5 comments about Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book).

1. Written in the late '70s, this book will scare you off the idealistic vision of farming and tune you into some of the economic and other realities. It's dry. It's nuts-and-bolts. It's not groovy. It's about dirt and tractors and seed.
   
   The book attempts to give you a complete how-to, but instead you walk away realizing there is a lot to learn.



2. This book is chock full of great advice! Add it to your library and refer to it often.



3. Once you get passed the government, agri-business, and scientist bashing introduction and first chapters, this is a good overview of farming equipment and basic practices. It is written for "new farmers", "a practical resource for the beginning cash crop grower." Judging by the equipment recommendations, it is intended for farmers rather than large gardeners.
   
   The book was almost ruined for me by comments such as "wrong headed farmers", "why soil scientists came up with such a cumbersome scale defies explanation" (referring to the logarithmic pH scale), while freely using science to support his beliefs (without citing sources or giving credit).
   
   The book has one of the best introductory farm equipment chapters, covering the small, older tractors a beginning farmer would be able to afford, and one of the best summaries of many pieces of farm equipment, that I have read. It is worth the price alone.
   
   It has a chapter on farming practices such as plowing, tilling, terracing, cultivating which is worth reading as well. There are rather cursory chapters on soils and plant growth. While the author obviously believes in organic and sustainable agriculture; he does little to explain it. There are two chapters analyzing various cash crops that serve as a good introduction to finding a crop to grow, including standard farm crops such as wheat and corn, and specialty crops such as berries and wood lots. The concluding chapters on the farm in general, and farm life, are also good.
   
   I would give the book four stars, perhaps, except for the bashing mentioned above, that serves no purpose whatsoever. It is a good book for someone taking a first look at farming as a new occupation.



4. I was already familiar with author Schwenke from his 1975 book, Build Your Own Stone House, a product of the back-to-the-earth movement of that decade. His more recent book, Successful Small-Scale Farming, is simply too short and too thin to live up to its title, a characteristic it shares with its earlier sibling.
   
   From its title, one would expect Schwenke's volume to present a reasonably broad overview of farm operations, concentrating on methods proven to be successful and profitable. While no one should expect a completely thorough and fully-detailed investigation of such a vast topic as farming, agronomy, and farm-business operations in one single volume, I should have known from the short length of this book, a mere 130 pages, that topics essential to its title would receive inexcusabley short shrift.
   
   About half of Schwenke's offering is an examination of thoughts on organic farming to include an organic approach to maintaining soil and various organic cropping methods. This is all well and good, but considering this comprises only 39 pages of an already thin book, there is little reason one would not fare better buying a volume devoted solely to organic agriculture and the actual, useful detail and sophistication it would offer.
   
   If the vestigal treatment of organic farming is insufficient reason to buy Schwenke's book, then one must conclude it would be for the depth and breadth of its exploration and analysis of successful small-scale farm techniques and operations. In this, Schwenke's attempt falls short again.
   
   He offers a scant 12-page chapter on farm machinery, laughable in its superficial treatment of a profoundly important topic to successful farmers. Analysing capital purchases such as farm machinery is one that can promote success if done well and contribute to poverty and eventual loss of one's farm if done poorly. This would have been a great opportunity for Schwenke to bring to bear thorough research about the productivity improvements machinery can bring to the small farm and a machinery needs anaysis with depreciation and maintenance schedules. Alas, he missed the opportunity.
   
   He further could have siezed the moment by weeding through the confusing morass of different kinds of farm implements and equipment available and described the crops and farm operations that can be met through the use of general farm machinery and those needing the use of specialized equipment.
   
   For example, he could have discussed when and if a seed drill should be acquired, how various types of combines work and the various heads that must be bought in order to harvest specific types of field crops. He could have looked at small scale milking parlors and on-farm refrigeration required by law for dairy products and butchered meat. He could have investigated small butter-making machinery. Advice on what to look for when evaluating used equipment and the type and extent of maintenance each would require would have proven highly valuable to the small farmer on a tight budget. He does none of this.
   
   Greatfully, Schwenke avoids going off on a tangent urging the aspiring successful farmer to step back to the 19th century and farm with oxen and horses. However, his treatment of tractor selection is, frankly, astonishing. It seems for Schwenke, the more rusted, poorly-operating, and outmoded the tractor, the better. He apparently feels that living a dust bowl lifestyle somehow makes one a successful farmer.
   
