Average customer rating:
- Planet Earth.
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- A Great Coffee Table Book
- magnificent
- Glorious
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Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
Alastair Fothergill
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series
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![Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000MRAAJW.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]
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Ocean
ASIN: 0520250540 |
Book Description
A visual odyssey that will change the way we see our planet, this remarkable book, companion to the acclaimed Discovery Channel/ BBC series, is an enduring and awe-inspiring record of one of the most ambitious natural history projects ever undertaken. Using the latest aerial surveillance, state-of-the-art cameras, and high definition technology, the creators of Planet Earth have assembled more than 400 stunning photographs of wondrous natural landscapes from around the globe, including incredible footage of the rarely spotted, almost mythical creatures that live in these habitats. Many of the images reveal inaccessible places that few have seen and record animal behavior that has never been filmed or photographed before. With the help of this highly advanced technology and the world's premier wildlife photographers, the book takes us on a spectacular journey from the world's greatest rivers and impressive gorges, to its mightiest mountains, hidden caves and caverns, and vast deserts. Planet Earth captures breathtaking sequences of predators and their prey, lush vistas of forests viewed from the tops of towering trees, the oceans and their mysterious creatures viewed from beneath the surface, and much more--in a magnificent adventure that brings unknown wonders of the natural world into our living rooms.
Copub: BBC Worldwide Americas
Customer Reviews:
Planet Earth........2007-08-14
Wow!!! my 8 year old loves this DVD. Very interesting to watch. Does have some parts that my 8 year old has a trouble watching, this is the section of life and death in the food chain. Otherwise highly recommended, in HD DVD is Awesome....
Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before.......2007-08-10
I have not had a chance to even break the seal on this new book as yet. I skimmed this book at a bookstore, and then decided to buy it. If you saw the mini-series on Discovery or Animal Planet, you will be impressed with this book as well. For those with children, this book is a must.
A Great Coffee Table Book.......2007-08-04
A great companion book to the dvd series.
magnificent.......2007-07-30
Amazing photos and wonderous facts regarding everything imaginable to the unusual. Our family has enjoyed this educational and spellbinding photography.
Glorious.......2007-07-27
Beautifully photographed and informational, this book should be on every nature lover's shelf. The "Planet Earth" series, which I watch weekly on Animal Planet, is even more jaw-dropping. I thank the generous and unbelievably courageous people who have the cojones to make this possible!
Julie Townsend
Metairie, LA
Book Description
The number of biology-related issues in our society is growing constantly. This book helps readers digest a wealth of scientific information with relevant references and examples.
Includes new Links to Life feature—ends each chapter on a relevant note with short, informally written segments on familiar topics, such as “Health Food.” Contains Earth Watch, Health Watch, and Scientific Inquiry Essays that introduce readers to the exploration of key environmental and health-related issues. Features a striking illustration program with consistent, strategic use of color, revised multi-part figures, and updated labels and captions.
A fascinating reference for anyone interested in learning more about biological issues in our world.
Customer Reviews:
Shipping problems.......2007-10-01
I trusted that Amazon would get my daughter her books on time for school
but, the books were five days or more in being delivered to the wrong address. DHL was contacted and told that they had delivered the books to the wrong address and they refused to go back and pick them up. The gentleman that got the book had to drive them to my daughter house after work one night. By the time that was done I had bought books from the school so my daughter wouldn't fall behind in school. This is only a few hundred dollars every six months Amazon has lost so I'm sure it's not a big deal but I did want you to know what happen to me and probably countless others who didn't bother to write you and just decided to go another route.
Great starter!.......2007-05-31
The book helped me a lot. I never had general biology before taking the exam. For best use, I read "Biology: Life on Earth" to give an overview of the topic and the major mechanisms behind it. Then, I used other textbooks which had much more details on the subject. This method worked well, for example, for DNA replication and Protein Synthesis on which "Biology: Life on Earth" seems to have left out some information. So this is a great biology "starter" and if you decide/need to know more, other in-depth textbooks will be helpful.
Bio Text book.......2006-11-10
The first book I received had about 25 pages that were defective but that was quickly replaced with a new one. I really wish I did not have to buy it but since I did, the book was OK as far as a text book goes.
Wonderful Product!.......2005-09-22
This is a good book for studying biology and would recommend it. The price was exceptionally low as well.
