No comments about The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the Powerful River in the Atlantic (Caravan Book).

No comments about Silent Spring.

No comments about The Atlas of the Real World.

5 comments about The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living.

1. Lots of useful info. Gives you a new way to look at the world.



2. Helpful and informative. Easy to understand diagrams and explanations in plain English (i.e. you don't have to be ultra-tech-savvy to understand it).



3. This book is a web site printed out in large type. Books printed thirty years earlier are more usefull.



4. If you are looking into various forms of alternative energy, this book covers it all, even a few you may have not thought about. A clear non-engineering discription of each method is provided along with the pros and cons. Diagrams along with examples and photos are provided as well.
   This book will act as a valuable tool to both novice and professionals.
   A very cost effective investment!



5. I believe most topics covered just scratch the surface of the field. One needs a lot more information from other sources.
   
   Astepe

5 comments about Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated City Street Map of Paris, France - with integrated metro map including lines and stations.

1. It was not as easy to read as I'd expected. Having to turn it over made it awkward. I found it not as good as a free paper map I picked up in Paris several years ago. However, the laminated surface is a plus.



2. Handy and durable but only covers the central part of Paris and leaves out too much of what you may need.



3. I generally like the "Streetwise" series of laminated maps, and their Paris map is no exception. It is compact, clear, easy to use, and exceptionally durable. It covers the city center of Paris, and the front side centers along the middle of the city with the Seine River running roughly along the midline. Northern and southern extremities, an index, and a Metro map are located on the back. All in all it is exceptionally useful for both planning a trip in conjunction with a guidebook as well as actually maneuvering on the ground in the city.
   
   The most important landmarks are well defined on the map, and the information presented is accurate and current in my experience (it was revised in 2008). If you want to get out of central Paris you will need another map. Every map is designed for a specific purpose, and this one is designed for use by tourists of central Paris; for this purpose this map is exceedingly well suited, and I recommend it unequivocally.



4. The best small purchase you can make to prepare for a trip to Paris. We just returned from a week in the city and the Street Map was a constant companion.



5. We have several of the Street Wise maps for different cities. They have a terrific index of streets--makes it easy to find any place in Paris (or other big cities) quickly. The maps are laminated softly and can be folded and carried in a purse or pocket. It also includes a metro map and shows major attractions on the map. It's the absolute best map for travel in Paris.

5 comments about Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor.

1. Considering that he has a PhD and has been working with NASA for a long time, the author has high credentials, unlike Mr. Gore. He explains science is still in it's primitive state, that scientists have only scratched the surface. Therefore it is highly unlikely that CO2 can be the blame. The Earth contains far too many factors to consider. What he does explain though, is that nature has it's own check & balance. When CO2 increases, temperature increases a LITTLE, but this increases water vapor. Water vapor is the gas that will form cloud, which block out the sun. This in the process prevents the sun's UV light from entering the atmosphere and reflect back to the Earth continuously with infrared, thus negating the greenhouse effect. The author also shows acute understanding of economics, and how dangerous it is to fund hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money to put scientists on a ghost chase for alternative energy. His work also provides graph and some humor to show how stupid your Gore worshiping friends are. After all, radical liberals don't need scientists when they have Al Gore. But I do have an energy conservation recommendation, let's keep Al Gore's private jet on the ground.



2. As one person who believes we should reduce pollution for the betterment of our lives, but does not believe in the hysteria of Global Warming as the Al Gores of the media and entertainment believe, it is refreshing to FINALLY get a clear understanding of the this MADE-UP religion of lies and scare tactics na dbad political pandering.
   
   I always knew from a young age that the environment and its system of controls will always balance out and that man, even though he has the power to alter his environment, does not have as significant an impact as is believed. To assume that we have that kind of power is placing humans on a even level with the universe or God if you want.
   
   Roy Spencer takes the reader though a basic understanding of climate models and how they could never acurately model a complex system like the earths due to the shear fact of multiple variables that effect each other, regardless if science was able to model a single elemnt of the system preceisley. He ties the environmental movement to econmic greed and shows how thes environmentalists use gaining more money and power to push junk science and misinfomation to the public in the form of fear and ridicule.
   
   Spencer tells the reader how most scientist actually believe that global climate change is not happeneing, but if they stray too far from the dogma, they are ostricized and shuned. He shows how entrenched the environmentalists are with the media, politics and educational system, and how with that power, they control what people hear and think.
   