   Specifically, Schwenke argues that the few remaining examples of 1930s to 1960s relic tractors that still can be found offer a low acquisition cost and ought be the tractor of choice for the small farmer. How foolish. Excellent recent-vintage and far superior tractors from John Deere, among others, are amply available everywhere and in every state at Schwenke's much-loved junk tractor prices. A quick search of the internet will reveal thousands at prices equal to the disaster-tractors Schwenke seems to inexplicably favor.
   
   As far as the topic of overall farm management, what Schwenke writes is easy to read and provides some small amount of useable knowledge, but the key word is small- a total of 30 pages. There are many other books one could study that would provide far more of the necessary depth and usefullness to be actionable. Mr. Schwenke's treatment of this extensive and critical topic is mere fun-to-know information and not much more.
   
   Perhaps the best part of Schwenke's flawed attempts at a useful book are the bite-sized nuggets he randomly heaps together in two appendicies comprising the last 36 pages of his book. These pages offer interesting tidbits such as how to make a wire-tensioner to use when building wire fences or how much split wood comprises a cord. He also addresses the plant-food content and typical yields of a wide variety of common farm crops. However, these and the other charts Schwenke includes in the appendicies are one and the same available from seed and feed companies, so one cannot offer much appreciation for bringing original work to bear on this vital topic.
   
   In summary, one can expect Karl Schwenke's book, Successful Small-Scale Farming, to be a very light and occasionally amusing read. It would be far better, however, to spend one's money on books that offer more pages and more hard, up to date, realistic farming information that really can help the small farmer become successful.



5. This book is so simple, it isn't even really any good for a modern farmer. I would be what most would consider a "city farmer" but I learned more going into a tractor implements store and a feed store and asking a few questions than I did with this book. The last 4th of this book does have excellent charts for weight comparisons and measurement conversions (ie. Windmill capacities charts, woodlot tables, densities of grain, etc.) but as far as useful farming, no. The examples do not really show modern farming equipment. The gates and things reminded me of something from the 50's with wood slide locks for gates, etc. I know some farms and farmers still utilize things like this but the modern farm tends to utilize pipe gates with chains, etc. This book is good for very basic, basic farming concepts like what a pre-teen learning about the farm would need. Not for the serious farmer.

4 comments about Biochemistry For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)).

1. Did anyone review this book before it was published? The lack of arrows in the reactions, the labeling of two valines in the "cheat sheet," the structure of one of the valines is the same as the isoleucine, and leucine is left out. The book also mentions that mRNA for translation is directed to the mitochondria...a little confused on that one.
   
   Overall, the book is a good review for those needing to refresh, but full of typos and stupid errors.



2. Just what I was going to say. I have NO background in biochemistry, but the first thing I noticed in the book was that it had errors on the cheat sheet--the very first page. On the other hand, by messing that up I learned the material (it's correct in a chart later in the book) much better than if it had been right, so I guess I should thank the authors for that. The absence of arrows was beyond the pale. It makes it very difficult for me to trust the rest of the book when it has such obvious errors in it. I gave it two stars because it shows promise as an introductory book...once the egregious bugs are worked out in any subsequent edition.



3. I used Biochemistry for Dummies to study for the ACS Biochemistry final at the University of Mississippi. Before the exam, I border-lined a high "B" and a low "A". Using this book, I was able to study more efficiently in a shorter amount of time. Moore does an excellent job of explaining some of the most complex concepts of biochemistry in layman's terms. I ended up scoring well enough on the exam to score an "A" in my class. This book sums up a biochemistry text book in roughly 300 easy-to-read/skim pages. I didn't even open my text book. It was extremely helpful.



4. I sat down with this book tonight, opened the first page and immediately see an error! Further investigation into the contents show more incorrect information. After using Klein's Organic Chemistry as a Second Language series for organic chemistry, this book is a HUGE let down in terms of writing style and in terms of how error-prone it seems to be. I am very disappointed.

5 comments about Molecular Genetics of Bacteria (Snyder, Molecular Genetics of Bacteria).

1. This is an excellent and in-depth presentation of the molecular genetics of prokaryotes. Explanations are crystal clear throughout, and the diagrams are very well done. (Typographical errors are everywhere, but fortunately they are easy to spot and none of them are misleading.) The text can seem long at times, but the extra effort spent reading is repaid in terms of clarity. The authors are careful to insure everything is explained well. The book also covers several areas of prokaryotic biology besides molecular genetics, such as cell division, antibiotics, transport of molecules across the cell membrane, two-component signaling pathways, bacteriophages, and many others.

   This is undoubtedly the best introduction to prokaryotic biology out there. Highly recommended.




