Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the 12 Steps

Book Description

A bold new plan for those concerned about rising temperatures, population projections, and spreading water scarcity.

Lester Brown notes that if the environmental trends of recent decades continue, the global economy will soon begin to unravel. The food sector, he believes, is the most vulnerable. Record-high temperatures and falling water tables are already taking the edge off grain harvests in some countries, including China, the world's largest grain producer.

The wake-up call will come, Brown believes, when 1.3 billion Chinese consumers with an $80 billion trade surplus start competing with Americans for U.S. grain, driving up food prices. Rising food prices could create political instability in low-income countries, disrupting global economic progress.

At that point, it will be clear that business as usual—Plan A—is not working. In Plan B, Brown outlines a World War II-type mobilization to stabilize climate by restructuring the global energy economy and to stabilize population by investing heavily in health care, family planning, and the education of girls in developing countries.

Customer Reviews:

This is a must read!.......2006-10-31

This highly valuable but inexpensive book is available on line. Its readable content and organization, attention to detail and conclusions are important to all. In fact, I recommend this up-to-date, well-referenced book to all professionals involved in all fields of natural resources management as well as to all members of the general public interested in the future of civilization. In fact, unless responsible and concerned citizens, professionals, and elected and appointed officials do read this book - and follow through on its suggestions - its worst predictions will come true, and we will be responsible for failure to act. I would add, on the remote chance that Brown and I are both wrong, we would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that we conscientiously tried to avoid the catastrophes he predicts and documents. by Peter E. Black

Could there be another explanation, Mr. Brown?.......2006-05-20

Brown begins this book with the thesis from his previous book, Eco-economy, which posited that the environment is not part of the economy as many believed, but instead the economy is part of the environment, and from this it follows that the economy must be designed to fit the larger ecosystem of which it is a part. This line of thinking sets up a natural hierarchy, one that holds the environment in the highest position as all important and in high esteem, and the economy in a lower (and some would say the lowest) position. Although it sounds reasonable- indeed, it is meant to sound not only reasonable, but also logical and rational, when one considers the support Brown marshals in defense of his thesis, intelligent and thinking individuals have no choice but to conclude that his point of view is not only flawed, but flat-out erroneous.

Brown, a long-time China Watcher, sells this latest installment of ecological peril with a blurb on the back cover that predicts impending doom for the world's most populous nation. He supports this view by citing the ebb and flow of both grain stocks and rivers in China. He also cites rising global temperatures and falling water tables (the latter almost exclusively focused on one area in China) in support of his dubious `China Syndrome'. Brown would like us to believe that grain supplies are fixed because land area for cultivation is fixed and that only two countries produce grain for export- the US and Canada. Furthermore, he would also like us to believe that `valuable farmland' is being lost at an incredible rate to urbanization- namely, that scourge of all modern, industrial civilizations, parking lots for cars. Brown hopes that this last argument will serve as the proverbial (?) nail in the coffin, an airtight defense of his position that economically developing (not simply growing) China is headed for an Environmental Armageddon.

At first glance I look askance at such dire prognostications of Armageddon, given first the difficulty many have had in obtaining reliable statistics on command economies such as China and the USSR in the past, and second the fact that like most countries going through the process of economic development (most notably, China's historical rival, Japan), China will increasingly obtain more of its grain on the world commodity markets. It does not necessarily follow that impending doom will befall the Middle Kingdom, unless of course, you believe that the only place China can get grain is from the US and/or Canada, and that grain harvests can not be increased.

In reality, while total land area for cultivation can be considered fixed (more or less), the proportion of this land given over to cultivation varies over time, and as long as you believe that all the available cultivable land is under the plow all the time, then barring productivity increases, it does certainly seem to follow that the supply of grain is fixed- it can't possibly go up. Furthermore, besides the United States and Canada, several countries around the world export grain (nations like Australia, Brazil and Argentina come readily to mind). Indeed, China will most likely migrate to the world commodity market to buy its grain not because of rising temperatures and falling water tables, but because it would be cheaper to buy it on the world market than to produce it domestically.

As for his position that valuable farmland is being lost at a rapid rate to urbanization, I respond by asking what is meant by valuable farmland and what constitutes a rapid rate. Long experience has shown that farmland `lost' to urbanization typically has gone through a succession of agricultural use rendering it thoroughly unrecoverable as profitable farmland and exists at the rural-urban interface before it is gobbled up for suburban tract home development, malls and parking lots (for proof, just look at what is currently happening in California).

