Do you have an imaginary friend somewhere who keeps you company when you are alone? I had when I was little. Everything seemed magical and I would like to bring some of that magic to you. The little Apple-Banana no longer exists because other kinds of bananas have taken over. This book brings him to life again as he plays in the jungle and has his adventures in the Jamaica of my childhood. Perhaps you will learn a little about the plants and animals in the West Indies. Try and see how many different plants and animals you can see in the book. Do you have these where you live?
An ardent advocate for species protection and conservation of tropical rainforests, Ghazally Ismail tells us of his encounters with the primates in his first memoir entitled Monkey Moment: Encounters in Rainforest Escapadaes. That was in 2021 after hunkering down at home during Covid 19 pandemic. What a true raconteur he proves to be in sharing his amazing experiences in Borneo, the world’s third largest island. As a sequel to his previous book, he now brings us to another tropical ecosystem that is undergoing an equally gripping future. He writes about the fascinating mangrove plant and animal species currently under siege. Their continued survival are seriously at risk with the rapid disappearance of the mangroves unprecedented in modern history. Written in simple nontechnical language, he effectively explains the evolution and adaptation of mangrove species in order to thrive in their harsh inhospitable environment. Here too, he again produces beautiful drawings of plants and animals to accompany his well-researched text. Like the rainforests, tropical mangroves are been systematically cleared and drained at alarming rates for land reclamation, housing development and aquaculture. In the process, we are exposing ourselves to the two global calamities lurking at the doorsteps of humanity today, namely global warming and loss of biodiversity. Only the conservation of our rainforests and mangroves could we avert these pending catastrophes. In his book, Ghazally again shares his provocative thoughts on issues he has been grappling with throughout his academic life - the protection of biodiversity and their habitats. He gave intriguing revelations about the biological and behavioral features of mangrove species that are increasingly driven to the cusp of extinction. He effectively reminds us that the rainforests and mangroves are two known nature reserves in the entire universe we must learn to treat with utter respect with stringent and uncompromised guardianship. He speaks with an authority born of decades of university research, teaching and active involvement in organising expeditions into numerous biodiversity-rich tropical ecosystems in Borneo. What distinguishes Ghazally from many of his environmentalist peers is his training in medical immunology and microbiology. Plants and animals are not his forte. He readily admits he does not have all the answers to the vexing ecological questions of our times. But his vast knowledge on tropical plants and wildlife are drawn from his networking and close associations with dozens of world-renowned researchers gravitating to Borneo in the past 40 years during his time there. He has essentially learned from field experts first-hand. This has put him on the vanguard of the conservation movement of the tropical ecosystems. He expressed passion and responsibility towards species and the environment without sanctimony, making this book a winning memoir for anyone interested in tropical ecology. A lively, readable hands-on account of fascinating field experiences that will appeal to a wide audience. “Environmentalism does not just happen,” he said,”It is forged through our impassioned sadness looking at the ever-increasing threats to our living world. I hope to inspire a generation that could pause, turn back and rediscover collective sanity in our relationship with planet Earth.”
This book is a collection of saltwater memories form one of the world's best loved fly-fisherman, Flip Pallot, brought to life in his unique and entertaining writing style. To illustrate these magic memories, the publishers have compiled over 175 spectacular photographs complemented by the sketches and watercolor paintings of famous Keys artist Tom Borski. Here's your chance to go fishing with Flip. (111/4 x 133/4, color photographs, 138 pages)
The first part of a two volume classic devoted to the agriculture and agricultural rites of the Trobriand Islanders. This work looks at the signigicance of agriculture in the Trobriand Islands.
GUARANTEED PAGE-TURNER From the bestselling author of See How They Run and Don't Talk to Strangers comes a compelling story of drama and suspense. And a romance you won't forget! The only rule. Don't get involved. To Hawkshaw, they're words to live by. He left the Secret Service because he didn't want to take care of anyone but himself. Then an old friend asks him for a favor…. The last case. A woman and her young son need a place to hide—and someone to protect them. A stalker wants her and he'll do anything to have her…. The wrong woman. Hawkshaw agrees to help, but he's more than a little reluctant. Kate Kanaday's not the woman he wants living in his house. Even worse, she's got him thinking about breaking his only rule….
"The Australian coastline is 18% occupied by a very special and beneficial habitat of extraordinary trees and larger shrubs bathed regularly by flooding tides and washing waves. This practical guide describes each of these highly adapted plants." - - Back cover.
They say you can't go home again, but Louisa Banks is determined to try. Intent on caring for her brother's two teenagers while he is away in jail, she returns to the family farm in West Virginia. It is a difficult homecoming, made worse by crash and burn memories and self-induced poverty. Still she perseveres, and eventually becomes involved in small town politics and a militant Ganga grower who moonlights as a writer. This explosive combination pushes her to her limits and yet results in self-discovery and a new direction. Hers is a story that boomerangs back on itself and meets the reader head on.
Evil Looms Over Visala In the absence of the god-king, Tamurot, Goddess of the Deep, has been growing in power—and at long last, her moment is at hand. Her meticulous plans now set in motion, she'll soon drown the whole of mankind in a tidal wave of vengeance. All she requires is one final sacrifice. Meanwhile, on the eve of her consecration, Sister Caga journeys deep into a swamp where she is to keep vigil in the ruins of an ancient temple. But more awaits her than swarming flies and snarling crocodiles. In the bowels of the ziggurat lurks another, darker presence…
Author Greg Bogaerts has had hundreds of stories appear in publications in the United States, his native Australia, and elsewhere, and this is a collection of his best. Prepare to be riveted to your seat, waiting for the next staggering plot twist, the next loathsome or pitiful character, the next surprising and disquieting ending. Prepare to wallow in the kinds of descriptions that let you hear the cries of victims, taste the salt on a lover’s skin, smell the filth in the gutters of Paris streets, and feel the anger and distress of the masses. Prepare to meet the colorful, the tragic, and the magical—stories crafted by this masterful storyteller.
What’s the connection between a platter of jumbo shrimp at your local restaurant and murdered fishermen in Honduras, impoverished women in Ecuador, and disastrous hurricanes along America’s Gulf coast? Mangroves. Many people have never heard of these salt-water forests, but for those who depend on their riches, mangroves are indispensable. They are natural storm barriers, home to innumerable exotic creatures—from crabeating vipers to man-eating tigers—and provide food and livelihoods to millions of coastal dwellers. Now they are being destroyed to make way for shrimp farming and other coastal development. For those who stand in the way of these industries, the consequences can be deadly. In Let Them Eat Shrimp, Kennedy Warne takes readers into the muddy battle zone that is the mangrove forest. A tangle of snaking roots and twisted trunks, mangroves are often dismissed as foul wastelands. In fact, they are supermarkets of the sea, providing shellfish, crabs, honey, timber, and charcoal to coastal communities from Florida to South America to New Zealand. Generations have built their lives around mangroves and consider these swamps sacred. To shrimp farmers and land developers, mangroves simply represent a good investment. The tidal land on which they stand often has no title, so with a nod and wink from a compliant official, it can be turned from a public resource to a private possession. The forests are bulldozed, their traditional users dispossessed. The true price of shrimp farming and other coastal development has gone largely unheralded in the U.S. media. A longtime journalist, Warne now captures the insatiability of these industries and the magic of the mangroves. His vivid account will make every reader pause before ordering the shrimp.
