Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually "downcycling," creating hybrids of biological and technical "nutrients" which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm--they're actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It's a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. --Therese Littleton
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Make lightning in your room! Keep paper dry under water! Lose weight by going upstairs! See colors that aren't there! Experience the magic of science with these quick, easy experiments and activities from Jean Potter. You can complete each activity in ten fun-filled minutes or less. Clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations help you get it right every time. The projects help you learn about everything from why eggs aren't round to how submarines surface and submerge. You will find most of the required materials already in your home, backyard, or neighborhood, and you can perform the experiments practically anywhere. The 108 activities in this book cover twelve different subject areas, including air, animals, energy, gravity, magnetism, light, the human body, and much more. You'll make a rainbow right on your floor, pop a balloon with a magnifying glass, make a coffee can roll back to you after you've pushed it away, and bend water as it streams from your faucet--all with the help of a leading educator. Children Ages 8-12
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Joanna Cole, Illustrations Bruce Degen. "Cole and Degen continue their collaboration with gusto and intelligence to create a fine introduction to social insects and honeybees in particular." -The Horn Book. Paperback.
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On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat. Schlosser's investigation reaches its frightening peak in the meatpacking plants as he reveals the almost complete lack of federal oversight of a seemingly lawless industry. His searing portrayal of the industry is disturbingly similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written in 1906: nightmare working conditions, union busting, and unsanitary practices that introduce E. coli and other pathogens into restaurants, public schools, and homes. Almost as disturbing is his description of how the industry "both feeds and feeds off the young," insinuating itself into all aspects of children's lives, even the pages of their school books, while leaving them prone to obesity and disease. Fortunately, Schlosser offers some eminently practical remedies. "Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior," he writes. Where to begin? Ask yourself, is the true cost of having it "your way" really worth it? --Lesley Reed
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New Design Suppressor for Military Grade Rifles Brand New!! Keith Anderson,renown for his quality suppressor books has completely revised this manual. It features a more efficient suppressor design than the previous edition and takes you step by step from raw material to a finished military grade suppressor. This suppressor works for AR-15s, .50 BMGs or other models in between. The book covers construction tools, materials and techniques. It even tutors you in the art of welding. It is a must have for serious silencer enthusiasts and if you purchased the previous edition you will certainly want this one. *Be sure to buy the companion DVD UPC# 793573814371. This is a must have tool to accompany the comprehensive publication by Mr. Anderson.
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Considered to be one of the best electricity books on the market, the authors have provided a clear understanding of how electricity is produced, measured, controlled and used. A minimum of mathematics is used for direct explanations of primary cells, magnetism, Ohm's Law, capacitance, transformers, DC generators, and AC motors. Other essential topics covered include conductance, current flow, electromagnetism and meters.
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Hardcover First Edition 2008
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Sometimes a battle, such as the one that raged along France's Marne River in 1918, involves hundreds of thousands of soldiers and costs many lives. Sometimes, as in the case of Tippecanoe, a battle involves only a few hundred fighters. Great or small, as historian Paul Davis notes, history has turned on clashes such as these. In this well-researched compendium, Davis examines battles that have had far-reaching historical consequences. The first entry covers the Battle of Megiddo, which delivered unto the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III an uneasy dominion over Palestine and broadened his empire into Asia; the final entry, set not far from the first, describes the Allied victory over Iraq in Desert Storm, which "denied control of a large portion of the Middle East oil reserves to dictator Saddam Hussein and showed the ability of a multinational coalition to succeed in the post-Cold War world, perhaps setting an example of future international military action." In between Davis considers similarly fateful but often forgotten contests, such as the Battle of Chalons, when another coalition--this one of Visigoths, Romans, and Gallic and Germanic tribes--turned back the huge Mongol army of Attila in A.D. 451, and the Battle of Shanhaikuan, when, in the spring of 1644, China's Ming dynasty fell to Manchu invaders. Davis sometimes prefers sweeping themes to mundane realities (the fact, for instance, that the Battle of Adrianople turned on the recent invention of the stirrup), and his compendium tends heavily toward Europe at the expense of other parts of the world. The illustrations are also of uneven quality and usefulness. Still, readers with an interest in military history will find this to be a handy reference and overview, and they'll enjoy second-guessing the author, nominating battles that didn't make his hundred while learning from the obscure, but nonetheless critical, ones that he does address. --Gregory McNamee
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Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures--the guide to applications, methods, and materials, has been the industry's primary reference on concrete technology for over 85 years This fully revised 15th edition is a concise, current reference on concrete, that includes the many advances that occurred since the last edition was published in 2002. The text is backed by over 95 years of research by the Portland Cement Association. It reflects the latest information on standards, specifications, test methods and guides of ASTM International (ASTM), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA).
This book presents the properties of concrete as needed in concrete construction, including strength and durability. All concrete ingredients (cementing materials, water, aggregates, chemical admixtures, and fibers) are reviewed for their optimal use in designing and proportioning concrete mixtures. The use of concrete from design to batching, mixing, transporting, placing, consolidating, finishing, and curing is addressed. Besides presenting a 30% increase in new information over the prior edition within the previous chapters, this edition has added four new chapters on concrete sustainability, reinforcement, properties of concrete, and durability.
This comprehensive manual benefits personnel from ready-mixed concrete producers, concrete contractors, and material suppliers and is a reference publication for many national and state certification programs. Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures also meets the growing needs of architects, engineers, builders, and students. The 15th edition also includes a foreward by William F. Baker, PE, SE, FIStructE Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. This book is a "must have" for anyone involved with concrete.
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CREATE FIENDISHLY FUN SPY TOOLS AND COUNTERMEASURES Fully updated throughout, this wickedly inventive guide is packed with a wide variety of stealthy sleuthing contraptions you can build yourself. 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius, Second Edition also shows you how to reclaim your privacy by targeting the very mechanisms that invade your space. Find out how to disable several spy devices by hacking easily available appliances into cool tools of your own, and even turn the tables on the snoopers by using gadgetry to collect information on them. Featuring easy-to-find, inexpensive parts, this hands-on guide helps you build your skills in working with electronics components and tools while you create an impressive arsenal of spy gear and countermeasures. The only limit is your imagination! 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius, Second Edition: Contains step-by-step instructions and helpful illustrations Provides tips for customizing the projects Covers the underlying principles behind the projects Removes the frustration factor--all required parts are listed Build these and other devious devices: Spy camera Infrared light converter Night vision viewer Phone number decoder Phone spammer jammer Telephone voice changer GPS tracking device Laser spy device Remote control hijacker Camera flash taser Portable alarm system Camera trigger hack Repeating camera timer Sound- and motion-activated cameras Camera zoom extender
Price : $15.01
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