Water Striders
Water Striders

Author: John Moehl

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1666721514

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Charlie Stancik was born in sage and juniper scrub on lands reclaimed from ancient waters--lands whose first outside settlers were Bohemians seeking the end of the rainbow. Charlie seeks his own Xanadu, feeling he must leave the lake bed to find the life he deserves--the life he needs. His pilgrimage takes him to the shores of Lake Michigan, evolving from homelessness to a position of some wealth and power--evolving from a lost soul to someone who has found his soulmate. This seemingly implausible trajectory had been made possible by the enigmatic Robin McCandless and his obscure and potent company, Delpro. Work with Delpro takes Charlie to the furthest corners of the globe and into the darkest shadows. Charlie becomes a key actor in a drama he scarcely understands--a drama that places him in great jeopardy. Charlie the prodigy walks a fine line with Charlie the criminal--the path ultimately guided not by the elusive Robin McCandless but by Rodney Mills, a government investigator with a long history with Delpro and its sordid acts. In the end, Charlie realizes that love in the present and freedom from the past are the riches he has sought.

The Last Summer of the Water Strider
The Last Summer of the Water Strider

Author: Tim Lott

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1849835845

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A captivating 1970s-set novel that is both a coming-of-age and an End-of-an-Age story: about love, the lure of idealism, innocence and decadence. Adam is seventeen, the only son of straitlaced, cautious Ray and Evie.Life is slow, unbearably routine, in their low-rise council block in the London suburbs, until tragedy strikes, leaving Adam unhinged with grief. Rejecting any consolation at home, Adam is sent to spend the long hot 1970s summer with Ray's unlikely brother, the enigmatic Dr Henry Templeton - guru and spiritual teacher. With few possessions and even fewer ambitions for his future, Adam arrives at his uncle's houseboat in the West Country. Henry is charismatic, unfamiliar, full of eccentric ideas and projects. As the summer unspools, Adam meets first Strawberry, an ethereal American girl living in a shack in the woods; and then Ashley, whose father, the local vicar, is locked in conflict with Henry and his circle's 'alternative' way of life. While Adam falls under the spell of pretty, knowing Ashley, Henry, set on pursuing his personal vision unbendingly, seals the shocking fate of Strawberry, Adam and ultimately himself. 'I was very moved by The Last Summer of the Water Strider, which is both exquisitely specific to time and place and universal in its examination of humanity, grief and the bizarre prisons that people build for themselves - and one another. Funny, fascinating, mysterious and provocative' Sadie Jones, author of The Outcast 'Great storytelling and superb characterisation. Very few writers can evoke quintessential Englishness in its myriad forms like Tim Lott. I loved it' Irvine Welsh

The Songs of Insects
The Songs of Insects

Author: Lang Elliott

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13:

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The Songs of Insects is a celebration of the chirps, trills, and scrapes of seventy-seven common species of crickets, katydids, locusts, and cicadas native to eastern and central North America. The photographs in this book will surprise and delight all who behold them. Many of the insects' colors are brilliant and jewellike, and they are displayed beautifully here. This book and accompanying CD provide a unique doorway to enjoyment of the insect concerts and solos that dominate our natural soundscape during the summer and autumn. The text includes information on the natural history of insects, identification tips, and an appreciation of insect song. A seventy-minute audio CD features high-quality recordings of the songs of all species, track-keyed to the information presented in the text.

A Natural History of Rape
A Natural History of Rape

Author: Randy Thornhill

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2001-02-23

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9780262700832

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A biologist and an anthropologist use evolutionary biology to explain the causes and inform the prevention of rape. In this controversial book, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer use evolutionary biology to explain the causes of rape and to recommend new approaches to its prevention. According to Thornhill and Palmer, evolved adaptation of some sort gives rise to rape; the main evolutionary question is whether rape is an adaptation itself or a by-product of other adaptations. Regardless of the answer, Thornhill and Palmer note, rape circumvents a central feature of women's reproductive strategy: mate choice. This is a primary reason why rape is devastating to its victims, especially young women. Thornhill and Palmer address, and claim to demolish scientifically, many myths about rape bred by social science theory over the past twenty-five years. The popular contention that rapists are not motivated by sexual desire is, they argue, scientifically inaccurate. Although they argue that rape is biological, Thornhill and Palmer do not view it as inevitable. Their recommendations for rape prevention include teaching young males not to rape, punishing rape more severely, and studying the effectiveness of "chemical castration." They also recommend that young women consider the biological causes of rape when making decisions about dress, appearance, and social activities. Rape could cease to exist, they argue, only in a society knowledgeable about its evolutionary causes. The book includes a useful summary of evolutionary theory and a comparison of evolutionary biology's and social science's explanations of human behavior. The authors argue for the greater explanatory power and practical usefulness of evolutionary biology. The book is sure to stir up discussion both on the specific topic of rape and on the larger issues of how we understand and influence human behavior.

Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, Second Edition
Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, Second Edition

Author: Frank R. Spellman

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2008-11-18

Total Pages: 868

ISBN-13: 1420075306

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Hailed on its initial publication as a real-world, practical handbook, the second edition of Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations continues to make the same basic point: water and wastewater operators must have a basic skill set that is both wide and deep. They must be generalists, well-rounded in the sciences, cyber operations, math operations, mechanics, technical concepts, and common sense. With coverage that spans the breadth and depth of the field, the handbook explores the latest principles and technologies and provides information necessary to prepare for licensure exams. Expanded from beginning to end, this second edition provides a no-holds-barred look at current management issues and includes the latest security information for protecting public assets. It presents in-depth coverage of management aspects and security needs and a new chapter covering the basics of blueprint reading. The chapter on water and wastewater mathematics has tripled in size and now contains an additional 200 problems and 350 math system operational problems with solutions. The manual examines numerous real-world operating scenarios, such as the intake of raw sewage and the treatment of water via residual management, and each scenario includes a comprehensive problem-solving practice set. The text follows a non-traditional paradigm based on real-world experience and proven parameters. Clearly written and user friendly, this revision of a bestseller builds on the remarkable success of the first edition. This book is a thorough compilation of water science, treatment information, process control procedures, problem-solving techniques, safety and health information, and administrative and technological trends.

The Other Insect Societies
The Other Insect Societies

Author: James T. Costa

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2006-09-30

Total Pages: 824

ISBN-13: 9780674021631

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In his exploration of insect societies that don't fit the eusocial schema, James T. Costa gives these interesting phenomena their due. He synthesizes the scattered literature about social phenomena across the arthropod phylum: beetles and bugs, caterpillars and cockroaches, mantids and membracids, sawflies and spiders.

Computing and Combinatorics
Computing and Combinatorics

Author: My T. Thai

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2010-06-28

Total Pages: 553

ISBN-13: 3642140319

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This book constitutes the proceedings of the 16th Annual International Conference on Computing and Combinatorics, held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, in July 2010.

Discovery of Design
Discovery of Design

Author: Donald B. DeYoung

Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 0890515743

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"Inventors and design engineers frequently look to nature for inspiration. .... This book describes many of the useful results from this ongoing search. .... The name biomimicry is often given to this endeavor of discovering and utilizing designs from nature"--Introduction, p. 9.

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls
How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls

Author: David Hu

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2018-11-13

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0691169861

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Discovering the secrets of animal movement and what they can teach us Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? In How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls, David Hu takes readers on an accessible, wondrous journey into the world of animal motion. From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, Hu shows how animals have adapted and evolved to traverse their environments, taking advantage of physical laws with results that are startling and ingenious. In turn, the latest discoveries about animal mechanics are inspiring scientists to invent robots and devices that move with similar elegance and efficiency. Hu follows scientists as they investigate a multitude of animal movements, from the undulations of sandfish and the way that dogs shake off water in fractions of a second to the seemingly crash-resistant characteristics of insect flight. Not limiting his exploration to individual organisms, Hu describes the ways animals enact swarm intelligence, such as when army ants cooperate and link their bodies to create bridges that span ravines. He also looks at what scientists learn from nature’s unexpected feats—such as snakes that fly, mosquitoes that survive rainstorms, and dead fish that swim upstream. As researchers better understand such issues as energy, flexibility, and water repellency in animal movement, they are applying this knowledge to the development of cutting-edge technology. Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls demystifies the remarkable mechanics behind animal locomotion.