Professional Books

As a new middle school teacher myself, I am anxiously awaiting the school year and reading and doing as much as possible to feel prepared. I highly recommend this book for all those new teachers out there. It is filled with great ideas and reads quickly. The tips and scenarios are tremendous and the examples have been a great foundation for my own documents and worksheets. You definitely will not be let down with this purchase!

This is one book that both middle and high school teachers can refer to day to day. A teacher can take charge of the classroom and make it a conducive place for learning, and do it with creativity.
Great book.

This book offers excellent insight into the world of teaching in a middle school. There are wonderful, and practical, strategies for how to approach everything from assigning homework to seating charts to discipline problems. This book is a must have for any new middle school teacher!

I've been the editor and webmaster of a website dedicated to middle grades education for about 10 years. As part of that work, we've developed a strong online community of 600+ professional educators from across the globe who hold daily discussions about teaching adolescents. These "teachers on the frontlines" generally consider Rick Wormeli's "Day One & Beyond" to be a "must have" book for any teacher new to the middle grades. And they're quick to admit that he's got plenty of ideas that will benefit veterans as well! For middle school novices, I'd rank it at or above the level of the classic "First Days of School." Get both!

Clear, non-technical descriptions of telecommunication terminology and concepts are what the reader can expect from this title. It covers LANS, WANS, voice, data, and standards.

There are so many Telcomm terms and there are more every year. It's always good to have a easy-to-read technical reference book like this one. It's easy to read even for a Taiwanese! :-)

Btw, I hope there will be revised version of this book every two or three year. Thank you Mr. Muller, the author of the book, for providing the nice book.

This is a remarkably good reference work, especially considering (or because?) it is the work of one person (and no doubt a good editor). The articles are long enough to cover complex topics yet focused enough to provide a handle on the subject. Muller has an excellent sense of proportion. He offers succinct synopses of technical matters without getting bogged down in stuff only an engineer would understand. You can get a quick overview of "distance learning" and "outsourcing," on the one hand, or PCS 1900 and CDMA on the other. And all of it is very well and clearly written. Useful for anyone in the industry, or just for the curious.

This book it's has to be in every engeener desktop and also it's a great dictionary for universities stands and for students tools.

This handy book is great for almost all levels of contractors. It provides step-by-step instructions to bid a job as well as tips for estimating various trades (from site to electrical). The book walks you through different stages of estimating: document review, site visit, quantity take-off, pricing, bid submittal and feedback etc. If you are self-performing, it has detailed checklists and forms for quantity take-off. If you are subcontracting some work and want to evaluate quotes from subs, the book also offers detailed question lists you can use. It is incredible that so much information has been compressed into a book of this size. Inside you will find instant answers to all levels of questions from how many cubic yards of concrete is in a 200 ft 8 x 16 tie beam WITHOUT calculations, to how to do a cost breakdown on a multi-million job. This book is apparently suitable for all sectors (residential, commercial, industrial......). For example, it included the weight tables(unbelievably comprehensive) for almost all structural steel shapes, or you will find the number of wood joists for given floor length and joist spacing right away. What makes it unique from other estimating books is that it offers quick solutions(mostly immediate)without having to read a lot of pages. If you are overwhelmed by how much you have to do everyday, this book is going to be a life saver. Trust me, from what I read, it is written by a highly-organized professional, i.e. a "number guy" who knows the tricks. It is something you want to bring along with you at all times.

I just received my copy today. I always prefer DeWalt books(used to be "Pal" books) because they are convenient and more importantly, to-the-point. Still, I fell in love with this one the moment I flipped through pages. Unlike the big and heavy books I used to struggle with when I was in school, this compact book offers direct answers to so many questions. The book also introduced a very organized approach for the bidding game, in addition to its 200+ estimating tips. Thus I believe it will be handy for both general and trade contractors. Whether you need to be jack-of-all-trades or specialize on certain line of work, this book is a must.