2. This book is great in developing the concepts and explaining in an easy but at the same time techinical way just what is involved in bacterial genetics. Teaching from the historical perspective you really get a sense of what these researchers were faced with and just how valuable their breakthoughs were. It doesn't try to be "hip" like so many other undergraduate textbooks out there, and for that they get full credit. The figures are a little simplistic though.



3. This is one of few college textbooks I've used that has actually HELPED me learn the course material. The book takes you from the basics (DNA structure and replication, etc.) all the way through some very complex concepts while never missing a beat. It's surprisingly readable and student-user-friendly whether you're a beginner or a certifiable gene jockey. My only complaint is the quality of the figures; some of them are very small and thus hard to read, and as one reviewer commented, they are sort of simplistic to the point of not being very thorough. Having full-color illustrations would be a big plus.
   
   Overall, this book definitely surpasses other bacterial genetics books I've seen as far as readability and organization goes. It delivers what it promises!



4. If you are a "visual learner," then this is NOT, I repeat, NOT, the book for you- I cannot emphasise this enough!
   
   The text is very well written, however, the font used is rather small, and there are only FOUR colors used throughout the entire book.
   
   The text is done entirely in light brown, black, grey and white.
   
   Students like me -strongly visual learners- will be miserable; everyone else will like the book.



5. This is a great current reference book! The information is presented in a logical easy to read style. Good for beginning and advanced students.

5 comments about Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History).

1. This is not about making cookies or cooking a thanksgiving turkey in time. This book is about the chemical subtleties that make a good dish a great dish. The chemistry is fairly easy while the cooking is a lot harder here.
   It isn't about healthy foods (even if there are some good healthy cooking hints) and it isn't about quick cooking (even if there are some interesting suggestions about how, for example, render the microwaved food better tasting).
   The two biggest shortcomings in my opinion are a truly lame index and too much quoting from the old masters. Even if I prefer Italian cooking, I can forgive his French cooking slant.
   I consider the shortcomings negligible, and thus I stick to 5 stars.



2. In culinary science, dominated by Harold McGee's lucid and entertaining "On Food and Cooking," a new book has to deliver a lot. "Kitchen Mysteries" does not quite measure up. Much of the problem is the translation from French: I can HEAR the author talking in French, since the translator has kept the idiomatic elegant French constructions that sound so awkward and rambling in English. The content is interesting and has novelty, such as making duck a l'orange by injecting Cointreau into the thighs before you microwave them. Quel horreur!



3. The first things French chemist and gastronomist This clarifies are the terms gourmand and gourmet. A gourmand is not a glutton. A gourmand is a gourmet. A gourmet is actually a connoisseur of wine. Got that? Good. Cause it doesn't get any easier.
   
   This' eye-opening book is all about molecules and atoms in motion and what things like heat, moisture, acid and fat do to transform them into succulent meals - or into fallen soufflés, tasteless pot roasts, and rubbery eggs.
   
   After a brief overview concerning the physiology of taste and the basics of saucepan chemistry, This concentrates on various common ingredients and techniques - milk, eggs, sugar, wine, steaming, braising, frying, sauces, salads, pastry - to name a few. We know that oil and water do not mix, and that microwaved beef is gray and unappetizing. This explains why.
   
   He then goes on to show us how to whip up the perfect hollandaise or mayonnaise, and how to keep the succulence in beef. While the microwave plays no part in this last, This is enthusiastic about this appliance and shows us how to use it properly for making caramel, reheating vegetables and - producing a Cointreau-infused duck a l'orange!
   
   This is witty and humorous and sprinkles his clear and effervescent prose with bons mots from such brilliants as Escoffier, Harold McGee and the great Brillat-Savarin. Readers (like me) whose eyes glaze over at the very mention of electrons may find themselves becoming entranced by This' graceful descriptions of essential chemical reactions.
   
   He explains when and why to salt and answers numerous questions, i.e., why soup cools when you blow on it, why babies shouldn't eat sausage, why use so much oil for deep-frying.
   
   Crisply organized, This' compact volume ends with a glossary of cooking and chemistry terms. The first entry is:
   
   "AAAH: The cry of delight guests utter when the first dish arrives. The sleight of hand responsible for the most beautiful `aaahs' cannot be explained in terms of physical chemistry."
   
   Enjoy.



4. This book contains what the title says it does, however it is not compehensive like On food and Cooking, it is much smaller. This books strengths are its small size, and the information is easy to apply.
   
   The book has been translated from French poorly. It is very awkward English, where I constantly found myself re-reading things.



