Book Description
The importance of restoration continues to grow, and this book integrates the restoration of forest functions into landscape conservation plans. The global conservation organization WWF has made forest landscape restoration a key topic and priority for its environmental work. Due to the WWF’s extensive global reach, and together with its many partners and counterparts, it has acquired a significant level of experience on the topic of forest restoration at large scales. This book represents the collective body of knowledge and experience of WWF and its many partners--which is collected here for the first time and which will be invaluable to all of those working in the field. This guide will serve as a first stop for practitioners and researchers in any organization or region and as a key reference on the subject. Along with concise, practical information for a variety of specific systems and issues, it gives many suggestions for further research.
From the Foreword by Chief Anyaoku, President, WWF International:
"Is it a sign of the times that the Nobel committee chose to award the Nobel Peace prize to Wangari Maathai for having planted 30 million trees? We believe so. . . .The 21st Century will be a time of forest restoration."
Book Description
In these challenging pages, Unger argues for the extreme skeptical view that, not only can nothing ever be known, but no one can ever have any reason at all for anything. A consequence of this is that we cannot ever have any emotions about anything: no one can ever be happy or sad about
anything. Finally, in this reduction to absurdity of virtually all our supposed thought, he argues that no one can ever believe, or even say, that anything is the case.
Customer Reviews:
Is skepticism useful?.......2006-10-18
Following Russell (Human Knowledge: its scope and limits)I agree that
all knowledge is of an approximate character and always will be. But
I think that something like Pascal's wager can be applied here. Pascal
suggested that there was little to lose if you were a theist and proven
wrong but much to be gained if proven right. Conversely, there
was much to lose if you were an atheist and proven wrong but little to
gain if you were an atheist and proven right. Similarly, I would argue
that in being a skeptic there is little for you to gain if you are right
or wrong. On the other hand, if you are a scientific realist and proven
wrong you lose nothing you wouldn't lose anyway. But if you are a
realist and proven right there is all of modern science and technology.
It doesn't matter what is behind appearances, be it quarks, strings,
or demons. In both cases we are seeking ways of manipulating WHATEVER
is out there for our own advantage. If fuzing atoms and moving charges proves useful I'll "believe" in physics. If bringing sacrifices and
making prayers works I'll "believe" in demons/gods. I choose science
for the time being because moving charges is working for me. What is
lacking in Unger's book is any way in which his skepticism can work for
me. Which sacrifices should I bring to which god? How can I get the
mad scientist to do for me what I want him to? The question for
skepticism is, "What's in it for me?"
Bizarre to say the least..................2005-05-19
I read the book description.
....Unger argues for the extreme skeptical view that, not only can nothing ever be known, but no one can ever have any reason at all for anything.......
Why the hell would I ever have any reason to spend my money on this book? S. Guha obviously did and told us the rest of us can't be fair unless we read this book. There are thousands of books to be read. A book with this absurd claim (and how could the author know anything if nothing can be known, and how can S. Guha know anything?) is not worth the expenditure of time or money.
Readers who defend this kind of crap .... keep going.
There are lots of Kool-Aid drinkers who will believe you.
Stephen Struk
(my real name)
Wyckoff, NJ
Skepticism, No Holds Barred.......2004-01-12
I write this review to counterbalance the arrogant schmuck who calls Unger's excellent work an "insult to reason". Unger is wrong, I think, and more than a little wacky. But *reason* involves certain intellectual virtues, one of which is fairness; it is not fair to a book, or its author, to dismiss it on the basis of its dust jacket--at least not if the author is a well-respected philosopher, as Unger is.
As someone who has read *past* the dust jacket, I can say unequivocally that Unger is a first-rate philosopher, and this book is a first-rate defense of radical skepticism. Philosophical dogmatists of all stripes (and I include myself here) should be willing to test their mettle against the skeptic, and no-one else that I know of has presented the skeptical stance so forcefully and uncompromisingly as Unger, including even Sextus Empiricus. Of *course* Unger is well aware that his position may seem self-refuting, and he tries to deal with that problem in the book. One may judge his defense inadequate, *if one has read it*. But even if Unger's position turns out to be self-refuting--which I think is not at all obvious to anyone who actually reads the book and understands his views--his skeptical arguments confront all the rest of us non-skeptics. (I won't try to summarize these arguments here, for that would do injustice to their subtle presentation in the book.) Maybe *all* current positions are self-refuting (including mine). Maybe *every* current and past philosophy ends up undermining itself. Maybe, as Unger argues, the very notions of truth, reason, and knowledge are incoherent. If so, it's cold comfort if Unger's position is self-refuting. Unger's book is a call--whether well-founded or misguided--for radical reform of our basic philosophical ideas, theories, and practices. Unger may be wrong--if so, we can always disagree with him--but he is not obviously wrong. Since philosophy has not been a smashing theoretical (or practical!) success to date--philosophers can't seem to agree amongst themselves about anything to speak of, after all--it seems hasty to dismiss such a call out of hand. After all, our attempts to understand the notions of truth, rationality, and knowledge to date have run into numerous paradoxes and contradictions. Maybe these notions *don't* make sense. Maybe radical change is called for, and Unger has the key to it. Even if this is not so, we do not lessen Unger's abilities by insulting them. We merely lessen ourselves.