If you are always doubtful whether there is ever an estimating book worth buying, try this one. It is down to earth and saves so much time. Well worth the money!

This is a very handy and fairly comprehensive estimating guidebook. It does not delve into a lot of estimating theory, but it is extremely practical. I am a Construction Management professor, and I like it enough to encourage students to purchase the book to use as a resource for estimating. I also like the size of the book. I can fit it in my back pocket! Great job DeWalt and author Adam Ding!

This is more than a reference. I found it is more like an estimating manual. Great for people who is active in industry. Honestly, I think it is not an elementary book. It doesn't waste your time to show you how to use scales (shouldn't you already know that?). Instead, it gives you tons of tips, checklists, forms to actually help in the real-world estimating. I often open it up and find answers within two minutes (Isn't this the way it should be?) Anyway , it is great book. That price is a steal.

The book is fantastic. It is well laid out in a logical and easy to follow fashion. The format focusses on differential diagnoses to radiological patterns - i.e. a practical clinical approach. The images are clear and all relate to clinical cases. I would go as far as to say that this is a "must-have" for any pulmonary fellow in training - there are few books which are as high yield as this one. Could not have asked for a better investment.

This is a great book not only for radiologists but for all specialists who deal with thoracic diseases: respirologists, thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons and intensivists.

This is a great book for anyone interested in chest radiology or pulmonary diagnostic challenges. Dr. Miller has chosen excellent cases to illustrate a broad range of chest pathology. Moreover, the book is pitched toward to clinician. I read the book cover to cover in preparation for the pulmonary boards and enjoyed it throughout. Dr. Miller should be commended for producing such an informative and accessible chest radiology text.

This is absolutely the best book for chest radiology. The size is a little intimdating at first, but it reads quickly and is filled with incredibly useful descriptions and differential diagnoses. It is straight-forward, and makes learning Chest Radiology a lot easier. I wish they had books like this for all sections of radiology. This book is ideal for residents and fellows, or really ambitious med students.

This book includes an extraordinary consolidation of cutting edge information and innovative authors that are truly on the "bleeding edge of technology"! Each chapter covers different topic areas by individuals practicing these design techniques and tools in the real world today. The chapters cover everything from an overview of the various quality thursts, to tolerance allocation techniques, to maximizing GD&T, to Statistical tolerancing, to developing process capability models for DFSS (Designing for Six Sigma), and much more. This text is surely one of the best ever compiled as a consolidation of the contained related subject matter. This is a priceless body of knowledge in a single book!

This is an excelent guidebook for dimensioning information.

I looked long and hard for a book this thorough. A buddy of mine had Crevelings tolerancing book and I thought that was excellent. As I finished my masters degree, I needed a thorough desktop reference that I thought represented best in class. That's exactly what this book is. Since each chapter is written by the major players in these areas, this book is much more than one authors views on the topics. Rather, it is a best in class compilation from some of the sharper folks here in the US doing dimensioning and tolerancing. Paul's chapters themselves are excellent and very thorough. His discussion on how to incorporate the geometric controls into stackup analyses is excellent. Overall, this book should be on every mechanical engineers desktop along with the ASME GD&T standard and Montgomery's books on Quality Control and Design of Experiments. Hats off to Paul and all the other authors for their excellent work!

I would say the first 1/2 is GD&T. The 2nd 1/2 covers tolerancing methods. I have learned a lot from the 2nd half. It covered a lot of new information, in clear terms. I have been through six sigma certification. This is a valuable book in my toolbox.

Don't put it all on your therapist to teach your child. Take it into your own hands...it is your child. This book is great for your child of any age. It is really good for someone who has a little one because it talks about oral motor issues that could delay the speech and how to work on them. Libby is the Speech guru in the Down syndrome world...but you may have already know that.