5. This book is entertaining and full of interesting anecdotes and culinary notes. The science is described with lively enthusiasm, but it is often imprecise or simply wrong. Some of it may be an artifact of the translation, but one is left hoping that the next edition is read by a chemist and a physicist before publication. Beware quoting this book in an educated company, or on your final exam!

5 comments about Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre.

1. First, let me begin by saying what this book is not. This book gives zero advice to practicing small or large farmers on how to turn a profit. This book is not a how-to guide for those starting out. Nor is it a step-by-step method on how to get rich by working the land. If that were the case, then every small farmer in America would have read the book and gotten wealthy, instead of banks and other creditors foreclosing on family farms and putting them on the auctioning block.

   Now, let me elaborate on what this book really is. This book is a very polite warning by two very seasoned, jaded individuals who are aware of the escapist notions and romantic fantasies many people have about farming. They have been around long enough to have become intimately familiar with the Back to the Land Movement, a Return to Simplicity, and Environmental Sustainability/Sustainable Agriculture- aka The New Improved Agriculture. It took me a while to realize this (three readings in fact!) and understand the dangers associated with one pernicious stereotype about farming.

   Many of us on the sidelines believe that anyone can farm, and all it takes is a willingness to work hard (the trite saying about hard-working ditch diggers getting rich comes readily to mind). When we think of the farmer, we often have one (malicious) stereotype in mind- that of the dumb country boy with a 'gee aw shucks' outlook on farming and life. Basically, we really do not think it takes brains in order to farm successfully. I mean, after all, you take some seeds, toss in a little fertilizer of your choice, water them and come back in a few months to collect your crop and get your pesos (almost literally)- just how hard could that be?

   Well, speaking as someone who is thoroughly new to farming, never once has farmed, and is inquisitive about the practice of agriculture, after considerable investigation I can tell you the prospective reader that no matter how hard they work, dumb people will not be able to stay on the farm for long. We on the sidelines do not think farming is difficult because we do not think about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming. If your experience of farming up to this point is shopping at your local natural foods co-op, perusing the stalls at the local weekly farmer's market, or wandering the aisles at some trendy, eco-hip retailer like Whole Foods or Wilds Oats (who have skillfully co-opted environmentalism as a path to insane riches), and you are considering going into farming as a vocation, then I do not think you will hear the polite warning contained in this book. If you are someone stuck in a dead-end or high-paying but otherwise unfulfilling career (like this reviewer), and you are seeking an out, a means of escape (what we politely but laughingly call a 'transition'), then you just might catch the polite warning consistently stated throughout this book.

   Farming attracts many people not because of its business or financial aspects but because of the lifestyle many people associate with farming. If you are an MD, then you are in the business of healthcare. Your business and your lifestyle are completely different. In fact, whether your business is highly successful or modestly successful, your lifestyle could be lavish, it could be modest, or it could be parsimonious- it's up to you and your personal preferences. If you don't like your current situation, from where you work, to who you work for (read HMOs) to your clientele base, you can make a change without changing your lifestyle- too much that is.

   Now here is the polite warning: if you are drawn to farming because of the lifestyle, and you turn this lifestyle into a business, then it behooves you to make damn certain that your business can pay for itself, because after all, your business is your lifestyle and your lifestyle is your business. The lifestyle will not work out if the business end does not pay. In fact, the business end may place quite severe limitations on the lifestyle you can reasonably expect to achieve, which in many cases will be well below what you are currently accustomed to. Unlike a 9 to 5 gig with some godless multinational, you can not simply just pack up and leave (this assumes implicitly that the heartless .......... have not fired you in the latest round of restructurings), and if the business end does not work out, you lose not only your lifestyle, but also your home.

   For me, the true heart of the book and the real message of the text were contained in the Foreword by Budd Kerr Jr and Part I- Getting Started. In terms of content, the book contains little on the techniques of farming, and has eleven chapters divided into four parts- Getting Started, Farming, Planning and Marketing, and Management, with a handy appendix chock full of useful resources on the Business and Practice of Farming. The text is specifically pitched at a level that almost anyone can understand, and there is a noticeable bias towards the environmentally minded reader.

   That said, the true purpose of this book is to get you, the prospective reader who may be thinking of getting into farming, to start thinking about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming, all romanticism and eco-hip verbiage aside. This book is of no use to someone who is already farming, and in need of help. The best time to read this book is before you get into farming whole hog as they say down on the farm.

   Even though it took me three passes to finally get the message, I am glad that I did read it before taking any action.

   Read this book several times BEFORE you venture into farming, not during or after.