Like his previous book, Eco-economy, this book contains all of Brown's trademark ideas, beliefs and values, but this time around manages to be more hopeful and less polemical. Plan B is also noticeably shorter than his typical rants on the environment, and Brown freely admits to recycling much of the material from his previous book, Eco-economy. In it, the reader will find expositions long on hyperbole (and short on verifiable fact) on a diverse range of topics. I found his treatment of tax-shifting laughable as always, especially when he invokes the rationale of taxing gasoline consumption (while neglecting to tell the reader that every volume of gasoline is already taxed at the pump; indeed, like cigarettes, the majority of the price paid for it is given over to taxes of some form or another). Brown's statement of falling water tables worldwide, based on an illegitimate leap from a few anecdotal stories presented in the text, also gave me a few chuckles. However, I especially enjoyed his erroneous take on China's food future by far, and eagerly await the day he is proven wrong. If I were a betting man, I would lay odds with him, much like Julian Lincoln Simon did most famously with Paul Ehrlich many years ago.

In sum, my single biggest problem with this book and others like it (Bjorn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist comes readily to mind) is the tone of absolute certainty the author takes, that his conclusions (generally based on a disparate set of premises, factual or not) are inevitable and inescapable, without allowing any room for alternative explanations. My only consolation is that Brown, who so often in the past has cried wolf, has a long history of being wrong, like many others who have tried their hand at prediction of outcomes dependent on many factors and agents. I believe it was Henry Spencer who once said, "Belief is no substitute for arithmetic," and in the case of this book, blind acceptance of its contents cannot be countenanced without more than a little thought.

Tough Problem - Weal Solution.......2006-03-22

"Plan B' is divided in to two parts - the problem including increasing population, environmental degradation, food shortages, disease migration, and the solution to them. This was a superior analysis of the scope and depth of the problems this world faces. Unfortunatgely I found the "Plan B" solution(s) familiar, ie. hydrogen fuel, population control, etc. I wanted to see some real creative ideas which were just not there. Ideas like redesigning public education, a global task forces on food allocation, or free morning-after pills. The time for being "politically-correct" is running out. Something this author just didn't face.

Good top-down overview of world problems and solutions.......2005-12-15

Plan B is a quick read that brings you up to speed on today's global climate crisis and what can be done about it. Lester Brown does an impeccable job using primary sources to build the Big Picture in a gripping way. Surprises abound. For example, countries with threatened water supplies will import grain. Why? Because it takes 1,000 tons of water to produce a ton of grain (p. 24). Brown also warns of increased storms and climate change due to global warming, remarking that "New Orleans would be under water" (p. 74). If anything, the severity of polar melt and other changes has been worse than Brown predicts, and he was writing in 2003!

Plan B offers a three-fold solution to these problems: (1) tax-shifting, i.e. reducing income taxes while increasing taxes on toxics and carbon emissions. This would mean much higher gas taxes. (2) A re-mobilization of resources modeled after wartime economies that would rapidly build out energy efficiency, hydrogen, wind and solar power infrastructures. (3) A $62 billion / year plan to uproot the social causes of runaway population and environmental stress. This would provide universal basic education and health care, reproductive health and planning (serious business with 29 million HIV cases in Africa --p. 82), school lunch programs (the only reliable meal millions of children may have), etc. Compare this to the U.S.A.'s 2002 budgets of $10 billion in foreign aid and $343 billion for the military (pp. 219, 220).

And here is where the book falls a bit short for me. There's not much mention of what can be done locally, even individually, other than (implicitly) go through top-down political channels that many believe are corrupt. Words such as "organic," "permaculture," "new urbanism," etc. do not appear in the book. It does condemn water-based sewage (in favor of composting toilets - p. 126), but that's as far as it goes for individual choice. With tax-exempt contributions, people can begin their own "tax shifting" and exert political pressure. I'd have liked to see at least a few hints along these lines.

Perhaps Plan B. 2.0, to be published in January 2006, will addres these issues. According to the Earth Policy Institute, the new book will directly address Peak Oil, Urban Farming, and other topics that have come to the fore in the three short years since the first edition. Things are changing fast; I'm betting on Brown to keep us informed.

