing full height and roaring at you can truly necessitate a wardrobe change.

Hondo was no exception, and he greeted me the same way every time I paid the chimps a visit during those first few years. The way to cure him, the keepers said, was to ignore the assault. Just the way we tell our kids to deal with bullies. So year after year, every time a chimp had a runny nose or a cut on its finger, I would approach the enclosure calmly and try to examine the patient with composure while the keeper rewarded it with fruit juice or yogurt through the mesh. Out of the corner of my eye, I would see Hondo filling his mouth at the water spigot. Then, inevitably, the warning hoots of the troop would begin, the patient would dart fearfully away, and Hondo would appear, like a flying King Kong, to give me a dousing. I’d quietly stand up, dripping spit from my eyelashes, issue suggestions for treatment of the patient, and retreat without even the solace of a threatening glare at him.

Barlow, Maude Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

In their international bestseller Blue Gold, Maude Barlow and co-author Tony Clarke exposed how a handful of corporations are gaining ownership and control of the earth's dwindling water supply, depriving millions of people around the world of access to this most basic of resources and accelerating the onset of a global water crisis.

Blue Covenant, the sequel to Blue Gold describes a powerful response to this trend: the emergence of an international, grassroots-led movement to have water declared a basic human right, something that can't be bought or sold for profit.

World-renowned activist Maude Barlow is at the center of this movement, which is gaining popular and political support across the globe, encompassing protests in India against U.S. bottling giant Coca-Cola; in Bolivia against the water privatization scheme of European water conglomerate Suez; against the use of water meters in South Africa; and over groundwater mining in Barrington, New Hampshire, and dozens of other communities in North America.

With great passion and clarity, Barlow traces the history of these international battles, documents the life-and-death stakes involved in the fight for the right to water, and lays out the actions that we as global citizens must take to secure a water-just world-a "blue covenant"-for all.

James, Jamie Snake Charmer, The eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

On September 11th, 2001 while exploring a Burmese jungle, Dr. Joe Slowinski was bitten by a krait, one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. His colleagues kept him alive for 26 hours with mouth-to-mouth respiration, waiting for medical help that would never come because of the global disruption caused by the attacks in America. This is narrative nonfiction in the great tradition of Into the Wild and The Perfect Storm, detailing Slowinski's entire life as an expert on poisonous snakes, structured around the dramatic story of his last expedition in the jungles of Burma. It will include first-person sources including Slowinski's colleagues and members of his family as well as material on snakes, the jungle, science and exploration, and Slowinski's own personality and passions.

Hill, Graham, O'Neill, Meaghan READY SET GREEN eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

The time to save the planet is now.

Ready? Set? Green! Living green means reversing climate change, but it also means protecting your kids and pets, improving your own health, and saving money. And it doesn’t necessarily demand a radical overhaul of your life–just some simple adjustments, such as switching to healthier cleaning products and driving fewer miles each week.

Written by the visionarires at Treehugger.com, the most heavily trafficked site of its kind, Ready, Set, Green is the definitive (and recyclable) guide to modern green living. It offers solutions to make your home, office, car, and vacation more eco-friendly. For example:

• Using a dishwasher instead of hand washing will save you 5,000 gallons of water annually.
• Eating less beef will save you 250 pounds of CO2 per year.
• Washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot will save 200 pounds of CO2 annually.
• Replacing three of your home’s most frequently used lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs will save 300 pounds of CO2 every year.

Including advice on how to properly insulate your house, cancel junk mail, and choose fruits and veggies wisely, Ready, Set, Green will help you change the future of the planet and restore balance to your daily life.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

White, Dan Cactus Eaters, The eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents—among others—thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed "the Lois and Clark Expedition" by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail—and one delicious-looking cactus—test the limits of love and sanity.

Cowie,Jonathan Climate Change (Adobe Reader) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

In recent years climate change has become recognised as the foremost environmental problem of the twenty-first century. Not only will climate change potentially affect the multibillion dollar energy strategies of countries worldwide, but it also could seriously affect many species, including our own. A fascinating introduction to the subject, this textbook provides a broad review of past, present and likely future climate change from the viewpoints of biology, ecology and human ecology. It will be of interest to a wide range of people, from students in the life sciences who need a brief overview of the basics of climate science, to atmospheric science, geography, and environmental science students who need to understand the biological and human ecological implications of climate change. It will also be a valuable reference for those involved in environmental monitoring, conservation, policy-making and policy lobbying.

