Meet and learn why older men and women are passionate about fitness and athletics: Don McNelly has completed more than 150 marathons after the age of 80. Philippa Raschker has dedicated her life to track and was edged out for the Sullivan Award by swimmer Michael Phelps. Clarence Bass, in his 70s, has the polished physique of a man 50 years younger. Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete is an absorbing account of a growing subculture of Americans who are challenging the notion of what it means to grow old. Visit the book's Web site at www.SecondWindAthlete.com. Contents Prologue: Sprinting Into Midlife 1. From Bench to Bench Press 2. The Comeback 3. Older and Faster 4. American Birkenbeiner 5. Fabulous Abs 6. I Want to Be a Winner 7. A Runner's Heart 8. Ironwoman 9. Streakers 10. Swimming Against the Tide 11. Racing Across America 12. Marathon Man Epilogue: Ageless Role Models
Meet and learn why older men and women are passionate about fitness and athletics: Don McNelly has completed more than 150 marathons after the age of 80. Philippa Raschker has dedicated her life to track and was edged out for the Sullivan Award by swimmer Michael Phelps. Clarence Bass, in his 70s, has the polished physique of a man 50 years younger. Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete is an absorbing account of a growing subculture of Americans who are challenging the notion of what it means to grow old. Visit the book's Web site at www.SecondWindAthlete.com. Contents Prologue: Sprinting Into Midlife 1. From Bench to Bench Press 2. The Comeback 3. Older and Faster 4. American Birkenbeiner 5. Fabulous Abs 6. I Want to Be a Winner 7. A Runner's Heart 8. Ironwoman 9. Streakers 10. Swimming Against the Tide 11. Racing Across America 12. Marathon Man Epilogue: Ageless Role Models
Phycology is the study of algae, the primary photosynthetic organisms in freshwater and marine food chains. Since the publication of the first edition in 1981, this textbook has established itself as a classic resource on this subject. Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in phycology, limnology and biological oceanography, this revised edition maintains the format of previous editions, whilst incorporating the recent developments in the field such as: the potential and challenges of producing algae biofuel; the proliferation of algal toxins; and the development of new molecular tools and technologies on ancestry, phylogeny, and taxonomy of algae.
First published in 1997, this volume examines the future development of the European Union (and Sweden’s role within it) which has been a subject of intense debate. Whilst to outside observers, the Swedish case may seem peripheral to mainstream events on the continental mainland due to the country’s status as a small state, Sweden will nevertheless have an important contribution to make to the future evolution of the European Union. The purpose of this book is to examine the complex inter-relationship between Sweden and European integration (1950-96). It introduces the concept of the ‘Swedish Diamond’ to explain why the country’s governing elite resisted and then went on to seek and attain full EU membership. The author also argues that a revised ‘Membership Diamond’ represents a useful conceptual framework for examining elite attitudes and perspectives now that Sweden is a full EU member. The book also includes a Foreword by the Swedish Defence Minister, Björn von Sydow.
Recognized authorities in anesthesiology and surgical critical care present you with today's best management approaches for achieving optimal perioperative outcomes. They review the potential risks to all major organ systems by examining the incidence and significance of organ dysfunction...assessing the etiology of particular organ dysfunctions...defining the preoperative and intraoperative risk factors...and offering perioperative protection strategies to minimize potential complications. A consistent chapter format - combined with color-coded algorithms, summary tables and boxes - enable you to quickly locate specific guidance. Top evidence- and outcome-based strategies from leading world authorities enable you to avoid and manage complications. A consistent format allows you to easily and efficiently access the very latest research and clinical practice guidelines. Color-coded algorithms, as well as abundant summary tables and boxes, save you valuable time in locating the best management approaches.
Based on the most current evidence and best practices, Perioperative Medicine: Managing for Outcome, 2nd Edition, is an easy-to-follow, authoritative guide to achieving optimal outcomes in perioperative care. Written and edited by recognized authorities in anesthesiology and surgical critical care, this fully updated edition helps you think critically about complex, long-term issues surrounding the care of the surgical patient, providing decision trees that define strategies to enhance the medical outcome of care. Focuses on what anesthesiologists, surgeons, and intensivists need to know in order to improve outcomes through evidence- and outcome-based approaches. Provides practical guidance on potential risks to all major organ systems, the etiology of particular organ dysfunctions, preoperative and intraoperative risk factors, and perioperative protection strategies to minimize potential complications. Features a consistent chapter format - with even more color-coded algorithms, summary tables, and boxes – that enables you to quickly explore and determine the best management approaches. Includes six all-new chapters: Perioperative Fluid Management; Delirium and POCD; Role of Palliative Care/ICU; Value-Based Care: The UK Model; CFO Perspective on Value; Hospital to Home (Perioperative Transitions of Care) Discusses timely topics such as quality improvement, pay-for-performance, preexisting disease and comorbid conditions in anesthesiology, and the team-based model of care. Features two new editors, surgeon Clifford Ko, MD, and Perioperative Summit leader, Michael (Monty) Mythen, MD.