Insult to Reason.......2004-01-04
The book description gives it away: "Unger argues for the extreme skeptical view that, not only can nothing ever be known, but no one can ever have any reason at all for anything." Good, so there is no reason to read this book. Further: "he argues that no one can ever believe, or even say, that anything is the case." In which case he has nothing to say. To pass off such absurdity as intellectualism is an insult to anyone with a brain, so spare yourself.
Average customer rating:
- A great gift for yourself or a friend who loves Mexico!
- There's no book like it!
- Plan to eat when you travel? This book is a must!
- Excellent!
|
The Hungry Traveler: Mexico (The Hungry Traveler Series)
Adair
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0836227247 |
Amazon.com
If, upon being confronted with a menu in a foreign language, you've ever ordered yak's brains when you thought you were getting lamb chops, The Hungry Traveler series is for you. These handy, pocket-sized little culinary phrasebooks take the guesswork out of mealtimes. Mexico: The Hungry Traveler does more than simply translate menu items; it also gives in-depth descriptions of local and regional specialties, suggests which beverages go best with different dishes, and provides essential information about shopping in grocery stores and markets. Best of all, if you don't already know the local name for what you're looking for, you can look it up in English.
Customer Reviews:
A great gift for yourself or a friend who loves Mexico!.......1999-02-06
This wonderful book is written by someone who obviously knows both the country and its food-everywhere. It's amazing that so much food information could be packed in a book that fits in my pocket. This little jewel is essential for traveling in Mexico whether you think you know the food or know for sure that you don't.
There's no book like it!.......1999-02-05
Heaven help the hapless traveler who wanders off to Mexico without this enormously helpful book. I thought I knew Mexican food until I used the Hungry Travelers- Mexico. What a resource!
Plan to eat when you travel? This book is a must!.......1999-02-05
As fun to read as it is accurate, packable and irreplaceable, The Hungry Traveler for Mexico is the right book for anyone who enjoys eatings as much as traveling. The book is as much an appetizer for travel as for dining; I wasn't sure whether I was salivating more over the descriptions of the food or the thought of being in a place where I could eat such things. Forget your Spanish-English dictionary (it doesn't have important food terms anyway), and tuck this delicious little culinary guide into your pocket. The pronunciation guide is extensive and exact, and Marita Adair not only knows food, she knows Mexico and she knows travelers. It's as if you've found a good friend to eat out with--she won't lead you astray. You'll eat well using this book, you'll learn the nuances of dining in Mexico, and you'll find the way to the heart of the country.
Excellent!.......1999-02-04
Whether you don't know a tamale from an enchilada or if you want to better understand regional nuances of Mexican cuisine, this handbook is for anyone smitten by Mexican food. The author has done a superb job of research and the prose flows like caramel on flan. A definite must read before your next trip to Mexico.
Book Description
After the firing squads of the Russian Revolution murdered Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra, and almost every other member of the Romanov family, there appeared in a small coastal village of western France a grand duke and duchess who proclaimed themselves to be the new monarchs of Russia.
The grand duchess was Victoria Melita, nicknamed Ducky. To begin with, she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria as well as of Czar Alexander of Russia. Her sister was the remarkable Queen Marie of Romania, and her intricate family connections with the rulers of the world were almost unprecedented. The first cousin not only of King George V but also of Kaiser Wilhelm and Czar Nicholas, she had previously been married to Ernst Ludwig, grand duke of Hesse and the Rhine, but this relationship was destroyed by dark secrets, a betrayal that filled her with bitterness and shame.
Then, in a scandal that shocked the royal world, she married Kirill, a cousin of the late czar of Russia. She had married and divorced one of her first cousins and then married another--her father's nephew, and then her mother's nephew.