2. This book is about the business of farming. It is not about how to produce a specific crop or livestock. There are many other books out there that cover these subjects. Some people rated this book poorly because their expectations for the book conflicted with what the book's subject is.
   
   If you want to know about the buying equipment, how many hours of your time and how much capital you'll need to expend on various livestock or crops and how much you can expect to profit by those efforts, this is the book that will help you.



3. There are lots of books written about how to grow things, how to raise animals, organics, etc. However, this is one of few on the subject of small farming that actually puts the whole picture together in terms of creating/sustaining a business and a lifestyle. The author expects that the reader is serious about surviving and thriving from his/her farming activities and shares information specific to the "business" of farming in a sensitive and ethical manner. It shouldn't be a secret that the small farmer needs to take advantage of every asset on the property year round, in addition to wearing every hat in a small business: Planning, marketing, sales, accounting, production, maintnenance, networking, etc. Excellent general information and many specifics, too. Well worth the read if you are serious about learnting to farm for profit.



4. I had originally purchased this book for a class in Sustainable Agriculture. It was not only a useful resource for the class, but I have found myself referencing this text time and time again for various projects, questions, and just enjoyment.



5. If you are thinking about farming on a large scale or small, this book is a must - have. Ron Macher has written this book clearly and precisly, using his years of experience, as well as others. Most for me is his application of renewing the soil with plants and animals, and running a sustainable farm of any size. There is no pretense that farming is not hard work, but he has broken it down in such a way that you can learn to manage all aspects of farming. I would buy this book for anyone thinking about farming, and it will remain off my bookshelf to be used as a reference over & over.

3 comments about Modern Genetic Analysis: Integrating Genes and Genomes.

1. In the last few years several very good textbooks and monographs in genetics have appeared, due mainly to the success of various genome projects and also to the rise of bioinformatics as a new discipline in biology, computer science, and mathematics. Most of these textbooks have appeared in many prior editions, and comparing these older editions with the newest ones, one can indeed see a remarkable difference in enthusiasm in the authors. They are clearly very excited about the developments in molecular biology and genetics that have taken place and the confidence among biologists that the fundamental understanding of life is finally within reach. Readers can share their excitement by the study of these books, and doing so one cannot help but be marveled by the incredible ingenuity of the scientific methods used to unravel the processes of life.

   Of all these excellent books, I find this one to be the best, and my judgment of the book's quality is from the standpoint of someone who is very involved in the algorithms behind bioinformatics and mathematical biology and is attempting to gain, as quickly as possible, the necessary background in genetics. My review therefore will be primarily addressed to those mathematicians or even physicists who plan on moving into bioinformatics.

   To relative newcomers to genetics such as myself, the learning of molecular biology and genetics can involve a huge amount of memory work. To the more mathematically-inclined reader, the memorization of facts can be most unpalatable. The learning of the material in this book will also involve such extreme exercises in memory, but there are a few strategies that the authors employ that, even though they were directed at a general readership, actually serve to make the learning much easier for the mathematician or mathematical biologist. These are the use of concept maps and the assigning of "challenging problems" at the end of most chapters in the book. These serve effectively to make the reader think through and interconnect the many concepts, which for the mathematician who is used to the economy of thought that mathematics brings, is an absolute necessity for the learning experience. Also, the authors are well aware of the need for students to learn how to analyze data and interact with online databases, so a lot of the material in the book is written to address this need.

   Even from merely an aesthetic point of view the book is exceptional, as the soft colors used in the illustrations are very beautiful, and actually serve to make the learning of the material very pleasureful. And in addition, the reader can access the book's Website and follow the many animations that were put together for the book. And here again, the playing of these animations increase the speed in which one can learn the subject.

   The authors also ask the readers to consider the impact that biotechnology and genetic engineering will have in the upcoming decades. One of the most dramatic, and I think the most important paragraphs in the book is the one in which the authors state that "the public cannot relay on reports published in the general media for the kind of critical evaluation needed to make informed personal and political decisions. Nor can it be left to experts, who have their own biases and agendas. There is no substitute for acquiring the kind of basic knowledge of genetics that is essential to all informed decisions." Their goal is provide the background that will allow the reader to differentiate between bad and good claims about genetics, and to think critically about both the negative and positive aspects of genetic research and genetic engineering.

   I believe the use of genetic engineering and biotechnology in all biological systems, both human and non-human, holds the best hope for the future of life on earth. This book has given an excellent introduction to the biology and genetics behind these technologies. The excitement and optimism expressed in the book will no doubt encourage many individuals to further their studies in genetics and enter the new biological professions of the 21st century.