AN ELEGANT FRAMEWORK FOR MORE EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP Bolman and Deal’s four-frame model has been transforming business leadership for over 40 years. Using a multidisciplinary approach to management, this deceptively simple model offers a powerful set of tools for navigating complexity and turbulence; as the political and economic climate continues to evolve, this model has never been more relevant than today. The Structural Frame explores the convergence of organizational structure and function, and shows why social architecture must take environment into account. Case studies illustrate successful alignment in diverse organizations, and guidelines provide strategic insight for avoiding common pathologies and achieving the right fit. The Human Resource Frame dissects the complex dynamics at the intersection of people and organizations and charts the leadership and human resource practices that build motivation and high performance. The Political Frame shows how competition, conflict, and the struggle for power and resources can be either a tool for growth or a toxic landmine for an individual or organization. Case studies show how both constructive and destructive practices influence social, political, and economic trends both within and beyond organizational boundaries. The Symbolic Frame defines organizational culture, and delves into the emotional and existential underbelly of social life. It underscores the power of symbolic forms such as heroes, myths, and rituals in providing the glue that bonds social collectives together. The Seventh Edition has been updated with new information on cross-sector collaboration, generational differences, virtual environments, globalization, cross-cultural communication, and more, with an expanded Instructor’s Guide that includes summaries, mini-assessments, videos, and extra resources.
Firms have discovered that open source (OS) communities can be valuable sources of innovation. However, the access for firms to these communities turned to be intricate. One proven way of how firms can enter OS communities is via their personnel (“men on the inside”). Focusing on firmsponsored OS communities, Viktor Lee detects the specific functions of MOI and how these individuals influence the community network by applying a comparative case study of two OSS firms. A netnographic and social network analysis of the community interactions of over 12,000 individuals was conducted. He concludes that firms can succeed in integrating a community into the firm’s development process with the help of the MOI.
This book captures the story of how internal coaching was introduced and has since evolved in the U.S. Federal Government. It provides coaches and government agency leaders with skills and tools to help them implement their own successful coaching programs. Written by leaders in the field, the book follows the stories of several pioneers who have implemented coaching programs in government, aiming to help coaches learn from their mistakes and gain from their wisdom. Filled with interviews, case studies, reflective questions, and how-to action points, each chapter accessibly highlights the successes and failures of each program's journey so that professionals can incorporate these lessons in their own practice. Chapters take readers from the beginning considerations to contemplating the future of their programs, focusing on setting a vision, overcoming issues and challenges, leveraging predictors of success, making key decisions, building foundations for sustainability, and creating continuing education for sustainment of change. Accessible and relatable, these stories will help professionals learn from those that have come before them, helping them begin the groundswell of change effectively and proactively in their own programs. This book is essential reading for coaches and government agency leaders, as well as for any public sector agency and any private sector organization that is interested in implementing coaching.
S. Korea is one of the major sending countries in the “transnational experiment of child care”, invented by the human community after World War II. Among all sending countries of adoptees, S. Korea is actually the country where the practice of inter-country adoption had its genesis. The fundamental source of power which sustains inter-country adoption practices is, as Dr. Nigel Cantwell mentions in his endorsement, the pervasive “glowing image” of adoption. In other words, the dominant perception of adoption as salvation is a key obstacle which prevents a more accurate mapping of the reality of inter-country adoption. In her new book, Dr. Kyung-eun Lee wields international laws as her surgical blade in order to dissect the practice of inter-country adoption from S. Korea. She uncovers the fact that the S. Korean government and private adoption agencies as partners have made “orphans” systematically, widely, but ironically within legal boundaries. As a result, adoptees’ human rights have been violated on a massive scale. Dr. Lee points out the negligence of the international society which was aware of Korea’s failure in complying with the international legal system. She reminds the international community, especially those of the receiving countries, of their responsibility to demand that sending countries such as S. Korea enhance their legal systems in order to protect child rights. Growing requests from adult international adoptees to find their identities and information on their adoption reveals much evidence that adoptees’ rights were violated by the inter-country adoption system. Many countries have begun to investigate past abuses and malpractices within the adoption system, and are finding a way to recover adoptees’ rights from the unethical and illegal practices which have taken place in the past, and which are still inherent within the system. This book should serve as invaluable guidance to government officials, legal experts, researchers and adoption-related stakeholders who wish to transform the current global “orphan” adoption system into the alternative care system for the best interests of the child.
