John Waters Books

Reading this book gives a clarity and depth to the concept of community engagement/public participation that the completion of the IAP2 certificate course can not provide.
If you are someone who deals with the public or a member of the public who is involved with community decision making, this book provides a fantastic source of understanding of the issues and thought processes involved in good community engagement and public participation practice.

This copiously illustrated survey posits architect Frank Gehry in an unfolding evolution of a phenomenon described as "Blob." The book, 'Blobitecture', shows the antecedents to Gehry, and parallel movements that have spawned such notable industrial designs as the Eames chairs and the Apple iMac.

Form-follows-function was a stringent dictate on designers for many recent years. Advances in computers and computation [not to mention composite materials] have allowed Gehry to visualize designs that would not, on the face of it, seem to hold up, and come to up with the means to make these buildings - drooping, swooping, and so on - stand.

Waters notes that this style arose as something of an anti-machine impulse, yet it could not have occurred without machine technology, specifically the computer technology that could provide underpinnings for 'improbably fluid forms.'

The author uncovers some things that surprise. A Disneyland Monsanto house of the future [which could be a happy home for Zippy the Pinhead], could not be readily demolished after its stay as a futurist grotto was at an end, Waters notes. The wrecking ball bounced off the [perhaps fiberglass] Monsanto house, and good old sledge hammers had to do the dirty deed!

There have been a lot of movements, some that vaporize in the blink of an eye. Does Blob as a serious movement hold up to scrutiny? Here, Waters takes a journalist's tack, and leaves the final judgment largely to the reader and future historians.

A different approach than the movie The Blob [from whence the movement gains its name it seems], where, as the movie trailer had it, "there's no stopping the blob [a "blood-curdling threat"] as it goes from town to town."

Missing perhaps is a look at Gaudi, and Dali [especially the latter's work at the 1939 World's Fair] - two individuals that melted a building or two in their day. I guess I say this because I can recall when I first saw Gehry's now famous Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain [depicted gloriously in Blobitecture], that's what I thought of. Waters does point to Eero Saarinen and his TWA Terminal as a potent precursor of Gehry, but photos he includes are of the Saarinen's St. Louis arch, to my mind less of a pointer to Frank. But the book on the main is quite generous in its illustration of things blob like.

A very good treatment, but aimed at advanced students, practioners, or researchers in the area of decompression physiology. Differential equations and advanced math models are used to discuss the issues of diving decompression. The author presents an overview of the models used for decompression, then advocates changes in our model configuration. He convincingly argues for a change to what he calls a "Thermodynamic" model. (Seems a bit miss-named to me, it is really about phase changes and the energy of bubble formation- not thermodynamics). The text is long on discussion of the aspects of the Thermodynamic model, but fails in providing specifics . . . the author even acknowledges not rushing to print with a specific decompression schedule. There is enough information in the book for an advanced reader to derive the basis of a Thermodynamic model, but the author never puts it all together in a conclusion.

Although this book is old and has no photographs, it fulfills its purpose. I have not run into any other deep-sea California fishes field guides, so I'm happy with it. The drawings are good, it's informative, and it's great for learning about the animals that most of us will never encounter.

E-mail links, contacts, maps and description of each site plus how to get there and when to go all very helpful

This collection of whitewater stories centers on the theme of new experiences and adventures from the perspective of river runners. Some of these stories have been published elsewhere. The quality of the writing varies but it's a good collection and a worthy addition to any paddler's library who enjoys stories from the river. The collection leads off with Andrzej Pietowski's adventure with a crew from Poland who set off down Peru's Rio Colca, which they completed despite formidable barriers to success. Richard Bangs, who would later record many first descents across the world, tells his story of learning to guide on the Grand Canyon. William Nealy, the sport's best-known cartoonist, tells his hilarious childhood story with appropriate cartoon illustrations of floating down a forbidden drainage ditch, known as Polio Creek. Yvon Chouninard joins the legends of class V explatory boating for a 3-day first descent of the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone. Robert Portman and Dan Reicher relive their experiences on the Yangtze paddling from Yuyang to Wushan and through the first of the Three Gorges, and then on the Li River. Pete Skinner provides a rare account of kayaking the Niagara River Gorge. Jamie McEwan tells the story of the pioneering run on Mexico's Santa Maria with his brother Tom along with Wick Walker and Andy Bridge. William Scheller relates his urban exploratory adventure on the headwaters of the Anacostia in Washington DC. Royal Robbins tells the story of his first descent of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin Gorge with Reg Lake and Doug Tompkins, completing a 30 mile traverse through the Sierra Nevada. Richard Bangs tells the story of the first attempt on the Baro River in Ethiopia that ends tragically before it even begins with raft flips and the loss of a guest. Bo and Kathy Shelby provide a brief account of paddling the Braldu River in the Himalayas with Andy Embick, Rob Lesser, and Bob McDougall. Tim Hillmer's short story The Hookman tells of becoming a search and rescue worker on the Kern River. While SOBEK's first descent of the Zambezi grabbed all the media attention, Franz Lidz tells what the second trip was like. David Roberts tells the entertaining tale of Sobek's BBC-sponsored trip on Papua New Guinea's Tua River where the adventure itself is restructured to suit the film. Scott Thybony provides the brief account of Glen and Bessie Hyde, newlyweds lost without a trace on the Grand Canyon in 1928. Bill Mason describes their attempt on the Hood River's Wilberforce Canyon in northern Canada. The memorable 1980 spring break trip that included the first descent of Bald Rock Canyon on the MF Feather and Golden Gate section of the SF American is relived by Chuck Stanley who was joined by Lars Holbek and Richard Montgomery. The history of southeastern whitewater including the first runs of the Chattooga, French Broad, Green, Tuckasegee, Nantahala, Chattahoochee, and the early adventures of Frank Bell and many other whitewater pioneers, is told by Payson Kennedy. Jeff Rennicke closes out the collection of stories reflecting on a solo trip down Alaska's Kobuk River.

Very technical, entirely comprehensive, and is still found in the bibliography of just about any serious scientific book on aquaculture. This is an excellent reference on filtration techniques, toxicity of common medications, calculating carrying capacity, and is just full of useful ideas and references. If you approach the hobby with a bit of scientist in you, this is a book you should have. When he wrote the book, no one in the hobby was doing protein skimmers, but he discussed them in detail here. Whatever the next big concept is, I wouldn't be surprised if he discussed it. This is a rare gem of a book.

This book captures the written screenplay to 3 more of John Waters films. They read great if you are into his films and will find yourself laughing and wanting to see the films again. Only major complaint: the addition of Hairspray in this book is so out of place. The script for Polyester should have been chosen instead as it is much more of that period of his work than the famiily movie Hairspray.

This is a fantastic book for those interested in identifing algae to a Genus level. I work as an aquatic biologist for a private microbiological testing and consulting firm, and I use it everyday. The book offers very good discriptions and lots of helpful illustrations. The one thing I don't like about the book is that it fails to include size ranges of the organisms. I would highly advise anyone who deals with freshwater algae on a regular basis to pick up this book. It will definately come in handy!!

I have been painting & teaching watercolor for 15 years. This is the first helpful book that I have found on painting seascapes in watercolor. I accidentally ran across it in the library of a retirement community where I teach & immediately borrowed it. It contains basic sketches & information about the "character" & construction of waves, surf, foam, & trails which the ordinary painter is not aware of. Reading this book is an "education"; it contains sketches & how-to instructions which any painter can follow to practice painting seascapes in watercolor -- one of the most challenging subjects in this media. As soon as I located this book on Amazon.com, I ordered it.