Water Striders


Book Description

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


Book Description

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







Handbook of Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, Second Edition


Book Description

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 Songs of Insects


Book Description

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.




Deadly Insects


Book Description

Explore the lives of deadly insects including the dragonfly, assassin bugs, tiger beetles, and wasps.




The Other Insect Societies


Book Description

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.




A World of Insects


Book Description

As we follow the path of a giant water bug or peer over the wing of a gypsy moth, we glimpse our world anew, at once shrunk and magnified. Owing to their size alone, insects’ experience of the world is radically different from ours. Air to them is as viscous as water to us. The predicament of size, along with the dizzying diversity of insects and their status as arguably the most successful organisms on earth, have inspired passion and eloquence in some of the world’s most innovative scientists. A World of Insects showcases classic works on insect behavior, physiology, and ecology published over half a century by Harvard University Press. James Costa, Vincent Dethier, Thomas Eisner, Lee Goff, Bernd Heinrich, Bert Hölldobler, Kenneth Roeder, Andrew Ross, Thomas Seeley, Karl von Frisch, Gilbert Waldbauer, E. O. Wilson, and Mark Winston—each writer, in his unique voice, paints a close-up portrait of the ways insects explore their environment, outmaneuver their enemies, mate, and care for kin. Selected by two world-class entomologists, these essays offer compelling descriptions of insect cooperation and warfare, the search for ancient insect DNA in amber, and the energy economics of hot-blooded insects. They also discuss the impact—for good and ill—of insects on our food supply, their role in crime scene investigation, and the popular fascination with pheromones, killer bees, and fire ants. Each entry begins with commentary on the authors, their topics, and the latest research in the field.




Insects and Spiders of the World


Book Description

Introduces insects and spiders from around the world, encompassing biology, behavior, habitat, and more.