A must read for anyone concerned with the future of the planet........2005-09-15

The author outlines the problems that we face today with water, energy, pollution, aids, global warming, etc. and he proposes solutions.

In other words there is a way out of this mess but it will take a great deal of will and courage by all peoples of the world, particularly governments, to move us to Plan B because Plan A, business as usual, will ultimately lead to catastrophe.

PADDY UNDER WATER (Paddy Underwater, Cloth Mkm)

Average customer rating:

excellant for a pre-reader...composition, production, values

PADDY UNDER WATER (Paddy Underwater, Cloth Mkm)
John S. Goodall
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Shrewbettina's Birthday

ASIN: 0689502974

Customer Reviews:

excellant for a pre-reader...composition, production, values.......1998-07-08

This book, and others in the Paddy series, are perfect for the pre-reader. The ideas are fresh and well handled. The physical production of the book, including drawings, color, etc. etc. are all of the highest quality. My grandchildren (and I) enjoy them all. E.S.

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Matthew's review
Andrew Lost under water......... Molly's Reviews

Under Water (Andrew Lost #5)
J.C. Greenburg
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375825231
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Book Description

After getting unshrunk, Andrew, Judy, and Thudd take a much needed vacation to Hawaii. While making modifications to Uncle Al’s latest invention–the submarine-like Water Bug–Andrew ends up stranding himself, Judy, and Thudd underwater!Andrew Lost Under Water is the first in a four-book set that will take Andrew, Judy, and Thudd on a tour of undersea phenomena, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Mariana Trench to the inside of a whale, as they try to find their way home.A sTepping Stone Book™

Customer Reviews:

Matthew's review.......2006-02-13

I liked Andrew Lost Under Water. I learned that giant squids are rarely ever seen. It was funny when the steering wheel popped out and the waterbug went on auto-pilot. It was also funny when the waterbug got lava boogers from an under water volcano in its supper sniffer. The water bug is a car that has a few adjustments to make it go under water. I would recommend this book.

Andrew Lost under water......... Molly's Reviews.......2005-01-06

Interesting read ....... Highly Recommended ........... 5 stars

The Review
Far below the surface of the sea, Thudd the robot, ten year old inventor Drewd, and his thirteen year old cousin Judy have an eye-popping run in with Soggy Bob Sloggins. Drewd and Judy's top secret scientist Uncle Al just cannot stop inventing. Uncle Al's latest invention is the Water Bug.

Writer Greenburg has produced an engaging view into the underwater panorama world of the ocean. By combining humor, plain good writing, fast paced adventure and solid scientific fact `Andrew Lost' is a book sure to appeal to middle grade boys and girls alike. Without sounding like he is teaching; Thudd brings kids much information relating to the fascinating world teeming below the surface of the sea.

Fast paced, entertaining read. Happy to recommend.

Reviewed by: molly martin
20+ years California classroom teacher

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Don't Dig for Water Under the Outhouse
Texas Bix Bender
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 087905977X

Book Description

From the best-selling author of DON'T SQUAT WITH YER SPURS ON! The pages are packed with Texas Bix Bender's no-nonsense outlook on life: "Don't get even--get over it." "Never miss a good chance to shut up." "Brace your backbone and forget your wishbone." "Take your 'take home pay' home." "Put off 'til tomorrow what you shouldn't be doing anyway."

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Losing the plot
The Talented Ms. Highsmith
So much potential...
More intrigue from tha master of cunning
A Stalking Nemesis Looms

Ripley Under Water
Patricia Highsmith
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0679748091
Release Date: 1993-11-02

Book Description

Tom Ripley passes his leisured days at his French country estate tending the dahlias, practicing the harpsichord, and enjoying the company of his lovely wife, Heloise. Never mind the bloodstains on the basement floor.

But some new neighbors have moved to Villeperce: the Pritchards, just arrived from America. they are a ghastly pair, with vulgar manners and even more vulgar taste. Most inconvenient, though, is their curiosity. Ripley does, after all, have a few things to hide. When menacing coincidences begin to occur, a spiraling contest of sinister hints and mutual terrorism ensues, resulting in one of Patricia Highsmith's most elegantly harrowing novels to date.