   This is a great read and easy for anybody to understand. I highly recommend this book and have done so already.



3. It's not difficult to discern University of Alabama meteorologist Roy W. Spencer's bias. He writes forthrightly on page 5, "I believe that the only rights that the natural world has are those conferred upon it by humans."
   
   This sort of God-like arrogance characterizes much of what he writes. He ridicules science and beats up on the usual right wing bogeymen, Al Gore, actors, Hollywood, etc. What he doesn't mention here is that he had a conversion a few years ago when he rejected biological evolution in favor of Intelligent Design. While it could be argued that the author of a book on climate need not mention that he is a creationist, it does give the reader pause to realize that Spencer not only is a global warming denier, he is also in that very tiny minority of scientists that deny biological evolution. Well, actually Spencer admits to being a global warming "skeptic," not an out and out denier.
   
   He has also admitted giving talks funded by Big Oil (see page 6), and he is the same Roy Spencer who along with John Christy in 1992 reported that the lower troposphere had cooled over the preceding thirteen years, more or less refuting global warming. However those findings have been refuted in three separate studies, and Professor Christy has admitted that his results were incorrect and that the atmosphere has warmed. (I am paraphrasing from George Monbiot's book "Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning" (2007). Monbiot gives the references for the studies that refute Spencer and Christy in footnotes on page 223.)
   
   What I was looking for here was Spencer's admission that he had misread or misinterpreted the data. I didn't find it.
   
   His philosophy as a "scientist" can perhaps be summed up by what he writes on page 10: "...it is not a question of whether bias exists--for we are all biased. It is a question of which bias is the best bias to be biased with." This reminds me of the idea that my God is better than your God in that a preconceived bias based on notions that have nothing to do with scientific inquiry are what is important in reaching a conclusion about what is true and what isn't. It's really just a faith-based approach to reality.
   
   Here's an example of how Spencer presents his case against "global warming hysteria": "And while you may believe that the all-time record high temperatures in the United States were set in the last ten years or so, the truth is that the decade with the largest number of all-time state record high temperatures was the 1930s." (p. 13) He doesn't mention the salient point that the new records top the old ones. What he writes is similar to saying that more records (in an earlier time: pick the decade) were set in (you name it: basketball scoring, computer processor speed, rainfall, etc.) than during the last ten years, which is hardly surprising since it gets harder and harder to set records as the bar is raised higher and higher.
   
   This sort of sophistry (or sly of hand) is what one would expect on say the Rush Limbaugh Show or Bill O'Reilly on Fox News, just slipshod BS to feed to the faithful. Note too that it's no longer "global warming is not true." Even the Bush administration now concedes that the planet is getting warmer. Instead it's global warming "hysteria"; in other words, Spencer is making a value judgment that we are overreacting.
   
   The very title of Chapter 2 "Science Isn't Truth" is another example of Spencer's tricky presentation. While it is true that science does not lead to--nor pretend to--absolute truth the way the God of Intelligent Designer does, science is our best tool for increasing our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live. Its track record dwarfs all other approaches to truth. Woe is the culture or nation that tries to replace science with "authority" or some other measure of truth.
   
   As an example of the ridicule of scientists mentioned above, there's this from page 14: "A number of scientists, apparently frustrated historians, have created a discipline called 'paleoclimatology.' This is where scientists look at tree rings or ice core layers and magically divine the historical temperature record." Well, they don't "magically divine" anything. They use that evidence to make valuable estimates of past weather patterns.
   
   On page 39 Spencer creates some cartoon dialogue to further his ridicule:
   
   "Scientist: Honey, I'm home!
   Spouse: Hi, dear. Did you discover anything exciting today?
   Scientist: Oh, yeah! I found that the tsetse fly actually does a little dance before mating! I can't wait to tell everyone at our next international conference!
   Spouse: That nice, dear."
   
   This is the sort of distorted view of science that one would expect from a creationist, not a real meteorologist.
   
   Chapter 6 is Spencer's take on economics. He reprises a lot of what one might find in an undergraduate course taught by a conservative economist. Spencer's point is that it is poor economics to take measures against global warming. Why spend money now to help prevent something that we do not entirely understand the consequences of? But this ignores the potential costs down the road--a kind of "let the future take care of itself" mentality that underlies so much conservative economic thought. It also ignores the essence of what it is to be human, which is the use of knowledge and insight to improve our prospects for the future.
   
