Bookshelf
Bending Science: How Special Interests Corrupt Public Health Research
In Bending Science: How Special Interests Corrupt Public Health Research, Thomas McGarity and Wendy Wagner ’84 of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law explain how scientists can find their research blocked or find themselves threatened with financial ruin. Using alarming stories drawn from the public record, the authors describe how advocates for special interests employ a range of devious tactics to manipulate or suppress research on potential human health hazards. Corporations, plaintiff attorneys, think tanks and even government agencies have been caught suppressing or distorting research on the safety of chemical products. The authors reveal that ideological and economic attacks on research are part of an extensive pattern of abuse and corruption, and they make a compelling case for reforms to safeguard both the integrity of science and the public health. The book is published by Harvard University Press.
The Economic and Market Value of America’s Coasts and Estuaries: What’s at Stake
In The Economic and Market Value of America’s Coasts and Estuaries: What’s at Stake, editor Linwood Pendleton, D.F.E.S. ’97, provides an introduction to the economic contribution of coasts and estuaries to major sectors of the U.S. economy, including fisheries, energy infrastructure, marine transportation, real estate and recreation. Organized by geographical location and delivering a bounty of bibliographic references and data in each chapter, the book offers clear and accessible explanations of the economic value of U.S. coastal ecosystems and the need to protect them. The book is available at the Restore America’s Estuaries’ website.
Isle of Fire: The Political Ecology of Landscape Burning in Madagascar
In Isle of Fire: The Political Ecology of Landscape Burning in Madagascar, Christian Kull ’96 gives a detailed analysis of the fire ecology and fire politics of the endangered tropical island of Madagascar. Based on his extensive fieldwork in Madagasy villages and a thorough archival investigation, Kull argues that Madagascar has always been aflame, will always be aflame and should remain aflame. With extended
references, official statistics and summaries of relevant legislative and governmental acts, his thesis challenges the conventions of natural-resource governance and offers a unique perspective on the larger meanings of resource use, environmental adaptation and power relations. The book is published by the University of Chicago Press.
Temporal Dimensions of Landscape Ecology: Wildlife Responses to Variable Resources
In Temporal Dimensions of Landscape Ecology: Wildlife Responses to Variable Resources, editors John Bissonette ’70 and Ilse Storch explore the issues of time and temporal dynamics as they apply to animals in relation to the environment. As landscape ecologists working primarily with wildlife species, the editors consider the complications that arise because resource availability and quality are not distributed homogeneously over time. They hope to illustrate that time and temporal variation have, in large part, been a neglected dimension in landscape ecology. This book brings together 14 papers that cover a wide variety of topics and approaches that all address the issue of time in landscape ecology research. The editors argue that understanding temporal dimensions and incorporating the temporal discontinuities of resource availability into human understanding are critical to making the science more realistic, resulting in better and more reliable management recommendations. The book is published by Springer.
Paul Bunyan Logs Again: For Young Folks Under 90
In Paul Bunyan Logs Again: For Young Folks Under 90, Jack Slocomb ’40 offers a set of 10 Paul Bunyan tales based on experiences the author had while he was working as an industrial forester in the Mid-Atlantic States. Written in the style of the classic tall tale, the stories include “Paul’s Number One Logging Camp,” “The Beeg Snow” and “The Great Black Duck Dinner.” As Slocomb writes in his introduction, “Each experience starts with a very logical and true situation” and is gradually stretched to whatever length is needed for a good, exaggerated logging tale. “The Paul Bunyan stories,” claims Slocomb, “actually pay tribute to the lumber industry, which has played such a vital part in the building of America.” The book is self-published; to purchase a copy, send an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The World’s Scavengers: Salvaging for Sustainable Consumption and Production
In The World’s Scavengers: Salvaging for Sustainable Consumption and Production, author Martin Medina, Ph.D. ’97, reveals that up to 2 percent of the urban population in developing countries survives by salvaging materials from waste for recycling, which represents up to 64 million scavengers in the world today. Yet, he points out, little is known about the impact of scavenging on global capitalism. Backing up his thesis with case studies from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt, the Philippines and India, he argues that the economic impact of scavenging is significant and can increase industrial competitiveness. He further suggests that scavenging represents an adaptive response to poverty, which can be compatible with a sustainable waste management system. With an historical view to the evolution of scavenging and its connections to formal and informal productive activities in both capitalist and noncapitalist societies, Medina’s book radically alters popular perceptions of this phenomenon. The book is published by Altamira Press.