Customer Reviews:

Losing the plot.......2006-11-07

Having enjoyed other Ripley stories, I found all the cental characters in the book unlikeley, and discriptions of Ripley and his relationships irritating and was glad to finish the book, by skimming the pages towards the finish.

The Talented Ms. Highsmith.......2006-08-11

In her fifth and what was to be her final installment in the novels about Tom Ripley, RIPLEY UNDER WATER, Patricia Highsmith has written a suspenseful page-turner that both shocks and entertains the reader. The talented Mr. Ripley, married to Heloise, now lives in France. He is the perfect friendly neighbor-- although he of course must maintain his distance from others as he is the killer of four people, Dickie Greenleaf, Murchison and two Mafia members. But Tom is no longer completely convinced that he committed all these murders. "Some remembered experiences faded, he [Tom] supposed, such as that of killing. . ." until a strange American Pritchard and his wife show up at the most inappropriate times and disrupt Mr. Ripley's placid existence.

Ripley now takes harpischord lessons, listens to Brahms waltzes, drinks gin and tonics and kirs, grows dahlias, watches videos of "Some Like It Hot," and reads Richard Ellman's biography of Oscar Wilde. He is quite the gentleman of leisure. He is also a cold-blooded killer. This writer has the amazing ability to make you root for this psychopath although you know that he possesses few if any redeeming qualities. On the other hand, it's no coincidence that the Iagos of the world are much more fascinating then the Cordelias.

The story stops rather abruptly; Ms. Highsmith apparently meant to write another chapter to Mr. Ripley's life. Unfortunately that did not happen. Nevertheless, this novel is entertainment at its best.

So much potential..........2005-03-24

Too bad that the last of the Ripley books was a bit of a let-down. A great set up and interesting premise, the book is marred by its poor resolution. What potential - two vulgar Americans who become Ripley's neighbors with a hidden agenda...the "cat and mouse" of this book should have been great, but sadly it falls short. In my opinion, Ripley's Game is the best of the Ripley sequels - this one doesn't even come close...

More intrigue from tha master of cunning.......2005-01-17

This fourth instalment in a series of five novels concerning the criminal adventures, schemes, ploys and cunning machinations of Tom Ripley, ranks as high as its predecessors.

Tom Ripley has to be one of the most interesting and memorable characters ever created in modern crime literature. A man born from humble beginnings, he has re-invented himself as a man of refined taste and breeding. Basic manners and knowledge of human nature, combined with a strong will and bloody attitude of mind, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. What makes Ripley psychologically fascinating, is his utter lack of conscience. He can murder without a hint of remorse, and has that uncanny ability to compartmentalize his thoughts and memories in order live with his many dastardly deeds. Moreover, Highsmith writes about Ripley entirely from his perspective, giving the reader an inside look at his thought processes, rationalizations and intrigues, creating a sympathy for the man, thus we cheer when he murders and are greatly relieved when he gets away with it. We want Ripley to succeed and he always does.

In this story, Ripley's chequered past catches up with him. An American couple, David and Janice Prichard, move into a villa down the way from his chateau at Villeperce. These people know Ripley from somewhere; know aspects about his past that Ripley would soon forget and then begin to relentlessly taunt him. How much do they really know? And how can Ripley handle this strange couple without implicating himself?

This book was difficult to put down in many ways. Because Ripley is such a fascinating character, the pages seemed to turn themselves to discover his next move against these people. There is a particular scene in Tangiers at a shady café, where Ripley confronts Prichard, and without warning, in a series of dangerous blows, knocks the vulgar Prichard unconscious. In fact, Highsmith's writing is so good, that I found myself cheering as Ripley pummelled him to the ground. This type of scene, really, has become Ripley's trademark: surprise with lethal violence, applied without mercy or second thought.

The Ripley novels are unique in modern crime fiction. Patricia Highsmith was not recognized in her native America, and was forced to move overseas to write, where she became a respected and best selling author. It is only in the last ten years, almost a decade after her death, that she is receiving the acclaim that is so well deserved.

A Stalking Nemesis Looms.......2004-11-08

If you have enjoyed the Ripley series of books, you will undoubtedly want to read the final book, Ripley Under Water.

This book is a continuation of the story line of Ripley Under Ground, as the title suggests. This book is, however, less engaging and dramatic than Ripley Under Ground.

