Zac Unger didn’t feel like much of a fireman at first. Most of his fellow recruits seemed to have planned for the job all their lives; he was an Ivy League grad responding to an ad at a bus stop. He couldn’t keep his boots shined, and he looked terrible in his uniform. Working Fire is the story of how, from this unlikely beginning, Zac Unger came to feel at home among this close-knit tribe, came to master his work’s demands, and came to know what it is to see the world through a firefighter’s eyes. From the raw material of his days’ work—alarm calls both harrowing and hilarious, moments of triumph and grief—Unger has forged a timeless story of finding one’s path, and a rousing adventure about the bravery and sacrifice of everyday heroes. On the web: http://www.zacunger.com
I like to go out for walks, but it's a little awkward to push the baby stroller and carry a shotgun at the same time." -- housewife from Churchill, Manitoba Yes, welcome to Churchill, Manitoba. Year-round human population: 943. Yet despite the isolation and the searing cold here at the arctic's edge, visitors from around the globe flock to the town every fall, driven by a single purpose: to see polar bears in the wild. Churchill is "The Polar Bear Capital of the World," and for one unforgettable "bear season," Zac Unger, his wife, and his three children moved from Oakland, California, to make it their temporary home. But they soon discovered that it's really the polar bears who are at home in Churchill, roaming past the coffee shop on the main drag, peering into garbage cans, languorously scratching their backs against fence posts and front doorways. Where kids in other towns receive admonitions about talking to strangers, Churchill schoolchildren get "Let's All Be Bear Aware" booklets to bring home. (Lesson number 8: Never explore bad-smelling areas.) Zac Unger takes readers on a spirited and often wildly funny journey to a place as unique as it is remote, a place where natives, tourists, scientists, conservationists, and the most ferocious predators on the planet converge. In the process he becomes embroiled in the controversy surrounding "polar bear science" -- and finds out that some of what we've been led to believe about the bears' imminent extinction may not be quite the case. But mostly what he learns is about human behavior in extreme situations . . . and also why you should never even think of looking a polar bear in the eye.
A portrait of the tiny Manitoba community to which numerous scientists, conservationists, and tourists flock to observe regional polar bears explores how the species has become a lightning rod for environmental debate.
Zac Unger didn’t feel like much of a fireman at first. Most of his fellow recruits seemed to have planned for the job all their lives; he was an Ivy League grad responding to an ad at a bus stop. He couldn’t keep his boots shined, and he looked terrible in his uniform. Working Fire is the story of how, from this unlikely beginning, Zac Unger came to feel at home among this close-knit tribe, came to master his work’s demands, and came to know what it is to see the world through a firefighter’s eyes. From the raw material of his days’ work—alarm calls both harrowing and hilarious, moments of triumph and grief—Unger has forged a timeless story of finding one’s path, and a rousing adventure about the bravery and sacrifice of everyday heroes. On the web: http://www.zacunger.com
Together, obesity and diabetes form a 21st century epidemic, the treatment of which consumes a substantial fraction of global health costs. New and improved therapies are therefore desperately needed.Incretins are short peptide hormones released from the gut in response to food transit. These hormones regulate a plethora of processes to control food intake, body weight and glucose homeostasis. This is one of the fastest areas of growth within diabetes research, and over the past decade, increasing numbers of novel diabetes drugs -- many based on incretin action -- have been added to the therapeutic armoury.Following an introduction detailing the historical perspective and discovery of incretin therapies and clinical applications, the book looks at the release of incretins at a cellular level from entero-endocrine cells, and actions on the pancreas (alpha and beta cells) and brain. It then looks at changes in incretins seen in diabetes and following bariatric surgery. Finally, the side effects of incretin therapy are discussed. Importantly, each chapter contains a methodology section aimed at providing a practical guide to key techniques in the field of incretin biology and ranges from basic laboratory research to clinical practice.Incretin Biology -- A Practical Guide offers a unique perspective within this field of research by bringing together scientists, physicians and bariatric surgeons. Thus, it is a comprehensive text that offers a broad overview of the subject.
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