Written for both parents and professional caretakers, Early Communication Skills For Children With Down Syndrome by Libby Kumin (who has 23 years of experience in working with children with Down syndrome) is very highly recommended as an informational resource by parents, caretakers, teachers, and anyone else charged with the responsibility of dealing with Down Syndrome children. With a focus on speech and language development, through the stage of making 3-word phrases, Early Communication Skills For Children With Down syndrome offers in-depth insight, home communication activities, ways to help one's child learn basic rules of conduct, and much more. An excellent instructional resource, Early Communication Skills For Children With Down Syndrome is a welcome and necessary addition to institutional speech pathology and Special Education resource and reference collections.

Bought for use in a parent-infant education program for children infant to 3. Written with parents in mind so that it is not full of medical-speak, and full of suggestions, this is a good book for anyone working with or parenting a child with low tone or multiple issues that interfere with language development.

I wish I had time to read the whole thing at once, it's full of helpful info. I recommend it to anyone working with or parenting a child with down syndrome. Something that is partcularly nice about it as well as the other books like it is that they don't talk in ages but in stages. This way you can follow your child, and not some outward source that determines what they should be doing and when.

Excellent book written by Ralph Vacchiano. This book, unlike others, doesn't do 'play-by-play' which is not necessary because as fans we've seen the games. This book brings behind the scenes information and insights which is very interesting to fans and generally things we would never know. Well done.

As a Giant fan and an Eli fan I had to get this book and read it right away. I was glad I did. I haven't missed but two televised Giants games in nearly seven years, so I thought I knew everything about Eli Manning and the Giants, but this book gave me even more insight. The pressure Eli was under when he entered the league is well established, but this book gave me a new appreciation for all the young man has been put through in just a few years. From the locker room feelings towards Kerry Collins to the shared insight of his on the road roomate, I felt as I read the book like I could feel his pressure rather than just hear about it. The way he carried himself during his rough times is a testimony to the man he is not just as a player. His refusal to ever get overly upset or throw tantrums or the fact that he never once threw his teammates under the bus (when his errors were exasberated by their mistakes on occassion)and just take the hit for the team make me a fan of his even more than I was before.

As a book, it reads well. Like a story rather than a plain vanilla biography. The insights by Ernie Arcorsi are excellent, as he experienced his own pressures the same as Eli. The two tied together forever. Great read and an excellent book, not a simple book about football but about being a man under intense scrutiny and enormous pressure. Highly recommeded! Not just to Giants fans but to any fan of football who has grown tired of selfish, spoiled, over paid atheletes and their antics.

Ralph Vacchiano, the respected sports writer for the NY Daily News, offers up a poignant behind the scenes look at the career of Eli Manning. His book follows Eli's remarkable career from Ole Miss to the San Diego Chargers (where he spent all of 45 minutes) before finally landing in New York with the Giants. Amid unbelievable scrutiny and criticism, Eli perseveres in the face of adversity to lead his team to a stunning win in Super Bowl XLII. The inside scoop on the famous Draft Day 2004 trade that brought Eli to New York alone is worth the price of admission. Quite simply, a must read for all Giants fans.

Let me start off by saying that while I'm a huge Giants fan, I don't believe that a great playoff run automatically makes Eli an elite quarterback. Luckily, Ralph Vacchiano doesn't try to convince the reader that he is. His fair and honest account of Eli's emotional and professional development made me a big fan of this book. He not only details Eli's first camp throught his Superbowl MVP performance but provides the reader with and inside look into Payton and Eli's relationship as well as Eli's relationship with his NY Giants teammates. In addition, he does a fantastic job highlighting the complicated and emotionally charged series of events that brought Eli and eventually a Superbowl championship to NY. This book was hard to put down and is a must read not only for Giants fans but for football fans in general. You won't be disappointed.

I too admit to being a long-time and fierce New York Giants fan and "from the start" Eli Manning fan. I knew that when Eli was placed into the starting line-up, we would have to endure growing pains and tough losses as he developed both as a quarterback and a leader for the New York Giants.

Ralph Vacchiano perfectly captures the nuances of what Eli has meant to Ernie Accorsi (then GM), the Giants, the fans and the NFL. Ralph uses an interesting and perfectly suited style of writing from an "outsider looking in" approach while still enjoying insider access and direct information that a veteran reporter has.

