The Embryology, Reproductive Morphology, and Systematics of Lecythidaceae (Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden)

Book Description

Introduction

Prague (Praha to the Czechs) is one of the least "Eastern" European cities you could imagine. Architecturally, and in terms of city sights, it is a revelation: few other cities, anywhere in Europe, look so good - and no other European capital can present six hundred years of architecture so completely untouched by natural disaster or war. Culturally, it has always looked towards Paris rather than Moscow, and after four decades of Soviet-imposed isolation the city is now keen to re-establish its position as the political and cultural centre of Mitteleuropa.

One of Prague's most appealing characteristics is that its artistic wealth is not hidden away inside grand museums and galleries, but displayed in the streets and squares. Its town-planning took place in medieval times, its palaces and churches were decorated with a rich mantle of Baroque, and the whole lot has escaped the vanities and excesses of postwar redevelopment. Prague's unique compactness allows you to walk from the grandeur of the city's castle district, via a series of intimate Baroque lanes, across a medieval stone bridge, through one of the most alluring central squares on the continent, and end up sipping coffee on Wenceslas Square, the modern hub of the city, in under half an hour.

As well as having a rich history, Czechs have been at the forefront of European culture for much of the modern era. Before World War I, Prague boasted a Cubist movement second only to Paris, and, between the wars, a modernist architectural flowering to rival Bauhaus. Today, its writers, artists and film directors continue to exert a profound influence on European culture, out of all proportion to their numbers.

The city's recent history has attracted the attention of the west like no other capital in the former eastern bloc. The 1968 Prague Spring captured the imagination of a generation, with an explosion of cultural energy which, for a moment, made the "third way" between communism and capitalism seem a real possibility. Then, in the messy, sometimes bloody, upheavals of 1989, Czechoslovakia, and in particular Prague, outshone the rest with its unequivocally positive "Velvet Revolution". True to its pacifist past, the country shrugged off forty years of communism without so much as a shot being fired.

The exhilarating popular unity of that period, and the feeling of participating in history itself have now gone. Few Czechs continue to talk about the events of 1989 as a "revolution". Disorientation at the speed of change, the break with Slovakia, and the first real taste of western vices in the capital has taken its toll. Economically, too, the country is going through some difficult times. Ninety percent of state-owned property has been "restituted", that is given back to its pre-1948 owners in various states of disrepair. Foreign companies have bought up huge slices of Czech industry for a song and the traditional heavy industrial base has shrunk considerably.

Walking the streets of the city centre, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. But then Prague is in a privileged position vis--vis the rest of the country - as the place where the majority of the country's new businesses and corporations have made their head offices, and, of course, thanks to its potential for attracting western tourists. The feeling in much of the rest of the country is that Prague has prospered at the expense of other cities and regions. Which is not surprising, given that it is something like seven times the size of any other city in Bohemia, all the government ministries are based here, and it's where all the big decisions are made.

That's not to say that Prague doesn't have more than its fair share of problems. Its recent mini-boom may have brought crowds of tourists and hordes of, mostly American, expats, but it has done little to improve life for much of the city's population. The westernized shops and restaurants in the centre, with their glitzy window-dressing, are out of reach for most Praguers. Racial tensions, suppressed under the police state, have surfaced once more, with a spate of skinhead attacks on the city's considerable Romany and Vietnamese communities, which the police seem either powerless or unwilling to prevent. The lifestyle gulf between Party and non-Party members has been replaced by the western malaise of rich and poor. There's nothing new in this, but it does serve as a sobering footnote to the city's glowing image in the west.

Prague is also trying to come to terms with its more distant past. Both the forced, and frequently violent, removal of the German minority and the virtual extinction of the Jewish population had a marked effect on the city, but were never discussed openly under the previous regime. Much of the current retrospection is positive, a cultural rediscovery of the cosmopolitan interwar period, when the city was ethnically far more diverse. There is also the extremely sensitive matter of the events of the last war: the degree of collaboration with the Nazis and of acquiescence in the fate of the Jews. These are issues that need to be addressed if the city is to break free from the monocultural straitjacket, which makes it stand out amongst the multicultural capitals of the west.

Customer Reviews:

A true insiders guide.......2000-05-29

As someone who lived in Prague, I can say that this is the real thing. With enough tourist-y information to get newcomers started, The Rough Guide goes off the beaten path--offering tidbits of off-the-wall history and an insider's look at the city's best kept secrets. An added bonus--reviews of, honestly, the best restaurants, bars and clubs in the city--not a single tourist trap or cliche among them. A must read for visitors to the city!