Carter, Bill Red Summer: The Danger, Madness, and Exaltation of Salmon Fishing in a Remote Alaskan Village eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

A vivid, unforgettable account of the danger, pain, and joy of working on a salmon fishing boat and living in a small village on the farthest edge of Alaska Set in the tiny Native village of Egegik on the shores of Alaska's Bristol Bay, Bill Carter's Red Summer is the thrilling story of one man's journey from novice to seasoned fisherman over the course of four beautiful, brutal summers in one of the earth's few remaining wild places. As millions of salmon race toward their annual spawning grounds, Carter learns the ancient, backbreaking trade of the set net fisherman, one of the most exhilarating and dangerous jobs in the world. Housed in a dilapidated shack with no hot water and boarded-up windows that keep the bears at bay, Carter spends his days battling the elements on the river and his nights drinking whiskey with a memorable group of hardworking, hard-living characters. There's Sharon, the tough, charismatic woman who runs Carter's fishing crew; Carl, her stoic but warmhearted colleague; and a half-dozen local fishermen, many born and raised in this unforgiving place. Their stories -- harrowing, touching, full of humor -- all underscore the credo of the village's fishermen: Do the work or leave. Carter's crew is imperiled a number of times as tides rise, nets are snagged, and the weight of too many fish threatens to sink their boat. Written with gusto and honesty, Red Summer brims with astonishing human experience and joins the grand tradition of books written by great American outdoorsmen-writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Edward Abbey, Peter Matthiessen, and Sebastian Junger. Red Summer will appeal not only to fishermen, naturalists, adventurers, and armchair anthropologists alike but also to anyone who has ever yearned, however privately, to escape the bonds of modern civilization.

World Bank Putting Tanzania's Hidden Economy to Work: Reform, Management, and Protection of Its Natural Resource Sector (Adobe Reader) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Lisagor, Kimberly DISAPPEARING DESTINATIONS eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

A beautiful and memorable look at some of the most gorgeous endangered places on the planet.

Machu Picchu is a mesmerizing, ancient Incan city tucked away in the mountains of Peru, but it is rapidly being worn down by the thousands of feet treading across its stones. Glacier National Park is a destination long known for the stunning beauty of its ice floes, but in our lifetimes it will have no glaciers due to global warming. In the biobays of Puerto Rico swimmers can float in a sea shimmering with bioluminescent life, but sediment being churned up by development is killing the dinoflagellates that produce the eerie and beautiful glow. And in the Congo Basin of Africa, where great apes roam freely in lush, verdant rainforests, logging is quickly destroying the vast life-giving canopies. These places-along with many others across the globe-are changing as we speak due to global warming, environmental degradation, overuse, and natural causes.

From the Boreal Forests in Finland to the Yangtze River Valley in China, 37 Places to See Before They Disappear is a treasure trove of geographic wonder, and a guide to these threatened destinations and what is being done to save them.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Javna, John 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Together, We Can Make a Difference Today's environmental problems may seem too overwhelming for one person to tackle . . . but you don't have to do it alone. Now you have partners-50 of them. 50 Simple Things, the revolutionary 1990 bestseller, is back in a completely revised, updated edition . . . and it's just as innovative and groundbreaking as the original. The authors have teamed up with 50 of America's top environmental groups, including The Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and Rainforest Action Network. Each group has chosen one issue and provided a simple, step-by-step program that will empower you and your family to become citizen activists in the fight to save the Earth. It's easy to get started. Just pick one! Fight global warming "one city at a time" with the Sierra Club's Cool Cities Campaign Roll up your sleeves and save an endangered species with the Wilderness Society Protect coral reefs and create a marine reserve with Seacology Get your congregation excited about protecting God's creations with Interfaith Power and Light Invite songbirds into your neighborhood with the National Audubon Society All it takes is a little effort. When we work together, we can work miracles! Get started now! John Javna and the Earthworks Group wrote the original 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth in 1989. Sophie and Jessie Javna, who were not yet born when the first edition made its debut, are now high school students. They're excited to be writing their first book, one they hope will benefit people in the generations to come.

Begley, Ed Jr Living Like Ed eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

ED BEGLEY, JR., is a veteran actor who has appeared in numerous film and television roles. He and Rachelle reside in L.A. in a self-sufficient home powered by solar energy. Visit him at LivingLikeEd.com.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

S. NATARAJAN FLOWERISH (Mobipocket) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

FLOWERS WITHOUT WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHS OF FLOWERS AT NEW PLYMOUTH,NEWZEALAND

WITHOUT EDIT OR ENHANCEMENT FOR THAT REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE

Bongiorno, Lori Green, Greener, Greenest eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

How green can you be? Green: Drive the speed limit Greener: Drive a fuel-efficient car Greenest: Bike or walk The perfect guide to help readers decide how to best spend their time and money to protect the environment, Green, Greener, Greenest offers flexible tips for everyday living, all categorized as ""green,"" ""greener,"" and ""greenest."" Cutting through the labeling and the hype, it helps readers choose the advice that fits their schedule, their budget, and their interests, with the understanding that there's never one ""right way"" to make a difference. This indispensable resource will grow with readers-whether a novice in green living or a veteran environmentalist-as their interests and needs change over time.

