The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

Book Description

Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.

Customer Reviews:

A tale of global warming that gave me chills.......2007-09-20

Tim Flannery's "The Weathermakers" is not only an eloquent plea for the industrialized world to deal with the problem of climate change, but provides the science needed to understand this huge and vital topic. The book is spooky great fun too, with frights and chills enough to get the attention of any thrill seeker. Except that the thrills here come from contemplating near-irreversible global cataclysms that would wipe out humanity or make life darned near intolerable for us.

Flannery is terrific at making difficult science easy to understand, without dumbing it down or condescending to his audience. This was greatly aided by the narrator of the audio book, Drew De Carvalho, whose wide-eyed Aussie delivery was akin to the joy and wonder of that other fine Down-under naturalist, Steve Irwin. Flannery discussed the Earth's tumultuous climactic past, using data obtained from tree rings and ice cores, to paint a picture of a dynamic planet whose climate and biota have varied wildly over its existence. Glaciers advance and retreat. Gargantuan upwellings of methane overwhelm the biosphere. Oceans rise and fall hundreds of feet. Changes in atmospheric gases permit or debar shellfish from secreteing the carboniferous husks that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. The message: what Earth has done, it can do again.

Flannery does a wonderful job of explaining the large weather phenomena known to most laymen -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes to the Gulf Stream, warming trends, etc. But he is equally good at describing the lesser-known but important elements that factor into climatic equations. I was not aware that transpiration -- the release of moisture from Amazonian trees -- was a main cause of precipitation in the region. I had never heard of clathrates, huge fields of methane-infused ice that underlie the oceans. And I had never thought of climate change literally chasing certain heat-sensitive species up into alpine regions, until they run out of room and become extinct. Flannery is also wonderful at explaining the feedback loops that, once triggered, can accelerate certain climatic trends. Air conditioning powered by burning coal can increase levels sulfur dioxide in rain, acidifying the oceans, making it harder for shellfish to secrete shells, thus leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere, causing further warming and leading to the need for more AC, and so on.

Climate change to Flannery is not a theoretical possibility, but a certainty whose effects are visible today. He tells of the now-extinct South America Golden Toad, whose habitat was fed by moisture in low-lying clouds, being wiped out when a Pacific ocean hot spot caused mist-giving clouds to form just slightly higher up the mountainside than usual. His tale of the bleaching of the reefs like Great Barrier Reef -- in which huge swaths of coral reefs ejected their symbiotic algae, then bleached and die in a single season -- was frightening and sad. His discussion of the measurable changes in salinity in the Gulf Stream -- changes that could imperil its flow with deleterious effect on climate -- was terrifyingly plausible. Most chilling of all, Flannery's telling of the planet's near-miss with significant ozone depletion (due to industry's fortuitous use of chlorine rather than hyper-reactive bromine in aerosol cans and refrigeration systems) underscored how easy it is for humanity to fatally foul our nest without even realizing we are doing it.

The book is alarming, but not alarmist. It does not seek the cheap thrill of scaring us to sell copies, but to educate and forewarn. Flannery is not afraid to call out the human practices that are warming our planet. Transportation needs (which account for 30% of CO2 emissions), accelerating burning of carbon-rich fossil fuels, and shortsighted self-interest are high on the list of culprits. Flannery points the finger at the big coal-gorging countries in the world -- the US and Australia among them -- for significant criticism. Neither does he spare the industrial giants who use deceit, misinformation and political contributions to steer politicians (and the public) away from limiting profitable, planet-damaging enterprises.

I came away from the book with a new appreciation for the complexity and the fragility of the Gaia -- the living organism that is the Earth. "The Weathermakers" increased my appreciation of the path on which we have put our world. If Flannery's descriptions and predictions are true, our fossil-fuel-burning habits have already committed us to significant extinctions of species and significant discomfort for ourselves. As Flannery states, future generations will curse ours if we see the looming problem and fail to take action to correct it. Flannery is hopeful (else, why write such a book?) about our ability to turn things around. He evaluates technological and political solutions to the problems he poses, which not all will like, for carbon-low solutions include wind, geothermal, solar and (gasp!) nuclear power generation. And Flannery dismisses certain hopeful technologies like hydrogen and biomass. Flannery is also hopeful that past global cooperation -- of the type that limited the production of ozone-killing CFCs -- will be repeated, as human beings band together to save their world.

"The Weather Makers" is a wonderful book that can open your eyes to the complexity of our world, of the difficulties of addressing climate change without wrecking economies, and of our responsibility to pass our planet, reasonably intact, to our children. Its stacks of facts can sometimes numb the mind, but they are the data needed to combat ignorance and deceit one often encounters when trying to persuade our friends and neighbors about the possibility of anthropogenic climate change.

Disappointed.......2007-08-07

I bought the book on the basis it would be an objective and well structured argument explaining how scientists had negated natural influences on climate change - Milankovich cycles, solar activity and plate tectonics - and isolated the anthropogenic influences.

However, I discovered the book is written in a mildly hysterical tone common to environmental activists. If you want to read a scientific account of climate change and how human activity is affecting the climate, read the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report.

Boo Hoo.......2007-07-27

"Well done China for improving the lives of your citizens" This is one of the many quotes that you will NOT find it Tim Flannerys book. Others include "Before the industrial revolution, average life expectancy was about 36 years of age" and finally "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". However if you want to know how every living thing on the planet would be better off if we disapeared, you are on the right track.