Economics is a contested academic discipline between neoclassical economics and a collection of alternative approaches, such as Marxism-radical economics, Institutional economics, Post Keynesian economics, and others, that can collectively be called heterodox economics. Because of the dominance of neoclassical economics, the existence of the alternative approaches is generally not known. This book is concerned with the community history of heterodox economics, seen primarily through the eyes of Marxian-radical economics and Post Keynesian economics. Throughout the 20th century neoclassical economists in conjunction with state and university power have attacked heterodox economists and tried to cleanse them from the academy. Professor Lee, his groundbreaking new title discusses issues including the contested landscape of American economics in the 1970s, the emergence and establishment of Post Keynesian economics in the US and the development of heterodox economics in Britain from 1970 to 1996.
Nowadays, we all tend to complain about bureaucracy, if only because it touches our daily lives, sometimes in frustrating ways. This book examines the gradual emergence of American public administration. As a history of American bureaucracy, it focuses on key and pivotal events in its evolution and development. Chapters highlight major issues and controversies including the anti-democratic origins of the field, Congressional hostility to the bureaucracy, if appointed city managers should be subject to recall by voters, early limits on the role of women, and the establishment of a membership association for practitioners and academics alike—an unusual feature in the American professional world. This book will appeal to university students, university faculty members, and academic libraries interested in American government and US history. The subject is at the intersection of several academic disciplines, including public administration, American history, political science, public management, management history, and organization theory.
Dysfunction abounds in America in so many ways, from continuous turbulent change in the business environment, to a US federal government polarized by an inability to compromise and fulfill its historic missions, to personal levels where even deeper and darker levels of dysfunction reside within our colleagues, families, friends, and ourselves. Can any of us survive and thrive against such a backdrop of unsettledness and anxiety? Deborah Lee James wants to help us try. As the 23rd Secretary and the “CEO” of the male-dominated US Air Force (only the second woman to lead a US military service), Secretary Deborah Lee James led a force of 660,000 people and managed a $139 billion budget—larger than the GDP of more than 120 countries. In the midst of unprecedented political dysfunction in Washington, she faced down enormous challenges, including preparing military women and men to fight terror in the Middle East, combatting sexual assault in the military, and responding to a crisis in the nuclear enterprise. In Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success, Deborah James shares her personal and professional challenges, outcomes, strategies for success, and the problem-solving principles she used to overcome the daunting pressures, threats, and challenges that come with rising to the top of the US Armed Forces. As a supplement to her storytelling, Bain and Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, offers research and statistics that prove James’ insights have widespread impact. The book offers an insider’s view on how things really work in Washington—and how the author’s five-step, repeatable problem-solving approach can work in any walk of life. As a mother and wife, Deborah James carried her insights and problem-solving skills home. For women in similar circumstances, her story will provide a powerful guidebook for excelling in both public and private life, and ensuring that their battles can be won and their challenges overcome.