Book for high school, not worth the money.......2005-01-21
This book goes into explaining Hardy-Weinberg principle and doesn't even have the equation for it! Nor does it mention two important words in the same chapter - dominant and recessive. If you want to look at pictures of animals and read over-simplified explanations then buy it. If your are looking for a scholarly book, then I would suggest to look elsewhere.
Book Description
On dry land, most organisms are confined to the surface, or at most to altitudes of a hundred meters—the height of the tallest trees. In the oceans, though, living space has both vertical and horizontal dimensions: with an average depth of 3800 meters, the oceans offer 99% of the space on Earth where life can develop. And the deep sea, which has been immersed in total darkness since the dawn of time, occupies 85% of ocean space, forming the planet’s largest habitat. Yet these depths abound with mystery. The deep sea is mostly uncharted—only about 5 percent of the seafloor has been mapped with any reasonable degree of detail—and we know very little about the creatures that call it home. Current estimates about the number of species yet to be found vary between ten and thirty million. The deep sea no longer has anything to prove; it is without doubt Earth’s largest reservoir of life.
Combining the latest scientific discoveries with astonishing color imagery, The Deep takes readers on a voyage into the darkest realms of the ocean. Revealing nature’s oddest and most mesmerizing creatures in crystalline detail, The Deep features more than two hundred color photographs of terrifying sea monsters, living fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures, some photographed here for the very first time. Accompanying these breathtaking photographs are contributions from some of the world’s most respected researchers that examine the biology of deep-sea organisms, the ecology of deep-sea habitats, and the history of deep-sea exploration.
An unforgettable visual and scientific tour of the teeming abyss, The Deep celebrates the incredible diversity of life on Earth and will captivate anyone intrigued by the unseen—and unimaginable—creatures of the deep sea.
Customer Reviews:
Magnificent Book.......2007-10-03
An incredible journey to the under sea world of mysterious aquatic life.
Fascinating photos of extraordinary creatures and their habitat. We purchased the book as a gift for our son, a recent art school graduate who specializes in creating concept art. He absolutely loved the book, and will be a valuable tool and reference work for his library.
buy it!.......2007-09-30
This is one of the best coffee table books I have! The pictures are amazing and numerous guests have used it as a conversation starter in our living room. For anyone who loved marine biology as a kid (and who DIDNT?!) this book is stellar.
FASCINATING!.......2007-09-23
This is the most amazing book that I have seen in a long time! Extraordinarily beautiful fotos of equally stunning and fascinating creatures! The beauty and creativity of nature takes your breath away! A must to have!
AMAZING!!!.......2007-09-23
Beautiful, depending upon what your definition of "beauty" is.
The animals in this book could very well be the inhabitants of YOUR nightmare, but not mine.
The incredible creatures, which we are privileged to view are breathtaking.
And yet another example of the world we have not seen...and are probably destroying.
The most beautiful book in the world.......2007-09-10
This is the most beautiful book I've ever see. It is loaded with photos of sealife never seen before , varied and facinating. Every picture is one you'd want to touch , or frame , or say to a friend , hey , look at this. There's a world going on we know nothing about , and it's a complex as our world.
Book Description
This book is built on a steadfast tradition of accurate science, engaging presentation and media innovation. The readers' experience is enhanced with the new MediaTutor CD-ROM that is integrated into each chapter through the use of MediaTutor Tabs. The result is a program that helps you draw readers into biology through an engaging text and interactive media. This book focuses on the key concepts of cell biology, genetics, evolution, plant and animal anatomy and physiology, and ecology. For anyone interested in introductory biology.
Customer Reviews:
Life on Earth.......2007-02-18
I thought I was getting the actual book NOT the studyguide. I was completely disapointed in the lack of explanation as to what I was ordering before i ordered it. I want to return the study guide since it is of NO use to me, not even in conjunction with the book, but I lost the reciept so I guess I am stuck with it.
Great intro book!.......2004-08-19
This book is for those wanting an easy reading introduction. Its very informative, well put together and easy to follow with adequate graphics. (I hated the questions at the end of each chapter though, ok lets face it they were easy you just had to really think about them).
I wouldn't recommend for a biology buff but definitely all others!