Thought provoking!.......2007-07-25

This book is great reading in conjunction with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The author convincingly demonstrates that global warming is real, and that terrible consequences loom ahead if nothing is done about it.

I was very surprised to read how the Australian government bullies its neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Many of the Pacific Islands nations are doomed to sink under water as the ocean level rise, yet they are bullied by the Australian government into inaction. Like individuals, nations are selfish and have no regard for other nations if it does not suit their purposes. This notion angered me. Unless the citizens of the world take action to fight global warming and CO2 emissions, governments, motivated by self-interest, will be very slow to act, if at all.

Many of the themes in the book were already familiar to me, especially after reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. One new concept was about hydrogen power. According to the author, hydrogen power is not the solution to global warming since to produce hydrogen power fossil fuels must be burnt. He proposes the use of electric, solar, nuclear and wind power which are all available and affordable.

The author also laments all the animals that became extinct due to global warming. For example, a frog, newly discovered by science, carries its newborn in its stomach. When ready to give birth, it regurgitates its babies. This is the only known species to do so, yet soon after its discovery, it became extinct due to our environmental carelessness. Many other species of animals, insects, and plants are becoming extinct.

Maybe when we learn to stop killing each other we can finally take care of our environment. Does that mean that our root is evil and that nothing can be done to save our planet?

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.......2007-07-24

Concise, easy to read, and right to the point. Everything anyone would want to know about how man is changing the climate and what one could do to alleviate their impact in this process. Each individual is responsible for their own actions and we MUST slow the global warming process or the 21st century will see catastrophic environmental changes. A must read book for information that could save the future of the planet and its inhabitants.

Average customer rating:

Excellent read
An incredibly compelling story -- WOW!!!
Made me question long-accepted beliefs
Intriguing case study with enormous implications...
wow!

A Man Without Words
Susan Schaller
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Disability | Specialties | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0520202651

Book Description

For more than a quarter of a century, Ildefonso, a Mexican Indian, lived in total isolation, set apart from the rest of the world. He wasn't a political prisoner or a social recluse, he was simply born deaf and had never been taught even the most basic language. Susan Schaller, then a twenty-four-year-old graduate student, encountered him in a class for the deaf where she had been sent as an interpreter and where he sat isolated, since he knew no sign language. She found him obviously intelligent and sharply observant but unable to communicate, and she felt compelled to bring him to a comprehension of words.
A Man without Words vividly conveys the challenge, the frustrations, and the exhilaration of opening the mind of a congenitally deaf person to the concept of language.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read.......2007-07-21

I bought this to read for a class, but was taken aback by how good this book was. An excellent read for anyone.

An incredibly compelling story -- WOW!!!.......2005-01-02

Wow! A must-read for parents of deaf children, linguists, and SLP's. The author expertly describes the isolating effects life without a shared language. She tells the story of a deaf man who grew up in a poor town in Mexico. The man was never provided any education and was never taught how to communicate. At the start of the story, the man uses only gestures and miming to express himself. He lacks the concept of "language" --a system of symbols (spoken words, manual signs, or written text) that can be used to express an individual's thoughts & experiences and be understood by a whole community of people. The author recounts her struggle to figure out how to teach language and the man's struggle to learn. In addition, she clearly articulates the need for social change, the need to develop resources & programs for teaching the many languageless deaf adults who exist today. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I found that the numerous quotes throughout the book detract from the overall story. In this respect, the book seems somewhat like a hybrid --it is a positive & triumphant story of two people embarking upon a difficult journey with no map to guide them, AND it is an informal dissertation on the needs of an overlooked segment of the deaf population. Either way, it is a great story and is well-worth reading.

Made me question long-accepted beliefs.......2003-01-28

Like a lot of university educated folks, I heard in Psych 101 that once you hit your teens, your capacity to learn languages takes such a nosedive that if you haven't learned by then, you'll never be better than "Me Tarzan, you Jane" no matter how hard you try. I'm not ashamed of accepting this "language expiration date" -- there was no reason not to, and besides, it tracked with my own frustration learning foreign languages. For decades, I accepted this Psych 101 nugget without question.

When I started reading A Man Without Words, I had no idea my old Psych 101 nugget's days were numbered. I heard about the book as something a fan of Oliver Sacks would enjoy, and I associated it with Oliver Sack's book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, about neurological dysfunction, not Sacks's Hearing Voices, about the deaf. I assumed until I started reading that the "man without words" was aphasic -- had brain damage that prevented him from understanding language. Turns out, though, the book's namesake is deaf and poor and had simply, at 27, never been taught any language. No one had ever bothered. Susan Schaller then proceeded to overturn the Psych 101 sacred cow I never knew I had by describing how she taught this young man the beginnings of ASL over the course of a few weeks. Then, so I couldn't think of him as a freak or fraud, Schaller goes on to show that many deaf people receive no language training and can also be taught to sign long after the Psych 101 "language expiration date."

Schaller claims that almost every deaf teacher, and most hearing teachers, of ASL know of adults who have grown up without language. While her book is anecdotal and therefore fundamentally unscientific, she makes a passionate plea for academic study of the acquisition of language by adults, which makes her more plausible than those who would brush science aside where it does not prove their case. A Man Without Words is a powerful request, and a strong basis, for further research in this area.