Transnational adoption was once a rarity in the United States, but Americans have been choosing to adopt children from abroad with increasing frequency since the mid-twentieth century. Korean adoptees make up the largest share of international adoptions—25 percent of all children adopted from outside the United States—but they remain understudied among Asian American groups. What kind of identities do adoptees develop as members of American families and in a cultural climate that often views them as foreigners? Choosing Ethnicity, Negotiating Race is the only study of this unique population to collect in-depth interviews with a multigenerational, random sample of adult Korean adoptees. The book examines how Korean adoptees form their social identities and compares them to native-born Asian Americans who are not adopted. How do American stereotypes influence the ways Korean adoptees identify themselves? Does the need to explore a Korean cultural identity—or the absence of this need—shift according to life stage or circumstance? In Choosing Ethnicity, Negotiating Race, sixty-one adult Korean adoptees—representing different genders, social classes, and communities—reflect on early childhood, young adulthood, their current lives, and how they experience others' perceptions of them. The authors find that most adoptees do not identify themselves strongly in ethnic terms, although they will at times identify as Korean or Asian American in order to deflect questions from outsiders about their cultural backgrounds. Indeed, Korean adoptees are far less likely than their non-adopted Asian American peers to explore their ethnic backgrounds by joining ethnic organizations or social networks. Adoptees who do not explore their ethnic identity early in life are less likely ever to do so—citing such causes as general aversion, lack of opportunity, or the personal insignificance of race, ethnicity, and adoption in their lives. Nonetheless, the choice of many adoptees not to identify as Korean or Asian American does not diminish the salience of racial stereotypes in their lives. Korean adoptees must continually navigate society's assumptions about Asian Americans regardless of whether they chose to identify ethnically. Choosing Ethnicity, Negotiating Race is a crucial examination of this little-studied American population and will make informative reading for adoptive families, adoption agencies, and policymakers. The authors demonstrate that while race is a social construct, its influence on daily life is real. This book provides an insightful analysis of how potent this influence can be—for transnational adoptees and all Americans.
This book explores the life courses of children born of war in different twentieth-century conflicts, including the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Bosnian War, the Rwandan Genocide and the LRA conflict. It investigates both governmental and military policies vis-à-vis children born of war and their mothers, as well as family and local community attitudes, building a complex picture of the multi-layered challenges faced by many children born of war within their post-conflict receptor communities. Based on extensive archival research, the book also uses oral history and participatory research methods which allow the author to add the voices of the children born of war to historical analysis.
Reframing Academic Leadership Reframing Academic Leadership is the go-to guide for deepening leadership commitment, capacity, and impact. Gallos and Bolman tease out the unique opportunities and challenges in academic leadership and present powerful ideas and tools to guide and assist college and university administrators in: Creating campus environments that facilitate creativity and commitment Forging vital alliances and partnerships in service of the mission Building campus cultures and shared vision that unite and inspire Crafting institutional structures and strategies that foster innovation and excellence In this updated edition, the authors integrate time-tested conceptual frameworks with rich and compelling real-world cases and tackle contemporary, high-impact issues such as changes in the professoriate and in student populations, funding shortfalls, equity and social justice, the double-edged sword of technology, managing conflict and crisis, ethics and governance, and strengthening leadership agility and resolve. This readable, intellectually provocative, and pragmatic book is for all who care deeply about higher education, are committed to making it better, and understand its potential to transform lives, families, communities, organizations, and nations. Leadership matters more than ever, and Reframing Academic Leadership offers the seminal framework for understanding and leading in higher education today. PRAISE FOR REFRAMING ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP | 1st ED “Reframing Academic Leadership is the most comprehensive book on the topic and an excellent source of knowledge for faculty and managerial leaders in every college and university. An invaluable resource for students of higher education leadership!” —MAUREEN SULLIVAN, Past President, American Library Association and Association of College and Research Libraries “Reframing Academic Leadership provides a compassionate understanding of the stresses of leadership in higher education. It offers insights to those who do not fully appreciate why higher education is so hard to ‘manage’ and validation for those entirely familiar with this world. I recommend it enthusiastically.” —JUDITH BLOCK MCLAUGHLIN, Senior lecturer on education and faculty chair of the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents and the Harvard Seminar for Presidential Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education “Bolman and Gallos provide a refreshing view of leadership essential for those assuming presidencies and other important leadership positions in higher education. This work is a bedside reference for aspiring and current leadership in higher education not only in the U.S. but also abroad.” —FERNANCO LEON GARCIA, President, Sistema CETYS Universidad, Baja California, Mexico “Bolman and Gallos have written a practical, lucid text that brings together illustrative vignettes and robust frameworks for diagnosing and managing colleges and universities. I recommend it to new and experienced administrators who will routinely confront difficult people, structures, and cultures in their workplaces.” —CHRISTOPHER MORPHEW, Dean, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University “Reframing Academic Leadership is filled with real-world examples from leaders. The book reads like a guide for leading a chamber music rehearsal where one’s role constantly shifts from star to servant and where multiple answers may be ‘right’.” —PETER WHITE, Dean and Professor of Conducting, Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific
Bioassays are among the ecotoxicologist's most effective weapons in the evaluation of water quality and the assessment of ecological impacts of effluents, chemicals, discharges, and emissions on the aquatic environment. Information on these assessment aids is needed throughout the international scientific and environmental management community. This comprehensive reference provides an excellent overview of the small-scale aquatic bioassay techniques and applications currently in use around the world. This special volume is the result of several years of collaboration between Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Internationally recognized research scientists at many institutions have contributed to this state-of-the-art examination of the exciting, environmentally important field of microscale testing in aquatic toxicology. Microscale Testing in Aquatic Toxicology contains over forty chapters covering relevant principles, new techniques and recent advancements, and applications in scientific research, environmental management, academia, and the private sector.