Book Description

In this fast-paced, highly informative volume, an authority on ancient Rome examines the lives and contributions of fourteen highly influential Romans from different walks of life, including the senators Cato and Cicero, the writers Virgil and Livy, the beneficent emperor Augustus and his wife Livia, the corrupt emperor Nero and his mother Agrippina, the scholars Pliny the Elder and Galen, the constructive emperors Hadrian and Antoninus, and two major champions of Christianity -- the emperor Constantine and bishop Ambrose.

Book Description

Rebecca Horn gained international recognition with her mechanical objects and mobile sculptures, among them such works as Paradieswitwe, Spiralbad, the wall drawing Les Amants, produced as part of an action, and her expansive Circle for Broken Landscape. The light-and-sound installation Lumi re en prison dans la ventre de la baleine and Yin Yang, a work created especially for a Dsseldorf exhibition, evoked striking atmospheric effects. The significance of this representative survey of Rebecca Horn's work--featuring some 25 installations and objects from the past 35 years--is emphasized by its juxtaposition with a selection of roughly 75 works from the artist's copious graphic oeuvre. Horn has been making drawings since the 1960s, as preliminary studies for her sculptures, as complementary treatments of sculptural themes, and as completely independent works. Her musical scores, technical drafts, and drawings are done in a remarkably calligraphic style and are frequently accompanied by words and lines of poetry. Body Landscapes offers readers an unprecedented opportunity to reconstruct the intense and fruitful dialogue between Horn's graphic works and her objects.

Average customer rating:

LackLuster

Very useful

Medical info AND peace of mind!

What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You: A Head-To-Tail Guide To Your Dog's Symptoms & Their Solutions
John M. Simon , and Stephanie Pederson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Care & Health | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Dog's Symptoms (Veterinarians Guide)

First Aid for Dogs: What to do When Emergencies Happen

The Dog's Drugstore: A Dog Owner's Guide to Nonprescription Drugs and Their Safe Use in Veterinary Home-Care

UC Davis Book of Dogs : The Complete Medical Reference Guide for Dogs and Puppies

ASIN: 0312972873

Book Description

Your Dog Can't Speak, but his Symptoms CanThe best way to ensure your dog's health is to know how to intepret his sympotms and take the proper measures to get him well again. From head to tail, from psysical to behavioral problems, respected veternarian Dr. John Simon helps you understand your dog's ailments and arrive at safe, effective solutions. Included in this dog owner's invaluable volume are:Emergency symptoms: what kindof signals should be attended to immediately and which ones to watch closelyHome care vs. doctor care: when your dog needs to see a vet when you can remedy the problem yourself150 common dog health problems: outlined in clear, easy-to-understand language, Dr. Simon presents the most common pet problems and the best way to treat themPlus: essential appendices for fast reference, including a checklist for good health, how to perfrm a weekly exam, a chapter of emergency symptoms and solutions--and much, much moreNow you don't have to be a veterinarian to discover What your Dog is Trying to Tell You

Customer Reviews:

LackLuster.......2006-11-03

The book is very small and covers some basic knowledge, but is not really great for answering the "big" questions you might have about your dog's health.

Very useful.......2006-03-09

This book really helps to understand your dog symptons and it's very easy tu read because it doesn't have all that technical words that make hard to understand the book.

Medical info AND peace of mind!.......2003-06-18

WHAT YOUR DOG IS TRYING TO TELL YOU is an easy to use, easy to read, straightforward and practical guide to canine health. While of course no book can take the place of regular (and emergency if need be) visits to your dog's veterinarian, this book is a great help in deciding what the problem might be and whether it warrants a trip to the vet or whether it's something you can take care of at home (e.g. did the dog vomit because she has parvo or because she ate too much dinner too fast?). The book starts off with a section of symptoms that require emergency care, and includes a handy tear-out reference chart.

The remainder of the book is arranged in sections corresponding with parts of the dog's body, making it easy for the reader to find exactly what she is looking for, from Head and Neck to Tail and Anus. If one's dog is scratching, for example, it could be for any number of reasons other than fleas (what most people think of first when they see a dog scratching). Chapter 6 covers Hair and Skin, including several pages on scratching, which includes constant, rhythmic scratching; intense itching with redness and swelling of a particular area, and so on. The discussion of each symptom includes related symptoms, possible causes, care, and prevention.

There is also a chapter that addresses abnormal behaviors, and several appendices, including Checklist for Good Health, How to Perform a Weekly Home Exam, and Breed Disease Predilections.

WHAT YOUR DOG IS TRYING TO TELL YOU is a marvelous canine health guide for the layman that will provide not only needed medical information but also peace of mind for the dog owner...

