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Books > Earth & environment > Geography
Flying airplanes for sport is expensive. Many recreational pilots
are businessmen or executives with sufficient income that allows
them to fly. But this recreational community also includes a
smaller group-the blue-collar workers. With little disposable
income, they struggle to find money to support their flying
passion. Eventually, many succumb to the financial pressures of
home and family, giving up flying altogether. But there are some
who find a way to continue enjoying their love for flight.
"Blue-Collar Wings: Remembering Thirty Years of Private Flying" is
the autobiography of middle-class worker Robert J. Keith, who
shares his story of flying light aircraft for recreation and
refusing to abandon it in the face of increasing costs. For three
decades, Robert and his wife Nancy enjoyed many adventures flying
airplanes and hot air balloons throughout New England . and
slightly beyond . and proved that dreams do come true.
Drivers exiting the New Jersey Turnpike for Perth Amboy, and map
readers marveling at all the places in Pennsylvania named
Lackawanna, need no longer wonder how these names originated.
"Manhattan to Minisink "provides the histories of more than five
hundred place names in the Greater New York area, including the
five boroughs, western Long Island, the New York counties north of
the city, and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
Robert S. Grumet, a leading ethnohistorian specializing in the
region's Indian peoples, draws on his meticulous research and deep
knowledge to determine the origins of Native, and Native-sounding,
place names.
Grumet divides his encyclopedic entries into two parts. The
first comprises an alphabetical listing of nearly 340 Indian place
names preserved in colonial records, located by county and state.
Each entry includes the name's language of origin, if known, and a
brief discussion of its etymology, including its earliest known
occurrence in written records, the history of its appearance on
maps, and the name's current status.
The book's second section presents nearly 200 place names that,
though widely believed to be of Indian origin, are "imports,
inventions, invocations, or impostors." Mistranslations are
abundant in place names, and Grumet has ferreted out the mistakes
and deceptions among home-grown colonial etymologies that New
Yorkers have accepted for centuries.
Complete with a concise history of Greater New York, a
discussion of the region's naming practices, a useful timeline, and
four maps, this is an invaluable resource both for scholars and for
readers who want a more intimate knowledge of the place where they
live or visit.
When American explorers crossed the Texas Panhandle, they dubbed it
part of the ""Great American Desert."" A ""sea of grass,"" the
llano appeared empty, flat, and barely habitable. Contemporary
developments - cell phone towers, oil rigs, and wind turbines -
have only added to this stereotype. Yet in this lyrical ecomemoir,
Shelley Armitage charts a unique rediscovery of the largely unknown
land, a journey at once deeply personal and far-reaching in its
exploration of the connections between memory, spirit, and place.
Armitage begins her narrative with the intention to walk the llano
from her family farm thirty meandering miles along the Middle
Alamosa Creek to the Canadian River. Along the way, she seeks the
connection between her father and one of the area's first settlers,
Ysabel Gurule, who built his dugout on the banks of the Canadian.
Armitage, who grew up nearby in the small town of Vega, finds this
act of walking inseparable from the act of listening and writing.
""What does the land say to us?"" she asks as she witnesses human
alterations to the landscape - perhaps most catastrophic the
continued drainage of the land's most precious resource, the
Ogallala Aquifer. Yet the llano's wonders persist: dynamic mesas
and canyons, vast flora and fauna, diverse wildlife, rich
histories. Armitage recovers the voices of ancient, Native, and
Hispano peoples, their stories interwoven with her own: her
father's legacy, her mother's decline, a brother's love. The llano
holds not only the beauty of ecological surprises but a renewed
realization of kinship in a world ever changing. Reminiscent of the
work of Terry Tempest Williams and John McPhee, Walking the Llano
is both a celebration of an oft-overlooked region and a soaring
testimony to the power of the landscape to draw us into greater
understanding of ourselves and others by experiencing a deeper
connection with the places we inhabit.
