Even a global political watershed, such as the end of the Cold War, seems to have left a fundamental characteristic of cultural relations between the US and the rest of the world unchanged: American popular culture still stirs up emotion. American popular culture's products, artifacts, and practices entangle their consumers in affective encounters characterized by feelings of fascination, excitement, or even wholesale rejection. What is it that continues to make 'American' popular culture 'cool?' Which role does 'cool' play in the consumers' affective encounters with 'America?' This volume of essays offers new insights on the post-Cold War dissemination of American popular culture, exploring the manifold ways in which 'cool' has emerged as an elusive, yet determining, factor of an American culture gone global. (Series: American Studies in Austria - Vol. 13)
The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.
Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page.
Nuclear power is not clean, cheap, or safe. With Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, the nuclear industry's record of catastrophic failures now averages one major disaster every decade. After three US-designed plants exploded in Japan, many countries moved to abandon reactors for renewables. In the United States, however, powerful corporations and a compliant government still defend nuclear power-while promising billion-dollar bailouts to operators. Each new disaster demonstrates that the nuclear industry and governments lie to "avoid panic," to preserve the myth of "safe, clean" nuclear power, and to sustain government subsidies. Tokyo and Washington both covered up Fukushima's radiation risks and-when confronted with damning evidence-simply raised the levels of "acceptable" risk to match the greater levels of exposure. Nuclear Roulette dismantles the core arguments behind the nuclear-industrial complex's "Nuclear Renaissance." While some critiques are familiar-nuclear power is too costly, too dangerous, and too unstable-others are surprising: Nuclear Roulette exposes historic links to nuclear weapons, impacts on Indigenous lands and lives, and the ways in which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission too often takes its lead from industry, rewriting rules to keep failing plants in compliance. Nuclear Roulette cites NRC records showing how corporations routinely defer maintenance and lists resulting "near-misses" in the US, which average more than one per month. Nuclear Roulette chronicles the problems of aging reactors, uncovers the costly challenge of decommissioning, explores the industry's greatest seismic risks-not on California's quake-prone coast but in the Midwest and Southeast-and explains how solar flares could black out power grids, causing the world's 400-plus reactors to self-destruct. This powerful exposé concludes with a roundup of proven and potential energy solutions that can replace nuclear technology with a "Renewable Renaissance," combined with conservation programs that can cleanse the air, and cool the planet.
A full-color guide to crafting upscale and creative meals with the Himalayan salt block. Previously an exclusive tool in upscale restaurants, salt blocks have taken the home market by storm. Now, thanks to this comprehensive guide, readers discover how to fully unleash its secret seasoning powers. With recipes that take everything from family barbecues to dinner parties to the next level, The Simple Art of Salt Block Cooking serves up flavorful and eye-catching appetizers, vegetables, meats, fish, and even desserts. Specifically designed for the Himalayan salt block's distinctive qualities, these recipes harness the full power of the ancient mineral's taste and unique temperature control. Features 25 beautiful color photos plus 25 stylish color illustrations, this book helps home chefs make delicious dishes like salt-cured salmon avocado rolls and brown sugar shortbread. It also includes tips on prepping and caring for salt blocks, the history of salt, as well as ways to use other Himalayan salt vessels (including plates, glasses and bowls) for added flavor and flair.
What the heck is Facebook? Twitter? Blogging? This book answers these questions and explains how to use a variety of social networking sites to keep in touch, stay in business, and have fun. This book covers the main social networking “spaces,” and introduces some of the ways people are enjoying them within a family or business context. It includes information on posting pictures, using add-ons, and working with Facebook and LinkedIn groups. It also covers the phenomenon of Twitter, including how it has grown and the road ahead. This book also covers how you can use the various networks together, such as sending a Twitter message that updates your Facebook status, or exporting your LinkedIn contact list and using it to invite people to Facebook. It also includes discussion of how to use social networks for both personal and business use, and how to keep them separate. How to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites for family, friends, and business How to make your sites talk to each other How to make the most of social networking and stay out of trouble
This book was written specifically for boiler plan operators and supervisors who want to learn how to lower plant operating costs, as well as how to operate plants of all types and sizes more wisely. It is newly revised with guidelines for HRSGs, combined cycle systems, and environmental effects of boiler operation. Also included is a new chapter on refrigeration systems that addresses the environmental effects of inadvertent and intentional discharges of refrigerants. Going beyond the basics of "keeping the pressure up," the author explains in clear terms how to set effective priorities to ensure optimal plant operation, including ensuring safety and continuity of operations, preventing damage, managing environmental impact, training replacement plant operators, logging and preserving historical data, and operating the plant economically.