Average customer rating:

My favorite 'go-to' guide

Great Book

Very educational and easy reading for dog lovers!

Very informative and easy to read

What Your Dog Is Trying to Tell You: A Head-To-Tail Guide Dog's Symptoms-And Their Solutions (What Your)
John Simon , and Stephanie Pedersen
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

Field Guide: Dog First Aid Emergency Care for the Hunting, Working, and Outdoor Dog (Field Guide)

ASIN: 0312182147

Customer Reviews:

My favorite 'go-to' guide.......2007-08-12

This is such a wonderful resourse! I have it on hand at all times for when 'something's just not quite right' with one of my doggies. As has been mentioned, it contains a chapter for every part of your pet. Excessive sratching?: Chapter six has almost 20 pages devoted to hair and skin disorders. Chapter nine lists over twenty pages concerning 'spine, limbs, and paws. And on and on...it literally covers every square inch of your pet. It also contains a handy "Symptoms Quickfinder" chart, and and a great "list of recommended dosages" chart, that gives you dosages for everything from aspirin to Zinc. I could go on and on, but I guarantee, you will never be disappointed you purchased this book!

Great Book.......2000-03-23

I have bought many books about dogs, 'cause I simply adore them and want to learn everything regarding their health and how to make them happier. This book is awsome! Everything a dog owner wants to learn, is here. Categorized, makes it easy to find what you are looking for, includes all symptoms&solutions, daily check up, emergencies, it's just perfect! A "MUST" for every house with dogs. Beginners or experts, will take the most from this book and love it.

Very educational and easy reading for dog lovers!.......1999-06-28

Great book with lots of information concerning the symptoms and solutions for your dog. Well organized and easy to read. I found this book very helpful for my older dogs. I would recommend this book to all dog owners.

Very informative and easy to read.......1999-03-10

This is an excellent book. The first two chapters talk about emergency first aid and common behavior problems.

The rest of the book is divided into different sections by body parts (head, eyes, skin, etc). Under each section, different topics are grouped by symptoms instead of disease names, therefore making it easier to to look for answers. It provides a very thorough discussion on symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

Amazon.com

So you've gotten the pick of the litter and managed to accomplish potty training. What next? Not everyone has the time to sit through books outlining all sorts of irrelevant issues, so Mordecai Siegal and Matthew Margolis (Uncle Matty of I Just Got a Puppy, Now What Do I Do?) have created a straightforward book geared to fixing specific problems. Solutions: For Your Dog--and You covers everything from obedience training to first aid, and contains an especially helpful chapter for those at their wit's end. Titled "He's Driving Me Crazy," it tackles those serious behavior problems like jumping on guests, biting, and bolting out the front door.

Most of the solutions are short--a half-page, at most--and present fairly commonsense approaches. As with raising children, consistency is important with a dog, and the authors caution against allowing Rover to jump on you if he's not allowed to jump on others. Also, watch your reaction to poor behavior. If you go ballistic the first time your new dog wets the rug, you may be setting the stage for your four-legged friend to act guilty every time you enter the room. Crates, leashes, feeding, and grooming are all covered, with regular insistence that you view your dog as an individual and respond to his individual needs. General information is provided on a dog's anatomy, as well as ways of identifying parasites, deficiencies, and illness. Managing to cover a wide range of information in a short space, this is an excellent all-around guide for daily care of all canines. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

We all love our dogs, and why wouldn't we? Dogs give us unconditional love in exchange for a bowl of food, a hug, and a warm place to sleep. Living with a dog in peace and harmony provides a unique, satisfying feeling and brings with it enjoyment and companionship. But when things go wrong for the family dog, you need to know what to do, and having Solutions will make all the difference.

Most dog owners don't know Shih Tzu from Shinola when it comes to raising a happy dog. In Solutions, you'll learn how to keep your dog healthy, feed it properly, cope with misbehavior, and understand housebreaking mistakes. In addition, you'll find helpful advice about toys, travel, training, and boarding. For the thousand and one things that come up every day with your dog, you need Solutions.

From the successful dog-writing team of Matthew Margolis, famous dog trainer and TV personality, and Mordecai Siegal, prolific dog writer and pet expert, comes this easy-to-use, enjoyable, and invaluable guide for every dog owner.

