Prayer Flags for Pokhara
A Travelogue of Nepal and the Nagajuna Modern Boarding School
By Dorien van Heerden (Paperback, 15 pages, 2012, $10.00)
Join six high school students on a community service trip to Nepal, as they hide through Himalayas, visit cultural sites and volunteer at the Nagajuna Modern Boarding School for poor, refugee and orphan children.
All proceeds from this booklet and related photo exhibition “Journey of Hope” will be donated to The Nagajuna Trust, the British Charity that funds the school. As of spring 2012, the Nagajuna Trust is nearly 75 percent of its fundraising goal of £100,000 for building a new school that would hold 200 students.
About the Author
Dorien van Heerden is a recent graduate of the American International School in Abu Dhabi (’12). Originally from South Africa, she has lived in Abu Dhabi for the past five years. At school, she was a member of the varsity basketball and swim teams, and several clubs. At university, she is considering majoring in science, while continuing to support social justice causes.
Astronomy in the Maya Codices: APS Memoirs Vol. 265
By Harvey M. Bricker and Victoria R. Bricker
(Hardcover, 907 pages, 2011, $75.00)
The Precolumbian Maya were closely attuned to the movements of the Sun and the Moon, the stars and the planets. Their rituals and daily tasks were performed according to a timetable established by these celestial bodies, a timetable based on a highly complex calendar system. Agriculture provided the foundation for their civilization, and the skies served as a kind of farmer’s almanac for when to plant and when to harvest.
In this remarkable volume, noted Maya scholars Harvey Bricker and Victoria Bricker offer invaluable insight into the complex world of the Precolumbian Maya, and in particular the amazing achievements of Maya astronomy, as revealed in the Maya codices the indigenous hieroglyphic books written before the Spanish Conquest. This far-reaching study confirms that, independent of the Old World traditions that gave rise to modern Western astronomy, the Precolumbian Maya achieved a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy based on observations recorded over centuries. Illustrations.
Here is the right half of the seasonal tables of the Dresden Codex:
“Astronomy in the Maya Codices is the first thorough treatise on the codices since Thompson’s A Commentary on the Dresden Codex four decades ago,” writes Prof. Anthony F. Aveni, the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy and Anthropology and Native American Studies at Colgate University.
“The Brickers’ work is special in that it gives a complete account of the historical background of scholarly inquiries into each of the instruments they deal with. Finally, and most importantly, rather than imagining them to consist merely of endless temporal rounds, the Brickers attempt to place each cordial instrument in real time, an approach they uniquely develop and fully justify. In its depth, thoroughness, and revealed new insights, this work will remain the ‘last word’ on the role of astronomy in the codices and in Maya thought for a long time to come.”
Safe Drinking Water Act: EPA Should Improve Implementation of Requirements on Whether to Regulate Additional Contaminants
by David C. Trimble
Paperback, 146 pages, 2011, $45.00
ISBN: 9781437988680
Under 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), every 5 years the EPA is to determine for at least five contaminants, such as chemicals, whether regulation is warranted, considering those that present the greatest public health concern.
Since 1996, EPA had not recommended any new contaminants for regulation until Feb. 2011, when it reversed its controversial 2008 preliminary decision to not regulate perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel and other products. This report: (1) evaluates the extent to which EPA’s implementation of the 1996 amendments has helped assure the public of safe drinking water; and (2) reviews the process and scientific analyses used to develop the 2008 regulatory determination on perchlorate. Illus. A print on demand report.
Purchase this print-on-demand publication for $45.00:
Residential Appraisals: Opportunities to Enhance Oversight of an Evolving Industry
Residential Appraisals: Opportunities to Enhance Oversight of an Evolving Industry
by William B. Shear
Paperback, 60 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9781437988697
Real estate valuations, which encompass appraisals and other estimation methods, have come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the recent mortgage crisis. The Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act mandated this study of the various valuation methods and the options available for selecting appraisers, as well as the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, which established appraiser independence requirements for mortgages sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
This report examined: (1) the use of different valuation methods; (2) factors affecting consumer costs for appraisals and appraisal disclosure requirements; and (3) conflict-of-interest and appraiser selection policies and views on their impact. A print on demand report.
Purchase this print-on-demand publication for $25.00:
Influenza Pandemic: Lessons Learned from the H1N1 Pandemic Should Be Incorporated into Future Planning
Effect of Food and Beverage Prices on Children’s Weights
by Bernice Steinhardt and Marcia Crosse
Paperback, 67 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9781437988318
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic was the first human pandemic in over four decades; the CDC estimates that there were 89 million U.S. cases. Over $6 billion was available for the response, led by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Homeland Security, with coordination provide by the Homeland Security Council through its National Security Staff.