   But more than anything, a head in the sand attitude toward global warming is dangerous since the worst case scenario suggests a balmy summer day on Venus, and even lesser consequences may bring about enormous suffering to hundreds of millions of people. We owe it not only to ourselves but to our children and grandchildren to stop the denial and obfuscation and work toward understanding global warming and how it is changing this planet.



4. This book is one of those books once you open the cover you put it down when you get to the back cover, I have been suggesting to everyone I know to read this book.



5. The amount of emotion around the issue of global warming is why it's such a political hot potato. But are we missing a perhaps BIGGER problem? See below.
   
   What I liked most about the book was the "elementary" presentation on weather systems, and how weather causes "global cooling". If it didn't, we'd be a much warmer planet than we actually are.
   
   This book points out how funding drives most all scientific research, providing an incentive to "toe the party line" to secure more funding (otherwise known as a job). Hence the built in bias towards agreeing that manmade CO2 is causing global warming. Those wishing to test a different theory seem to have have a more difficult time securing funding. Hence the majority of studies support the theory that CO2 causes global warming.
   
   One book I strongly encourage others to read is "The Chilling Stars" which suggests a different cause of the warming trends we've experienced in the last few decades.
   
   You can argue the impact of CO2 on the earth's climate, and have a chance of being wrong either way. It seems, however, basic chemistry shows that when you have more CO2 in the atmosphere, THE OCEANS WILL BECOME MORE ACIDIC. This is potentially a BIGGER problem than the amount of global warming that's been projected.

5 comments about The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir.

1. It's a historical text book wrapped in a delightful tale of a "regular" kid from the 1950s. And I will say, funny, funny, funny. I was reading it on an airplane and I was laughing out loud almost to the point of my embarrassment. Bryson is very sharp. He supplements his childhood anecdotes with (sometimes shocking) historical facts. He successfully juxtaposes the good and the bad. Every time I turned the page, I wished America could return to a "simpler" time and then I'd turn another page and count my blessings that we have moved on. It made me long for the smell of grammar school coat closets and thank goodness we weren't all blown to pieces with a nuclear holocaust.
   
   If you like TV, toys, kids, adults, baseball, movies, state fairs, underage drinking, family vacations, teenage pranks or anything relating to history at all, I would recommend this book as a must read.



2. 
   If you spent any time in the 50's this will be a laugh out loud perspective that will not disappoint. Bryson is smart, funny and just has a gift for narrative.
   The humor may be more appealing to males but I am not really sure.
   Enjoy this treat.



3. Bryson is well-known for his travelogues but here he takes us through his growing up years. All things mundane related to childhood turn interesting and are set aglow when touched by his genial wit. Bryson's companionable style is evident in this very entertaining memoir which is also a tribute to a much safer, much more innocent, and much more personable lifestyle of 1950s America. At times warm, at times wise, at times nostalgic, and always funny, this is a heart-warming chronicle of childhood by a gifted humourist which brings back cherished memories of our own.



4. I really enjoyed this book, remembering the 50s. Brought back some fond memories. We chose this book for our book Club, and will discuss it tomorow. It was an easy read.



5. This is Bryson at his best, funny, fearless, and factual. He took me back to splendid promise of the 50's when we awaited "Better things through chemistry" and believed they would come.

5 comments about Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.

1. After travelling through South America for seven weeks I was inspired to plan a larger-scale open ended world trip. I read this book a couple of years ago as I was working to save up the necessary travel funds and I have read many other travel books like it. Now a month away from starting my journey I must say that this was the best of all those travel books.
   
   There is the practical advice which is common and overlapping with most other travel books, but the main things that cause this book to stand out are Potts' excellent writing style which helps one to glide through the pages with enjoyment and a yearning to return to the open road. Also, Potts has a prevailing wisdom obviously aquired from his years of travel and this is exhibited in various insightful commentaries that elevate this to a philosophical read on life as well as travel.
   
   For those planning to "vagabond" I would recommend reading as many of the travel books you have the time for as each one will surely offer something new for the reader to take away (other great books are "The World Awaits" by Paul Otteson, "World Stompers" by Brad Olsen, and "Escape from the Happy Cannibal" by Ron Miller). This book should be at the top of that list.