A Man Without Words is also very well written. Schaller is both artful and precise in her descriptions of sign idioms and grammar, to the point that I, who know little of sign other than what I read here and in Hearing Voices, felt I understood what I needed to and enjoyed learning it. Her narrative case study is better written than many novels, and besides being fascinated by the information Schaller imparts, I also became submerged in the story.

Learning that something I believed for decades may be dead wrong gives me a feeling of loss of equilibrium (I got the feeling a lot when I first started reading about urban legends). No matter how skeptical I try to be, I always seem to be assuming something. A Man Without Words is a convincing argument for skepticism about the "language expiration date," and it raises concerns that the "expiration date" idea may make us give up up too quickly on languageless adults. It is also a fascinating read as a story, which makes the loss of equilibrium easier to take. Now I just hope that since this book was published in the nineties, someone in academia has taken the hint and done some study on linguistic development in adults. I'm off to cruise the Web to find out -- which, I'm sure, is just the kind of reaction Schaller was hoping for.

Intriguing case study with enormous implications..........2002-03-04

I've read many of the previous case studies of languagelessness in children. We studied Genie and the Wild Boy of Aveyron in an education class on language and it's place in education. This was my introduction to this particular group of disenfranchised, neglected, and abused people...except I thought it was all children usually discovered in late childhood (around age 13). From my neuroscience classes I remember being taught that the brain continues neuronal growth (to targeted synapses in the brain) until about age ten, then begins to cut back. This was supposedly an explanation for why language learning is so difficult later in life. So coming across this book, with its story concerning adults with no obvious psychiatric problems (just a physical difference in lacking hearing) who had managed to survive to adulthood with no language, came as a complete surprise.

This book got put aside as I had to read other books for school and work, but I picked it up again and finished it. Schaller basically is providing a qualitative study, a case study, to draw attention to this apparent problem. This method of educational research is used more and more in writing dissertations, and I actually didn't recognize what it was until I took a qualitative research class myself. The writing and book tend at first to repeat itself. I am not sure what Schaller was doing in writing this way. Perhaps the book had to be a certain length or she felt readers might not pay attention to the seriousness of this problem for Ildefonso and other adults without language. This repetition caused the first half of the book to drag a bit.

After I picked the book up again, I finished it in two days. The addition of the search for other adults with no primary language, Schaller's introduction to other adults like Ildefonso, and then her search for Ildefonso really added to the pace of the case study.

This book throws a bit of a wrench in much of the things I have been taught in both neuroscience and education. There are a few things the book illustrates better than any other book I've read on this topic. First, given the amount of adults who were deaf and had no language that Schaller found in Southern California really illustrates this has to be a major problem internationally. If we are finding such a large group in our nation which pushes education and literacy, what about in countries such as China where there are many deaf (due to overuse of gentamycin) and there are many people with no access to education. Second, again, we obviously don't know everything there is to know about the pliability of the brain. Third, I am very concerned about discrimination against this group, and the possibilities that there are many of these people in psychiatric wards or prisons or other institutions, merely because they have no way to assert their rights. This possibility would be criminal.

I'd like to see more books by Schaller on this topic, and hope to learn more about this in the future. For the most part, this is a great book, and it definitely is a great story which needed to be told.
Karen Sadler
Science Education
University of Pittsburgh

wow!.......2001-10-04

This book really opened my eyes to the world of adults without a communication system. I just took for granted the fact that everyone had a way of communicating when in fact, this book shows clearly that there are many who don't have just that. In addition, this book is a real page turner and packs a lot of interesting information in just a little over 200 pages.

$The Hart Brothers Rey & Leo: A Man Of Means\Lionhearted$
Average customer rating:

A little disappointed....

The Hart Brothers Rey & Leo: A Man Of Means\Lionhearted
Diana Palmer
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Long, Tall Texans: Burke & Coltrain (Long, Tall Texans)
$Long, Tall Texans Emmett & Regan: Emmett\Regan's Pride (Long, Tall Texans)$ Long, Tall Texans Emmett & Regan: Emmett\Regan's Pride (Long, Tall Texans)
Carrera's Bride: Long Tall Texans (Silhouette Special Edition)
Boss Man (The Long Tall Texans) (Silhouette Desire)
Long, Tall Texans: Calhoun, Justin & Tyler

ASIN: 0373770898

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointed...........2005-07-18

I read Simon and Cag's story before reading this one and I enjoyed their stories, so I was excited about getting this book. However, I was disappointed in this book because I though it lacked in a lot of ways. In the first story, (Rey's) It was quite different then all the rest of them because Meredith was the one that was chasing Rey and trying to get him to fall in love with her. In fact, he didn't even like her at all and had said so right up til the end of the book. Also, I found that it was a little stupid that she was keeping her job and schooling a secret from him. Why??? She would rather that he think of her as a prostitute than a nurse with a college degree? That doesn't make any sense to me. She has too understand why he thinks she is a hooker after the first night they met. It was an honest mistake on his part, anybody would have taken her for a hooker. Then she continued to let him think that and even lied to him when he questioned her. It made no sense to me. I really liked Rey in this story though. He was tough, and strong willed. Also very sensitive. If it wasn't for him then I would not have liked this story at all. He took care of things without even being asked. I did like this story better than Leo's though.

