Weighted Down: The Complicated Life of Skip Spence is scholar Cam Cobb's biography on the legendary '60s cult musician. As a member of era-defining bands Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane, Spence played a large part in setting the agenda and aesthetic for many other groups of the era. His only solo album, the hugely psychedelic and occasionally challenging 'Oar', cemented his reputation, and he has since gone on to be celebrated by the likes of Tom Waits, Beck, and Robert Plant. However, the musician's life was aggrieved by substance abuse, erratic behaviour, and poor mental health. Cobb regards Spence's life as a whole, warts and all, from his visionary recordings, to his idiosyncratic personality and untimely death at the age of 52.

Assessment of human casualties in earthquakes has become a topic of vital importance for national and urban authorities responsible for emergency provision, for the development of mitigation strategies and for the development of adequate insurance schemes. In the last few years important work has been carried out on a number of recent events (including earthquakes in Kocaeli, Turkey 1999, Niigata Japan, 2004, Sichuan, China 2008 and L'Aquila, Italy 2009). These events have created new and detailed casualty data, which has not until now been properly assembled and evaluated. This book draws the new evidence from recent events together with existing knowledge. It summarises current trends in the understanding of the factors influencing the numbers and types of casualties in earthquakes; it offers methods to incorporate this understanding into the estimation of losses in future events in different parts of the world; it discusses ways in which pre-event mitigation activity and post-event emergency management can reduce the toll of casualties in future events; and it identifies future research needs.

This text presents principles and construction techniques applicable to builders, householders and communities who are building in disaster-prone areas. The principles are clearly and simply presented, with an emphasis on improving hazard-resistance for minimum cost. They seek to encourage builders to improve their current practices rather than setting building standards or providing hazard-resistance performance specifications.;The book includes sections on siting for safety - siting considerations in areas prone to high winds, earthquakes, flooding; and siting to avoid ground instability problems; building safely in masonry: principles of robust construction and building to resist earthquakes for buildings of brick, block, earth and stone masonry; building safely in timber - principles of robust construction and building to resist high winds and earthquake forces in timber framed buildings; and building safely in concrete - principles of robust construction and building to resist earthquake forces in reinforced concrete framed buildings.

Assessment of human casualties in earthquakes has become a topic of vital importance for national and urban authorities responsible for emergency provision, for the development of mitigation strategies and for the development of adequate insurance schemes. In the last few years important work has been carried out on a number of recent events (including earthquakes in Kocaeli, Turkey 1999, Niigata Japan, 2004, Sichuan, China 2008 and L'Aquila, Italy 2009). These events have created new and detailed casualty data, which has not until now been properly assembled and evaluated. This book draws the new evidence from recent events together with existing knowledge. It summarises current trends in the understanding of the factors influencing the numbers and types of casualties in earthquakes; it offers methods to incorporate this understanding into the estimation of losses in future events in different parts of the world; it discusses ways in which pre-event mitigation activity and post-event emergency management can reduce the toll of casualties in future events; and it identifies future research needs.

An outline of the manufacturing techniques available for this well-proven but underutilized binding material, with a guide to uses, properties and limitations.