Having said that, Ralph doesn't bat you over the head with subjectivity. While he clearly respects and admires Eli and his family, he still maintains an objectivity that is both fresh and appealing. What differentiates this book from the multitude released in the past several months about the Giants Super Bowl Run or any other football book is the crafting and skill used. It is hard to put this book down and each chapter flows perfectly into the next. It is a compelling read.

Ralph is an excellent writer and this is an excellent book.

Neil Hickey, Reading, PA.

ADR experts Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher have provided a comprehensive and practically written account of the evolution of corporate alternative dispute resolution ("ADR")processes from the early days of collective action in the 1930's to the present-day use of conflict management programs to enhance the productivity and overall satisfaction of workers in companies seeking to compete in global markets. The book places today's corporate ADR programs in the context of labor history and the increasingly complex federal, state and local legislative scheme, thus providing an important frame of reference to those interested in introducing, designing, and implementing internal ADR systems. The authors' premise is that corporations that consider managing workplace conflict as a significant organizational goal have moved from a "dispute resolution" perspective to a "conflict management" paradigm. Whether a corporation will adopt any such system depends on a myriad of factors both internal (corporate culture and mission) and external (markets, regulations, litigation exposure). The authors note that the field of dispute resolution has depended on almost allegorical accounts of the cost-savings, efficiencies, and high satisfaction rate reported by participants in ADR systems. The field has not generated the empirical support for these oft-repeated benefits of dispute resolution processes, leaving corporations without the metric economic evidence needed to support new corporate initiatives. Recognizing the challenge of providing "hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR, however" (p.313), the authors "conclude that the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management." (id.)The authors use the building blocks of hundreds of interviews of corporate executives, human resources, employee relations and legal department officials throughout the country as well as government representatives to make their case that corporations that approach conflict management systematically and with a long-range perspective will ultimately embrace and benefit from successful systems. One of the most useful contributions made by the book is the extensive discussion in Part Two: The Extablishment of Conflict Management Systems, which provides -- excuse the expression-- a "road-map" for individuals within corporations seeking to introduce, design and implement a complete workplace conflict resolution system. The authors provide templates for deciding such important questions as composition of the design committee, eliciting support from various corporate constituencies, determining the scope of the process, common design features, and methods for evaluating success. The authors conclude the book with a clear-eyed discussion of the future of workplace conflict management systems, in a society still grappling with litigation prevention and reduction strategies. As a practitioner in the field, I highly recommend this to others interested in promoting alternative dispute resolution in the workplace.

ADR experts Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher have provided a comprehensive and practically written account of the evolution of corporate alternative dispute resolution ("ADR")processes from the early days of collective action in the 1930's to the present-day use of conflict management programs to enhance the productivity and overall satisfaction of workers in companies seeking to compete in global markets. The book places today's corporate ADR programs in the context of labor history and the increasingly complex federal, state and local legislative scheme, thus providing an important frame of reference to those interested in introducing, designing, and implementing internal ADR systems. The authors' premise is that corporations that consider managing workplace conflict as a significant organizational goal have moved from a "dispute resolution" perspective to a "conflict management" paradigm. Whether a corporation will adopt any such system depends on a myriad of factors both internal (corporate culture and mission) and external (markets, regulations, litigation exposure). The authors note that the field of dispute resolution has depended on almost allegorical accounts of the cost-savings, efficiencies, and high satisfaction rate reported by participants in ADR systems. The field has not generated the empirical support for these oft-repeated benefits of dispute resolution processes, leaving corporations without the metric economic evidence needed to support new corporate initiatives. Recognizing the challenge of providing "hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR, however" (p.313), the authors "conclude that the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management." (id.)The authors use the building blocks of hundreds of interviews of corporate executives, human resources, employee relations and legal department officials throughout the country as well as government representatives to make their case that corporations that approach conflict management systematically and with a long-range perspective will ultimately embrace and benefit from successful systems. One of the most useful contributions made by the book is the extensive discussion in Part Two: The Extablishment of Conflict Management Systems, which provides -- excuse the expression-- a "road-map" for individuals within corporations seeking to introduce, design and implement a complete workplace conflict resolution system. The authors provide templates for deciding such important questions as composition of the design committee, eliciting support from various corporate constituencies, determining the scope of the process, common design features, and methods for evaluating success. The authors conclude the book with a clear-eyed discussion of the future of workplace conflict management systems, in a society still grappling with litigation prevention and reduction strategies. As a practitioner in the field, I highly recommend this to others interested in promoting alternative dispute resolution in the workplace.