Leo's story was the one that I disliked most. I thought that Janie and him were so mismatched. The ending dragged on and on and on. Also, too much talk about her being a virgin. That was all Leo talked about. It got old pretty quick. He treated her more like a teenager than a full grown woman. I enjoyed a scene at the cattleman's ball about a fourth of the way through the story, when Leo and Janie had it out, but that was about it. Also, Marlie didn't fit into this story at all. She was telling lies to Leo about Janie, well if she went to that much trouble on keeping those two apart then why would she just up and leave? We never hear another word from her throughout the rest of the book. Also, Janie's dad Fred was a little unbelievable. He acted more than a friend to Janie than her father. All in all I think that Mrs. Palmer could have written these two stories better than she did.

Down These Mean Streets (Spider-Man (Pocket Star))

Average customer rating:

Could have been better
A good actioner
Your Friendly Neighberhood Spiderman
Finally!
I regret reading this book

Down These Mean Streets (Spider-Man (Pocket Star))
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1416509682

Book Description

A brand-new designer drug arrives in New York City with the force of a hurricane: Triple X, a potentially lethal combination of ecstasy and gamma radiation that is literally turning users from the shadowy, dank alleys to the glittering, raucous party circuit into living, rampaging nightmares. For high school science teacher Peter Parker, Triple X's onslaught on some of his students and his wife's professional life is as dangerous as it is unexpected. For Peter's secret alter-ego, the costumed crime-fighter known to the world as Spider-Man, the situation quickly accelerates from bad to worse, as the drug's effects run unchecked against law enforcement's and his own valiant efforts to rein in the city-wide chaos. But there is a growing consensus between Spider-Man and the police that, for reasons yet unknown, one of the arachnid's most fearsome enemies may be behind it all as part of a greater scheme to bring the city -- and one of its most heroic and hated defenders -- to its knees at long last...

Customer Reviews:

Could have been better.......2007-10-04

I am a huge Spider-Man fan. I know pretty much all there is to know about the wall crawler. I had just finished reading "Spider-Man: The Darkest hours" and was impressed. It was a great book. I decided that I would keep on the streak and move to this book.

"Down these Mean Streets" was a disapointment to me. The plot itself was very good, but the exacution was lacking. I encountered several spelling grammar errors which were not caught by the editor. There were also a few parts that were worded funny.

All in all I'm giving it a 2/5. Like I said, good plot, but the writing in and of itself was lacking.

A good actioner.......2006-07-25

Triple X,a potent combination of Ecstasy and gamma radiation,is
turning people into Hulkish monsters.Now it's up to Spiderman to stop them and find out who's responsible.This is a well-done,
fast-paced thriller that works up quite a head of suspense.It also has a surprising dark adult tone and some rough but very
appropriate language.I like how DeCandido also lightens things
at times with some of Spidey's trademark zingers.He also creates very believable characters.All in all,this is a very
satisfying read.

Your Friendly Neighberhood Spiderman.......2006-04-25

When a mysterious drug starts spreading across NYC turning people into gamma sized Hulks, it's up to Spidey to figure out the why's and how's. That's pretty much the story in a nutshell. It's an entertaining story throughout but some places where it stops short.

In general, I'm a fan of Spidey and I was glad to see him back in a full length novel and when I heard it was being written by Keith De Candido, I was even happier. For those who don't follow Star Trek, De Candido has written many Trek bestselers and is one of the more poular authors in that line.
There were times in the book where there's some cursing and reading it, surprised me if only because it's not something you see in his Trek books (at least I haven't).

His writing style here is similiar to his style in other pieces of his novels. The chapters aren't as long as usual but it does go at a fast pace with the story beginning right away. It is a qucik read (less then 300 pages), wheras most of his other stuff is more then that. There were times in the story where I thought The Incrediable Hulk himself would make a cameo but the only one we get is from Doc Ock but that pretty much was, IMO, a cop out only cause the author knew he had to end it at some point and he did so rather quickly.

The good thing about it is no one will suspect who the main culprit is pretty much until the end when all the clues are solved. In fact, the book plays like a mystery novel more then a sci fi (though why Spiderman is considered Sci Fi is beyond me).

All in all, if you like Spiderman, you'll like this book. If you don't like Spiderman but like De Candido's work. you'll probalby like this.

Finally!.......2006-03-15

After being disappointed with a couple of the DC Comics novels of late, I decided to give one of the Marvel versions a try. And I'm glad that I did!

While "Green Lantern: Hero's Quest" and "Superman: The Never-Ending Battle" were both fairly bland, this novel was quite refreshing. For one thing, it was clearly written with a mature audience in mind. That does NOT mean that there is endless swearing (there is some) or unnecessary sex scenes (none), but that the theme and tone are geared toward a thoughtful audience.

This is a drug novel. It might be a science-fiction drug with science-fiction side effects, but it is a drug story nonetheless. Young people die from this drug. And both Spider-Man and the police have to use their wits for detective work just as much as for battle scenes.

As far as I know, I have never read any of Keith R. A. DeCandido's work before, but I would love it if he were to write more of these types of super hero novels. In fact, if this series of books maintains such a mature feel, I would love to see Dean R. Koontz or Christopher Andrews take a crack at one.

