Sophie does not want to do her homework, a research report on polar bears. Bor-ing. They’re big. They eat things. They’re mean. What else is there to say about them anyway? As it turns out, plenty. And when a polar bear named Olafur swoops her away to the Arctic, she soon learns all about the playful bear’s habits and habitat—from glacier mice to the northern lights—and, despite her first reservations, she finds herself not just interested but excited about the Arctic. When the two are swept out to sea on an iceberg, Sophie’s new knowledge and knack for creative thinking pay off in a big way: she calls a whale to their aid! Inspired by her journey, she’s ready to return home and take another swing at her assignment, this time with gusto. The Bear Report showcases the power of curiosity and imagination to fill any blank canvas, whether it’s an incomplete homework assignment or the Arctic ice.
"I like to go out for walks, but it's a little awkward to push the baby stroller and carry a shotgun at the same time." -- housewife from Churchill, Manitoba Yes, welcome to Churchill, Manitoba. Year-round human population: 943. Yet despite the isolation and the searing cold here at the arctic's edge, visitors from around the globe flock to the town every fall, driven by a single purpose: to see polar bears in the wild. Churchill is "The Polar Bear Capital of the World," and for one unforgettable "bear season," Zac Unger, his wife, and his three children moved from Oakland, California, to make it their temporary home. But they soon discovered that it's really the polar bears who are at home in Churchill, roaming past the coffee shop on the main drag, peering into garbage cans, languorously scratching their backs against fence posts and front doorways. Where kids in other towns receive admonitions about talking to strangers, Churchill schoolchildren get "Let's All Be Bear Aware" booklets to bring home. (Lesson number 8: Never explore bad-smelling areas.) Zac Unger takes readers on a spirited and often wildly funny journey to a place as unique as it is remote, a place where natives, tourists, scientists, conservationists, and the most ferocious predators on the planet converge. In the process he becomes embroiled in the controversy surrounding "polar bear science" -- and finds out that some of what we've been led to believe about the bears' imminent extinction may not be quite the case. But mostly what he learns is about human behavior in extreme situations . . . and also why you should never even think of looking a polar bear in the eye.
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. 12,500 entries. 196 countries. 365 days. Find out what's going on any day of the year, anywhere across the globe! If you're looking to tie a promotional event to a special month, travel to a music festival halfway around the world, blog about a historical milestone or do a celebrity birthday round-up on your radio show or Twitter feed, Chase's Calendar of Events is the one resource that has it all. For broadcasters, journalists, event planners, public relations professionals, librarians, editors, writers or simply the curious, this is one reference you can't do without! Chase's Calendar of Events 2015 brings you: Major sporting events such as the FIFA Women's World Cup (June 6), the Pan American Games (July 10) and the 48th Transpacific Yacht Race (July 13). Milestones such as the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, 200th anniversary of Waterloo, 150th anniversary of Lincoln's assassination, 75th anniversary of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, 150th birth anniversary of poet W.B. Yeats and much more. New birthday entries for news makers like the new king of Spain, Felipe VI of Bourbon and Greece (Jan 30), or political activist Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nov 7); sports stars such as Meryl Davis (Jan 1) and Johnny Manziel (Dec 6); and entertainers Lupita Nyong'o (Mar 1), Chiwetel Ejiofor (July 10), Jamie Dornan (May 1), Dakota Johnson (Oct 4), Lorde (Nov 7) and Macklemore (June 19). New special days such as Take Your Poet to Work Day (July 15), National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day (Mar 1), National Biscotti Day (Sept 29), Runner's Selfie Day (June 23), No Selfies Day (Mar 16) and many more. New! Get exclusive access to the Chase's Calendar of Events companion website with: What's on Today? All the holidays, events, anniversaries, celebrity birthdays, and so on for the current day Advanced Search: customize your search--date ranges, location, key word, category, attendance--however you want! Unique Festivals of the World: a new, interactive map of the world--click on a country and discover its major festivals Tabbed pages for Major Awards, About the Holidays, Spotlight for 2015, Glossary of Calendar Terms and Special Months For information on the url and password of the companion website, please see details inside the book.