For many years, scholars and academics have focused on the importance of conflict resolution in the workplace. This tradition goes back to studies that were done in the 1940s-50s. In more recent years, conflict in the workplace has become a major issue. No longer are workplaces those socially integrative, sometimes paternalistic, havens for lifetime security. They are now arenas for multiple conflicts. The issue therefore becomes how to deal with these conflicts in a non-ad hoc manner--how to put in place systems for managing conflict. American corporations have much to teach the world in this regard. The problem is that before this book, no one has systemized these lessons. Before this book, there was no central location where the tools, the methodologies, and the processes necessary for putting quality conflict resolution was readily available. Lipsky, Seeber, and Fincher have provided a critical service in having completed this volume. They have written the definitive reference volume on the specific issue of alternative dispute resolution techniques in American business. In this context, they have served the practitioner community well. Yet not only is this a well-written book for the practitioner, it is an informative book for the academic. The combined research record of these authors is impressive and it serves them well in putting this material together. Anyone interested in alternative dispute resolution in the workplace must have this well-written volume as a reference.

Emerging Systems for Managing Workplace Conflict is a rich compendium of research, insightful analysis and practical advice that will be invaluable for any individual interested in the field of workplace conflict management. Written by three authors who each bring an average of between 25 and 35 years of background experience in labor relations and human resources management, supplemented by extensive work as mediators, arbitrators and consultants to public and private sector organizations, it is a "must read" in its field.

The work is based on more than six years of research into conflict management systems in the United States. The authors draw upon surveys of general counsel of Fortune 1000 corporations, onsite interviews with over 700 executives, managers and attorneys in sixty firms and extensive interviews with individuals operating as neutral parties in the settlement of conflicts and disputes.

Based upon their research, the authors conclude that "... there is a sea change in U.S. organizations that reflects an emergence of systems of conflict management and a new paradigm for organizations" (p.5). Their finding, they note, is independently confirmed in research conducted in 1999 by Bingham and Chachere who found that "about half of [U.S.] `large' private employers ha[d] established some sort of formal dispute resolution procedure for their nonunion employees"(p. 81).

With this major movement established, the authors proceed to explain the reasons for the shift to conflict management systems, the processes that have emerged to service that demand, how those systems were created and implemented and the challenges that lie ahead in the field.

Importantly, the authors immediately focus on the corporate interests that drive the development and implementation of alternative systems for conflict management. Overwhelmingly, the primary driver in developing alternative systems to replace litigation procedures is the belief that dispute resolution can be accomplished at less cost in dollars and time." (p.6).

"In our survey of the Fortune 1000," the authors write, "about 80 percent of the respondents told us that saving time or saving money was the primary reason the corporation had used ADR" (p.313). The implications of this finding are clear and reflected, as the authors point out, in the fact that "... the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management" (p.313).

Having presented us with the primary drivers as well as several other contributing factors, the authors move into a discussion of alternative management systems and their components. Readers will learn the pros and cons of the main features of these systems. It is truly a handbook of elements for both the decision-maker and the designer.

The book explores who is eligible in most systems, the essential elements for judging the fairness of a system, the issues of who pays the costs, training requirements, the use of outside "neutral" parties and a host of other common design features in considerable detail. You will find the most common element, the Open Door, explored with its drawbacks and its contributions. Additionally, you will find a careful discussion of other features such as "hotlines," ombudspersons, resolution facilitators, internal peer mediation and external "neutral" ad hoc personnel. Always, the authors present the pros and cons of each of the possible components.