2. Anthony Griffiths is the principle author of both 'An Introduction to Genetic Analysis' and 'Modern Genetic Analysis.' The former book is in its sixth edition, while the later is in it's second. I highly recommend both textbooks as the best teaching texts I have ever come across. Personally however, I prefer using 'Modern Genetic Analysis' because it is easier to understand, and less frustrating and confusing for students. The 'Introduction to Genetic Analysis' textbook is larger, more annotated, and has more difficult problems. The 'Modern Genetic Analysis' textbook provides a better basic framework on which to build an understanding of genetics, without going into too many unnecessary details that (in my opinion) only confuse students new to the subject.

   The second edition of 'Modern Genetic Analysis' is very similar to the first edition, and only about ten percent of the material (at most) has been changed. Most of the problem sets are the same, but have been renumbered. This is actually a teaching advantage because it gives students the option of buying used copies of the first edition rather than new copies of the second.

   One major improvement in the second edition, however, is the addition of internet-based genetics tutorials. Students are directed to the various public genome databases on the internet, used by real researchers, and are given practice assignments to do. They are shown how to conduct gene and protein homology searches, how to find open reading frames, and how to access other forms of information from the various public domain databases on the internet. Since internet databases have now become one of the most important tools available to geneticists these tutorials are a welcome addition to this textbook. I highly recommend it.

   Greg Doheny (Vancouver, Canada)




3. This book is extremely difficult for people who are first being introduced to genetics to understand. Since it is being used in beginning genetics courses, this is disturbing. Perhaps if you already have an understanding of the basic concepts of genetics this would be a more useful book.
   New terms are not always adequately defined. Often is seems as if the authors prefer to use confusing English games to explain concepts rather than explain information in a straightforward manner. An example would be page 7 when they are trying to explain the difference between "discontinuous" and "continuous" phenotypic variations. Rather that introduce one concept and explain it and then introduce the second concept, they introduce both concepts and then name both of them in a manner such that it is not clear which concept is which without rereading the paragraph several times.
   Also, one wonders how current the information provided in this book is. The introduction to chapter 9 refers to an ongoing betting pool concerning the total number of protein-coding genes in the human genome. It tells that the prize for guessing correctly will be awarded in 2003 and talks about the contest in the present and future tense as if it is ongoing and the winner has yet to be announced. It even refers readers to a website to see the contest rules. This is 2007!!! The contest is OVER! The website it refers to is no longer a valid URL! If this little piece of information is so out of date, what else in the book is out of date (and possibly incorrect).
   I wish I could say the website associated with the book is useful. Sadly, it does nothing to redeem the book. The animations are somewhat useful. It offers some additional problems, but not near enough. The tutorials it offers for using the NCBI database are often out of date.
   The only redeeming factors this book has is that the introductions often talk about interesting problems in genetics. These are followed up with more information about the problem at the end of the chapter. Also, the problem sets with each chapter are good. However, there is not always enough information in the reading to be able to figure out the problem. Fortunately, there is a solutions manual available for this book that is very useful.
   Since this book is most likely a required textbook, most people who are buying it do not have a choice. However, it would be nice to see schools pick a book that better explained genetic concepts than this one does. Genetics is a fascinating subject, but the difficulty of reading this book does nothing to encourage the student to pursue further studies in genetics.

5 comments about What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained.

1. My husband and I are both engineers and enjoy cooking. This book appealed to us and is a wonderful explanation of the science behind the kitchen. The author has a certain humor, which keeps the book interesting, and explains details well, even for non-technical people. I would recommend it as an addition to your kitchen.



2. The headmaster at the school where I teach recommended this book for my domestic arts class and it has been a great source of information - the kind you don't normally find in the usual textbooks. We have enjoyed learning all the ends and outs of information that is not normally covered in cooking classes. Plus the book is divided into sections with very creative titles; and with the use of well-placed humor, this book is not only very informative but very entertaining!



3. I found this book to be a very easy and entertaining read. The author did a very good job of making it entertaining with some anecdotes and tongue in cheek writing style. It was also very informative. If you are a fan of Alton Brown style of delivery, you will probably enjoy this book.



4. Full of trivia as well as little morsels of fact everyone wonders about. Completely worth the price, it just so happens we have all new facts and ideas!



5. This book is REALLY interesting! So far, I've just skipped around from section to section but soon will inevitably read it from cover to cover and love it all.
   So far though, I see absolutely no rhyme or reason why the name Einstein was used at all in the book title. It just seemed like a weird marketing gimmick.
   
