The End of the River - Dams Drought and Déjà Vu on the Rio São Francisco

Brian Harvey

Maison d'édition: ECW Press

Synopsis

“[Harvey] may have created a new literary genre: science travel writing . . . travelogue, autobiography, history, and even fantasy romp alongside the biology” (Quill & Quire). When biologist Brian Harvey saw a thousand fish blundering into a Brazilian dam, he asked the obvious: What’s going to happen to them? The End of the River is the story of his long search for an answer. Harvey takes readers from a fisheries patrol boat on the Fraser River to the great Tsukiji fish market in Japan, with stops in the Philippines, Thailand, and assorted South American countries. Finally, in the arid outback of northeast Brazil, against a backdrop of a multi-billion-dollar river project nobody seems to want, he finds a small-scale answer to his simple question. In recounting his journey, he populates his story with characters both real and imagined, human and otherwise—a six-foot endangered catfish; a Canadian professor with a weakness for Thai bar girls; a chain-smoking Brazilian with a passion for her river; a drug-addled stick-up artist. The End of the River is about fishermen, fish farmers, and fish cops; there are scientists and shysters as well as a few Colombian narcotráficos and some very drunk, very hairy Brazilian men in thongs. From the founder of the World Fisheries Trust, Harvey introduces a new kind of writing about the environment, as far off the beaten track as you can get in a Land Rover driven by a female Colombian biologist whose favorite expression is “No hay via!”—meaning, “no road!” “[A] freewheeling and vividly written essay on the mysteries and longings of what it is to be human in a world of cynicism and loss—and more significantly, what it is to be hopeful, to persevere, in the search for redemption and beauty . . . A brilliant and instructive book . . . recalls the travel writing of one of Harvey’s heroes, Sir Richard Burton.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Disponible depuis: 01/11/2008.

Longueur d'impression: 376 pages.

D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

The Magic of Mushrooms - Fungi...

Sandra Lawrence

Explore the wonderful world of some of the most incredible natural forms on our planet—fungi.At the center of countless superstitions, folkloric tales, and magical beliefs, as well as appearing in recipes and medicines both traditional and modern, mushrooms have incredible powers. The Magic of Mushrooms shows that from saving lives to expanding the mind, the potential of these fascinating organisms should not be underestimated.

Voir livre

Human Spaceflight - From Mars to...

Louis Friedman

Mars, a mysterious dust-ridden place, is most like Earth in its climate and seasons. Of all the possible destinations in space to travel, Mars is the most likely for humans to reach. According to esteemed scientist Louis Friedman, it may be the only destination outside the moon to ever see human footprints.Far from diminishing our future in space, Human Spaceflight lays out a provocative future for human space travel. The noted aerospace engineer and scientist says that human space exploration will continue well into the future, but space travel by humans will stop at Mars. Instead, nanotechnology, space sails, robotics, biomolecular engineering, and artificial intelligence will provide the vehicles of the future for an exciting evolution not just of space travel but of humankind.Friedman has worked with agencies around the globe on space exploration projects to extend human presence beyond Mars and beyond the solar system. He writes that once we accept Mars as the only viable destination for humans, our space program on planet Earth can become more exciting and more relevant. Mars, he writes, will take hundreds, even thousands, of years to settle. During that time, humans and all our supporting technologies will evolve, allowing our minds to be present throughout the universe while our bodies stay home on Earth and Mars.

Voir livre

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande -...

FlashBooks, Dean Bokhari

"Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande : Book Summary 
 
Note – This is an audiobook summary of the following book: 
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End  
by Atul Gawande 
About  
Atul Gawande is a surgeon who explores the inevitable process of aging and ultimately death, and takes a critical look at how the medical profession does not yet have a firm grip on how to handle these processes well. He explores the birth of nursing homes, independent and assisted living facilities, and the various roles modern Hospice programs can play to support those nearing the end of their lives. Gawande shares several stories of those who were adeptly aided through the process of growing frail as well as those were not so lucky. Finally, Gawande shares what he has learned about how each of us should approach our mortality as well as that of those we love. 
 
Here’s what you’ll learn about in this summary: 
 
- The history of homes for the aging from traditional nursing homes to modern independent living facilities. 
 
- Three questions that every dying person should be asked and contemplate. 
 
- The benefits of aiming for total wellness rather than only safety and survival when confronted with the complications of old age or terminal illness.

Voir livre

The Wild Year - a story of...

Jen Benson

This book tells the uplifting true story of a family who left their old life behind to spend a year living wild in a tent around Britain. With a baby and a toddler, mounting debt, work demands and stress trampling over their desire to spend time together as a family in nature, Jen and Sim Benson move out of their rented accommodation, sell up their possessions and decide to live in a tent for a year as nomads around rural Britain. This is the story of that year – the highs and the lows – the doubts, epiphanies and the weather. Detailing one family's search for a life in the wild, away from the screens and stresses of modern life, this captivating memoir is a must read for nature lovers or anyone who has dreamed of a life outdoors. It’s nature writ large with the joys and challenges of each season experienced under canvas, a story of ultimate freedom in the beautiful landscapes of Britain. This is a book that gently steals up on you and captures your heart.

Voir livre

The Internet Con - How to Seize...

Cory Doctorow

When the tech platforms promised a future of "connection," they were lying. They said their "walled gardens" would keep us safe, but those were prison walls. 
The platforms locked us into their systems and made us easy pickings, ripe for extaction. Twitter, Facebook and other Big Tech platforms hard to leave by design. They hold hostage the people we love, the communities that matter to us, the audiences and customers we rely on. The impossibility of staying connected to these people after you delete your account has nothing to do with technological limitations: it's a business strategy in service to commodifying your personal life and relationships. 
We can - we must - dismantle the tech platforms. In The Internet Con, Cory Doctorow explains how to seize the means of computation, by forcing Silicon Valley to do the thing it fears most: interoperate. Interoperability will tear down the walls between technologies, allowing users leave platforms, remix their media, and reconfigure their devices without corporate permission. 
Interoperability is the only route to the rapid and enduring annihilation of the platforms. The Internet Con is the disassembly manual we need to take back our internet.

Voir livre

The Voyage of the Beagle -...

Charles Darwin

During the five-year voyage of the Beagle, the young naturalist Darwin collected some of the scientific evidence that led to his ideas on volution and natural selection.

Voir livre