My ONLY complaint, the only reason I am not giving this novel 5 stars, is because of the ending. While my favorite elements were the down to earth, realistic issues, when it eventually became evident that a popular Spider-Man super villain was behind it all, THEN I was ready for a climactic battle. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The final fights, of which there were two, were handled very briefly, adding up to only a few pages the first time, and over in essentially one page the second time. A bit disappointing. I wish the author had taken just one more chapter to play up those elements. But ...

Overall, I was very pleased. This book was very refreshing after DC's let downs. Thanks to this novel, I am now looking forward to Christopher Andrews' "Paranormals," which is apparently ALSO a super human story (though not from DC or Marvel). I'll be reviewing that one next!

I regret reading this book.......2006-01-09

If you're a fan of superhero fiction, you'll probably like the first four-fifths of this book. It's well written, the characters ring true, and the story sticks to the Spidey universe.

The ending, though, is almost like the writer got tired of the whole thing and just wrote a quick ending so he could be done with it.

It is only in this last small part that you find out Doc Ock is the villain. There's a kind of lame connection between Doc Ock and this designer drug which is the main source of the conflict, and the characterization of Ock makes him out to be a kind of tight-assed sissy.

Worse, there's a bogus final scene where the Doc is taken into custody -- by ordinary cops, no less -- that you'll probably hate. Sadly, the epilog is better reading than the main story ending.

It's not often that I really, really wish I'd found a better use for my time than reading a book, but this was one of them.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
Excellent Analysis of Christianity and the Environment
An early warning to the church on environmental issues.

Pollution and the Death of Man
Francis A. Schaeffer , and Udo W. Middelmann
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0891076867

Book Description

The Bible is clear: mankind was meant to exercise godly domination over the earth. Yet today men mine valuable resources by whatever method brings the greatest profit in the shortest time, leaving the earth ravaged. They hunt and fish for pleasure, not food, leaving animal carcasses behind to rot. They worship self and ignore the God who made them.

The answer to the ecological crises of our day is found only in the glorious truths of biblical Christianity: God created ex nihilo; He is both infinite and personal; we are made in His image and thus have great value in Him; Christ's death brought redemption from the consequences of the Fall (for believing individuals now and for all creation when He returns).

There are indeed serious ecological crises in our world, but, says Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, one of the greatest Christian thinkers of our time: "The Christian who believes the Bible should be the man who--with God's help and in the power of the Holy Spirit--is treating nature now in the direction of the way nature will be [when Christ returns].... God's calling to the Christian now, and to the Christian community, in the area of nature... is that we should exhibit a substantial healing here and now."

A powerful Christian classic--a marvelous theological response to ecological danger signals.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-03-21

This is really what I've come to expect from Schaeffer. Piercing analysis. Balanced approach. Faithfulness to the Scriptures. Lucid and colloquial style. Imaginative approach. In this particular work, Schaeffer presents a fantastic case for concern for the environment. He puts forward a balanced view of ecology and shows how it is not contrary to Biblical Christianity, but the natural conclusion of it. The book is a bit dated, but as relevant as it has ever been.

I would love to see every Christian invest the short amount of time required to read this book.

Excellent Analysis of Christianity and the Environment.......2002-05-02

This masterpiece of logical thinking is unequaled in the realm of Christian literature for its conciseness of content and expressiveness of thought.

In this book, Schaeffer discusses the Christian approach to the environment and deals with the all-too-common misconceptions peddled by those Christians who are either ignorant of Biblical truth in this area, or are so intent on distancing themselves from the pantheistic, bleeding-heart, tree-hugging left that they come across as uncaring and abusive.

Nature does play a part in God's plan, and far from being entrusted with it as a no-strings-attached gift - a common misconception of the use of "dominion" in the Genesis account - we have been given the moral responsibility of keeping our surroundings while at the same time utilizing them conscientiously to meet our needs. In ridiculing and minimizing man's God-given duty of stewardship, modern Christianity has severely impaired its testimony and driven many conscientious individuals into the arms of equally erroneous sects - many of them pantheistic. This tendency is as wrong as it is regrettable.

Schaeffer further points out that having been created by the same God, any attempt by man to look down on and misuse his physical surroundings is to pass judgement on the God Who created those surroundings ý and us.

Overall well-balanced and thought-provoking, Schaeffer answers the excesses of extreme Christianity on the one hand and raving nature-worship on the other with a treatise that is as elucidative as it is highly readable. This is required reading for anyone who wants to be convicted and informed of the necessity to appreciate and respect nature within the God-oriented context of Biblical truth.

- Benjamin Gene Gardner

An early warning to the church on environmental issues........2000-05-04

This book was originally written in the early 1970's, as an early response to the rapid spread of anti-Christian environmental books. Now I say "anti-Christian" not in the sense that environmentalism is anti-Christian, but in the sense that Christianity has been getting the blame for the world's environmental ills. In other words, Schaeffer is warning the church to start paying attention to its duties to the earth and environment, because we are getting the blame for pollution and etc...

