Month: April 2014

Editor: Steven L. Suib Publisher: Elsevier – 535 pages Book Review by: Venkat Subramaniam This book is part of a group of seven on the latest ideas and developments on the subject of alternative and renewable energy sources, and the role that catalysis plays in converting new renewable feed stocks into biofuels and biochemicals. With the whole world concerned about shortage of, and rising cost of oil, alternative energy sources are constantly being sought now, and some – such as solar and wind for example – are already being used where they are plentiful. Batteries and fuel cells have...

Author: Dominic Boyer Publisher: Cornell University Press – 213 pages Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar I sometimes lament that these days the average news writer simple rewrites a press release and passes it on to the editor as simply his or her own, attaching a name, to get credit as a bylined story. Often, I read the press release (and I get a lot of those flooding my Inbox nowadays) and compare it with a “news story” appearing in a reputable newspaper or news site, and except for a little bit of a rewrite, the two items are essentially...

Editors: Miles Kahler and David A. Lake Publisher: Cornell University Press – 316 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram I was first attracted to read, before anything else, the Afterword in this book by its title: Yet More Hard Times? Reflections on the Great Recession in the Frame of Earlier Hard Times. This is a key observation on the United States economy in that section of this book: “There has been no great reversal of policy profile.  The U.S. remains dependent on cheap credit, high consumption, low saving, and deficit financing.” This is reflective mainly of U.S. consumers in...

Authors: Russell F. Reidinger, Jr., and James E. Miller Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press – 243 pages Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar This book has been written for educators, students and practitioners in wildlife management. It provides information on, and deals with, the different issues relating to wildlife damage, or damage done by wildlife to people, property and the environment. Among the topics this book covers are: Economic issues Damage management strategies Human dimensions Individual-, population-, and ecosystem-level effects Legal and political aspects Management methods Pertinent biological and ecological concepts Survey techniques The authors point out in the Introduction...

Editors: Travis L. DeVault, Bradley F, Blackwell, and Jerrold L. Belant Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press – 181 pages Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar This book provides an overview of the different tools and techniques used to prevent collisions between birds and other wildlife and aircraft. It is focused on the science underlying the methods. It begins with a chapter on the history of wildlife strikes with airplanes. The rest of the content, contributed by 22 specialists, has been placed in 14 other chapters organized into three Parts: Wildlife Management Techniques Managing Resources Wildlife Monitoring Probably nobody thought a...