Hess, Elizabeth NIM CHIMPSKY eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Chapter One

Early Days on the Chimp Farm

NIM'S STORY BEGINS AT the research facility in Oklahoma that was founded by the notorious Dr. William Lemmon. Early in his academic career chimpanzees became the focus of Lemmon's lifelong research, and helped to make him—for a time—the most prominent psychologist in Oklahoma. Over several decades, he authored many of the state's mental health policies, helped to shape numerous public programs, and virtually founded the clinical psychology department at the University of Oklahoma (OU), where he remains a legendary figure thanks to his early chimpanzee experiments. From its inception until its demise, Lemmon ran the Institute for Primate Studies (IPS), the place where Nim Chimpsky was born. Lemmon bred and owned Nim. As a result, the psychologist was responsible, often behind the scenes, for every major event that shaped the chimp's life, both before and after Project Nim.

Virtually everyone who ever had anything to do with Lemmon (Bill, as he was called) or his chimpanzees came away with strong feelings about the psychologist, but what those feelings were varied considerably. Some loved Lemmon, some despised him, and some still won't speak about him at all because it's just too painful. Lemmon, who has been dead for more than two decades, remains a controversial figure in Norman and the wider primate world, where his unconventional methods of animal husbandry and research are often attacked. He ruled his chimpanzees with an electric cattle prod, as many unenlightened keepers still do, and tried every possible disciplinary technique, including shock collars, all kinds of guns, and a pair of Doberman pinschers trained to tree escapees. (This last was not an effective method; the chimps dominated the dogs and ripped one of them apart.) When asked by a friend, "How do you discipline a chimpanzee?" Lemmon responded, "Any way you can."

The chimps learned to respect their keeper. Lemmon's graduate students also understood their place. One claims that he locked her in a cage inhabited by a few adult chimps, just to see her reaction. She survived to tell the story, one of many about the sadistic pleasure Lemmon took in pushing people to the edge. Lemmon's proteges, employees, and patients all worshipped him—or fled.

Still, however much he was feared by both his experimental animals and his students, Lemmon was one of a very few researchers in the 1960s who had any expertise in raising and breeding chimpanzees in captivity, where they rarely survived or reproduced. Lemmon and his carefully selected graduate students studied chimpanzee mating habits, sexuality, and social development, and they even collected data on the personalities of individual chimps. Unfortunately for Lemmon, and for the field in general, little of this research, apart from a handful of articles, was ever published. Lemmon's vast knowledge of chimpanzees mostly benefited those who became members of his prestigious inner circle in Norman. Ultimately, the scientific community labeled his work "anecdotal," their way of deeming it worthless. For better or worse, he was an outsider who was destined to remain on the margins because he refused to maintain his academic status by regularly publishing his results or writing books. In the long run, this arrogance did not serve him or his animals well. But in the short run, it made IPS, known

Galeano, Ralph Saddle Sore (Adobe Reader) eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

A collection of 22 short horse stories from the award winning author of Stormy The Barrel Horse and Lost Mountain Stallion. Ride along on these adventures of ranching, and the people and horses that endure the pleasures and hardships of a western lifestyle. Enjoy a brief sojourn to life on the ranch, from fixing fences to unwanted departures from the saddle. Training tips, pick-up trucks and rodeo competition all have a place in this collection that leaves readers with a grin on their face and a pleasant remembrance of when, "that happened to me!"

Baur, Gene Farm Sanctuary, Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food eBook

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 47:07:37 GMT

Leading animal rights activist Gene Baur examines the real cost of the meat on our plates -- for both humans and animals alike -- in this provocative and thorough examination of the modern farm industry. Many people picture cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens as friendly creatures who live happily within the confines of a peaceful family farm, arriving as food for humans only at the end of their sun-drenched lives. That's what Gene Baur had been told -- but when he first visited a stockyard he realized that this rosy depiction couldn't be more inaccurate. Amid the stench, noise, and filth, his attention was drawn in particular to one sheep who had been cast aside for dead. But as Baur walked by, the sheep raised her head and looked right at him. She was still alive, and the one thing Baur knew for sure that day was that he had to get her to safety. Hilda, as she was later named, was nursed back to health and soon became the first resident of Farm Sanctuary -- an organization dedicated to the rescue, care, and protection of farm animals. The truth is that farm production does not depend on the family farmer with a small herd of animals but instead resembles a large, assembly-line factory. Animals raised for human consumption are confined for the entirety of their lives and often live without companionship, fresh air, or even adequate food and water.Viewed as production units rather than living beings with feelings, ten billion farm animals are exploited specifically for food in the United States every year. In Farm Sanctuary, Baur provides a thoughtprovoking investigation of the ethical questions involved in the production of beef, poultry, pork, milk,and eggs -- and what each of us can do to stop the mistreatment of farm animals and promote compassion. He details the triumphs and the disappointments of more than twenty years on the front lines of the animal protection movement. And he introduces sanctuary. us to some of the special creatures who live at Farm Sanctuary -- from Maya the cow to Marmalade the chicken -- all of whom escaped horrible circumstances to live happier, more peaceful lives. Farm Sanctuary shows how all of us have an opportunity and a responsibility to consume a kinder plate, making a better life for ourselves and animals as well. You will certainly never think of a hamburger or chicken breast the same way after reading this book.