"High Vistas" is the first anthology devoted to nature writings on Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. Each selection features a biographical essay introducing each author from celebrated naturalists John Muir and William Bartram to lesser-known writers whose words deserve to be heard and reveals how he or she went about exploring and depicting the region. Searching for rare wildflowers and elusive birds, scaling vertical cliffs, experimenting with medicinal plants, exploring a vast cavern, enduring horrific thunderstorms and encountering timber wolves, panthers, black bears and giant rattlesnakes are just some of the adventures that unfold in these pages.

Glendale is one of the oldest towns in Southern California, getting its start during the rail boom of the 1880s. In 1904, it was one of the earliest communities to be served by the vast electric streetcar system consolidated throughout the Los Angeles region by tycoon Henry Huntington. In the postwar era, Glendale became a model of suburban growth and today is the third largest city in Los Angeles County. Glendale's diverse neighborhoods and commercial districts have offered pleasant living and a gamut of goods and services to residents, workers, and visitors alike. These vintage postcards spanning generations showed them a vision of Glendale at its most attractive.

This collection of intertwined essays results from writer George Ellison's thirty-year fascination with Western North Carolina and its Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Gathered into three broad sections--Natural History, Cherokees and Mountaineers--these insightful essays provide a wealth of historic detail and offer a unique perspective on the rich cultural heritage of this stunning and oft-misunderstood part of the country. Through a diverse cast of characters including early explorers and European plant hunters, a Cherokee shaman or two, weather sharps, a hermit, a moonshiner, several writers of note, ornithologists and naturalists, we hear stories in a distinctly Appalachian tone and gain an understanding of mountain life and lore. We develop a new language fit for mountain life, speaking of balds, knobs, gaps, seeps, springheads and shoals, and begin to understand the roots of the names Crooked Arm, Deeplow Gap and the Boogerman Trail. We see the world through the eyes of the ancient Cherokees, for whom the Nantahala Gorge, for example, was a "chasm of horrors" associated with the "uktena," a mythic serpent from the dreaded Under World. From his home in a 46-acre cove surrounded on three sides by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and from a studio he shares with his watercolorist wife, Elizabeth, in Bryson City, George Ellison writes and lectures about the natural and human history of Western North Carolina. His work appears in the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Smoky Mountain News, and Chinquapin: The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.

The consequences of childhood obesity are serious and far reaching, with both physical and psychological components that add to its complexity. Childhood Obesity: Contemporary Issues provides an up-to-date account of the increase of obesity in children, its causes, and its prevention. The expert editorial panel has chosen contributors with considerable practical and research experience. They explore why childhood obesity is so difficult to prevent and treat. Focusing less on clinical issues and more on environmental factors, the book brings together social, psychological, biological, and socio-biological approaches to the experience and problem of obesity. Delineating the scope and impact of childhood obesity, the book provides a unique view of the obese child. It examines the link between food intake and physical activity, which are the immediate determinants of energy balance, and discusses how to measure and assess them. The World Health Organization describes obesity as one of today's most blatantly visible - yet most neglected - public health problems. This book highlights obesity in children and discusses the need to develop multifactorial and multi-agency strategic plans to contain this epidemic.

Clingmans Dome towers over the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains as the highest point in both the national park and the state of Tennessee. The mountain holds an ancient allure--the Cherokee treasured it, as did early settlers, and it captivates throngs of visitors today. Scarred by logging, invasive species and modern pollution, the mountain endures. Through lush narratives and fascinating detail, author Marci Spencer presents the natural and human history of this iconic destination, including Senator Thomas Clingman's 1858 journey to measure the mountain and the 1934 birth of the park.

Man versus beast. It is an age-old struggle, and one that has ensued within the rugged terrain of the Great Smoky Mountains since humans first encountered the region centuries ago. Author and local hunting connoisseur Bob Plott takes readers on a quest back through time for a glimpse into the minds and the rifles of the region s most intrepid hunters. From the primitive weaponry and prevailing tactics of the Cherokee to the audacious rifle-toting ridge runners, and even a gruesome gang of cannibalistic rogues, these stories are truly a gripping tribute to mountain life and the adventure of the game.