Written by leading experts in African studies, this broad
introduction to Nigeria follows the history of the republic from
the early period to the present day. As Africa's most populated
country and major world exporter of oil, Nigeria is a nation with
considerable international importance-a role that is hampered by
its economic underdevelopment and political instability. This book
examines all major aspects of Nigeria's geography, politics, and
culture, addressing the area's current attempts at building a
strong nation, developing a robust economy, and stabilizing its
domestic affairs. Perfect for students of African history,
geography, anthropology, and political science, this guidebook
provides an overview and history of Nigeria from the early period
to contemporary times. Chapters focus on each region in the
country; the government, economy and culture of Nigeria; the
challenges and problems Nigerians face since the country's
independence; and topics affecting everyday life, including music,
food, etiquette, gender roles, and marriage. Supports the National
Standards of Geography through the inclusion of Advanced Placement
(AP) Human Geography topics Contains facts and figures, a chart of
holidays, and a list of country-related organizations that promote
further research opportunities for students Offers sidebars with
interesting facts and profiles of key players in Nigerian history,
culture, and politics Includes an annotated bibliography to direct
readers toward additional resources for further research
Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, the Handbook of
Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for
understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the
degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life.
Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE awarded
Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates
the major challenges that the society is facing for the
sustainability of all wellbeing on planet Earth. The experience,
evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources
are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main
systems: land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art
knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and
provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing data in
the study of natural resources on a global scale. The six volumes
in this set cover: Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity;
Landscape and Land Capacity; Wetlands and Habitats; Fresh Water and
Watersheds; Coastal and Marine Environments; and finally Atmosphere
and Climate. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, the Handbook
of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as a complete set, is
essential for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the
science and management of natural resources. Public and private
libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists,
scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this
set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide
variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental
science and natural science courses at different levels and
disciplines, such as biology, geography, Earth system science,
ecology, etc.
With the emergence of smart technology and automated systems in
today's world, big data is being incorporated into many
applications. Trends in data can be detected and objects can be
tracked based on the real-time data that is utilized in everyday
life. These connected sensor devices and objects will provide a
large amount of data that is to be analyzed quickly, as it can
accelerate the transformation of smart technology. The accuracy of
prediction of artificial intelligence (AI) systems is drastically
increasing by using machine learning and other probability and
statistical approaches. Big data and geospatial data help to solve
complex issues and play a vital role in future applications.
Emerging Trends, Techniques, and Applications in Geospatial Data
Science provides an overview of the basic concepts of data science,
related tools and technologies, and algorithms for managing the
relevant challenges in real-time application domains. The book
covers a detailed description for readers with practical ideas
using AI, the internet of things (IoT), and machine learning to
deal with the analysis, modeling, and predictions from big data.
Covering topics such as field spectra, high-resolution sensing
imagery, and spatiotemporal data engineering, this premier
reference source is an excellent resource for data scientists,
computer and IT professionals, managers, mathematicians and
statisticians, health professionals, technology developers,
students and educators of higher education, librarians,
researchers, and academicians.
The seventh edition of the highly successful The City Reader
juxtaposes the very best classic and contemporary writings on the
city. Sixty-three selections are included: forty-five from the
sixth edition and eighteen new selections, including three newly
written exclusively for The City Reader. The anthology features a
Prologue essay on "How to Study Cities", eight part introductions
as well as individual introductions to each of the selected
articles. The new edition has been extensively updated and expanded
to reflect the latest thinking in each of the disciplinary and
topical areas included, such as sustainable urban development,
globalization, the impact of technology on cities, resilient
cities, and urban theory. The seventh edition places greater
emphasis on cities in the developing world, the global city system,
and the future of cities in the digital transformation age. While
retaining classic writings from authors such as Lewis Mumford, Jane
Jacobs, and Louis Wirth, this edition also includes the best
contemporary writings of, among others, Peter Hall, Manuel
Castells, and Saskia Sassen. New material has been added on compact
cities, urban history, placemaking, climate change, the world city
network, smart cities, the new social exclusion, ordinary cities,
gentrification, gender perspectives, regime theory, comparative
urbanization, and the impact of technology on cities. Bibliographic
material has been completely updated and strengthened so that the
seventh edition can serve as a reference volume orienting faculty
and students to the most important writings of all the key topics
in urban studies and planning. The City Reader provides the
comprehensive mapping of the terrain of Urban Studies, old and new.
It is essential reading for anyone interested in studying cities
and city life.