HARD TO FOLLOW.......2004-07-27
I just finished my biology class with this text book. Over all I was very disappointed in this book. I read each chapter that was assigned to us by the professor and worked my study guides but still came out of the each chapter more confused. With the jargon they put in this text book it doesn't do the student any favors in the layouts you will need to spend time to investigate some of the information on your own to obtain a better understanding of BIOLOGY.
An easy-to-read book that still avoids over-simplification.......1999-03-26
Although Life on Earth is meant to be a textbook, I find it to be an excellent reference book. The design does not force the reader to begin at the first chapter and read sequentially. Terms are explained in clear english, and the glossary is very thorough. Illustrations are well-drawn and fitting, and the layout is easy on the eyes. Also, the chapter summary after each section is invaulable to students. I cannot recommend this book more to anyone who is interested in Biology or needs a reference book about the workings of life on Earth.
easy to understand.......1998-07-10
This book was easy to follow. Unlike a a lot of other books, it does not throw a bunch of terms you dont understand at you.
Book Description
In this edition of Miller's ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, a new Student CD-ROM, INTERACTIVE CONCEPTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, has been added! This groundbreaking addition integrates nearly 100 engaging animations and interactions with chapter summaries, flashcards, and Web-based quizzes. Organized by chapter, students will find links to relevant resources, narrated animations, interactive figures, and prompts to review material and test themselves. The animations show complex processes and relationships unfolding on screen, such as the effects of acid rain, smog formation, and the phosphorus cycle. Narration allows students to focus on what is changing on screen while interactions allow students to explore figures in more depth. This Tenth Edition is a significant, all-encompassing revision providing continuing focus on the basic scientific content necessary to understand environmental issues in clear, straightforward language. It provides the latest developments and reflects several major shifts in environmental science education this century. Designed as a foundational text for environmental science courses, Miller's flexible book is adaptable to almost any approach, and is the most widely embraced approach to environmental science in print. With fair and balanced coverage and Internet tools integrated throughout, the book features an extensively developed art program, writing that communicates scientific information clearly and effectively, and the most current coverage of the subject. The book's flexible organization means that it can be adapted to fit almost any syllabus. Miller's more than 30 years of research and teaching expertise make this the definitive book on the subject. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: WORKING WITH THE EARTH, Tenth Edition is a concise alternative to G. Tyler Miller?s best-selling text LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, which redefines the environmental science course and sets the standard by which every other book for this course is judged.
Customer Reviews:
great seller!.......2007-05-14
I received the product in the condition stated and in a short time.
New.......2006-07-19
Environmental Science/Tenth Edition.Excellent condition. No highlighting, torn pages or other marks. Sealed CD (Interactive Concepts in Environmental Science) included with book.
A great text for teaching Environmental Science.......2006-05-05
I began teaching with Miller's thicker text "living in the environment" but found that the main material was covered by this thinner and less expensive version. The graphics are helpful and the students enjoy reading the material as it is presented in an accessible and applicable fashion. The guest essays and case studies are from some of the top names speaking at conferences and so students are getting some really current views and information. Although there is not much of a lab book or teacher text-- there are plenty of other sources for field work and activity inspiration. The students also liked the website for activities and practice problems.
Excellent from multiple excellent thoughts ..........2006-03-01
Thyler Miller's books (I have 5 of them) are always the source of inspiration for me. I started reading his book when I took my Environmental Health Class for my Master of Public Helath Program.
The contents are clear, concise, correct, courtesy and full with critical thouught that has facilitated my curiosity to know more and more ....
Santa-Fe-Red
explains issues like population growth and global warming.......2006-02-25
Miller stresses the intricate interrelationships with the Earth's environment. Vital issues like population growth and its impact on the environment are gone into. Here, there is perhaps cautious optimism. But only if we as a species moderate our growth rate (maybe even turn it negative!) and resource consumption.
There is a natural flow from this issue to a discussion about global warming. The scientific basis for concern is explained, and the evidence for warming presented. While not absolutely conclusive, it is seen as very strong. In fact, in the 5 years since the book came out, even more evidence has appeared to indicate a continuing and possibly accelerating trend. Miller also suggests several ways that global warming might be slowed.