2. This is an excellent short read that every aspiring adventure seeker should add to their collection. Potts' puts the overwhelming concept of World travel into a perspective that nearly anyone with a level head can grasp. The book is not a step-by-step guide but will inspire you to travel on your own terms. Potts will make you want to get up explore the nooks and crannies of the Earth. I have passed this book onto two close friends already and they can agree. The bottom line is that if you are not the type of person that wants to spend years sitting in the same cube day in and day out and want to get out and experience other cultures, read this book, you will not regret it!



3. and as an inverterate traveller and writer myself Rolf Potts gives lots of both common sense and inspiring tips. I quote him in the chapter on how to follow your intuition and have an amazing journey (and life) in my book Travelling Magically: How to Turn Your Journey into a Life-Changing Experience.



4. Great travel book that underscores the need to travel light, both in terms of physical and mental baggage, in order to truly explore the world. The author shares lots of anectdotes that illustrate the value in straying from the beaten path, while explaining how to do so safely. I can't wait to put the lessons learned from this book into practice!



5. I have not yet applied what I learned from this book, but it has inspired me to get going. Anyone can explore the world, and it doesn't take a lot of money.

5 comments about Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life.

1. GREAT BOOK! I can't wait to start putting the ideas into practice to make my home safe and live a healthy eco-friendly life!!! Great website too that has tons more that we can do for the enviornment. The book is overwhelming at first, but once you are into it you can't stop!



2. I love this book. I love her humor and all the info, especially references to web sites for additional info.



3. Sophie Uliano makes being environmentally responsible accessible, interesting, and even fun in Gorgeously Green. She shares her personal experiences to illustrate both the importance and the ease of being environmentally responsible. She even fesses up to sometimes not being as environmentally friendly as she could be and the guilt she feels. Gorgeously Green talks about how to be green without breaking the bank or sacrificing life's comforts. She brings it home when she talks about the effects using many environmentally unfriendly products have not only on the earth but on people's health as well. Filled with resources to find environmentally responsible products and services, Gorgeously Green is a must have resource for anyone interested in protecting his/her body as well as the planet.



4. This is an excellent book if you have been thinking about what you can do to be a little greener but don't know where to start. No, it's not a comprehensive guide to reducing your carbon footprint to absolute zero, but it is completely perfect for those of us who just want to do better and feel better. I think it's important to note that this book really is good for the "average" person. You don't have to be willing to give up absolutely everything (who knew there was eco-friendly nail polish?), fork over tons of cash (you can make gallons of her all-purpose cleaner for chump change), and she emphasizes that even if you can't follow every guidance in the book, anything you can do is a huge help.
   Many of the products mentioned in the book can either be made at home in minutes or purchased at different retail locations. I was worried when I checked a few of the websites and saw that some of them were very pricey, but if you do your homework and check out all your options, you'll find plenty of items are well within any budget (not to mention, she breaks down the reasons WHY mass-produced, chemical-filled products are so much cheaper.. it's amazing how many chemicals are banned in the EU but rubbed on American women's faces every morning and night!). I bought toothbrushes, razors, cleaning supplies, paper products, menstrual products, laundry detergent, and body/face care products all recommended in the book and all at Target and my local Harris Teeter and all within my not-terribly-impressive budget.
   The book is divided into eight sections, each of which has a focus on how to realize the impact your products/routines are currently having on both you and the earth, a multitude of suggestions for change, and what those changes mean for you and the earth. Even if you aren't a huge fan of the different products she discusses in the book or really aren't willing to give up certain routines, it's still packed with great money-saving tips for everything from your health to your heating bill. There is no way you cannot get SOMETHING out of this book!



5. Going green has never been easier, especially with authors like Sophie Uliano providing us with great resources! As we prep for our weddings, we're trying out skin creams and tooth whiteners, new shampoos and conditioners...all in our attempts to look and feel our best, and some of these new products we're trying might contain insanely bad-for-you ingredients! You can't be the radiant bride if you're full of toxins! Do you really want a bad case of dandruff right before the wedding day because you're using a so-called botanical shampoo that has an unpronounceable ingredient that shreds your scalp? The answers are in this book! Download their Cheat Sheet as well, to look out for ingredients in the products you own as well as the products you're looking for to look your best.
   