Professors Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher then lead the reader through the process of system design and implementation, citing key steps along the way. Always, their work is based on findings from major U.S. organizations that have engaged in the process.

As they examine the process, the authors provide the reader with another very valuable part of their work by confronting the issues inherent in evaluating the systems. Their findings will be either a comfort or a source of devastation for the planner.

The authors put the matter succinctly and critically. The frame for evaluation is necessarily couched in the key question: "As compared to what?" (p.269).

Indeed, the answer is far from easy. Rather, it may be astonishingly elusive.

The challenge of evaluation is one the authors explore in detail, showing various evaluation schemes in practice in American corporations today. Results, alas, yield data far from business case standards. "Leaders of organizations, even if they believe in conflict management," they conclude, "are often faced with going forward in the absence of any hard evidence about the benefits of the system" (p.308).
"There is in fact very little hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR ...," they conclude (p. 313). "Furthermore," they assert, "it is not clear to us that many corporations are even gathering the information necessary to make a cost benefit analysis" (p.313).

As befits a work of this breadth and depth, the authors do not disappoint us as they turn their attention at the close of their work to the future of conflict management systems. Their work is insightful and thorough.

"Contrary to much of the popular literature and perceptions regarding ADR and somewhat surprising to us," the authors conclude "we do not believe that the ADR movement has achieved the critical mass necessary to institutionalize it within most large businesses and organizations" (p.315). And yet, the authors are confident that the future trend is toward the expansion of alternative dispute resolution procedures, but far less certain about the broad expansion of conflict management systems. It is an area with unresolved issues and significant promises. Readers will find thought provoking and useful discussion of these issues as the conclusion to the work.

There is far more in this book than this review touches upon. Additionally, readers will find an extensive bibliography, current research statistics, informative footnotes and an eminently useable glossary.

Highly recommended.

John Baker, Ph.D.
Editor, The Negotiator Magazine

Mr. Gallo is a brialliant writer. He has an unique ability to pack up incredible amount of information in relatively limited space and yet to present this relatively new subject in a clear, concise and easy-to-understand manner. I purchased the book during my own health crisis and successfully applied some of the methods from this and other Mr. Gallo's books (Energy Psychology and Energy Tapping) in my path toward self-recovery. But above all, I'm fascinated with the authors sincere and autenthic devotion to his life goal- the alleviation of suffering of those who are psychologically distressed. Looking forward to your next work Mr. Gallo.

Gallo's first book, Energy Psychology, laid the ground work for this field and provided easily applied treatment recipes, what he calls algorithms. This book teaches beyond prepackaged treatments and covers how to tailor treatment to the individual client. There are a couple of comprehensive algorithms offered--the negative affect erasing method (NAEM) and the healing energy light process (HELP)--but mostly this book covers how to diagnose and treat energy disruptions at the source of psychological disorders. This is absolutely important for when the simple approach--algorithms--doesn't work. This book also positions energy psychology as an integrative psychotherapy, rather than simply as a technique. The book is fairly easy reading, although it is a text book and a handbook that requires practice to learn the methods. Training with the developer is also needed I believe, since a book can only cover so much.

Fred Gallo, Ph.D. did a great work in his latest book! With an approach of a scientist and an expirienced psychotherapist, he shared with us the complete knowledge on how to use body energy system to alleviate number of both psychological and physical disorders. But as far as I know, this is the only book about the new and emerging "tapping" psychology field that shows us how to DIAGNOSE. Other authors weren't willing to share with us this secret, therefore leaving us to be effective in 70-80% of cases. The Author invented his own method of Energy Diagnostic, and freely gave it to us. And this method works excellent. I applied EDxTM in few dozens of cases, and the results assured me that it is almost for sure not inferrior to better known (and many times more expensive) Voice Technology (VT) made by doctor Roger Callahan. This book is a must have for proffesionals in the field, but also to self helpers who are willing to invest some effort and uncover deeper level of the field of Energy Psychology (or Meridian Therapies as some would prefer to say). Big thanks to the author with a wish to uncover some more "secrets" in his next book.