The family opposition was so great that Victoria Melita and Kirill were stripped of their wealth and their titles before being banished from Russia. When they were finally allowed to return, they tried in vain to bring democratic reforms to the dying, autocratic monarchy in a desperate effort to save it.
Trapped, inevitably, by the revolution, they managed to make an incredible and perilous escape, which led to a long life in exile abroad as pretenders to the throne.
Victoria Melita had never aspired to play the role of an empress without a throne. The shadowy life of a royal pretender was the last thing this strong and independent woman had ever wanted. However, her passionate nature had centered itself totally upon her adored second husband, and, now, as Kirill set up his imperial court in the French fishing village of St. Briac and assumed the title of emperor of Russia, Victoria Melita became his empress and for twelve years proudly worked by her husband's side for the restoration of the monarchy.
And then, unexpectedly and brutally, her world collapsed again, and her inability to compromise almost brought her to ruin.
A Fatal Passion is the story of great wealth and privilege when rival royal families vied for position and power even as they were about to lose almost everything in the First World War. Among the few who survived the painful times was Victoria Melita, one of the most beautiful and liberated women of her era.
The book is set against the majestic canvas of Queen Victoria's far-flung empire, the intrigues of the royal courts of Europe, and the exotic splendor and fantastic events of imperial Russia as it balanced on the precipice of disaster. It culminates in the turbulent era of ruthless dictators and the advent of the Second World War.
Through the use of private diaries and letters previously unpublished, as well as exclusive interviews with many of the surviving principals, Michael John Sullivan has revealed the heart and mind of a remarkable woman, who, for too long, has been largely overlooked by history.
Customer Reviews:
You'll either love it or hate it.......2004-11-05
This is not a terrible biography, but I have to agree with the reviewer who said the author is way too enamored of his subject to be objective. He's not the best writer in the world, and he does his subject no service by romanticizing; being melodramatic (that title!), and/or speculating about her life and the people who surround her...It's difficult to write about someone who ordered her personal papers destroyed, which must be why Mr. Sullivan indulges in speculation at times. I preferred John Van der Kiste's "Princess Victoria Melita" as the better biography of this granddaughter of Queen Victoria; it's a far more balanced biography than Mr. Sullivan's.
A Fatal Passion is a fatal flop..........2002-10-20
I have at least 100 different books about the Romanovs in my personal library, and I have to say that this is the bottom of the barrel. The writing is trite, the research is flawed, and there are so many inaccuracies that I question this book being called non-fiction. There were so many things Sullivan could have developed in greater depth--especially the relationship between Victoria and her sister. Of course, Ducky was such a shallow individual that I imagine it must have been difficult to write a biography about her. Past reviewers seemed to either love or hate this book. I suspect that the raves came from Sullivan's friends. Any historian familiar with Romanov history will identify this book for what it is--a very flawed attempt to make a minor character in Russian/German/English history into a major one.
Royal Pain.......2002-07-23
This is the biggest lot of historical nonsense. Sullivan has an
irritating style and a gushing attitude towards his subject
(either he's related to Ducky or madly in love with her). He
cannot get over how impossibly wonderful, gorgeous, perfect, etc
he thinks she was. This is a totally inappropriate stance for a
historian towards a subject. He also trashes everyone Ducky knew
to make her look better. Sullivan's treatment of the murdered
Empress Alexandra is particularly cruel and unnecessary. Bottom
line: Ducky was an overrated, frumpy, greedy historical footnote.
Cyril wanted to be Emperor, so why didn't he start by executing
traitors like himself and his wife? Their behavior was inexcusable, even during a revolution. This book is inexcusable
as a history or as a biography. Don't waste your time or money.
A Magnificent Historical Biography.......2000-12-07
This was an immensely enjoyable and fascinating book from beginning to end. The author certainly did a superlative job in gathering and presenting the facts and placing them in a very skillful and compelling narrative. So often history comes across as dull and lifeless, but not here. Sullivan has a rare talent for dramatic construction and detail which ignites the story and makes it fascinating to follow. I really enjoyed his character descriptions and the clever way he created the time and place and unique sensibility of a long-passed era. I find many of the critiques here rather difficult to comprehend. Maybe some readers had been misled or misinformed as to what type of book they would be reading. For some of the more vicious reviews, I can only assume these readers would be more at home in a ultra-hip and downbeat modern subject matter. Certainly Victoria Melita was no beauty by our current standards, but the author fully explains this and only references her in the then estimations and standards of her own era. These rather mean-spirited and extremely carping criticisms aside, I think anyone who wants to read a wonderfully written historical biography will fully appreciate this book and not be disappointed.