Average customer rating:
Solutions: For Your Dog-and You

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 064157567X

Product Description

From the Publisher We all love our dogs, and why wouldn't we? Dogs give us unconditional love in exchange for a bowl of food, a hug, and a warm place to sleep. Living with a dog in peace and harmony provides a unique, satisfying feeling and brings with it enjoyment and companionship. But when things go wrong for the family dog, you need to know what to do, and having Solutions will make all the difference. Most dog owners don't know Shih Tzu from Shinola when it comes to raising a happy dog. In Solutions, you'll learn how to keep your dog healthy, feed it properly, cope with misbehavior, and understand housebreaking mistakes. In addition, you'll find helpful advice about toys, travel, training, and boarding. For the thousand and one things that come up every day with your dog, you need Solutions.

What Your Dog Is Trying to Tell You: A Head-To-Tail Guide Dog's Symptoms-And Their Solutions

Average customer rating:

What Your Dog Is Trying to Tell You: A Head-To-Tail Guide Dog's Symptoms-And Their Solutions
John; Pedersen, Stephanie Simon
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTCRUI

WHAT YOUR DOG IS TRYING TO TELL YOU: A HEAD-TO-TAIL GUIDE TO YOUR DOG'S SYMPTONS--AND THEIR SOLUTION

Average customer rating:

WHAT YOUR DOG IS TRYING TO TELL YOU: A HEAD-TO-TAIL GUIDE TO YOUR DOG'S SYMPTONS--AND THEIR SOLUTION
SIMON / PEDERSEN
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MDA4Q0

Customer Reviews:

mixed review.......2005-07-26

the kachina dolls and photography were well done and could hardly be improved upon. however, the commentary is terrible; it is replete with errors; so much so that the reader is misled by unreliable information; this book should be withdrawn from the market until the errors have been corrected.

Very disappointed........2004-01-23

The pictures in this book were quite good. I would have liked the captions to match the Kachinas. Some of the errors were so blatant that I find it hard to believe the book was proofed.

Disappointing and Error Filled.......2003-08-06

Like many collectors of Hopi kachina/katsina dolls, I eagerly await the release of another book on the subject. I have several books by Schiffer Publishing in my library and have enjoyed each of them. Auhor Nancy Schiffer (a part of the company?) claims to be an avid collector of katsinam for the past 15 years. Her knowledge of the subject and research are some of the worst I have ever seen. There are at least three dozen ERRORS in this book. Any writer who misspells the names of two of today's MASTER carvers, Cecil Calnimptewa and Ronald Honyouti, should not have a book in print. Only one piece by Ronald is shown, but his brothers' last names are misspelled in several places. Various katsinam are wrongly named and the list of errors goes on and on. There are a number of quality books re: Hopi katsinam, but this is not one of them. Many average to below-average carvers are represented, while excellent carvers are excluded. A PLUS for this book is the number of katsinam which are included. It is the only book which has both front and back photos of every katsina. For an introduction to contemporary katsinam and reliable information, I would certainly NOT recommend this book. My suggestion is that Schiffer Publishing cease publication on this edition, rework it and REISSUE a quality product in a year or two.

Customer Reviews:

I think that I shall never see..........2001-09-09

When I learn about the things around me, forever after that they look more interesting to me. This book taught me a great deal about trees and led me to learn more on my own afterwards. Stop and smell the roses, AND stop and appreciate the trees! This book enabled me to do that more than before.

Book Description

Now considered a classic, this is an eloquent and compellingly told account of the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet after its conquest by China.

Customer Reviews:

Chinese invasion of Tibet and Tibetan diaspora, one of the best books.......2006-11-14

Probably this book has not been read in recent times as much as it was before. The reason is that it practically stops at 1985 with a small attempt of updating to 1997. For an historical essay that relies greatly on updated information on a dramatic world situation such as that of Tibet and that still has written on the cover "the definitive account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet since the Chinese conquest" this is a major drawback. However, John Avedon's 500-page book has really represented a milestone for the awareness of the West on Tibetan reality and the crimes and genocide carried out by the Chinese. In the 1980's it was the most read book on Tibet and practically the only updated, precise, journalistic source of all information. If anyone remembers Bertolucci's "Little Buddha" on the airplane to India the boy's father is reading this book! Having been such a great bestseller it is natural that it has slightly passed out of fashion. But this takes nothing away from its value. If you want a readable, engrossing, historical narration of the last years of Tibet's freedom, to the 1955-59 Chinese invasion and especially of what happened from 1959 to 1985 to the refugees in India and to the prisoners in Chinese jails, up to the apparent "normalization" of the 1980's and the visits of the Tibetan delegations to their native land, this book remains the best document around.
One of the main narrative themes is how Tibetans and the Dalai Lama managed to maintain their cultural and religious heritage and only regarding to this aspect there is a wave of optimism running through the book.