In particular, CDC worked with states and localities to communicate with the public and to distribute H1N1 vaccine and supplies. This report examines: (1) how CDC used the funding; (2) the key issues raised by the federal response; and (3) the actions taken to identify and incorporate lessons learned. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.
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International Food Security Assessment, 2011-21
International Food Security Assessment, 2011-21
by Shahla Shapouri
Paperback, 64 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9781437988796
This report shows that the number of food-insecure people in developing countries is estimated to decline by about 9 million, from 861 million in 2010 to 852 million in 2011 and the number is projected to decline by 16 percent, or nearly 140 million over the next decade.
Food security in Asia and the Latin America and the Caribbean region is projected to improve, whereas food security in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to deteriorate. Food-insecure people are defined as those consuming less than the nutritional target of roughly 2,100 calories per day per person.
Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find publication.
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Book Special: Louis Sullivan: The Function of Ornament (0393304981)
Weekly Book Special: August 9th-15th
August is American Artist Appreciation Month. To commemorate, this week’s book special commemorates Louis Sullivan, one of the 20th century’s greatest architects:
Louis Sullivan: The Function of Ornament
by David Van Zanten and Robert Twombly; Edited by Wim de Wit
Paperback in original shrinkwrap, 224 pages, ISBN: 393304981
List Price: $35.00, OUR PRICE: $5.95
“This is a catalogue of a retrospective on the renowned American architect Louis Sullivan shown at the Chicago Historical Society, Cooper-Hewitt Museum and The St. Louis Art Museum.
Contemporary architects have rediscovered the role of ornament as a humanizing element in their structures. No one practiced the art of ornamentation better than Sullivan, one of the earliest and most significant designers of the skyscraper.
Sullivan’s genius for integrating form and structure with ornamentation is celebrated here in both contemporary and historical photos and in an enlightening text by leading architectural scholars. Color and black and white photos and drawings.
Our favorite building in the book is the National Farmers Bank in Minnesota (click to enlarge):
“One of the best-designed architecture books to appear in recent memory, handsomely illustrated with a fuller selection of historical views of Sullivan’s work than can be found in any other book now in print,” writes the New York Review of Books. “[S]upplemented by a fine new set of color photographs of Sullivan’s most important surviving buildings.”
This book is discounted only through August 15th. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $30.00):
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Effect of Food and Beverage Prices on Children’s Weights
Effect of Food and Beverage Prices on Children’s Weights
by Minh Wendt & Jessica E. Todd
Paperback, 29 pages, 2011, $20.00
ISBN: 9781437988772
One factor that may be important in explaining rising childhood obesity is food prices. This report explores the effect of food prices on children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) and the Quarterly Food-at-Home Price Database.
On average, higher prices for soda, 100 percent juices, starchy vegetables, and sweet snacks are associated with lower BMIs among children. In addition, lower prices for dark green vegetables and lowfat milk are associated with reduced BMI. The effect of subsidizing healthy food may be just as large as raising prices of less healthy foods. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find report.
Purchase this print-on-demand publication for $20.00:
Defense Department Cyber Efforts: DoD Faces Challenges in Its Cyber Activities
Geographic Differences in the Relative Price of Healthy Foods
by Davi D’Agostino, Greg Wilshusen
Paperback, 79 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9781437989281
The DoD is in the midst of a global cyberspace crisis as foreign nation states and other actors, such as hackers, criminals, terrorists, and activists exploit DoD and other U.S. government computer networks to further a variety of national, ideological, and personal objectives.
This report identifies: (1) how DoD is organized to address cybersecurity threats; and assesses the extent to which DoD has: (2) developed joint doctrine that addresses cyberspace oeprations; (3) assigned command and control responsibilities; and (4) identified and taken actions to mitigate any key capability gaps involving cyberspace operations.
It is an unclassified version of a previously issued classified report. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.
Purchase this print-on-demand publication for $25.00:
Afghanistan: Actions Needed to Improve Accountability of U.S. Assistance to Afghanistan
Geographic Differences in the Relative Price of Healthy Foods
by Charles Michael Johnson, Jr.
Paperback, 48 pages, 2011, $20.00
ISBN: 9781437989298
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Defense (DoD) award direct assistance to Afghanistan, using bilateral agreements and multilateral trust funds that provide funds through the Afghan national budget.
This report assessed: (1) the extent to which the U.S., through USAID and DoD, has increased direct assistance; (2) USAID and DoD steps to ensure accountability for bilateral direct assistance; and (3) USAID and DoD steps to ensure accountability for direct assistance via multilateral trust funds for Afghanistan.
The report reviewed USAID, DoD, and multilateral documents and met with U.S. officials in Wash., D.C., and Afghanistan. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.
Purchase this print-on-demand publication for $20.00:
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