An Extremely Well- Written Book.......2000-08-29
I really don't know where to begin. I read this book a year ago and am reviewing it now only in response to the extraordinarily absurd and unfair customer reviews that I recently read here. I am 36, a Phd in English Lit and teach at a local college. By any reasonable and fair criteria of review, this book is exceptionally well-written. The author Sullivan has a wonderful way of using words and an unusual gift for weaving a narrative that is both dynamic and engaging. His style equally entertains and informs. Although I am not a historian, I can appreciate his extensive and thorough research. Of course the book has flaws - but they are relatively minor ones, and certainly not the awful errors that the incredibly shallow and mean-spirited critics on this page seem so convulsed. How curious to me that this excellent biography has seemed such a lightning rod for these acutely negative people. In an age where criticism is 100% personal and subjective, it is a true study in psychology when these highly prejudiced and obviously bitter people gleefully attack a work such as this with their sharpened stilettos. Imagine someone writing a review and basing an entire negative attack on the opinion that the book's subject is not beautiful in their own estimation. Obviously Victoria Melita is no beauty for today's standards, but Sullivan bases his estimation on numerous quotes which show her as a beauty by the standards of a different world a century ago. Why anyone should have trouble accepting this fact of changing fashion and taste and cruelly dismiss the book because of it - I simply don't understand this mind-set. I think the fact that Sullivan is a young, handsome male who comes off as privileged, if not aristocratic himself, has antagonized many readers (liberals, men-hating feminists, ect) and made them resentful and jealous. There can seemingly be little other excuse for these hostile and unfair critiques. Any open-minded, intelligent reader without some extreme agenda would find this book to be what it is - not the greatest biography ever written, but certainly a fascinating, entertaining and extremely well-written historical work - one which is more than worthy of a long and careful read.
Amazon.com
Once there was a little girl--an orphaned African princess--who narrowly escaped death by human sacrifice in a West African village in 1850. A British sea captain named Frederick E. Forbes saved her life by talking King Gezo of Dahomey into giving the girl to Queen Victoria of England as a gift: "She would be a present from the King of the blacks to the Queen of the Whites." As impossible as this tale sounds, it is a true one. Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers--piecing together her story from letters he found in a rare book and ephemera shop in London--paints a hauntingly detached portrait of the small African princess whom the heroic captain named Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
We follow her charmed but unlucky life as the Queen's protégée through a succession of British middle-class households, beginning with the Forbes home. Because of her celebrated association and frequent visits with the Queen, Sarah grows up in an unusual position of privilege, education, and celebrity. On the flip side, she is keenly aware that her decisions are not her own, and as a rescued orphan under the Queen's protection, her life's path is dictated by those acting in what they perceive to be her best interests. It is hard not to feel that it was cruel of her protectors to wrench her (more than once in her life) from the adopted family she adores, and eventually to encourage her to marry a West African businessman whom she clearly stated she could never love, and who would take her away from her adopted country. As the epilogue states, "She was both unfortunate in her losses, and fortunate that those losses were not greater.... She seemed to find a measure of comfort wherever she was, but was destined to be apart from the world in which she lived." This story, rich with historic prints, photographs, newspaper clippings, excerpts from Queen Victoria's diary, and Sarah's letters, is both fascinating and tragic. We have Myers to thank for rescuing this fine woman again--this time from the forgotten shelf of a London bookstore. (Ages 11 and older)
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and easy to read........2006-07-13
My son had to pick two books off of a large list to read over the summer for school. After reading the other reviews of this book, we picked it. It was a wonderful choice. The book was very interesting, fast paced, well written and easy to read. I read it in 3 hours, and my son was able to read in in a few nights without any complaints of boredom.
Why Isn't Hollywood Calling???.......2001-09-08
If any literary giant needs to have his work adapted to film, it is Myers. As one of the premier writers of fiction for juveniles, the author has added another significant piece to his long line of classics. This one tells the story of a little-known African princess who comes under the wing of England's legendary Queen Victoria.
Not only does the book reveal the horrors of the African slave trade, the atrocities that some tyrants inflict on their enemies, and the class system that pervades much of a "civilized" society, it is a marvelous tale of a girl who overcomes such obstacles and becomes the darling of English society.
Although Sarah's life is brief, it is a memorable one as the character grows from frightened child to a loving mother.