He rightly points out that Christianity is somewhat responsible for environmental problems, but shows that Bible-practicing churches and members should wake up and see what the Bible really says on the issues. By shuffling the environmental issue back into the corner and ignoring it, we push environmentally concerned people into the Eastern religions and away from Christianity. Since John Passmore's famous book, which blames Christianity's view of dominion (Genesis/Eden) for Western Civilization, and Puritanism for the demise of American ecosystems, the environmental movement has begun rejecting Christianity as a cure. Furthermore, dispensational theology which sees the world as collapsing and being annihilated by Jesus after the Millennium, in favor of building a new Earth, quite strongly implies that we needn't bother with such earthly issues, since the earth will "pass away" no matter how nicely we tend it (rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic). So Passmore and others are somewhat correct, that Christianity has fallen flat on its face in regard to environmental issues. Schaeffer in this book prophetically warns about it, and turns out to be correct.

It is not full of statistics and charts, this is a philosophical book with deep insights by a great Christian thinker. It is interesting that only in recent years, thirty years later, do people finally decide to read it! It should be required reading in seminaries, and attended to by anyone in Christianity who believes in Christian stewardship of the world.

Average customer rating:

All the right components

LOVE Diana Palmer

Could have had a better ending

Need to learn CPR

Getting a bit tired

Man Of Means (Silhouette Desire, No.1429)
Diana Palmer
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Silhouette Desire | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books
Palmer, Diana | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Lionhearted (Long, Tall Texans)

Boss Man (The Long Tall Texans) (Silhouette Desire)

Carrera's Bride: Long Tall Texans (Silhouette Special Edition)

Matt Caldwell: Texas Tycoon (Long, Tall Texans) (Silhouette Special Edition)

Long, Tall Texans: Calhoun, Justin & Tyler

ASIN: 0373764294

Customer Reviews:

All the right components.......2006-11-29

I have to disagree with most of the reviews written below. I believe this book was great. I'm also a big Diana Palmer fan and ive read my share of her stories. I think this one was sweet and both characters were strong, unlike other stories where the woman is incredibly fragile and weak.

Meredith lives a life who could break anyone if they werent strong enough, yet she is able to hold herself up without help. She even hides her real education as a nurse and accepts to live out in a tiny city. This time, the reader wasnt always being reminded of how innocent she was, how fragile, etc. This time she actually had a strong personality.

Rey is just like the other men in Palmer's stories...hes stubborn, "sexy", has his mind set on thinking the female is a "tramp", and does not want to get married. There wasnt really a change in the male character, so no big thing there. But, a good character overall.

Overall i think this story is great for so many reasons. If you want a different story, with strong characters, this one is the one.

I think the only thing that i agree on with the previous reviews is that you dont do CPR on someone who is alive....but you kind of overlook that since its not a medical text. However, correct information would have been nice.

LOVE Diana Palmer.......2003-04-01

Top notch book by Diana Palmer. I always enjoy her books and this one was long awaited. You can't go wrong with one of her titles.

Could have had a better ending.......2002-04-28

I like to start off by saying I am a big "Diana Palmer"fan too.But during this book it seemed like she wasnt putting her all into it.I would have expected a much better ending than the one she gave.I agree with the others,it did seem like she just wanted to hurry up and finish it.

Need to learn CPR.......2002-04-27

Diana, Please learn basic CPR. It is not done on individuals with a pulse and who are breathing.
This is just one of the flaws with this book. The caracters are standard for Diana's, the men tend to be hard, and the women are fragile. But in this book, she goes from fragile to spunky without reason. Perhaps part of Meredith's caracter change was left out of the book to keep it smaller for the Silhouette printing.

Getting a bit tired.......2002-04-23

I have to agree with the other reviewers. I did like the first few pages with their introduction of D.P.'s typical characters, like the hero who misjudges and hurts the already wounded heroine, and then has to do some serious grovelling before the happy ending. It sort of was there, and it wasn't. I had the impression Ms. Palmer got bored herself after the first chapters and just hurriedly threw together a few clichés - minor misunderstandings, dream wedding, passionate wedding night, all in too much of a rush - in order to finish off the book. The main characters appeared rather more shallow towards the end, not fulfilling the promise shown in the beginning.
This is now about the third or fourth new Palmer novel I have read which left me rather unsatisfied. Couldn't publishers be persuaded to give us some of her older (and better) ones instead?

Fidelity : What it Means to be a One-Woman Man

Average customer rating:

legalism and nothing more
Remove the "No Girls Allowed" Sign
The BEST book on the subject.
a better approach to the problem
Great and much needed biblical perspective!

Fidelity : What it Means to be a One-Woman Man
Douglas Wilson
Manufacturer: Canon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 1885767641

Book Description

We live in a time when marital fidelity is under assault. Driven by the forces of relativism, our society assaults sexual fidelity on numerous fronts. The push for homosexual marriages, for example, comes at the end of the fall into perversion, not the beginning. Faithless husbands began the fall long ago, and our culture, with all its washed-out self-help books, fails to address the real problem-sin.

Addressed to men, Fidelity hits hard, using clear language, focusing on specific sins with specific solutions: adultery, divorce, polygamy, celibacy, pornography, and more. But in the end, the antidote to all sexual temptation is simple-the godly honoring of the marriage bed: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).

Customer Reviews:

legalism and nothing more.......2006-05-25

This essay is thorough in its presentation of the Scriptural passages relevant to the different issues of sexual morality: adultery, homosexuality, abstinence before marriage, etc. But that's it. The relevant passages from Scripture are presented, Mr. Wilson assures us that he agrees with them, and that's that. In other words, anyone seeking to understand WHY the Scriptures testify to a certain code of sexual morality will find nothing here.