   The book is good and stands on it's own. There's no need to tie it to the genius of Einstein. Or maybe I just missed the point....

5 comments about Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.

1. The author offers reader a book behind the fast food industry which mushrooms around the county with their joints which the majority of working class rely on for their quick meals.
   
   His research on the growers, suppliers, processors, laborers, politics and health issue behind the smiling teenager order takers leads reader to the composition of the hamburger in blood, tears and sweat from thousands of cattle, handled by the chain of workers before going to your mouth. It also makes you wonder who is eating the steaks and leaving the "residue of fats, noses, ears, trims" grounded into a mixture enhanced with artificial favor - a virtue"100% beef".
   
   Does fast food industry cost you an arm and a leg? By eating the cheap fast food, we may pay a dear price for healthcare later!
   
   This book illustrates the Tao of food: good and bad, healthy and junk, natural and artificial, slow and fast, traditional and modern, real and illusion.
   
   Who program the population in acting "the allegiance to the flag of fast food industry, one fast food nation under God with franchises around 50 states in offering cheap hamburgers and freedom fries for all"?



2. received the book quicker than expected. the book was in excellent condition. I highly recommend this seller



3. Outstanding You: Discover, Design and Achieve Ultimate Fitness
   
   This book should be required reading at all American schools. The purpose behind this book is not to convert people to vegetarian/vegan diets, but instead to educate them about the disastrous state our food supply is in. Though I use this book for information to support my vegan/vegetarian diet, I found it incredibly detailed and thought provoking. Highly recommended for anyone seeking more information on where their food comes from.
   
   Ron Betta
   Author - Outstanding You



4. This book is truly interesting in that it explains a process that many consumers thought that they were already familiar with.
   
   This book will explain why:
   
   1) it always seems the person at the register is being "trained".
   
   2) kids flock to most fast food joints.
   
   3) the fast food industry exploded with growth in the last 30 years.
   
   4) This country needs an alternative to our current and growing feeding trends!



5. I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat at fast-food restaurants. I thought this book was going to be an interesting expose of the fast-food industry. Instead, it was a series of meandering stories that weren't all that compelling. I got about halfway through the book and realized there was really no point in finishing it.
   
   I noticed that whenever someone was portayed negatively, the word "Republican" invariably cropped up. When one meatpacking company owner became less sympathetic to workers, Schlosser goes out of his way to let the reader know that he went from being a liberal Democrat to a conservative Republican.
   
   It's this kind of political posturing (Schlosser is obviously a liberal Democrat who can't keep his disdain for Republicans out of his writing), along with the fact that Schlosser just isn't that good of a writer, that helps to sink this book.
   
   I kept wondering when I was going to learn something interesting that wasn't obvious. All I learned was what I already knew. Fast-food is a giant industry that pays teenagers low wages and uses a lot of potatoes from giant agribusiness companies and beef from giant cattle companies. Oh yeah, and they use flavorings from companies in New Jersey.
   
   Stop the presses.

5 comments about The Perfect Puppy : How to Raise a Well-Behaved Dog.

1. This book has all you will ever need to have the perfect dog.
   No silly psycho-babble....just common - every day plan to have a great dog!!



2. This book is full of GREAT information and was very helpful since I had never owned a dog before. But I only gave it three stars because it doesn't have anything that you can't already find online for free! It will be a good reference if I am in a training situation and the power goes out, thus limiting my access to the internet!



3. you can not go wrong with this book, you need patience but it is very rewarding at the end of the training. My pup is very good at 16weeks old.



4. A good reference book and easy reading. Most information very helpful.



5. This is a MUST for all owners of puppies - in fact it should be issued to all intending owners prior to bringing that little bundle home. The book is extremely well organised, the writing clear and well illustrated, the content sound and up-to-date, in fact we can't fault this book given it's intended audience.

5 comments about Bananas!: How The United Fruit Company Shaped the World.

1. Bananas - How United Fruit Company Shaped the World by Peter Chapman
   
   After reading Peter Chapman's Bananas, I'll never look at that ubiquitous yellow fruit the same way. It is a well-written, engaging book that reads like an historical novel, sans dialogue. The story of the banana and the consequences of corporate greed is revealed with heavy doses of political intrigue and geographical references, enhanced with a sprinkling of agricultural biology. I'm not giving away any secrets when I tell you this is the story of United Fruit Company, known in Central America at the peak of its empire as "El Pulpo" (The Octopus) with good reason. Oh, yeah, it's in the subtitle.
   
