Friday, May 25, 2012

Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective

Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective Review

Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective

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With global revenue surpassing twenty-five billion dollars annually, organic agriculture is a highly visible and rapidly growing component of agricultural production. In Organic Agriculture: A Global Perspective, Paul Kristiansen, Acram Taji, and John Reganold, and their international group of contributors scientifically review key aspects of organic agriculture. At the intersection of research, education, and practice, the contributors look at the organic agricultural movement's successes and limitations. The first half of this book critically evaluates the agricultural production of both plants and livestock in organic farming systems. All major aspects of organic agriculture are explored, including historical background and underlying principles, soil-fertility management, crop and animal production, breeding strategies, and crop protection. This global and comprehensive overview also addresses the economic, social, and political aspects of organic farming. These include economics and marketing; standards and certification; environmental impacts and social responsibility; and research, education, and extension.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Frommer's Florence and Tuscany Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket)

Frommer's Florence and Tuscany Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket) Review

Frommer's Florence and Tuscany Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket)

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Map your own adventure.  Florence & Tuscany Day by Day is the perfect answer for travelers who want to know the best places to visit and the best way to see the city.

Packed with color photos, this bestselling guide offers dozens of itineraries that show you how to see the best of Florence & Tuscany in a short time--with bulleted maps that lead the way from sight to sight. Featuring a full range of thematic and neighborhood tours, plus dining, lodging, shopping, nightlife, and practical visitor info,  Florence & Tuscany Day by Day is the only guide that helps travelers organize their time to get the most out of a trip. Inside this book you'll find:

  • Full color throughout with hundreds of photos and dozens of maps
  • Sample one- to three-day itineraries that include The Best of the Uffizi, Tuscany for Families, Tuscany for Food & Wine Lovers, Tuscany for Art & Architecture Lovers, and more
  • Star ratings for all hotels, restaurants, and attractions clue readers in on great finds and values
  • Tear-resistant foldout map in a handy, reclosable plastic wallet
  • Foldout front cover, with at-a-glance maps and quick-reference info


Sunday, May 20, 2012

Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time

Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time Review

Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time

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Beth Greer had been living what she considered a healthy lifestyle when a medical crisis prompted her to reevaluate everything—from the food she ate to the personal-care products she used and the environment she lived in. Now, in Super Natural Home, she shows the alarming extent of the dangerous chemicals we unwittingly expose ourselves to every day. As she did in her own life, she invites readers to put their lives under a microscope—to scrutinize what Americans put in and on their bodies and bring into their homes—and to make personal choices that will enable them to “live clean” in a toxic world.
The straightforward, solutions-based approach of Super Natural Home—complete with quizzes to help identify and correct potential toxic hot zones—speaks directly to what environment-conscious consumers really need: ultra-practical advice on what they can do right now to limit exposure to the poisons that are endangering them and their children. At a time when impeccable scientific research points to an alarming correlation between common chemical compounds and cancers, allergies, psychiatric disorders, and birth defects, among other serious health concerns, Super Natural Home gives consumers the tools to start protecting themselves and their families.


Friday, May 18, 2012

GrassRoutes Northern California Wine Country: Green Road Trips (GrassRoutes Travel)

GrassRoutes Northern California Wine Country: Green Road Trips (GrassRoutes Travel) Review

GrassRoutes Northern California Wine Country: Green Road Trips (GrassRoutes Travel)

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GrassRoutes Travel aims to show you a whole new way to explore and enjoy Northern California Wine Country. Divided up into 5 distinct regions: Undiscovered Coast (From Pt. Reyes Station to Westport along the coast), Cow Country (Cloverdale to Guerneville and environs), Santa Sonoma (Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Petaluma), New Napa (Yountville to American Canyon including Suisun Valley), Suburban Cowboys (Livermore and Pleasanton to Niles). The book is organized around and between these regions with access info for driving (w/ biodiesel fuel sources, of course), biking, and public transportation. Each region is then given the usual GrassRoutes treatment with pointers to the most interesting and inspiring local shops, activities, grub, scenes, etc. The travel guidebook category has gotten into a rut with cookie-cutter series galore. GrassRoutes guides do not recycle the same old tired info. The foundation of each guide is the actual experience of the writers—starting with series founder Serena Bartlett. What other guide to a city offers up an annotated listing of places to volunteer, encourages you to take the bus, and directs you to places to find inspiration


Monday, May 14, 2012

Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine

Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine Review

Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine

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Marco Pasanella's behind-the-scenes memoir through the world of wine will captivate wine lovers with its story of one man who decided, at age 43, to change his life by opening a wine shop.

As Kitchen Confidential and Waiter Rant explored the front and back of the house at restaurants, Uncorked offers a peek behind the curtain of the wine world.

Pasanella takes the reader into the underbelly of his store and the industry, which is steeped in history yet fanatical about technology and brimming with larger-than-life personalities.

Infused with rich details of his historic waterfront building in New York City and his sojourns to Tuscany, Pasanella's memoir is one of transformation through a project many fantasize about but few commit to. A colorful cast of characters rounds out this fascinating journey through the world of wine.


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Lonely Planet New Zealand's South Island (Regional Travel Guide)

Lonely Planet New Zealand's South Island (Regional Travel Guide) Review

Lonely Planet New Zealand's South Island (Regional Travel Guide)

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Lonely Planet knows New Zealand like our own backyard, and this handy guide brings you the best of the country 's South Island in one easy package. Let us help you discover the South 's most breathtaking mountain roads, quietest off-the-beaten-track escapes and best city experiences.
Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip.
In This Guide:
Comprehensive coverage of the highlights and hidden secrets
Itineraries to inspire great skiing, eating, wine-touring, driving or bushwalking experiences
Practical information on getting around by car, bus, plane or campervan


Friday, May 4, 2012

Wine Report 2008

Wine Report 2008 Review

Wine Report 2008

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The essential insider's guide to every major wine-growing region in the world, this book offers dozens of helpful Top 10 lists covering a broad range of topics, including Best-Value Producers, Greatest-Quality Wines, and Most Exciting or Unusual Finds. AUTHOR BIO: Tom Stevenson has been writing about wine for nearly thirty years and is the author of more than 20 books. He's been nominated Wine Writer of the Year on three occasions and received the coveted Wine Literary Award, America's lifetime achievement award for wine writing.


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Finest Wines of California: A Regional Guide to the Best Producers and Their Wines (The World's Finest Wines)

The Finest Wines of California: A Regional Guide to the Best Producers and Their Wines (The World's Finest Wines) Review

The Finest Wines of California: A Regional Guide to the Best Producers and Their Wines (The World's Finest Wines)

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Unconstrained by tradition or viticultural regulation, California winemakers enjoy a freedom that has resulted in a remarkable range of world-class wines. Beautifully illustrated with original photographs and detailed color maps, this guide introduces California wine by exploring the best that the state has to offer --from lush Sonoma Chardonnay to spicy Santa Barbara Syrah to heady Amador Zinfandel. At the heart of the book, award-winning wine writer Stephen Brook offers 90 intimate profiles of top producers--from Napa and Sonoma to the North and Central coasts, the Sierra foothills, and beyond. Brook also includes general information on California wine history, wine culture, grape varieties, and more. Throughout, he searches for the characteristics that make California wine distinctive despite its tremendous diversity--and finds the answer in the state's unusual climate, especially the shifting interplay between fog and sun, as well as a lively and constant questioning of received ideas about viticulture, vine age, terroir, and winemaking techniques, all of which have helped winemakers to create complexity,individuality, and nuance in their wines.