Scientists agree that by the end of this century the polar bear will be the first mammal threatened with extinction due to climate change. "The Last Polar Bear" is the first book to fully document that story.The continued survival of these magnificent white bears in their warming, and melting, Arctic world is uncertain, yet their fate is also a wake-up call compelling us to act now to stem global warming. Through Steven Kazlowski's unparalleled imagery, the most critical environmental issue of our time is brought to life."The Last Polar Bear" places the reality of climate change in our hands. We see the plight of the polar bear, an animal already feeling the detrimental effects of our reliance on fossil fuels, as its icy habitat melts.Over the course of the last six years, wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski has photographed the polar bear in its wild habitat, from Hershel Island in Canada to Point Hope in Alaska. "The Last Polar Bear" pairs his intimate images with anecdotes about his Arctic adventures, as well as authoritative essays about the polar bear in the context of climate change.Alaska based writers Richard Nelson, Charles Wohlforth, Nick Jans, and leading USGS polar bear biologist Steven C. Amstrup draw on decades of experience in the Arctic to cover the biological, cultural, and anthropological aspects of climate change. Dan Glick, long-time correspondent for "Newsweek", addresses the history of climate change while Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defence Council, and Theodore Roosevelt IV offer perspectives on activism and politics.
Do you like polar bears? Do you want polar bears to be around in 50 years? Do you think that climate change is the only major threat to polar bear survival? Do you believe that polar bears are adequately protected today? Would you like to contribute to saving polar bears today and in the future? If your answer to any of those questions is yes, you need to read this book. "This book is an eye-opener and should kick off extensive debates."Dr. Thor S. Larsen, professor emeritus, Member of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group 1968-1985. "In this impassioned book Morten raises very important, provocative questions that are not being addressed by the international environmental groups." Art Wolfe, Award-winning conservation photographer. In this book, the author analyses the current status of the polar bear. And he punctures the myth that polar bears are well protected and managed today. While most people think that global warming is the overhanging threat to polar bear survival, the author documents that it is actually the continuation of an unsustainable hunting pressure that is driving the species towards extinction. Across 228 pages, interspersed with beautiful photographs, Morten Joergensen demonstrates how there are probably fewer polar bears than most authorities claim, how hunting is the greatest manageable threat to the species, how current protection measures are insufficient, how the animal has been commercialized and how lack of courage and honesty is allowing this scenario to continue. The book also contains a long string of realistic and very urgent recommendations for action - to save polar bears before they are gone forever.
Presents an introduction to the polar bear, discussing its evolution, physical characteristics, life cycle, predatory behavior, habitat, and the threats to its existence from global warming.
Polar Bears in the Hot Tub is an inquiry that asks different questions about global warming and the predicted hazards. This book follows a different path of research to find answers to questions that no one is bothering to ask. Is climate change inevitable? Are we solving the wrong problem? Are Polar bears languishing in warmer and warmer arctic waters? Maybe not.
Marine mammals attract human interest – sometimes this interest is benign or positive – whale watching, conservation programmes for whales, seals, otters, and efforts to clear beaches of marine debris are seen as proactive steps to support these animals. However, there are many forces operating to affect adversely the lives of whales, seals, manatees, otters and polar bears – and this book explores how the welfare of marine mammals has been affected and how they have adapted, moved, responded and sometimes suffered as a result of the changing marine and human world around them. Marine mammal welfare addresses the welfare effects of marine debris, of human traffic in the oceans, of noise, of hunting, of whale watching and tourism, and of some of the less obvious impacts on marine mammals – on their social structures, on their behaviours and migration, and also of the effects on captivity for animals kept in zoos and aquaria. There is much to think and talk about – how marine mammals respond in a world dramatically influenced by man, how are their social structures affected and how is their welfare impacted?