Fred Gallo, Ph.D. did a great work in his latest book! With an approach of a scientist and an expirienced psychotherapist, he shared with us the complete knowledge on how to use body energy system to alleviate number of both psychological and physical disorders. But as far as I know, this is the only book about the new and emerging "tapping" psychology field that shows us how to DIAGNOSE. Other authors weren't willing to share with us this secret, therefore leaving us to be effective in 70-80% of cases. The Author invented his own method of Energy Diagnostic, and freely gave it to us. And this method works excellent. I applied EDxTM in few dozens of cases, and the results assured me that it is almost for sure not inferrior to better known (and many times more expensive) Voice Technology (VT) made by doctor Roger Callahan. This book is a must have for proffesionals in the field, but also to self helpers who are willing to invest some effort and uncover deeper level of the field of Energy Psychology (or Meridian Therapies as some would prefer to say). Big thanks to the author with a wish to uncover some more "secrets" in his next book.

Little more than a year after he published the opus Agriculture and Modern Technology: a Defense,* Thomas R. DeGregori has returned with another work of similar scope and perhaps even greater depth: The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology.** The book examines in detail many preconceptions and cultural myths about the environment, natural resources and technology, and shows that many are so badly distorted that they contribute to the commission of countless wrongs.

DeGregori's deft handling of these preconceptions and cultural myths invites a comparison to Dawkins' work with memes, or Campbell's syncretistic work with folklore, but as an economist of strikingly pragmatic bent, DeGregori prefers to deal with historical fact.

Those who cherish any illusions about the environment, natural resources or technology will find this a painful book to read. In chapter 1, we learn that "green consumerism" is still consumerism, barely green, and sometimes outright dangerous. In chapter 2, we learn how wildlife conservation efforts in Africa have destroyed cultures, forcing natives from their lands and depriving them of traditional foods. These natives are then denied access to modern technologies, with a view to ensure that they somehow remain "authentic" after such irreversible intrusions, enduring an enforced primitivism at the hands of their conquerors.

The theme repeats itself in chapter 5, where the notion of the American Indian as the "original ecologist" is exposed as the typical aftermath of subjugation. Primitive peoples in their wild, "natural" state (notions of what is "natural" are scathingly debunked as well) are viewed as savages, akin to animals and therefore not landowners, justifying their subjugation and the theft of their land. Once subjugated, nostalgia usurps memory and they are viewed as having lived "sustainably" in a pristine pre-technological utopia and an elaborate parody of their past is concocted to mesh with other mythical views we wish to entertain in the present. If these peoples rebel by refusing to act as expected, they are once again referred to as savages and often treated accordingly.

Much of the book deals with skewed notions of what is "natural," and they are mainly exposed in chapter 6. There, we learn that life "in harmony with the environment" for most of human history has had little in common with its idyllic portrayals, being instead nasty, brutish and short. As it turns out, the only thing able to protect us from the uncaring ravages of nature is, and always has been, technology.

"Here [in this book] the focus is on the consumption practices that reflect the phobias and beliefs that deny and/or reject the technological and scientific transformations that have given us longer, healthier lives," DeGregori states in his introduction. The book achieves this ambition, and a good deal more.
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* Iowa State University Press, Ames, 2001. 268 pp., [money]. Reviewed in AgBiotech Reporter, July 2001.
** Iowa State Press, Ames, 2002. 224 pp., [money]

This is a book that will challenge much conventional wisdom about the impact of modern technology on our environment. No matter how much you think you know about the topic, you will learn something new by reading it.