What Makes Ripley Under Water noteworthy is its boding sense of menace and paranoia. What would it be like to be stalked by someone who wants to do you harm? How would you feel? Those are the themes that are well developed in this book.

An American couple in their thirties, David and Janice Pritchard, move into Tom Ripley's neighborhood. Tom has a slight recollection of seeing them before somewhere. Soon he begins receiving strange telephone calls from someone claiming to be a person Ripley killed many years before. The Americans invite Ripley and his wife for a drink. Ripley goes alone and finds that the couple is obsessed with him, and knows quite a bit about his past misdeeds. The man even threatens Ripley. Soon thereafter the couple is seen outside of Ripley's home taking photographs.

Ripley's annoyed, but trying to stay cool. But when the man shows up in Morocco during the Ripley's' vacation, it's too much. Ripley begins to fight back in typical Ripley fashion. Events escalate when Ripley and Pritchard return to France.

My main complaint about the book is that the end doesn't live up to the suspense that leads up to it. As a result, I was left feeling dissatisfied with the story.

On the good side, the psychological development is very fine. In addition, the book is full of subtle puns and ironies . . . such as Ripley, who has killed so many men being freaked out by having to be in the kitchen while live lobsters are cooked.

Even if you are paranoid, remember that someone may really be after you!

Saltwater Fly-Casting Techniques: How to Cast Effectively for the Biggest Fish and Under the Most Demanding Situations

Average customer rating:

Disappointment

Saltwater Fly-Casting Techniques: How to Cast Effectively for the Biggest Fish and Under the Most Demanding Situations
Lefty Kreh
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1585744085

Customer Reviews:

Disappointment.......2002-06-02

Lefty is dwelling on his reputation with this one! A most disappointing read. Compared to such tomes as "Fly fishing in salt water" and "Presenting the fly" this book comes a long way down the list of desired books. It feels and looks like a cheap comic book and prospective buyers should proceed with caution, its not up to Lefty's usual standards.

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Under the Sea Poster Book
LLC, Storey Publishing
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1580176232

Book Description

Bring home the magical experience of a childâ€™s first trip to the aquarium, with its scary sharks, touchable tide pools, and brightlycolored marine life. One quick glance will make every child want to dive right into the Under the Sea Poster Book. Thirty full-color, pull-out portraits of fantastic sea creatures feature ocean residents from whales to octopi, plus all the fun facts that make each creature unique and exciting. Did you know, for example, that the Sarcastic Fringehead fish looks like itâ€™s smiling but itâ€™s really quite grouchy? Or that the jellyfish doesnâ€™t have a brain or a heart? Actually, it isnâ€™t even a fish! Designed to be read like a book, individual pages can then be pulled out to post and create an enticing deep-water environment in any childâ€™s room.

The Coral Reef Tunnel Book: Take a Peek Under the Sea! (Take a Peek series)

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The Coral Reef Tunnel Book: Take a Peek Under the Sea! (Take a Peek series)
Joan Sommers
Manufacturer: Tunnel Vision Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0975415026

Book Description

The incredible beauty and biodiversity of the coral reef is brought to life in this expandable accordion book that stretches out to provide a 3-D view of a multicolored undersea world. A look into the tunnel reveals clownfish hovering over a field of anemone tentacles, a spotted moray eel poking its head out from its hiding place, and the countless other sea creatures inhabiting this magnificent, endangered ecosystem. A 16–page guide to the fish and corals of the reef is also included.

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Love in the Time of Sarcasm

Life Under Water.
Richard Greenberg
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822206609

Customer Reviews:

Love in the Time of Sarcasm.......2003-06-07

A tidy, witty piece about well-to-do young adults in the Hamptons, pondering their importance a la Woody Allen. Of course, they manage to sleep with the wrong people, bemoan their short comings and make many pithy comments along the way.

I highly recommend this play to college students looking for good parts for women. Amy Beth and Amy Joy are characters any actress can sink her teeth into -- sarcastic, sexy and completely surprising. The piece moves along quickly but with unexpected twists and an utter lack of cutesy resolution or characterization. Richard Greenberg has gone on to win many awards for his writing and this piece contains much of his finesse with language, behavior and real sympathy for his characters, no matter how big their problems aren't.

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