Notes from a Dog Rescue in Progress


Book Description

A panicked puppy in a Los Angeles shelter is deemed too terrified for adoption and scheduled to be killed. When a rescue volunteer frees her at the last minute, the little girl is 15 pounds underweight and covered with open sores, swollen ticks and thousands of fleas. Her ears are stuffed with blood and wax, her paws filled with concrete. The victim of severe neglect and confinement, her muscles are atrophied - even her tongue lolls in her mouth. It hurts her to walk more than a few feet, and she limps. She has chewed and licked through the skin on her limbs. Physical ailments can heal, but the greatest challenge will be to overcome what life has taught her about humans: that they are to be feared. Named Roo, the puppy is randomly assigned to a volunteer foster parent with neither special skills nor experience with fearful dogs who writes that he is, "just as scared as she is." Notes from a Dog Rescue in Progress is the emotional and inspiring true story of Roo's journey and the powerful bond formed as she and her foster parent develop the trust and understanding to address her fears and problems one at a time in an attempt to redeem an unredeemable dog.




Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice


Book Description

Bridging the fields of conservation, art history, and museum curating, this volume contains the principal papers from an international symposium titled "Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice" at the University of Leiden in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from June 26 to 29, 1995. The symposium—designed for art historians, conservators, conservation scientists, and museum curators worldwide—was organized by the Department of Art History at the University of Leiden and the Art History Department of the Central Research Laboratory for Objects of Art and Science in Amsterdam. Twenty-five contributors representing museums and conservation institutions throughout the world provide recent research on historical painting techniques, including wall painting and polychrome sculpture. Topics cover the latest art historical research and scientific analyses of original techniques and materials, as well as historical sources, such as medieval treatises and descriptions of painting techniques in historical literature. Chapters include the painting methods of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Dutch 17th-century landscape painting, wall paintings in English churches, Chinese paintings on paper and canvas, and Tibetan thangkas. Color plates and black-and-white photographs illustrate works from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.




How to Learn a Foreign Language


Book Description

In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, creator of the renowned Pimsleur Method, the world leader in audio-based language learning, shows how anyone can learn to speak a foreign language. If learning a language in high school left you bruised, with a sense that there was no way you can learn another language, How to Learn a Foreign Language will restore your sense of hope. In simple, straightforward terms, Dr. Pimsleur will help you learn grammar (seamlessly), vocabulary, and how to practice pronunciation (and come out sounding like a native). The key is the simplicity and directness of Pimsleur’s approach to a daunting subject, breaking it down piece by piece, demystifying the process along the way. Dr. Pimsleur draws on his own language learning trials and tribulations offering practical advice for overcoming the obstacles so many of us face. Originally published in 1980, How to Learn a Foreign Language is now available on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Pimsleur’s publication of the first of his first audio courses that embodied the concepts and methods found here. It's a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of this amazing pioneer of language learning.




Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science


Book Description

The Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science contains 350 alphabetically arranged entries. The topics include cave and karst geoscience, cave archaeology and human use of caves, art in caves, hydrology and groundwater, cave and karst history, and conservation and management. The Encyclopedia is extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and tables, and has thematic content lists and a comprehensive index to facilitate searching and browsing.




Tropical Legumes


Book Description

This National Academy of Sciences report describes plants of the family Leguminosae, all of them greatly underexploited. Some are extensively used in one part of the world but unknown elsewhere; others are virtually unknown to science but have particular attributes that suggest they could become major crops in the future; a few are already widespread but their possibilities are not yet fully realized.Most of the plants described in this book have the capacity to provide their own nitrogenous fertilizer through bacteria that live in nodules on their roots; the bacteria chemically convert nitrogen gas from the air into soluble compounds that the plant can absorb and utilize. As a result, legumes generally require no additional nitrogenous fertilizer for average growth. This is advantageous because commercial nitrogenous fertilizers are now extremely expensive for peasant farmers. This report demonstrates how farmers in developing countries, by using leguminous plants, can grow useful crops while avoiding that expense. However, the plants to be discussed here should be seen as complements to, not as substitutes for, conventional tropical crops.




Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries


Book Description

Wild pigs inhabit vast areas in Europe, Southern Asia and Africa, and have been introduced in North and South America, while feral pigs are widespread in Australia and New Zealand. Many wild pig species are threatened with extinction, but Eurasian wild boar populations, however, are increasing in many regions. Covering all wild pig and peccary species, the Suidae and Tayassuidae families, this comprehensive review presents new information about the evolution, taxonomy and domestication of wild pigs and peccaries alongside novel case studies on conservation activities and management. One hundred leading experts from twenty five countries synthesise understanding of this group of species; discussing current research, and gaps in the knowledge of researchers, conservation biologists, zoologists, wildlife managers and students. This beautifully illustrated reference includes the long history of interactions between wild pigs and humans, the benefits some species have brought us and their role and impact on natural ecosystems.




Mondo Canine


Book Description

In this irresistible collection of quotations, anecdotes, folklore, and essays, curmudgeon Jon Winkour pays tribute to canines of every size, shape, color, and persuasion--from the much maligned pit bull to the pampered poodle. Photographs. Literary Guild Selection.




Creative Conservation


Book Description

Past progress and future challenges R.J. Wheater Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. In the past two decades much has been achieved in the sphere of breeding endangered species, and we should be pleased that our co operative efforts have already borne so much fruit. However, on balance and despite the best efforts of conservationists, the position of wildlife in the wild places where they are best conserved has become worse, often dramatically worse. Before returning to the United Kingdom in 1972, I was in Uganda for 16 years, most of which time was spent as Chief Warden of Murchison Falls National Park. Our main problem was that an over-population of large mammals was having a devastating impact on the habitat. Devas tation was being wrought on woodland areas by the arrival of large numbers of elephants into the sanctuary of the Park, following changes in land use in the areas outside the Park. These changes were in response to the requirements of an ever-expanding human population.




SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition


Book Description

For Any Climate, in Any Situation Newly updated to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, the internationally bestselling SAS Survival Handbook is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, this complete course includes: Being prepared: Understanding basic survival needs and preparing essentials, such as a pocket survival kit. Making camp: Finding the best location, constructing the appropriate shelter, organizing camp, and creating tools. Food: What to eat, what to avoid, where to find it, and how to prepare it. First aid: A comprehensive course in emergency/wilderness medicine, including how to maximize survival in any climate or when injured. Disaster survival: How to react in the face of increasingly frequent natural disasters and hostile situations—and how to survive at home if all services and supplies are cut off.




Tibeto-Burman Languages of Nepal


Book Description

The country of Nepal is home to over one hundred distinct languages from four language families. The current volume provides grammars, glossaries and texts for two of these languages: Kristine A. Hildebrandt's grammar and glossary of Manange, of the Tamangic branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family, and Barbara Kelly's grammar and glossary of Sherpa, of the Tibetan (Bodish) branch. Each grammar provides a full description of the phonology, morphology and syntax of the language, covering both the structural and functional properties of each. The glossaries contain lists of basic vocabulary, alternate forms, and comparisons with forms given in previous literature. The short texts provide insights into how speakers weave linguistic structures to produce fluent discourse.