   I have to confess. I originally bought this book as a Christmas gift for my friend Jen, but I couldn't stay away from it, and now my husband Joe and I are clearing out a lot of our toxin-filled ingredients in the ol' medicine cabinet and our shower. Let's just say we're going to be buying a LOT of Burt's Bees replacement items today.
   
   They're not kidding when they say you look and feel good from the inside out, but slapping on creams and lotions is part of our ingrained beauty rituals! Check out this book and the book's website www.gorgeouslygreen.com to 'clean up your act,' be radiant on your wedding day, and give your bridesmaids a fantastic bridal party gift in the form of this book!
   
   Remember, you're not just planning a wedding, you're planning a healthy life together, a great future 'in sickness and in health'....so make it a healthy one by using this book as an investment in your well-being for the Big Day and beyond!

5 comments about Alcohol Can Be a Gas!: Fueling an Ethanol Revolution for the 21st Century.

1. The most informative and comprehensive book on this subject that has ever been written. It definitely resolves the issues on how and the best ways to absorb ethanol in our fuel obsessed economy. If you have any questions, then look no further for the answer. If you are skeptical, then look no further for the answer. It will change your mind on ethanol, that is a fact. A must read for everyone living in the world today if you meet the following qualification: you eat, you drive, you work, and you buy.. Buy this book.



2. I work on the forefront of the biofuels industry for an engineering design firm that works with rising biofuel technologies. First let me says that I HAVE NOT read Mr. Blume's entire book. The sections that I have read, however, make some rather untrue statements. For example, in Myth #1 Blume states that oil has a negative net energy output, meaning that it requires more energy invested than it puts out. That means that it takes more than 1 barrel of oil to produce one barrel of oil. If this were true, then it would take more than one barrel of oil to extract one barrel of oil out of the ground and refine it. Realistically, the oil companies use the barrels of oil that they extract to produce and refine their oil. Let's use an example and say that it takes 2 barrels of oil to produce 1 barrel of oil. Where do those 2 barrels of oil come from? They come from the ground. Let's be clear on something. Whenever you extract oil from the ground, you are adding to your total output. Those 2 barrels are NOT energy investments. So when you need 2 barrels of oil to produce 1 barrel, you are extracting 3 barrels of oil and using up two of them for a net output of 1 barrel of oil.
   
   
   Another untrue claim is that we can completely replace 100% of our motor fuel consumption. This is not true. The USDA and DOE published a report saying that we can displace about 30% of our motor fuel consumption using farmland and forest lands. At best we can displace maybe 40%. And realistically, the displacing probably won't happen for quite a while.
   
   Like I said before, I have not read the entire book. Maybe the rest of uses sound logic and diligent research. Maybe not. Make sure you check your facts and do research. Many people make claims and state them as facts, when in reality, they did not do their homework. And make sure to do your homework on the things that I have said too.



3. I've been interested in Ethonol production for a while. This book spells it out in excellent detail. A must have for the alternative energy set.



4. This a awesome book. If your not open to sources of enegry that our farmers can make so we can keep our money at home, then just write the check and send all you money over sea's. I have read the book. I also make some of my own fuel now. People the country is being strangled by high enegry prices. Who care if you agree with the authors politic's or view or history . You missing the whole point. We need to put our enegry future back into the hands of the american people . Your freinds and neighbors. Would you not like to buy fuel from your local farmer for $3.00 a gallon , then he finds out you lay bricks, fix computers, trim trees , pays you for your services . We need to support our local ecomony regardless of your political affiliation. On the other hand just keep fighting with each other and pay the mega faceless corportion .



5. I have read this book cover to cover and it inspired me to start my own alcohol distillery. It will tell you how to convert your vehicle to E-85 which is %85 alcohol and %15 gasoline, which puts out only %13 of the harmful greehouse gases that %100 gasoline does, and only takes $1 per gallon to make and sells for about $1.50 to $2.50 all over the US. It will give you the full history of alchohol in the USA since the turn of the century. I will explain how hydrogen, coal, nuclear, and all other alternative energy sources work and why they pale in comparison to switching to alcohol. If you hate filling up your car with overpriced and planet warming gasoline then buy this book!!! It will give you the knowledge to join the alcohol revolution that is growing everyday all around the world.