I am recommending that all my students read this book as well as others by Myers. Now, if only someone in "Tinsel Town" would discover this fine author.
I'd much rather see his stories on the big screen than any about a teenaged wizard.
Good book!.......2001-02-18
I think this is a very well written book. I think that Walter Dean Myers is an amazing writer and that it is great he found this fantastic girl that many have never heard of.
What I Think!.......2001-02-07
The book, At Her Majesty's Request was the most wonderful book I've read because it tells the story of how Sarah Bonetta overcomed so many problems. First w/ the horror of watching her parents being killed, and then almost being sacrificed by the slave holders because of who she was and where she lived.Then when she was saved by a white man whom she couldn't even understand becase she spoke a different language.And then soon after that she learned how to speak english and then she became friends w/ the Queen of England, Queen Victoria.So the book to me was very heart-warming and I hope you love the book too! Go Wells Wolverines!
Poignant and Unlikely Story of African Princess.......2000-08-14
"At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England" tells the life story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who was born an African Egbado princess, captured by rival Dohamans and taken to Dahomey to be murdered in a ritual sacrifice, rescued and adopted by a British naval captain, taken to England and presented to Queen Victoria, and raised under the Queen's protection in England and Sierra Leone. This handsome book is a very fine biography for young readers; it includes many excerpts from Sarah's letters and the Queen's diaries, as well as historic illustrations. Relevant information about 19th century West Africa and Britain (e.g., the Dahomey empire, the slave trade and British actions to end it, Christian missions in Africa, Sierra Leone, the British class system, women's place in society, etc.) is well presented. Although Sarah's story is interesting because of its uniqueness, much about the lives of ordinary 19th century West Africans and Europeans can be learned here. Despite the fact that there is little material concerning Sarah's life, the author has done a fine job and readers interested in Africa should be glad he did. The book contains a useful bibliography which includes "Dahomey and the Dahomans" (1851) by Frederick E. Forbes (the captain who rescued and adopted Sarah).
19th century Dahomey is also the setting of "The Viceroy of Ouidah" by Bruce Chatwin.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting but incomplete..........2004-12-14
If ever there was a royal web, it was spun by Queen Victoria. Between her children and her grandchildren, they occupied almost every royal house in Europe. The Royal Web: by Ladislas Farago and Andrew Sinclair chronicles just one small part of Victoria's web-the royal house of Prussia.
Princess Victoria (Vicky) was Victoria and Albert's oldest child. She was probably the most intelligent and politically astute of all the children. Knowing that she would never be a monarch in he own right, her parents recognized that an advantageous marriage would allow her to become queen, or even empress of another power. Albert had visions of a united Germany, and from the time Vicky was still an infant, he set his sights on Vicky marrying into the Prussian Royal Family. With this goal in mind, he set out to educate Vicky in a way that he never did his oldest son, Bertie (later King Edward VII). While Vicky was still a teen, she married the Prussian prince, Frederick . Fritz was the son of Emperor William I, and spent much of his married life as the Crown Prince.
The marriage of Fritz and Vicky was a love match-one of the few among royalty in the 1800's. Both had a liberal vision for the future of Germany. Unfortunately, Emperor William I and Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck did not share this view. In fact, they did everything possible to suppress the liberals, and Vicky was even accused of being an English spy. This was also a turbulent time for the Prussians as the war-hungry Bismarck goaded Prussians into war with the Danes, Austrians, French and even fellow German states. By the time Fritz became emperor, it was too late to make any major changes.
At first, I thought this was going to be a basic biography on Fritz and Vicky. But it was short on personal history (little is mentioned about their children except for William, who became Kaiser William II). It also gets bogged down in battles, wars, espionage, and political intrigue. While the authors try to simplify the history of Germany during this time (which consisted of 38 independent German states), it would have been helpful to include a map of Europe and Germany.
Overall, Royal Web was an interesting work. One thing that the authors had at their disposal was the many volumes of letters between Victoria and Vicky (they wrote almost daily). The relationship between the future Kaiser and his parents is also fascinating and disturbing. Also, while Vicky and Fritz were born into the wealth and privilege of royalty, their lives were filled with tragedies and disappointments. Things didn't quite play out as expected. So while I wouldn't discount Royal Web, if you're looking for a straight biography of these two, there are many better books to be found.
Average customer rating:
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History Stories: Princess Victoria
Barbara Mitchelhill
Manufacturer: Heinemann Educational Books - Primary Division
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0602253896 |
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