For student research, this reference highlights the importance of Asian Americans in U.S. history, the impact of specific individuals, and this ethnic group as a whole across time; documenting evolving policies, issues, and feelings concerning this particular American population. Asian American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events provides a uniquely interesting way to learn about events in Asian American history that span several hundred years (and the contributions of Asian Americans to U.S. culture in that time). The book is organized in the form of a calendar, with each day of the year corresponding with an entry about an important event, person, or innovation that span several hundred years of Asian American history and references to books and websites that can provide more information about that event. Readers will also have access to primary source document excerpts that accompany the daily entries and serve as additional resources that help bring history to life. With this guide in hand, teachers will be able to more easily incorporate Asian American history into their classes, and students will find the book an easy-to-use guide to the Asian American past and an ideal "jumping-off point" for more targeted research.
More than an exercise guide, the book Eat. Lift. Thrive. acknowledges and addresses the relationship women have with fitness and food. Popular trainer and author Sohee Lee shares her experience and strategies for overhauling mindset, eating habits, and training routines. Detailed instructions, color photos, and advice accompany Lee’s nutrition tips, exercises, and 12-week program.
Colleges and universities constitute a special type of organization; and their complex mission, dynamics, personnel structures, and values require a distinct set of understandings and skills to lead and manage them well." —From the Preface In Reframing Academic Leadership, Lee G. Bolman and Joan V. Gallos offer higher education leaders a provocative and pragmatic guide for Crafting dynamic institutions where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Creating campus environments that facilitate creativity and commitment Forging alliances and partnerships in service of the mission Building shared vision and campus cultures that unite and inspire Serving the larger goals of the academy and society Throughout the book, the authors integrate powerful conceptual frameworks with rich and compelling real-world cases to support academic leaders searching for the best in themselves and in their institutions. The book tackles thorny issues such as building institutional clarity and capacity, managing conflict, coping with difficult people, partnering with the boss, and developing leadership resilience. Following in the tradition of Bolman and Deal's classic Reframing Organizations, Bolman and Gallos emphasize a pragmatic approach. They tease out the unique challenges and opportunities in academic leadership and provide ideas, tools, and encouragement to help higher education leaders see more clearly, feel more confident, and become more skilled and versatile in handling the vicissitudes of daily life. Reframing Academic Leadership is the resource for those seeking to understand, develop, and manage colleges and universities.
A History of Western Choral Music explores the various genres, important composers, and influential works essential to the development of the western choral tradition. Divided across two volumes, this comprehensive investigation moves from the Medieval period through the Avant-Garde." -- Publisher description.
A mbassador at Large: Diplomat Extraordinary is a welcome contri bution to the literature on contemporary diplomacy, and is especially relevant to the conduct of United States foreign relations. Concomitant with pressures to escalate the level of diplomatic representation and negotiation, the Ambassador at Large, a recent innovation in the American diplomatic hierarchy, may play an increasingly important role. Should other governments follow the American lead by creating similar offices, a new, flexible layer of diplomatic relations may be added to the four which currently are most widely used, namely, the summit, the ministerial, the traditional professional, and the technical strata. Diplomacy may be defined as the international political process whereby political entities - mostly the recognized members of the fami ly of nations, but also emergent states, international and supranational organizations, and a few special entities like the Vatican - conduct their official relations with one another in the international environ ment. Like other human and societal processes, it is astatic and in the course of time experiences significant changes. It has expanded to meet the needs of a rapidly proliferating community of nations and it has been adapted to the growing complex of international concerns and interactions. Scientific and technological changes have created new problems and revolutionized methods of diplomatic communication and transportation. These developments have both intensified the needs and enriched the potentialities of the diplomatic process. Throughout history doubtless each major, permeative modification in diplomatic practice has produced a so-called "new diplomacy.