Unprecedented advances in genetics and biotechnology have brought profound new insights into human biological variation. These present challenges and opportunities for understanding the origins of human nature, the nature of difference, and the social practices these sustain. This provides an opportunity for cooperation between the biological and social sciences one that is capable of prompting a synergistic exchange of ideas with far-reaching implications. The Nature of Differencecritically analyses biological explanations for morality, criminality, race, sexuality, and disability. Based on the 45th annual symposium of the Society for the Study of Human Biology, this work synthesizes the perspectives of established experts in the field of human biology with those studying the social meanings of human biological variation and scientific practices in human biological research. Some questions addressed by The Nature of Difference: Is there a biological basis for morality, criminality, witchcraft, sexuality or disability? What do comparisons of humans and apes tell us about society? How do people draw on scientific methods to justify racism? Why do geneticists continue to use racial categories in their research? Do ethical guidelines constrain or facilitate research into human biology? Can science and society escape from biological determinism? As biotechnology expands the frontiers of what we know and what we are able to do, and as the genomic revolution moves out of the laboratory and into our daily lives, we are faced with a number of pressing social issues that need to be resolved. Offering an unparall

The consequences of childhood obesity are serious and far reaching, with both physical and psychological components that add to its complexity. Childhood Obesity: Contemporary Issues provides an up-to-date account of the increase of obesity in children, its causes, and its prevention. The expert editorial panel has chosen contributors with considerable practical and research experience. They explore why childhood obesity is so difficult to prevent and treat. Focusing less on clinical issues and more on environmental factors, the book brings together social, psychological, biological, and socio-biological approaches to the experience and problem of obesity. Delineating the scope and impact of childhood obesity, the book provides a unique view of the obese child. It examines the link between food intake and physical activity, which are the immediate determinants of energy balance, and discusses how to measure and assess them. The World Health Organization describes obesity as one of today's most blatantly visible - yet most neglected - public health problems. This book highlights obesity in children and discusses the need to develop multifactorial and multi-agency strategic plans to contain this epidemic.

This study brings together health-care professionals and scholars from a variety of disciplines who seek to understand, and prevent, the transmission of HIV. The biological and social factors concerned with the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS has resulted in dedicated research from each of the disciplines and provided unique insights into the disease. By assembling their insights in one multidisciplinary volume, this book provides a more complete picture of the complex disease, and demonstrates why preventing the spread of HIV will require interdisciplinary collaboration.

Police procedure and evidence brought to life! A key text for all those on policing degree or other pre-join routes, this book examines police procedure and evidence in the criminal justice system, providing clear and accessible information while encouraging analysis and reflection. Chapters cover police powers, stop and search, arrest and custody, disposals, court procedures and disclosure, and rehabilitation. Uniquely it follows the journey of a fictional family who all in one way or another become involved in the criminal justice system, allowing students to consider a range of possible options and outcomes and bringing the theory to life.

No other book on the Southern Appalachians is more widely known or cited.
"Awonderful book. I like it especially for its color and anecdotes. It is a classic, not only for its accuracy and breadth of insights into the people of the region, but because these people themselves are so interesting and strong."
--Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Unprecedented advances in genetics and biotechnology have brought profound new insights into human biological variation. These present challenges and opportunities for understanding the origins of human nature, the nature of difference, and the social practices these sustain. This provides an opportunity for cooperation between the biological and social sciences - one that is capable of prompting a synergistic exchange of ideas with far-reaching implications. The Nature of Differencecritically analyses biological explanations for morality, criminality, race, sexuality, and disability. Based on the 45th annual symposium of the Society for the Study of Human Biology, this work synthesizes the perspectives of established experts in the field of human biology with those studying the social meanings of human biological variation and scientific practices in human biological research. Some questions addressed by The Nature of Difference: * Is there a biological basis for morality, criminality, witchcraft, sexuality or disability? * What do comparisons of humans and apes tell us about society? * How do people draw on scientific methods to justify racism? * Why do geneticists continue to use racial categories in their research? * Do ethical guidelines constrain or facilitate research into human biology? * Can science and society escape from biological determinism? As biotechnology expands the frontiers of what we know and what we are able to do, and as the genomic revolution moves out of the laboratory and into our daily lives, we are faced with a number of pressing social issues that need to be resolved. Offering an unparalleled collection of multidisciplinary perspectives on the meanings of biological diversity, this book provides readers with a vibrant analysis which revisits these issues with deepened insight from contrasting yet complementary perspectives.