Most people are familiar with the principles of strict Christian sexual virtue, even if they cannot recite the verses of the Bible that teach it. So teaching abstinence and chastity is not primarily a matter of explaining to people what they must and must not do: they already know all that. What most people are confused about is WHY they must be chaste. So many Christians today say, my faith and trust for eternal salvation are in Christ, I am saved... so why shouldn't I have sex with my girlfriend? Or my gay lover? They just don't see any connection between the Western Christian message of salvation and a strict code of sexual morality, and Wilson's book here will offer them no further insight.

Why does God care how we conduct ourselves sexually? Didn't Christ say, "Let no one call anything the Father has created unclean?" And didn't the Father create sex? So why would sex upset Him? How is chastity relevant to the spiritual life? How and why will unchaste thoughts and behavior corrupt our hearts? When people encounter sexual temptations they are very powerful and without a thorough grasp of the implications of our moral choices and lifestyles to the spiritual life and salvation, very few find themselves strong enough to resist it.

Again, this book only outlines the principles of chastity in a legalistic manner that is based in Protestant Pietism. If the moral reprimand of Scripture strikes fear into your heart, this might be enough to keep you straight. But few people today, Christian or not, are afraid of the Bible.

Sexual virtue as rightly understood in the context of the historical, apostolic Christian faith is a matter of asceticism: to understand why one must struggle to remain sexually chaste, one must first understand why he must fast, why he must deny his impulses and desires generally. So a substantial explanation of the necessity of asceticism is prerequisite to any discussion of sexual chastity; but Wilson does not seem to understand this, and offers no insight in this regard. If you seek a deeper understanding of Christian sexual morality, then, I recommend The Freedom of Morality by Christos Yannaras and Ascending the Heights: A Layman's Guide to the Ladder, by Fr. John Mack.

Remove the "No Girls Allowed" Sign.......2006-04-22

As I was working my way through the Canon Press family series I went ahead and read Fidelity. Although it's written for men, I think many (though not all) Christian women will find, as I did, that it is a useful corrective to the misinformation they've been assaulted with all their lives. It's not that I learned anything new or surprising about sex in this book; it was more that, especially in the last chapter, Mr. Wilson creates a picture of godly sexuality that puts all the old information into the right context and in the right proportions -- like reassembling a Picasso into a Rembrandt.

I wasn't sure if I should read this book -- it might as well have a "No Girls Allowed" sign on it -- but I am glad I did. Someone needs to write a version that women aren't afraid to buy or read. (Yes, I've read Elisabeth Elliot's books, but they aren't quite on the same level.) Ironically, it may be the very desire to protect the purity of Christian women that tends to keep such a purifying book out of the hands of those whom it might benefit. Granted, women who were lovingly shielded from exposure to what the world has to say (and show and tell) about sex probably don't need it, so Fidelity might do them more harm than good. But for women to whom the harm has already been done -- by their own sin or others', by misinformation or abuse, by media or "education" -- it should be considered as a possible curative. For me, reading Fidelity was like giving my soul a long-needed bath.

(Adapted from a post on my blog.)

The BEST book on the subject........2004-07-01

I have read other books like this before, but none hold a candle to Wilson in this regard. Fidelity is a must read for every Christian man, married or not. Wilson is blunt, biblical and pastoral in how he treats topics such as fornication, masturbation, rape, adultery etc. He provides a balanced perspective that doesn't pull punches - he truly calls a spade a spade.
His use of contemporary jargon and slang to heighten the sense of obscenity in ungodly actions is excellent - and makes for a memorable and entertaining read.
Wilson uses solid exegesis that doesn't bend or twist the text. He hits the nail on the head every time.
Please buy this book and when you're done reading it, pass it around.

a better approach to the problem.......2004-06-09

I enjoyed this book because he gets to the heart of the issue surrounding our struggle with lust. I am so used to church talks and lust conquering books that offer a somewhat self-reliant approach. "Struggling with pornography? Get rid of your computer." Well, you may not have a computer, but lust is still festering inside you and as all of us know, you are still going to struggle. Douglas goes beyond the typical approach and convicts the sin. He plainly shows you how ugly lust is and what it does. Then the Holy Spirit steps in and does the necessary work to change the ROOT of the problem.

Instead of offering a bunch of cute ideas on how to boundary your life, he just attacks the sin. From there, if we are honest with our selves, we know what needs to be done. It seems that nothing is better for dealing with sin than good'old conviction.

Great and much needed biblical perspective!.......2004-04-28

Fidelity by Douglas Wilson is a welcome sound biblical teaching about many sexual issues. One of which is men and women as husband and wife and their call to be co-helpers with each others Christian walk and salvation (as in growth in grace). My wife actually purchased this book and we both read it, and found it wonderfully encouraging and helpful for the two of us. Douglas Wilson speaks directly and frankly to the issues that are overwhelming to a much uninformed church today in American.

This book is NOT a treatise on the man getting his way with the woman nor is it the contrary. Someone reading that into this book would have much difficulty intellectually digesting a Sunday comic strip. Among many of the issues it addresses is the struggle with fidelity and temptation from Satan, flesh and the world that both husbands and wives struggle with, and for which BOTH are protectors of the others weakness. Furthermore, IF you love your wife or IF you love your husband, and do not protect the other by the marriage bed (yes that means sex under the God given covenant of marriage for all the medieval dinosaurs out there) then you should examine yourself and your love toward your spouse.