John Avedon had a personal relationship with the Dalai Lama and was also interested in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan culture, so the first journalistic part of the book, mostly built up out of life experiences of eminent Tibetans who survived the genocide, is followed by brief essays on Tibetan medicine, the report of a pilgrimage to Buddha's sites in India by the Dalai Lama, and a personal interview with HH on the philosophy of Buddhism, its outlook on death, life and personal experience. This last part is interesting, but it is detached from the principal narration and it seems introduced only to lengthen the book or to cram into it all the Author's knowledge. The notes and the bibliography are excellent even though dated.

A must read for those interested in modern Tibet, but it would be more honest to subtitle the re-editions "Tibet from the Chinese conquest to the 1990's".

I am looking for a book that tells what has been happening in the last 10-15 years. Have any suggestions?

Not easy to take.......2002-04-09

If your serious about learning about Tibet and the Chinese take- over read this book.Some of the more explicit chapters made me really angry and kept me questioning "How can humans treat each other this way"?

Riveting and realistic.......2001-08-22

A must read to truly understand the complex story of Tibet, although it may disuade you from ever going there. This is the story of the destruction of Tibet, told through a narrative of political history and a few well-chosen personal stories. Internal squabbling contributed to the Tibetan's own downfall, but in the end this small underdeveloped nation could not have withstood the Chinese without significant support from the rest of the world, and that support was shamefully lacking in the 50's. The destruction that followed was unbelievable. I've always thought it would be fascinating to go there, but I now realize that the treasures of Tibet are probably now in China or in the hands of private collectors after the Chinese sold them off, and what's left is part of a carefully constructed show for tourists. I agree with the reviewer who says that Tibetan independence seems a long shot at this point, but the world should keep the pressure on until the Tibetans gain some measure of cultural and religious freedom. My only criticism of this book is that it ends in the mid-80's, and the newer edition that came out in the late 90's contains a rather feeble attempt to update the story through a chronology. Interesting though is the interview with the Dalai Lama.

The Time for Dreaming is Ended.......2001-07-10

If you have had any Shangri-La type illusions about Tibet, this book will soon blow them away. Not that that is a bad thing, but just be warned. This book will open your eyes, make you laugh, weep, clench your fists and probably curse before you're done, but it will not leave you unchanged, either in your opinion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and especially of China.

This is a very balanced account from the Tibetan perspective of the period roughly from the end of WWII until 1990. In addition to an unvarnished account of Tibetan bravery, desire to retain their homeland at all costs and credulity, and unlimited Chinese brutality and treachery, there is a great deal of social insight woven in. This is not a "feel-good" story to garner sympathy for the Tibetans, this is a tell-it-like-is book whose message is so daunting that I'm not sure most of the world, much less the Tibetans themselves are ready to face much of it.

This is not a book so much about religion, although you cannot write about Tibet without writing about Buddhism, as about world politics thundering down on a small, isolated nation. It is about the bravery and resourcefulness of the Tibetan people and the greatness of their leader. And it is about the utter shameless cupidity and determination of the Chinese to lay hold of this strategic bit of real estate and anihilate its native population. This book should serve as a powerful reminder of what the PRC is capable of and just how much their talk is worth.

After reading this, I believe (and HHDL must realize) that the chances for any kind of an autonomous, much less independent, Tibetan region are slim to none, but that the facade needs to be kept up for political and morale reasons. None the less it is a bitter truth that the Chinese have done the rest of the world a favor: by driving the Tibetans out of Tibet, they have released a great force for peace and good to the rest of us in the form of Tibetan Buddhism and the presence of HHDL.

I do highly recommend this book.

Truth.......2001-01-16

Books Like "In Exile from the Lands of Snows and Movies like "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun" destroy the myth of Shangri-La while portraying Tibet as real through participation in the production and giving advice on the historical accuracy of both movies and book giving Tibet complexity. The myth of Shangri-La as laid out by James Hilton in "Lost Horizon", as far as the West is concerned, is as real as any Homeric myth can be. Westerners, mired in the irony of losing a fantasy, do not have to deal with real flesh and blood issues. Deconstructing by examining the power relations lifts the veil of fantasy and offers a more authentic discourse. Read this book with an open mind and be ready to discard old notions of myth, fantasy and construction. A resounding 5 stars!

Miguel Llora

Book Description

John OReilly was a caddie on the European PGA Tour for over twenty years. This book is a collection of stories about the people, events, places and misadventures he encountered over his career.

Customer Reviews:

A must read.......2004-11-17

A great look at golf through the eyes of the less mentioned caddy. A great read, witty and light-hearted.

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