Other books that might interest you

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  The Age of the Horse - An Equine...

  Susanna Forrest

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  A “superb” account of the enduring connection between humans and horses—“Full of the sort of details that get edited out of more traditional histories” (The Economist).   Fifty-six million years ago, the earliest equid walked the earth—and beginning with the first-known horse-keepers of the Copper Age, the horse has played an integral part in human history. It has sustained us as a source of food, an industrial and agricultural machine, a comrade in arms, a symbol of wealth, power, and the wild.   Combining fascinating anthropological detail and incisive personal anecdote, equestrian expert Susanna Forrest draws from an immense range of archival documents as well as literature and art to illustrate how our evolution has coincided with that of horses. In paintings and poems (such as Byron’s famous “Mazeppa”), in theater and classical music (including works by Liszt and Tchaikovsky), representations of the horse have changed over centuries, portraying the crucial impact that we’ve had on each other.   Forrest combines this history with her own experience in the field, and travels the world to offer a comprehensive look at the horse in our lives today: from Mongolia where she observes the endangered takhi, to a show-horse performance at the Palace of Versailles; from a polo club in Beijing to Arlington, Virginia, where veterans with PTSD are rehabilitated through interaction with horses.   “For the horse-addicted, a book can get no better than this . . . original, cerebral and from the heart.” —The Times (London)

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  The Monkey Wrench Gang

  Edward Abbey

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  Ex-Green Beret George Hayduke has returned from war to find his beloved southwestern desert threatened by industrial development. Joining with Bronx exile and feminist saboteur Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon Seldom Seen Smith, and libertarian billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., Hayduke is ready to fight the power—taking on the strip miners, clear-cutters, and the highway, dam, and bridge builders who are threatening the natural habitat. The Monkey Wrench Gang is on the move—and peaceful coexistence be damned!

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  National Parks Forever - Fifty...

  Jonathan B. Jarvis, T. Destry...

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  Two leaders of the National Park Service provide a front-row seat to the disastrous impact of partisan politics over the past fifty years—and offer a bold vision for the parks’ future. 
    
  The US National Parks, what environmentalist and historian Wallace Stegner called America’s “best idea,” are under siege. Since 1972, partisan political appointees in the Department of the Interior have offered two conflicting views of the National Park Service (NPS): one vision emphasizes preservation and science-based decision-making, and another prioritizes economic benefits and privatization. These politically driven shifts represent a pernicious, existential threat to the very future of our parks. 
    
  For the past fifty years, brothers Jonathan B. and T. Destry Jarvis have worked both within and outside NPS as leaders and advocates. National Parks Forever interweaves their two voices to show how our parks must be protected from those who would open them to economic exploitation, while still allowing generations to explore and learn in them. Their history also details how Congress and administration appointees have used budget and staffing cuts to sabotage NPS’s ability to manage the parks and even threatened their existence. Drawing on their experience, Jarvis and Jarvis make a bold and compelling proposal: that it is time for NPS to be removed from the Department of the Interior and made an independent agency, similar to the Smithsonian Institution, giving NPS leaders the ability to manage park resources and plan our parks’ protection, priorities, and future.

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  Greenhouse Planet - How Rising...

  Lewis H. Ziska

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  The carbon dioxide that industrial civilization spews into the atmosphere has dramatic consequences for life on Earth that extend beyond climate change. CO2 levels directly affect plant growth, in turn affecting any kind of life that depends on plants—in other words, everything. 
   
   
   
  Greenhouse Planet reveals the stakes of increased CO2 for plants, people, and ecosystems—from crop yields to seasonal allergies and from wildfires to biodiversity. The veteran plant biologist Lewis H. Ziska describes the importance of plants for food, medicine, and culture and explores the complex ways higher CO2 concentrations alter the systems on which humanity relies. He explains the science of how increased CO2 affects various plant species and addresses the politicization and disinformation surrounding these facts. 
   
   
   
  Ziska confronts the claim that "CO2 is plant food," a longtime conservative talking point. While not exactly false, it is deeply misleading. CO2 doesn't just make "good" plants grow; it makes all plants grow. It makes poison ivy more poisonous, kudzu more prolific, cheatgrass more flammable. CO2 stimulates some species more than others: weeds fare particularly well and become harder to control. Many crops grow more abundantly but also become less nutritious. And the further effects of climate change will be formidable.

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  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari -...

  FlashBooks, Dean Bokhari

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  Book Summary of "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari 
   
  Important note: This is not the original book. This is a book summary of the following book: 
  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 
  About 
  Our species, Homo sapiens, started out as just another insignificant animal—among countless others. But at some point, homo sapiens made a rapid jump to domination over all other species. This rapid rise has left humanity anxious, destructive, and often miserable—despite all our efforts to be happy. Yuval Noah Harari's book 'Sapiens,' traces the origins and effects of what we think of as “human progress” from small bands of hunter-gatherers 100,000 years ago to the present-day global network through which our species has come to dominate the Earth. This bird's-eye view of human history delves into the development of sapiens' social organization and the structural features of human cultures through which our species has spread and evolved, including breakthroughs like human language, the use of human imagination, and the rise of the concept of a better future that lies just beyond the horizon. Through these mechanisms, our species has evolved into a species that's increasingly in control of our own destiny. This book considers how this evolution has occurred, whether this progress has been beneficial, and what the future might hold for our species. 
   
  Here's what you'll learn about in this summary:  
  —How our species has evolved, not just biologically, but socially. 
  —How history, overall, is moving in the direction of global unity of humankind. 
  —How none of the outcomes of history have been inevitable, and the flexible nature of the social order may mean that our species can control its destiny.

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  Neural Networks for Beginners -...

  Brandon Scott

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  Embark on an enlightening journey into the fascinating world of neural networks with "Neural Networks for Beginners: A Journey Through the World of Artificial Intelligence." This comprehensive guide is meticulously crafted for absolute beginners, offering a gentle introduction to the complex and intriguing domain of artificial intelligence (AI) through the lens of neural networks. 
  With no prior knowledge required, readers are taken step by step through the foundational concepts, building blocks, and architectures that make neural networks a powerful tool in modern technology. From understanding basic terminology to exploring the architecture of various neural network models, this book demystifies AI and provides clear, engaging explanations that are accessible to all. 
  "Neural Networks for Beginners" is more than just a textbook; it's a hands-on guide that includes practical applications and project ideas, encouraging readers to apply what they learn. Through captivating case studies across diverse industries, the book showcases the real-world impact of neural networks and sparks curiosity about their potential. 
  Additionally, "Neural Networks for Beginners" provides a wealth of resources for further learning, including a glossary of key terms, a brief overview of the mathematical foundations of neural networks, and an extensive list of books, courses, websites, and communities for continued exploration. 
  Whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious about artificial intelligence, "Neural Networks for Beginners" offers an engaging and informative path to understanding and applying neural networks in the real world. Join us on this journey and unlock the potential of AI to transform the future.

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