A MacArthur Award-winning scholar explores the explosive
intersection of farming, immigration, and big business At the
outset of World War II, California agriculture seemed to be on the
cusp of change. Many Californians, reacting to the ravages of the
Great Depression, called for a radical reorientation of the highly
exploitative labour relations that had allowed the state to become
such a productive farming frontier. But with the importation of the
first braceros-""guest workers"" from Mexico hired on an
""emergency"" basis after the United States entered the war-an even
more intense struggle ensued over how agriculture would be
conducted in the state. Esteemed geographer Don Mitchell argues
that by delineating the need for cheap, flexible farm labour as a
problem and solving it via the importation of relatively
disempowered migrant workers, an alliance of growers and government
actors committed the United States to an agricultural system that
is, in important respects, still with us. They Saved the Crops is a
theoretically rich and stylistically innovative account of grower
rapaciousness, worker militancy, rampant corruption, and
bureaucratic bias. Mitchell shows that growers, workers, and
officials confronted a series of problems that shaped-and were
shaped by-the landscape itself. For growers, the problem was
finding the right kind of labour at the right price at the right
time. Workers struggled for survival and attempted to win power in
the face of economic exploitation and unremitting violence.
Bureaucrats tried to harness political power to meet the demands
of, as one put it, ""the people whom we serve."" Drawing on a deep
well of empirical materials from archives up and down the state,
Mitchell's account promises to be the definitive book about
California agriculture in the turbulent decades of the
mid-twentieth century.
Routledge Library Editions: Colonialism and Imperialism is a
51-volume collection of previously out-of-print titles that examine
the history, practice and implications of Western colonialism
around the globe. From the earliest contact by European explorers
to the legacies that remain today, these books look at various
aspects of the topic that, taken together, form an essential
reference collection. Two of the titles study colonialism in
Southeast Asia by non-Western states, and provide a counterpoint in
the European-focused study of worldwide colonialism.
Established in 1905, The Forest Service is steeped in history,
conflict, strong personalities (including Theodore Roosevelt and
Gifford Pinchot), and the challenges of managing 193 million acres
of national forests and grasslands. This unique federal agency is
one that combines forest management with wildlife, fish,
recreation, mining, grazing, and hundreds of other uses. It
operates in the midst of controversy and change. The original
intent was to protect the public forests, protect the water
supplies, and, when appropriate, provide timber. Much has changed
over the last 100 years including many new laws, but the fact that
these lands are still fought over today shows the foresight of
politicians, foresters, scientists, and communities. This work
brings to light the many and varied activities of the agency that
many people know little about in a world that is constantly
changing. Written by a former Forest Service national historian,
topics discussed in the work include wilderness and the Wilderness
Act of 1964, recreation battles and interagency rivalry with the
National Park Service, timber management including clearcutting,
ecosystem management, roadless area and controversies over RARE and
RARE II studies, fish and wildlife management including endangered
species before and after the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and
mining and the General Mining Act of 1872. It also discusses the
future challenges: forest fires, water protection and restoration,
recreation, involving the public, and fish and wildlife.
This unique and delightful map of mainland Scotland and the
Hebrides, from the collection of the National Library of Scotland,
is a magnificent pictorial map of Scotland. Not just annotated with
beautiful calligraphy, it also includes dozens of vignettes of
famous Scottish places, from cities and towns to lochs to mountains
and castles, as well as people and animals. It was originally
published in 1931 by Pratts Oil, which was known as Standard Oil in
the US and a few months later as Esso in the UK.
This book focuses on the urban wind environment of urban center
district. Through urban spatial morphology and urban space units it
provides in-depth evaluation and research on the correlation
between urban spatial morphology indicator and urban wind
environment. Based on urban spatial morphology indicators, such as
building density, FAR, average building height and wind environment
parameter, it conducts quantitative analysis and statistic
evaluation to acquire the influence relationship between urban
planning indicators and wind speed. In addition, based on the 13
typical urban morphology units it also analyses the different
situation of wind environment. Finally it provides the optimized
strategies on urban planning, architecture and landscape. It
intertwines the quantitative research between wind environment and
urban morphology through in-depth analysis and urban microclimate
simulation. It makes a valuable contribution for the research on
urban environment and urban morphology.
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