Monday, April 11, 2011

Book List Addition: A Student's Guide to the Seashore

A Student's Guide to the Seashore
by J. D. Fish and S. Fish
Cambridge University Press, 2011

This unique, concise and beautifully illustrated guide allows students to identify over 650 of the common, widespread animals and seaweeds of the shore. User-friendly dichotomous keys are supported by details of diagnostic features and biology of each species.

Now enhanced with 32 pages of colour, this much acclaimed guide is invaluable to students of marine biology at any level.

Questions such as how does the species reproduce? What is its life-cycle? How does it feed? are answered in the notes accompanying each species to give a fascinating insight into the diversity and complexity of life on the shore. The text is supported by an extensive glossary of scientific terms and a comprehensive bibliography is included to aid further study. The third edition builds on the excellent reviews of earlier editions and will continue to appeal to a wide readership, including students, teachers and naturalists.

A Student's Guide to the Seashore
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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Good Old Books: The World of the Dolphin

The World of the Dolphin
by Chester Krone
Tower, 1972

What swims in the sea and looks like a fish - but isn't?

The dolphin - a mammal that has babies and nurses them with milk.

Dolphins are delightful friends to man. They plunge and play in the water and swim so fast they can easily chase after ships.

This important book tells you everything there is to know about dolphins.

It discusses the dolphin in history and legend, the origins of dolphins,
who the dolphins' relatives are, physical characteristics of dolphins, the sex and reproductive lives of dolphins.

The World of the Dolphin
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Friday, April 1, 2011

Book List Addition: Wild Horses of the West

Wild Horses of the West
History and Politics of America's Mustangs
by J. Edward de Steiguer
University of Arizona Press, 2011

J. Edward de Steiguer provides an entertaining and well-researched look at one of the most controversial animal welfare issues of our time -- the protection of free-roaming horses on the West's public lands.

This is the first book in decades to include the entire story of these magnificent animals, from their evolution and biology to their historical integration into conquistador, Native American, and cowboy cultures. And the story isn't over. De Steiguer goes on to address the modern issues -- ecology, conservation, and land management -- surrounding wild horses in the West today.

Wild Horses of the West
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Monday, March 28, 2011

Review: The Slow Down Diet

The Slow Down Diet
Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss
by Marc David
Healing Arts Press, 2005

If you were told to take your time at the dinner table over the next eight weeks, eating fine foods with good friends, imbibing in quality beverages and truly enjoying yourself as if you were on an extended vacation, would you accept the challenge?

Would you do it if you knew you'd lose weight and become healthier in the process?

Based on the belief (with plenty of research to back it up) that fast foods, hurried eating, stressful lifestyles and cheap artificial flavors are contributing to America's obesity epidemic, this book prescribes a radical alternative: slow and easy enjoyment of good foods in pleasant environments.

Continued at... The Slow Down Diet

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Review: Poker Wizards

Poker Wizards
Wisdom from the World's Top No-Limit Hold'em Poker Players
by Warwick Dunnett
Cardoza, 2008

Poker Wizards is a compilation of interviews with several of the world's most accomplished poker players:

* Chris Ferguson, aka "Jesus," talking about game theory and "intellectualizing gut feeling."
* Dan Harrington, author of Harrington on Hold 'em
* T.J. Cloutier, author of How To Win The Championship: Hold'em Strategies for The Final Table
* Daniel Negreanu, author of Power Hold'em Strategy, discussing the psychological traits important to successful players.
* Mike Sexton, author of One of a Kind, advocates aggressive play.
* Marcel Luske emphasizing the importance of hand selection
* Kathy Liebert, the #1 female money winner in tournament poker.
* Mel Judah, a World Poker Tour titlist with career earning over $3 million.
* Marc Salem, author of Marc Salem's Mind Games: A Practical Step-by-step Guide to Developing Your Mental Powers, revealing some physical tells to look for in your opponents.

Warwick Dunnet organized the interviews, each about 20 to 30 pages, around key subjects like psychology and tournament strategy and "the makings of a poker wizard. He provides a summary chapter at the end of the book,

Continued at... Poker Wizards

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

Review: Wild Sea

Wild Sea
Eco-Wars and Surf Stories from the Coast of the Californias
by Serge Dedina
University of Arizona Press, 2011

Much like a military veteran's book of war stories, this collection of reports describes eco-justice fights waged against poachers, politicians, private companies and government agencies from the tip of the Baja Peninsula up the coast to Southern California.

Serge Dedina is a dedicated surfer turned activist who has successfully stopped a salt-processing plant that would have destroyed the world’s last undeveloped gray whale lagoon and helped put together a coalition helping to construct the unlikely coalition that defeated a proposed toll road that would have decimated a legendary California surf spot.

"Many of these stories were written in the midst of campaigning to provide a sense of urgency to the public about the fate of our coast," he explains. "Few people realize how close we came to losing important pieces of the coastline of the Californias to badly planned and doomed to fail development."

Wild Sea
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Good Old Books: A Guide to Geyser Gazing

A Guide to Geyser Gazing
by Dr. John S. Rinehart
Hyper Dynamics, 1976

Dr. John S. Rinehart was educated as a physicist and teacher. When he started studying geysers in 1965, he was Director of Research and Development of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. In 1966, he became Senior Research Scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where he remained until his retirement in 1973.

His extensive studies of geysers during this period form the basis of this book.

A Guide to Geyser Gazing
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