Book Description
HISTORICAL GEOLOGY: EVOLUTION OF EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME teaches students basic geologic principles as well as how scientists apply these principles to unravel Earth?s history. Wicander and Monroe present a balanced overview of both the geological and biological history of Earth as a continuum of inter-related events. These events reflect the underlying principles and processes that have shaped our planet. The authors also explain the historical development of these basic principles and processes, and their importance in deciphering Earth history. Three major themes?time, evolutionary theory, and plate tectonics?are woven together throughout the book. These themes help students link essential material to enhance their understanding of historical geology.
Customer Reviews:
strong explanation of evolution.......2006-02-17
The authors give a strong explanation of biological evolution, from its earliest unicellular origins to the present. Much fossil and DNA evidence is summarised. Including recent findings in fossil digs from the 90s.
They point out that many so-called missing links are not. For relations between genera, families, orders and classes, the intermediate forms ("links") are often present in the fossil record. Amongst the cases cited are the origins of whales and sea cows.
More generally, the book has numerous instances where transitions found in fossils are explained in terms of limbs or bones developing, or suchlike, so that you can clearly see how one fossil is the evolutionary ancestor of another later fossil. As in the early fishes. Where those who developed jaws with bones were then more able to hunt other fishes; a strong evolutionary advantage. While the move onto land is shown in fossils that had fins with muscles. This allowed for propulsion above water, where the original advantage was to let the fish move around under water, in mud or vegetation.
Geology is also emphasised. Often giving rise to various ore and petroleum bodies found today. Plus plate tectonics is shown to account for the continental drifts and the breakup of Gondwanaland.
Average customer rating:
- Lovely!
- Magical!
- Wonderful gift for first time parents!
- On The Day You Were Born
- Book is AMAZING, CD is so-so
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On the Day You Were Born
Debra Frasier
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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On the Night You Were Born
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ASIN: 0152579958 |
Amazon.com
Inspired by Debra Frasier's enormously popular On the Day You Were Born, this charming photo journal invites families to celebrate the arrival of their loved one into the natural world. A star-spangled blue sky, crossed by a swath of sunshine yellow with gold birds, introduces the reader to "the very first day you arrived." Baby's picture and name go right in the middle of all the cheery yellow. Turn the page: "You were born on the round planet Earth. Was it day, or was it night?" is printed with another space for a picture and a line to write the date and time of birth against the backdrop of more starry sky with that old blue and green globe plopped in the middle and a figure of a child frolicking across the ocean. On another page, the jubilant child dances across a beach: "On the day you were born waves washed the beaches clean for your footprints. How little were your fingers? How tiny were your toes?"
By adding eight photographs and filling in a few details, parents can create a very special journal for their child, rejoicing together in all the natural wonders of the universe. Here is an ideal gift for the new parents with a vibrant connection to nature. --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
In simple words and radiant collages, Debra Frasier celebrates the natural miracles of the earth and extends an exuberant welcome to each member of our human family. Accompanied by a detailed glossary explaining such natural phenomena as gravity, tides, and migration, this is an unforgettable book. “A book filled with reverence for the natural order of the world and the place of the individual in it.”--School Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
Lovely!.......2007-09-05
I got this book because it was on sale and I am so glad that I did. Seeing it now I would definitely pay full price for it.
It is well-made, adorable, and will make a great keepsake to share with our son.
Magical! .......2007-09-03
This is a book I've given as a birthday gift many times - to new arrivals and those celebrating more birthdays as well. The text is simple yet beautiful and the illustrations provide a warm, magical layer of feeling when reading this book. Highly recommended.
Wonderful gift for first time parents!.......2007-08-31
I received this book from a good friend when my baby boy was born (our first). I thought the poetry of birth and the natural world was amazing. And the ending where a circle of loved ones welcomed the new baby whispering "We're so glad you've come," reminded me of all the love our family and friends showed our new baby. I can't read it without tearing up. It's a wonderful reminder that all life is sacred and beautiful.
While the art is tribal, not fluffy, and some of the language is advanced for a developing child, I still love this book. Not every board book should be pastels and one syllable words. But I hope this book will be a keepsake that we can read together and remember what a miracle it was that he was born. I want to foster in him the spirit of this book... that all life is connected and we need to try to live in balance with the environment that sustains our lives.