Those who read this and think it is about women giving in to "their ape of a husband's sex drive", are grossly ignorant of what Scriptures say to the issue and this book. And men who would read this and think that it is about "their wives being slave like concubines to them" are equally grossly ignorant of what Scriptures say to the issue and this book. If spouses love the other and are Christian one will 1) love them enough to protect them and their souls for in marriage God has given one to the other as a gift, no less from Christ Himself; 2) and it is manifestly obvious that if one spouse despises the other so much as not to desire to be close to them in the marriage bed and otherwise...I would question that kind of so called love in the first place as more likely infantile at best and selfish at worst. I love my wife so much that I would literally die for her and she does me, and we found this book to be uplifting and encouraging. Far from some of the witless diatribes to the contrary that I've read on here to date.

Average customer rating:

The Classic Work by CW Leadbeater!

Text 5 Stars! Black-and-White Illustrations 1 Star?

Man Visible and Invisible: Examples of Different Types of Men as Seen by Means of Trained Clairvoyance
C. W. Leadbeater
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Secrets Revealed: Clairvoyance, Magic and the Reality of Spirits

The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena (Dodo Press)

Thought-Forms

The Masters and The Path

Invisible Helpers

ASIN: 0766102556

Book Description

1909. How these Things are Known; The Planes of Nature; Clairvoyant Sight; Trinity; Animal Group Soul; Upward Curve; Human Consciousness; Their Outporing; How Man Evolves; What His Bodies Show Us; What the Colors Show; The Savage; The Ordinary Person; Sudden Emotion; Permanent Condition; The Developed Man; The Health Aura; The Causal Body of the Adept.

Customer Reviews:

The Classic Work by CW Leadbeater!.......2005-09-23

Just buy it - if you have any interest at all in this subject then don't mess around. Get the classic that started it all.

Text 5 Stars! Black-and-White Illustrations 1 Star?.......2002-12-10

Be sure the book you order has color illustrations, not black and white ones. This version may be the black-and-white photocopy I've seen of the original classic published by the Theosophical Society. Both the original and the black-and-white version present the same textual descriptions, which are vivid, wise and beautifully crafted. The original presents 26 wondrous and compelling color illustrations, including health auras and mental, astral and causal bodies as seen by Bishop Leadbeater. However, a recent and terribly disappointing publication from a different publisher merely presents crude black and white illustrations, which do no justice to the text. I recommend contacting the Theosophical Society to be sure you obtain the authentic version.

What Does It Mean to Be Human?: Reverence for Life Reaffirmed by Responses from Around the World

Average customer rating:

A book to read again and again
This is a kind of humankind

What Does It Mean to Be Human?: Reverence for Life Reaffirmed by Responses from Around the World

Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312252374

Book Description

In an inspirational act of faith and hope, nearly one hundred contributors--social activists, thinkers, artists and spiritual leaders--reflect with poignant candor on our shared human condition and attempt to define a core set of human values in this challenging era of transition. Among the contributors: *The Dalai Lama*Wilma Mankiller *Oscar Arias *Jimmy Carter *Cornel West *Jack Miles *Mother Teresa*Nancy Willard *Elie Wiesel*James Earl Jones *Joan Chittister *Mary Evelyn Tucker *Vaclav Havel *Archbishop Desmund Tutu What Does It Mean To Be Human? is a vital meditation on the endless possibilities of being human.

Customer Reviews:

A book to read again and again.......2002-04-25

There are very few books I know I will ever go through the effort of rereading. This book is one which can be picked up time and time again, for a quick reconnection to our human condition. People from around the globe with differing backgrounds offer their opinions on what it means to them to be human. The overall message of this book is one that has been heard before but few people have heeded; namely that humanity needs to relinquish greed and reconnect with its spiritual nature to allow us to realize our full potential as a species. A very difficult task indeed in our consumer based economy. The writers realize this and demonstrate that it is possible to be true to our human nature. I continue to lend this book to anyone who can appreciate the meaning and depth behind the words.

This is a kind of humankind.......2001-05-07

This book impoverishes Frederick Franck's work. It's seems to be a pluralistic work which main purpose is to convey what does it be to be human. Sadly, what the book shows us is that to be human is to be spiritual or a sort of enlightenment being. There is no place to heterodoxies or alternative ontologies in this literal world. For instance, you will not find words which can present a lesbian humankind, or atheist o radical secular human being. You just have to unveil the very essence of yourself, and just be. Multiplicity is narrowed in a only universal face, a christian-buddha face. There are some contributions which are interesting and inspirational. The best are Frederick Franck itself, Cornel West, Thomas Berry. Others are so poor that to be human is to becoming a colombian indian or a new human according to other side of the genes, its invisible moral, in other words, the gen-ethics as Muñoz Soler preaches. No sense and reductionism; to be human is to become pure. A shame! Fredrick Franck deserved a better luck in order to present his interesting, but failed idea, of a ABC program against the new barbarism. What we see through this book, is no less that a kind of pure spiritual barbarism, one who can not tolerate real differences.

Average customer rating:

Means man-hour standards

Manufacturer: R.S. Means Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books