   Many colorful personalities are revealed; so many that a reference list of characters is offered in the opening pages for the reader's benefit. And there are unexpected connections throughout. (Think "Six Degrees of Separation" meets "There Will Be Blood.") A growing corporation, serviced by legal advisor John Foster Dulles and public relations counsel Edward Bernays, supported by a cadre of American presidents (sometimes) and prominent Latin American dictators (usually). After reading the book, the connections make sense.
   
   Chapman brings the story forward to the Nixon, Carter and Reagan era, and there is one name that keeps coming up, and not in a good way: CIA operative and Watergate conspirator Howard Hunt.
   
   Beyond accompanying my cereal, bananas and I have a personal connection. Like Chapman, I spent a summer on a kibbutz in northern Israel, harvesting the fruit. The crude folding knife I used still resides at my mother's house in the Bronx, and the sense memories of the sticky plant residue on my skin and clothing are still there, along with the remembrance of an occasional sighting of a viper in the field.
   
   It gets personal for me on another level. Living in Southern California, one is exposed to Latin American peoples and cultures every day: my Guatemalan physician's assistant, my Costa Rican electrician, a Nicaraguan friend. Now I wonder how United Fruit Company intersected with the lives of their ancestors. At some point, I hope to have that conversation with them.
   
   In summary, this is a story worth telling, and it is told through an informative and well-researched book that is worth reading.



2. I read dozens of books every year like this that are not really worthy of a review, but decided to write one about this small little book since the other reviews about the book are really not a good way to evaluate this little machette job of a book.
   Chapman does a fairly admirable job of showing some history of the introduction of the banana into the US in the 19th century. Unfortunately, he falls into the usual trap of finding a US bad guy under every bunch of bananas with no discussion of United Fruit and its affiliates and competitors placed into a rational perspective. Yes, the big bad capitalists tried to make money selling bananas, and yes they abused their power, but Chapman does not show how they were really able to do so. Did they abuse their workers? Well, not as much as the EU currently abuses its serfs by stealing so much of their money in the form of taxes. Were United Fruit's employees forced to work for nothing as was and is the case in many countries across the globe or did they find working for a few pennies a day to be better than their previous existence of working for nothing and only hoping to survive a rough existence? Not according to Chapman.
   Any mention of how the EU has been exploiting banana production in the ACP countries vs Equador or other "banana republics"? Not really.
   any mention of the hundreds of thousands of lives saved by eating bananas in the last century which would not have happened except for United Fruit? not really. Any mention of how United Fruit had made more positive contributions to civilization than "comparative studies" professors who collect taxpayer money for indoctrinating and not educating the young in colleges around the globe? Not a word.
   so whle this may not be a one star book, it most certainly is not a five star book by any objective measure involving balance and looking at the world through something other than anti-American glasses.



3. This is a well-researched and timely book. The writing sometimes is a bit "gee-whiz", presumably because the author is not American and he brings a foreign angle to events that are better-known to American readers than to Europeans.



4. Fortunately for readers, two books were published about Bananas within months of each other at the end of 2007 / beginning of 2008.
   
   Steer clear of this one.
   
   The story of the Banana - and United Fruit's dominant role in the creation of 'Banana Republics' - is fascinating, so even Chapman's best efforts to push away the reader fall short, but I'd recommend Koeppel's book if you're interested in the tale of this not so simple fruit. Chapman's limpid, tongue-in-cheek-but-not-funny prose ruins the main effort here and renders his frequent tangential excursions (which run the gamut from United Fruit Killed JFK conspiracy to United Fruit Caused Americans to Be Fat implication) irritating at best. He summarizes too many of the most interesting episodes of United Fruit history and doesn't bother to discuss what efforts, if any, are being made to identify/create a replacement for the Cavendish. Instead, we're treated to his cursory explication of the evils of multi-national companies (for which, he argues, United Fruit was the trendsetter/model).
   
   I'm not sure about you, but I like my non-fiction served with a bit more fact and a lot less bland admonishment.



5. Living in Central America I was interested in reading this book. It was a disappointment. There are a lot of facts thrown together with little information about how these could be verified, and no references as to how the information was obtained most of the times. The book could have been better organized, facts relating to other topics are all of sudden thrown in with no explanation of the links that may justify this. I don't think that Chapman makes a good case that the United Fruit Company shaped the world...they were after all only in Central America and some South American countries. I could think of other large multinationals who probably had more influence on how business is done, like the large oil firms. The last chapter brings us the usual rants about globalization, a more toughful conclusion would have been appreciated. But it gave me an interest in finding out more about United Fruit with more facts to support an analysis
   Irene Lepine El Valle de Anton Panama