On The Day You Were Born.......2007-07-27
This is a wonderful book to give to any new child or to the grandparent of a new child. I was given one for our new grandson and immediately bought three to give as gifts. The book is something that can become a family tradition to be read on each child's birthday!
Book is AMAZING, CD is so-so.......2007-05-15
I bought this for my son before he was born, and I read it to him all the time - and never with a dry eye! I always buy it as a baby gift for anyone I know who's having a baby of their own. However, unless you find this set for a good price, I might just get the book. My husband calls the CD "hippie music" and he's right - the music is a little, um, groovy and repetitive. Though if you have a sappy friend, get it - books like this and the Giving Tree always make me cry, and if I can have the CD finish the story for me when I get choked up, so much the better.
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:
- A Passion for Life on Earth
- " a title" ! What do you mean? explain
- Not the Fittest
- The creation: An Appeal to Save LIfe on Earth
- Wonderful, and Not-Quite
|
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth
Edward O. Wilson
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Letter to a Christian Nation
ASIN: 0393062171 |
Book Description
In this daring work, Edward O. Wilson proposes an alliance between science and religion to save Earth's vanishing biodiversity.
Dear Pastor:
We have not met, yet I feel I know you well enough to call you friend. First of all, we grew up in the same faith. Although I no longer belong to that faith, I am confident that if we met and spoke privately of our deepest beliefs, it would be in a spirit of mutual respect and goodwill. I write to you now for your counsel and help. Let us see if we can, and you are willing, to meet on the near side of metaphysics in order to deal with the real world we share. I suggest that we set aside our differences in order to save the Creation. The defense of living Nature is a universal value. It doesn't rise from nor does it promote any religious or ideological dogma. Rather, it serves without discrimination the interests of all humanity.
Pastor, we need your help. The Creation—living Nature—is in deep trouble.
The Creation is E. O. Wilson's most important work since the publications of Sociobiology and Biophilia. Like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, it is a book about the fate of the earth and the survival of our planet. Yet while Carson was specifically concerned with insecticides and the ecological destruction of our natural resources, Wilson, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, attempts his new social revolution by bridging the seemingly irreconcilable worlds of fundamentalism and science. Like Carson, Wilson passionately concerned about the state of the world, draws on his own personal experiences and expertise as an entomologist, and prophesies that half the species of plants and animals on Earth could either have gone or at least are fated for early extinction by the end of our present century.
Astonishingly, The Creation is not a bitter, predictable rant against fundamentalist Christians or deniers of Darwin. Rather, Wilson, a leading "secular humanist," draws upon his own rich background as a boy in Alabama who "took the waters," and seeks not to condemn this new generations of Christians but to address them on their own terms. Conceiving the book as an extended letter to a southern Baptist minister, Wilson, in stirring language that can evoke Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," tells this everyman minister how, in fact, the world really came to be. He pleads with these men of the cloth to understand the cataclysmic damage that is destroying our planet and asks for their help in preventing the destruction of our Earth before it is too late. Never a pessimist, Wilson avers that there are solutions that may yet save the planet, and believes that the vision that he presents in The Creation is one that both scientists and pastors can accept, and work on together in spite of their fundamental ideological differences. 25 line drawings.
Customer Reviews:
A Passion for Life on Earth.......2007-09-13
It seems that Edward O. Wilson's goal in this book as an open letter to a southern Baptist minister was a persuasion to an enthusiasm in the enjoyment of the diversity of life, to use this to protect "The Creation" which is the biological riches that are still here, and indirectly to share his belief in evolution. Other than the last goal I felt his eloquent writing and passion was quite persuasive. He made me feel a bit guilty for not continuiing on as a biology teacher.
Wilson does mention evolution in the book but his mentioning is not part of an overall arguement in defense of it. I imagine some people that either do not believe in evolution or do and would like it well defended were disappointed in this aspect of the book. I did not feel that it was the main point, despite the title and it's near play on creationism, and I think Wilson's writing and avidity for the diversity of life are the substance of this book.
There are plenty of biological gems illuminated in "The Creation" and I think anyone would be interested and fascinated by such information as the existence of over 700 species of bacteria in the average person's mouth or details of the underground biosphere that could continue existing even with a complete scorching of the earth's surface. Wilson's has learned much about the life of the earth and this small book is a distillation of his learning and thoughts from a life of study. I would recommend it to anyone.