The first goal in this edition of the book remains as in the first edition - to cover the broad issues involved in the care of the spinal cord injured patient. The second goal is to provide an evaluation of spinal cord injury by experts who are deeply involved with various aspects of spinal cord injury management. Included in this new and revised edition are chapters devoted to three significant areas of development, particularly upper limb reconstruction, the use of electrical stimulation, and neuronal preservation after ischemic injury. New chapters review the state of exercise, standing, and walking systems using electrical stimulation, and the important and emerging topic of neuronal preservation after ischemic injury. The scope of this book includes: diagnostic methods evaluation methods spinal cord injury pathophysiology medical/surgical management rehabilitation and issues of specialized care This book is a compendium of otherwise difficult to assemble knowledge replete with time tested methods as well as with contemporary developments in the form of new ideas, techniques, and concepts.
For one of the fastest growing segments of the sales profession, this second edition is welcome. Offering hundreds of new ways to break the ice and complete a sale, it also gives classic tools from the first edition, proven by sales reps and managers. "Ideal for new and veteran sales reps alike, here is the perfect primer for a tough, rewarding job".--The Wall Street Journal.
Informed by his profound knowledge of contemporary political affairs and the current debate on European integration in Sweden, Lee Miles investigates Sweden's experiences of being a full member of the European Union since 1995. Widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on Scandinavian relations with the European Union (EU), the author proposes a micro fusion perspective offering an insightful new conceptual framework through which to understand Swedish views on European integration and the influences on national EU policy. The volume also includes a Foreword by Wolfgang Wessels, Jean Monnet Professor and the founder of the fusion theory.
This is the thoroughly updated and expanded third edition of the successful The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon. It represents a fresh attempt to understand some of the many perplexing questions related to the origins and canonicity of the Bible.
Lee Martin McDonald provides a magisterial overview of the development of the biblical canon --- the emergence of the list of individual texts that constitutes the Christian bible. In these two volumes -- in sum more than double the length of his previous works -- McDonald presents his most in-depth overview to date. McDonald shows students and researchers how the list of texts that constitute 'the bible' was once far more fluid than it is today and guides readers through the minefield of different texts, different versions, and the different lists of texts considered 'canonical' that abounded in antiquity. Questions of the origin and transmission of texts are introduced as well as consideration of innovations in the presentation of texts, collections of documents, archaeological finds and Church councils. In the first volume McDonald reexamines issues of canon formation once considered settled, and sets the range of texts that make up the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) in their broader context. Each indidvidual text is discussed, as are the cultural, political and historical situations surrounding them. This second volume considers the New Testament, and the range of so-called 'apocryphal' gospels that were written in early centuries, and used by many Christian groups before the canon was closed. Also included are comprehensive appendices which show various canon lists for both Old and New Testaments and for the bible as a whole.
Leaves are all around us—in backyards, cascading from window boxes, even emerging from small cracks in city sidewalks given the slightest glint of sunlight. Perhaps because they are everywhere, it’s easy to overlook the humble leaf, but a close look at them provides one of the most enjoyable ways to connect with the natural world. A lush, incredibly informative tribute to the leaf, Nature’s Fabric offers an introduction to the science of leaves, weaving biology and chemistry with the history of the deep connection we feel with all things growing and green. Leaves come in a staggering variety of textures and shapes: they can be smooth or rough, their edges smooth, lobed, or with tiny teeth. They have adapted to their environments in remarkable, often stunningly beautiful ways—from the leaves of carnivorous plants, which have tiny “trigger hairs” that signal the trap to close, to the impressive defense strategies some leaves have evolved to reduce their consumption. (Recent studies suggest, for example, that some plants can detect chewing vibrations and mobilize potent chemical defenses.) In many cases, we’ve learned from the extraordinary adaptations of leaves, such as the invention of new self-cleaning surfaces inspired by the slippery coating found on leaves. But we owe much more to leaves, and Lee also calls our attention back to the fact that that our very lives—and the lives of all on the planet—depend on them. Not only is foliage is the ultimate source of food for every living thing on land, its capacity to cycle carbon dioxide and oxygen can be considered among evolution’s most important achievements—and one that is critical in mitigating global climate change. Taking readers through major topics like these while not losing sight of the small wonders of nature we see every day—if you’d like to identify a favorite leaf, Lee’s glossary of leaf characteristics means you won’t be left out on a limb—Nature’s Fabric is eminently readable and full of intriguing research, sure to enhance your appreciation for these extraordinary green machines.
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