The author, an economist of the old-fashion institutionalist school (unlike the current institutionalist crowd, he believes in material progress) begins the book with a simple question: If modern science and technology are killing us, why are we so healthy and living so long? In short, his answer is that human beings have evolved into problem-solving (i.e. technological) creatures, and that no one should deny that this is a good thing in light of the available historical record.

The topics discussed in the book go much beyond what its title suggests and range from the living conditions of early Pacific Islanders to the Nazis' love of all things natural - with the exception, of course, of other human beings who didn't fit their idea of the master race. Indeed, the book is as much a study of the cultural divide between technological optimists and pessimists as it is a study of the impact of technology on humans and the environment.

One warning, though. The author is an academic and writes like one. The titles listed in his 45 page bibliography are thus methodically referenced in the main text in a way that will probably distract some readers unfamiliar with this writing style. In the end, though, the book is well worth the effort.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology is a holistic expose of the hypocrisy of the major planks of the stereotypical leftist agenda: namely the three mentioned in the title.

Dr. DeGregori contrasts "green consumerism" with another plank of the leftist agenda: income disparity, and shows, through a variety of examples, what the results of such national policies would be: increased prices and scarcity for all. In short, the green movement is for guilt-ridden rich folk, and not for the masses.

Addressing natural resources, DeGregori shows that the best way to preserve them would be to allow free trade and property rights. I particularly enjoyed the applications to developing economies around the world, although I found it painful to learn of the way in which developed economic powers (U.S. and Britain in particular) egotistically deprive indigenous cultures of even the chance to utilize their natural resources to increase their income (thereby increasing education, access to life-saving consumer products, and increasing general standards of living). Cases from India, Africa, and Southeast Asia are used to vividly illustrate the consequences of leftist, socialist moves to keep indigenous cultures in developing countries at a stunted level of economic and cultural development.

DeGregori's examination of modern technology is superb, as well. He exposes the fanatacism of anti-technology individuals-e.g. those who decry "cold pasteurization" as harmful, even though empirical evidence shows that there has not been a single incident of an individual consumer becoming ill as a result. His evaluation of techno-phobes' concerns is invaluable, and reaches beyond contemporary quibbles to address the fundamental philosophy driving their zeal. He addresses some of the most important issues of today, such as debates surrounding genetically modified food vs. organic and those regarding the use of DDT and fertilizers.

DeGregori also addresses the demand for technological improvements by cultures in developing countries, and the benefits to be gained: increased income, increased competitiveness in the global economy, increased life-expectancies, and decreased environmental degredation.

I was surprised to find that such a scholarly book was such an easy read; the information was logically presented, and easily digestible. DeGregori's information is heavily footnoted, but since the footnotes aren't the crux of the book, you can simply read around them. If you are looking for more information, the footnotes may well prove invaluable, as DeGregori cites pro and con sources to many of his arguments.

This book was required for a university course that I am taking from DeGregori. In person, and not just on books, DeGregori is a professor with a firm grasp on the latest economic information from developing and developed economies around the world. Degregori encourages you to look on the positive side of things-all the progress we've made, and potential solutions to some of the problems.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology by Thomas R. Degregori (Professor of Economics, University of Houston, Texas), is a 256-page, scholarly volume whose reasoning and language is accessible enough to make it appropriate for any non-specialist general reader concerned about the environmental degradation and human overpopulation problems that are significantly effecting planet Earth. The intent of The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is not to flatly denounce conservation efforts, but rather to closely scrutinize them (including the myths surrounding them), and to take a cold, hard look at whether such things as "ecotourism" are truly beneficial to the ecologies or the people who live in them. From revealing how some African game wardens are empowered to legally shoot to kill anyone suspected of poaching; to debunking the myth of the "untamed West" which ignored the profound impact Native American cultures and settlements had on the land, The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is a thoughtful and thought-provoking extended essay that strives to uncover facts beneath layers of propaganda on all sides of thorny environmental and technology issues. No academic library's Environmental Studies collection can be considered comprehensive without the inclusion of Professor Degregori's The Environment, Our Natural Resources And Modern Technology.