" a title" ! What do you mean? explain.......2007-08-08
Very detail analysis of issues. I hope our leaders are required to read such material
Not the Fittest.......2007-06-09
The book didn't quite live up to its billing. I'd expected something that was not at all incendiary or overtly driven by scientific (evolution theory dogmatic) beliefs. Instead, the book came across much more as smelling of sarcasm with tones of "surely everyone knows this stuff". This is certainly scientific apologetics, without apology to its supposed intended audience. Staunch marcoevolutionists will smirk at the veiled selfaggrandizement. Creationists will find nothing new in the "others'" view. Those with feet in both camps still await the Rosetta Stone that bridges the gulf.
The creation: An Appeal to Save LIfe on Earth.......2007-05-14
The book is written as an "impassioned letter to a Southern Babtist Pastor". I'm not sure that this letter would convince a "Southern Babtist Pastor" to help in efforts to save the bioshpere. He does have good arguments that would convince persons in the scientific community that we must save the biodiverity of the earth.
E. O. Wilson is a gifted author and keeps it interesting.
Wonderful, and Not-Quite.......2007-05-12
I enjoyed this book. It moved me; it contained a wealth of interesting information; it was exquisite writing. It fell short of it's goals.
Wilson is a phenomenal writer. Like few others living today he can take the uninteresting and make it interesting to both scientist and layman. When you read him you actually get excited about bacteria living 2 miles under the surface of the Earth. He is passionate about his craft, natural history, and communicates that passion with excellent pedagogy.
Wilson has clearly shown, in this book and others, how urgent it is to change the way we treat the planet, and work to save the Earth. We are at a crux, where things are going horribly wrong as we enter the 6th and greatest Mass Extinction Event. But it is still possible to change the future, if we act now, and radically alter how we treat the rest of the life. Wilson's approach is to show how closely we are integrated with life, and one with the biosphere. For instance, Wilson points out how we are ecosystems in ourselves, with more bacterial cells in one human than there are human cells, seriously calling into question what it means to be human. What happens to one then happens to all.
Another theme of Wilson's is the incredible complexity of biology, by far the science of the 21st century in importance. There is the myriad of millions of species, most unknown. There is the level at which they interact, in complex ecology that is greater than the sum of it's parts. And that ecology is constantly changing and evolving through time, so biology can not come close to being understood without looking through the billions of years past, and looking towards the future.
This was a wonderful book. I enjoyed it. And yet it fell short of the mark. In one minor point, Wilson uses Literal Creationist language of something being "only a theory", as if it were not proven. It is unconscionable that a scientist of Wilson's stature should misuse the term theory like that, compounding the common error of the laity in thinking that a theory is less than a law.
The bigger problem is Wilson's stated purpose, and the modus operandi of the book, that being to convince the archetypal Southern Baptist Pastor who believes in Literal Creationism. Wilson wants this pastor (and all those like him) to come to care for the environment. Wilson wants to argue that the pastor should do so because the Bible makes it clear that the Earth is important, and creation is beautiful. He hopes to capitalize on his past experience attending Baptist churches as a child.
Yet it would seem those past experiences are long forgotten. For he comes across as dismissive and even attacking on Literal Creationism and even basic Christian beliefs. Rather than fully embracing the call of God and the Bible to care for the environment, he pays lip-service to this, and in the process insults the beliefs of those he's trying to convince. This is not a way to get people to your side. I say this as one who was once in the darkness of Literal Creationism, and is still a committed Christian. I was able to look beyond the statements Wilson made to enjoy the biology of what he presented, because I am committed already to biology, the environment, and evolution. But from knowing many who are still in the Literal Creationist camp, and from my own experiences, I know that what he said was deeply offensive to them. Wilson doesn't try to bridge or speak to the needs and issues of the other. He is simply dismissive and patronizing in his tone towards Christians and Literal Creationists. Wilson even goes so far as to argue that science convincingly shows that evolution is the path that was used, and that there seems to be little need of a Deity. The former is true, the latter simply his opinion, but both are not helpful if one's stated aim is to convince the Literal Creationist or someone who dearly loves their Deity.
I highly recommend this book. But Wilson would be wise to rewrite and reprint it, with a completely different objective. That would fit better with what is actually written.
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